5th POLAR MARINE DIATOM WORKSHOP

This is the first announcement of the 5th Polar Marine Diatom Workshop, which will be held at the University of Salamanca, Spain, from the 19-24th July 2015. This workshop is a continuation of four previous successful workshops held in Yamagata, Japan (2005); Nebraska, USA (2007); Sydney, Australia (2011); and Cardiff, UK (2013). Workshop Aims The workshop will provide the international community of polar diatom researchers with an opportunity to interact and discuss topical issues and new results that bear on recent and future research activities in the polar regions. It will have a strong focus on the Neogene to Recent time period and taxonomic issues toward standardization of terminology and identifications, it will be interactive with many dedicated microscope sessions. The workshop will allow students and early career researchers to interact with, and receive training and advice from leaders in the field and, as such, researchers at all stages of their careers are encouraged to attend. Our aims are to: -Transfer sound taxonomic skills and exchange knowledge relative to modern and fossil diatoms of polar regions; -Engage the international marine phytoplankton and palaeontological communities and raise the research profile, and provide the opportunity for on-going training of students and researchers. The workshop supports the sound development of robust proxies for palaeoceanography, evolution of sea-ice communities and timing of climatic events in polar regions.