Moving conferences online: lessons learned from an international virtual meeting

We consider the opportunities and challenges associated with organizing a conference online, using a case study of a medium-sized (approx. 400 participants) international conference held virtually in August 2020. In addition, we present quantifiable evidence of the participants’ experience using the results from an online post-conference questionnaire. Although the virtual meeting was not able to replicate the in-person experience in some aspects (e.g. less engagement between participants) the overwhelming majority of respondents found the meeting an enjoyable experience and would join similar events again. Notably, there was a strong desire for future inperson meetings to have at least some online component. Online attendance by lower-income researchers was higher compared with a past, similarthemed in-person meeting held in a high-income nation, but comparable to one held in an upper-middle-income nation. This indicates that online conferences are not a panacea for diversity and inclusivity, and that holding in-person meetings in developing economies can be at least as effective. Given that it is now relatively easy to stream contents of meetings online using low-cost methods, there are clear benefits in making all presented content accessible online, as well as organizing online networking events for those unable to attend in person

COBRA Master Class: Providing deep-sea expedition leadership training to accelerate early career advancement

Leading deep-sea research expeditions requires a breadth of training and experience, and the opportunities for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to obtain focused mentorship on expedition leadership are scarce. To address the need for leadership training in deep-sea expeditionary science, the Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA) launched a 14-week virtual Master Class with both synchronous and asynchronous components to empower students with the skills and tools to successfully design, propose, and execute deep-sea oceanographic field research. The Master Class offered customized and distributed training approaches and created an open-access syllabus with resources, including reading material, lectures, and on-line resources freely-available on the Master Class website (cobra.pubpub.org). All students were Early Career Researchers (ECRs, defined here as advanced graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, early career faculty, or individuals with substantial industry, government, or NGO experience) and designated throughout as COBRA Fellows. Fellows engaged in topics related to choosing the appropriate deep-sea research asset for their Capstone “dream cruise” project, learning about funding sources and how to tailor proposals to meet those source requirements, and working through an essential checklist of pre-expedition planning and operations. The Master Class covered leading an expedition at sea, at-sea operations, and ship-board etiquette, and the strengths and challenges of telepresence. It also included post-expedition training on data management strategies and report preparation and outputs. Throughout the Master Class, Fellows also discussed education and outreach, international ocean law and policy, and the importance and challenges of team science. Fellows further learned about how to develop concepts respectfully with regard to geographic and cultural considerations of their intended study sites. An assessment of initial outcomes from the first iteration of the COBRA Master Class reinforces the need for such training and shows great promise with one-quarter of the Fellows having submitted a research proposal to national funding agencies within six months of the end of the class. As deep-sea research continues to accelerate in scope and speed, providing equitable access to expedition training is a top priority to enable the next generation of deep-sea science leadership

Posicionamiento taxonómico del complejo de especies del pez león (Pterois volitous/miles) y caracterización de su nicho isotópico en el Caribe Sur, Costa Rica

