2025 OBVI Workshop

The 2025 OBVI workshop wrapped up Dec 12, 2025. Read more here!

About

A 2-week workshop for OBVI graduate students and post-docs. Funding for this project is provided by the Schmidt Sciences Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute to the Subtropical Underwater Biogeochemistry and Subsurface Export Alliance (SUBSEA) program.

Workshop dates: November 30 - December 12, 2025

Workshop will include daily lectures, hands-on analyses and modeling of ocean productivity data, and training in ocean biogeochemical sampling and methodologies. Workshop objectives include:

  1. Gain familiarity with concepts, definitions, and methods used to estimate primary production, particles distributions, and phytoplankton biomass
  2. Become familiar with publicly available data and data products specific to ocean primary production
  3. Analyze shipboard, autonomous, and remote sensing data and data products

Scroll below for more information about the workshop’s speakers and logistics.

Who

Instructors at the 2025 workshop are:

  • Angelicque White – University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  • Benedetto Barone – University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  • Robert Hall – University of Montana
  • Calla Marchetti – Princeton University
  • David Karl – University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  • Emily Zakem – Carnegie Institute
  • Katye Altieri – University of Cape Town
  • Matthew Church – University of Montana
  • Nick Hawco – University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  • Raquel Flynn – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • Ricardo Letelier – Oregon State University
  • Sarah Fawcett – University of Cape Town
  • Seth Bushinsky – University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  • Yangyang Zhao – Princeton University

Schedule

  • Introductions & Foundations

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Workshop Overview Church
    09:30 Participant Introductions  
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Participant Introductions (continued)  
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Participant Introductions (continued)  
    14:30 Break  
    15:00 Lecture: Physiological Basis for Photosynthesis Letelier
    15:45 Lecture: Key Terms & Definitions Hall
    16:30 Lecture: Methods for Measuring Primary Production Church
    18:00 Group Dinner  

  • Light & Particles

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: Light in Water (Part I) Letelier
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Lecture: Light in Water (Part II) Letelier
    11:45 Lecture: Optical Constituents of the Ocean White
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Activity: Bio-optical/Particle Data Letelier
    14:30 Break  
    15:00 Lecture: Particle Abundance & Size Distributions White
    16:15 Activity: IFCB & LISST White
      Dinner on your own  

  • Remote Sensing & Ocean Color

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: Intro to Remote Sensing Letelier
    09:45 Lecture: Ocean Color Products & Models White, Letelier
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Activity: Remote Sensing (PACE) White, Freitas
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Activity: Remote Sensing (HOT & Copernicus) White, Letelier
    14:30 Break  
    15:00 Lecture: O2:Ar & Gas Exchange Hall
      Dinner on your own  

  • Mechanistic Models of Productivity

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Activity: Primary Production Modeling Hall
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Activity: Primary Production Modeling (continued) Hall
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Lecture: Mechanistic Models (Functional Types) Zakem
    14:30 Break  
    15:00 Lecture & Activity: Linking NPP to Biogeochemistry Zakem
    18:00 Group Dinner  

  • Modeling Productivity

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: Global Biogeochemical Models Zakem
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Paper Discussion (TBD) Zakem
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Activity: Competition Models Zakem
    14:30 Break  
    15:00 Participant Experiment Pitches  
    16:30 Python Office Hours Zakem, Bushinsky, others
      Dinner on your own  

  • Autonomous Sensors (Split Groups)

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: BGC-Argo & ANCP Bushinsky
      Group A  
    11:00 NCP from Float Observations Bushinsky
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Activity: Float Nitrate Data Marchetti, Zhao
    15:00 Activity: CMIP6 Modeling Activity Marchetti, Zhao
      Group B  
    11:00 Walking Tour of UH Mānoa Karl
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Tour of Marine Center & R/V Kilo Moana Church, White, Flynn
    14:30 Planning Ocean Research Cruises Church, White
      Dinner on your own  

  • Metabolic Rates & Autonomous Sensors (Split Groups)

    Repeat of previous day’s rotations.

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: Metabolic Rates from Diel O2 Barone
      Group A  
    11:00 Walking Tour of UH Mānoa Karl
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Tour of Marine Center & R/V Kilo Moana Church, White, Flynn
    14:30 Planning Ocean Research Cruises Church, White
      Group B  
    11:00 NCP from Float Observations Bushinsky
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Activity: Float Nitrate Data Marchetti, Zhao
    15:00 Activity: CMIP6 Modeling Activity Marchetti, Zhao
    18:00 Group Dinner (all together)  

  • Nutrient Delivery

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: Nitrogen Cycle & Productivity Fawcett
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Lecture: Atmospheric Deposition Altieri
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Lecture: Trace Metals in Deposition Hawco
    14:15 Break  
    14:45 Activity: Atmospheric Deposition Data Altieri, Hawco, Flynn
      Dinner on your own  

  • Nutrient Limitation

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Lecture: Nutrient Limitation Hawco
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Lecture: Isotopic Constraints Fawcett, Hawco
    12:30 Lunch  
    13:30 Activity: Global Nutrient Limitation Fawcett, Hawco, Flynn
    14:30 Break  
    15:00 Activity: Global Nutrient Limitation (continued) Altieri, Hawco, Flynn
    18:00 Banquet at Waikiki Aquarium  

  • Grand Challenges

    Time Event Who
    08:15 Breakfast  
    09:00 Panel Discussion: Knowledge Gaps & Opportunities Church, White, Hawco, Barone, Karl, Letelier
    10:30 Break  
    11:00 Workshop Wrap-Up & Feedback  
    12:30 Lunch  
      End of Workshop