BioGeoSCAPES Science Plan

The BioGeoSCAPES Science Plan establishes the scientific vision, research priorities, and implementation framework for an international program to achieve an integrated and predictive understanding of ocean metabolism and its role in shaping biogeochemical cycles and climate. Endorsed by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), BioGeoSCAPES connects research on marine microbial communities, their metabolic activities, and the chemical and physical environments in which they function.

The plan organizes its scientific priorities around three interconnected themes: States, examining the distributions of organisms, molecules, and environmental conditions; Rates, investigating the mechanisms and rates of metabolic and biogeochemical processes; and Fates, exploring how these interconnected systems respond to environmental change. Its implementation framework addresses coordinated observations, experiments, and modeling; standards and intercalibration; interoperable data; international collaboration; and education and capacity development.

Developed by 63 contributing authors through community consultation and internal and external review, the Science Plan provides a roadmap for BioGeoSCAPES research and collaboration over 2026–2035 and beyond.