Cambronero Solano, S. (2019). Posicionamiento taxonómico del complejo de especies del pez león (Pterois volitons/miles) y caracterización de su nicho isotópico en el Caribe Sur, Costa Rica. (Tesis de Licenciatura). Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.Las invasiones biológicas son uno de los principales impulsores de la pérdida de biodiversidad. El comercio humano introdujo el pez león en el Océano Atlántico hace unos 30 años, y actualmente se considera la invasión marina más importante en los ecosistemas tropicales. El proceso de invasión ha sido bien documentado en la mayor parte del rango invadido, sin embargo, las vías de dispersión, la conectividad y los impactos tróficos aún no se han evaluado en el suroeste del Caribe. Para llenar este vacío de información, se realizaron análisis genéticos y de isótopos estables de la población de peces león en la costa caribeña de Costa Rica. Evaluamos las secuencias de dos genes mitocondriales (16S rRNA y citocromo b) para determinar qué especies del complejo Pterois volitans / miles están presentes en la región. Además, se utilizaron análisis de contenido estomacal y modelos de mezcla según la composición de isótopos de relación (δ13C / δ15N) para inferir el nicho isotópico de individuos de peces león recogidos hasta 150 metros de profundidad. Los resultados muestran que solo P. volitans está presente en este momento en la costa caribeña de Costa Rica. Los análisis de máxima verosimilitud y bayesianos de las secuencias muestran una diferenciación de la población costarricense de los demás en el rango invadido, lo que da una idea de una posible estructura genética en el suroeste del Caribe. Los resultados de isótopos estables indican una variación intrapoblacional del nicho isotópico del pez león, según el sexo y el tamaño. Además, se demostró que el pez león ocupa un alto nivel trófico en la región, con un ancho y rango de nicho que podría superponerse al de otras especies de interés ecológico y comercial.Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Human trade introduced lionfish to the Atlantic Ocean about 30 years ago, and it is currently considered the most important marine invasion in tropical ecosystems. The invasion process has been well documented throughout most of the invaded range, however dispersal pathways, connectivity, and trophic impacts have yet to be assessed in the southwestern Caribbean. To fill this information gap, stable isotope and genetic analyzes of the lionfish population were performed on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We evaluated the sequences of two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA and cytochrome b) to determine which species of the Pterois volitans / miles complex are present in the region. In addition, stomach content analysis and mixing models according to the isotope composition ratio (δ13C / δ15N) were used to infer the isotopic niche of lionfish individuals collected up to 150 meters deep. The results show that only P. volitans is present at this time on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyzes of the sequences show a differentiation of the Costa Rican population from the others in the invaded range, which gives an idea of ​​a possible genetic structure in the southwestern Caribbean. The stable isotope results indicate an intrapopulation variation of the lionfish isotopic niche, according to sex and size. In addition, it was shown that lionfish occupy a high trophic level in the region, with a width and niche range that could overlap that of other species of ecological and commercial interest.Universidad Nacional, Costa RicaEscuela de Ciencias Biológica

Posicionamiento taxonómico del complejo de especies del pez león (Pterois volitans/miles) y caracterización de su nicho isotópico en el Caribe Sur, Costa Rica

Cambronero Solano, S. (2019). Posicionamiento taxonómico del complejo de especies del pez león (Pterois volitans/miles) y caracterización de su nicho isotópico en el Caribe Sur, Costa Rica. [Tesis de Licenciatura]. Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.Las invasiones biológicas son uno de los principales impulsores de la pérdida de biodiversidad. El comercio humano introdujo el pez león en el Océano Atlántico hace unos 30 años, y actualmente se considera la invasión marina más importante en los ecosistemas tropicales. El proceso de invasión ha sido bien documentado en la mayor parte del rango invadido, sin embargo, las vías de dispersión, la conectividad y los impactos tróficos aún no se han evaluado en el suroeste del Caribe. Para llenar este vacío de información, se realizaron análisis genéticos y de isótopos estables de la población de peces león en la costa caribeña de Costa Rica. Evaluamos las secuencias de dos genes mitocondriales (16S rRNA y citocromo b) para determinar qué especies del complejo Pterois volitans / miles están presentes en la región. Además, se utilizaron análisis de contenido estomacal y modelos de mezcla según la composición de isótopos de relación (δ13C / δ15N) para inferir el nicho isotópico de individuos de peces león recogidos hasta 150 metros de profundidad. Los resultados muestran que solo P. volitans está presente en este momento en la costa caribeña de Costa Rica. Los análisis de máxima verosimilitud y bayesianos de las secuencias muestran una diferenciación de la población costarricense de los demás en el rango invadido, lo que da una idea de una posible estructura genética en el suroeste del Caribe. Los resultados de isótopos estables indican una variación intrapoblacional del nicho isotópico del pez león, según el sexo y el tamaño. Además, se demostró que el pez león ocupa un alto nivel trófico en la región, con un ancho y rango de nicho que podría superponerse al de otras especies de interés ecológico y comercial.Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Human trade introduced lionfish to the Atlantic Ocean about 30 years ago, and it is currently considered the most important marine invasion in tropical ecosystems. He invasion process has been well documented in most of the invaded range, without However, dispersal pathways, connectivity, and trophic impacts have yet to be assessed. in the southwestern Caribbean. To fill this information gap, genetic analyzes and Stable isotope analysis of the lionfish population on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. we evaluate the sequences of two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA and cytochrome b) to determine which species of the Pterois volitans/miles complex are present in the region. In addition, they used stomach content analysis and mixing models based on isotope composition of ratio (δ13C/δ15N) to infer the isotopic niche of lionfish individuals collected up to 150 meters deep. The results show that only P. volitans is present in this moment on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyzes of the sequences show a differentiation of the Costa Rican population from the others in the invaded range, which gives an idea of ​​a possible genetic structure in the southwestern Caribbean. The stable isotope results indicate an intrapopulation variation of the isotopic niche of the lionfish, according to sex and size. In addition, lionfish were shown to occupy a high level trophic in the region, with a niche width and range that could overlap that of other species of ecological and commercial interest.Universidad Nacional, Costa RicaEscuela de Ciencias Biológica

