Introduction

The U.S. GLOBEC Georges Bank Program completed all field work in 1999 and has now entered a period of data integration, and synthesis. The Phase IV competition for funds to work on synthesis projects took place in 2001 and funding decisions were made in early 2002. Five projects were selected for funding. These are:

The Physical Oceanography of Georges Bank and Its Impact on Biology - Bob Beardsley (WHOI), Ken Brink (WHOI), Dick Limeburner (WHOI), Jim Churchill (WHOI), Jim Ledwell (WHOI), Changsheng Chen (UMassD), Jim Bisagni (UMassD), Charles Flagg (BNL), Ron Schlitz (NEFSC)

Zooplankton Population Dynamics on Georges Bank: Model and Data Synthesis - Peter Franks (SIO), James Pringle (UNH), Changsheng Chen (UMassD), Ted Durbin (URI), Wendy Gentleman (UW)

Patterns of Energy Flow and Utilization on Georges Bank - Dian Gifford (URI), John Steele (WHOI), Michael Fogarty (NEFSC), Michael E. Sieracki (BLOS), Jim Bisagni (UmassD)

Tidal Front Mixing and Exchange on Georges Bank: Controls on the Production of Phytoplankton, Zooplankton and Larval Fishes - Bob Houghton (LDEO), Dave Townsend (UME), Changsheng Chen (UMassD), R. Gregory Lough (NEFSC), Lew Incze (BLOS)

Integration and Synthesis of Georges Bank Broad-Scale Survey Results - Peter Wiebe (WHOI), Carin Ashjian (WHOI), Larry Madin (WHOI), Dennis McGillicuddy (WHOI); David Mountain (NMFS), J. R. Green (NMFS), Peter Berrien (NMFS); S.M. Bollens (SFU); Dave Townsend (UMaine); Ted Durbin (URI), Bob Campbell (URI), Barbara Sullivan (URI); Ann Bucklin (UNH), Jeff Runge (UNH)

In addition, the following project was funded to support the joint meetings and workshops during the synthesis phase:

Phase IV Data Synthesis Scientific Investigators' Symposia - Peter Wiebe and Bob Groman (WHOI)

Although not all of the projects had their funding in place, a two-day meeting was held in Woods Hole to start the planning for the integrating the activities for the individual projects. The goals of the meeting were:

  1. To exchange information about the nature of each of the projects, including discussion about the context and conceptual framework for the synthesis effort as well as pertinent details.

  2. To discuss where input and results from other groups were needed, where opportunities for collaborations existed, and what elements might be missing that could hamper the synthesis effort.

  3. To develop a time line for working group meetings, symposia, meeting presentations, and publications.

Included in this report is a brief narrative of the meeting, some of the results of the planning efforts, and several appendices that contain the meeting agenda, list of participants, and outlines of the project descriptions.