The oceans have long been a source of fascination, from the tales of Sinbad to the popular Blue Planet documentary. The marine world provides us with seafood and medicines, fertilizers and petroleum. And the oceans are associated with danger, from the exaggerated fiction of Jaws to poorly understood feedback on climate change. Nobel Conference 48 at Gustavus Adolphus College examines “Our Global Ocean” as a source of discovery. Today, we know less about our own oceans than we do about the surfaces of other planets in our solar system. It is time, then, to rekindle interest in the ocean by gathering top researchers in ocean science to speak about their research and our relationship with the ocean.
Since the dawn of civilization on Earth, humans have relied on the shallow ocean for food, for transportation, for recreation—and as a place to dump our waste. The deep ocean has long been a source of mystery and fear, but recent discoveries have also generated wonder and amazement. How do the deep and shallow regions of the ocean interact? How does the ocean as a whole interact with the atmosphere, and how will changes in these two parts of the planetary system affect us and future generations? Just how interconnected is life in the terrestrial realm with life in the ocean, and how have these relationships evolved? As we start to answer these questions, we hope to explore intricate complexity and unifying mechanisms in the oceans and lay out a path for future exploration.
Top researchers in biogeochemistry, oceanography, deep-sea biology, molecular genetics, and coral ecology are coming together on October 2 & 3, 2012, for “Our Global Ocean,” the 48th Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College. They meet to discuss the marine realm: what we know, what we don’t know, and how we humans rely upon healthy, vibrant seas. We hope that you will make plans to join the conversation. Tickets for the 2012 Nobel Conference will go on sale in early April. For ticket information and information about the Conference, the speakers, and the Nobel concert, visit gustavus.edu/NobelConference.
Julie Bartley and Joel Carlin
Co-Chairs, Nobel Conference 48
Chuck Niederriter
Director of the Nobel Conference