New reports of echinoderms on the Caribbean continental slope of central America

The Caribbean is considered a unique biogeographic region that represents an important hotspot of marine diversity in the Atlantic Ocean. The Caribbean Continental Slope of Central America (CCCA) is a largely unexplored area that exhibits a variety of habitats. Among this unstudied biodiversity, special importance has been given to the benthic communities associated with deep bottoms, a diverse group that plays a major role in the ocean carbon cycling and nutrient flux. Echinoderms are one of the main benthic deep sea taxa, in which Holothuroidea is the globally dominant class. We present the results from the first exploratory fishing survey campaign on the CCCA, done under the regional coordination of OSPESCA (Central America Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization) on board of the R/V Miguel Oliver in January 2011. Data was collected from a total of 96 trawls arranged in 25 transects that started in Panama and finished in Belize. A Lofoten bottom trawling net was dragged for 30 min between 0 to 1500m depth. The major component of the total invertebrate catch was Holothuroidea with a biomass of 593 kg (16.49% of the total) and represented by seven species. The following are new reports for the Caribbean: Bathyplotes natans in Honduras and Guatemala, Bentothuria funebris in Panama, Benthodytes sanguinolenta in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize; Hansenothuria sp. in Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras. Paroriza pallens extends its distribution to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras, Zygothuria lactea its reported in Panama. We also present the first records of the crinoid Neocomatella pulchella in Honduras, theasteroid Cheiraster (Cheiraster) planusin Panama, and, for Costa Rica (Asteroidea: Doraster constellatus and Echinoidea: Clypeaster euclastus).Holothurians are the predominant invertebrate fauna in terms of biomass in the entire region of the CCCA. These findings suggest that CCCA presents a high echinoderm biodiversity and also supports the ecoregional variation theory. We report higher echinoderm biomass (75%) in the Southwestern Caribbean compared to Western Caribbean ecoregion. The information presented in this paper establishes the baseline information of echinoderms depth fauna in the Caribbean of Central America, and opens new opportunities for future research.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR

Reverse circulation in Bahía Santa Elena, North Pacific of Costa Rica

This work describes the water circulation of Bahía Santa Elena using velocity fields and hydrographic data obtained from a ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler and a vertical profiler Conductivity–Temperature–Depth sonde, during two campaigns in August and October of 2019. Data were taken in a cross-bay transect in the main channel of the Bahía Santa Elena during a complete tidal cycle. The hydrographic data obtained during the two sampling campaigns suggest a reverse estuarine circulation; tidally averaged values of density and water velocities revealed a dense outflow at the bottom layer in the bay. This is the first description of an inverse estuary circulation pattern in Costa Rica and the second in Central America. Understanding the hydrographic properties of the bay is crucial for undertaking future research projects on water quality and biological communities.Este trabajo describe la circulación del agua de Bahía Santa Elena utilizando campos de velocidad y datos hidrográficos obtenidos de un generador de perfiles de corriente Doppler acústico montado en un barco y una sonda de perfil vertical de conductividad-temperatura-profundidad, durante dos campañas en agosto y octubre de 2019. Se tomaron datos en un transecto a través de la bahía en el canal principal de la Bahía Santa Elena durante un ciclo de marea completo. Los datos hidrográficos obtenidos durante las dos campañas de muestreo sugieren una circulación estuarina inversa; Los valores promediados por las mareas de la densidad y las velocidades del agua revelaron un denso flujo de salida en la capa inferior de la bahía. Esta es la primera descripción de un patrón de circulación de estuario inverso en Costa Rica y la segunda en Centroamérica. Comprender las propiedades hidrográficas de la bahía es fundamental para emprender futuros proyectos de investigación sobre la calidad del agua y las comunidades biológicas.Universidad Nacional, Costa RicaDepartamento de Físic

