Launch: GEOTRACES Online Seminar Series 2026

Dear all,

We are very pleased to announce the launch of the GEOTRACES Online Seminar Series, a new initiative led by the Early Career Scientist (ECS) committee.

This monthly seminar series aims to foster scientific exchange across the GEOTRACES community and beyond by bringing together senior scientists and early-career researchers around shared themes in trace element and isotope biogeochemistry.

Seminar format:

Each seminar will focus on one coherent topic and feature two connected talks:
 – A senior scientist providing synthesis, context, and big-picture framing
– An early-career scientist presenting new data, methods, or emerging perspectives

Schedule:

The series will run from April to November 2026 (with a break in July), with seminars planned for the last Tuesday of each month. Plus, a special end-of-year Christmas seminar around mid-December.

Seminars will be held at either 09:00 CET or 15:00 CET, depending on the speakers’ locations, to facilitate participation across different regions. Each seminar will last about one hour.

Upcoming seminars:

We are delighted to announce the first three seminars:

April 28, 2026 @ 15:00 CET
Topic: Data synthesis, modelling & integration (see detailed information below)
Speakers: Gregory De Souza (ETH Zurich) & Arianna Olivelli (Flanders Marine Institute)

May 26, 2026 @ 15:00 CET
Topic: Trace metal input in polar environments
Speakers: Jon Hawkings (University of Pennsylvania) & Laramie Jensen (Columbia University)

June 30, 2026 @ 15:00 CET
Topic: Atmospheric aerosol deposition to the global ocean
Speakers:Clifton Buck (University of Georgia) & Prema Piyusha Panda (Stellenbosch University)

Further seminars will be announced in due course.

Platform: Zoom
A single recurring link will be used for all seminars:
https://geomar-de.zoom-x.de/j/63657733493?pwd=6Uman0pQaKQ56P9SkXoUfz55XqqO7a.1
Meeting ID: 636 5773 3493
Passcode: 651026

For more information and updates, check the seminar web page.

We hope this series will provide a platform for exchange across career stages and regions, and we warmly invite you to join us. No prior registration is needed.

Please feel free to share this announcement within your networks!

We look forward to your participation!
Distributed by the GEOTRACES IPO on behalf of the GEOTRACES ECS Committee

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April seminar detailed information:

Time: April 28 @ 15:00 CET
Moderator: Dr. Anh Pham (University of California, Los Angeles)

Senior Scientist: Dr. Gregory De Souza (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)
Title: Bringing it all together: using models to build process understanding
Abstract: Two decades of GEOTRACES observations provide us with a wealth of TEI data at a range of spatial scales. Inferring controlling processes from these data requires an understanding of how sources and sinks — whether in the open ocean or at its margins — interact with ocean circulation to produce observed distributions of dissolved species. In this talk, I will give an overview of the diversity of approaches that have used conceptual and/or numerical models to synthesize observational data into an understanding of TEI cycling in the sea and at its interfaces.

Early Career Scientist: Dr. Arianna Olivelli (Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium)
Title: Mapping ocean trace metal distributions: A global data-driven view of lead and its isotopes
Abstract: Despite the rapid growth of GEOTRACES observations, resolving large-scale distributions of trace metals remains challenging due to their sparse and heterogeneous coverage. In recent years, machine learning (ML) techniques have offered new opportunities to advance data-driven oceanographic research at global and regional scales. In this talk, I will present my work to develop the first global maps of lead (Pb) concentrations and isotope compositions from surface to depth using the tree-ensemble algorithm XGBoost and explainable ML tools. These maps provide an observation-based view of Pb distributions and variability that is difficult to achieve from measurements alone. I will discuss key methodological choices, lessons learned, and potential future applications of these maps. Additionally, I will explore the use of different ML approaches for the synthesis and integration of in situ observations within the wider GEOTRACES context.