Preventing plastics pervading an oceanic oasis: Building the case for the Costa Rica Thermal Dome to become a World Heritage site in ABNJ

World Heritage status for selected sites in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction is under active consideration, and the Costa Rica Thermal Dome in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean is a feasible candidate site. A scientific expedition to the area in April 2017 added to biological baseline data but also confirmed presence of microplastics in the water column. National and regional efforts are being made by Central American countries to strengthen mechanisms for integrated ocean management, educate coastal communities and give early consideration to potential future threats such as ocean fertilisation. This paper concludes that to achieve World Heritage status for this iconic site requires an entity to both propose the area and report on its status. Bringing into force the Antigua Convention, a Regional Seas Convention for the Eastern Tropical Pacific, would provide an appropriate platform for Central American governments to enact protective measures.</p

Surface-Water Quality of the Gulf of Papagayo, North Pacific, Costa Rica

In recent years, the northwestern part of the North Pacific areas of Costa Rica has undergone rapid socioeconomic development. This situation, combined with the scarce available information about the water quality of the Gulf of Papagayo, became the starting point to carry out a study to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of physicochemical and biological parameters of surface waters. Seven samplings were collected during the dry season and the rainy season from October 2016 to February 2018. Water quality parameters such as: temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll a of six analytes: nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate, silicate and biological oxygen demand were measured. The results showed that phosphate and ammonium levels were lower during the rainy season (&lt;6 µg P-PO4−3 L−1–9.53 µg P-PO4−3 L−1 and &lt;11 µg N-NH4+ L−1–9.57 µg N-NH4+ L−1) than during the dry season (&lt;6 µg P-PO4−3 L−1–13.64 µg P-PO4−3 L−1 and &lt;11 µg N-NH4+ L−1–14.43 µg N-NH4+ L−1), which may be related to low rainfall (0, 00–26, 16 mm) during the sampling period. The dry season showed enrichment of ammonium, phosphate, and chlorophyll a due to the influence of the coastal upwelling for the intensification of the Papagayo winds from December to March. The physical, chemical, and biological indicators demonstrated that the Gulf waters had adequate quality. Nonetheless, there are specific areas such as Culebra Bay with conditions that could show deterioration of water quality

Moving conferences online: lessons learned from an international virtual meeting

We consider the opportunities and challenges associated with organizing a conference online, using a case study of a medium-sized (approx. 400 participants) international conference held virtually in August 2020. In addition, we present quantifiable evidence of the participants' experience using the results from an online post-conference questionnaire. Although the virtual meeting was not able to replicate the in-person experience in some aspects (e.g. less engagement between participants) the overwhelming majority of respondents found the meeting an enjoyable experience and would join similar events again. Notably, there was a strong desire for future in-person meetings to have at least some online component. Online attendance by lower-income researchers was higher compared with a past, similar-themed in-person meeting held in a high-income nation, but comparable to one held in an upper-middle-income nation. This indicates that online conferences are not a panacea for diversity and inclusivity, and that holding in-person meetings in developing economies can be at least as effective. Given that it is now relatively easy to stream contents of meetings online using low-cost methods, there are clear benefits in making all presented content accessible online, as well as organizing online networking events for those unable to attend in person