Kick-off Meeting of the CLIVAR Research Focus O2CH

The inaugural teleconference of the new CLIVAR Research Focus on “The Ocean Oxygen to Carbon Heat Nexus in a Warming Climate” (O2CH) was held on 21 st July 2026. The meeting was co-chaired by Lijing Cheng and Takamitsu Ito and was conducted in two different time slots to facilitate global participation. In total, 14 members joined this meeting.

The meeting opened with a presentation introducing the scientific motivations and the scope of the Research Focus, as well as anticipated deliverables and the preliminary plans for the Working Groups. Participants agreed to host bimonthly online meetings across two time slots to accommodate global time zones, complemented by an in-person meeting planned for 2027.

To foster scientific exchange and identify common research priorities, the group decided that the first 2~3 RF members’ meeting will have by each member give a short (~10 min) presentation to introduce their research and  interests. These discussions will serve as the foundation for identifying key collaborative activities and refining the structure of the Research Focus. Based on emerging priorities, we will refine specific topics, and the four Working Groups will coordinate their efforts. The group also discussed opportunities to strengthen partnerships with other existing international research organizations and ongoing activities.

A central theme throughout the discussion was the urgent need to improve understandings of the coupled dynamics of ocean heat, carbon cycling, and oxygen cycling in the context of accelerating climate change, with ocean dissolved oxygen as the unifying research focus. Members highlighted the unique opportunity that O2CH can provide to bring together researchers across disciplines, fostering new collaborations, and helping to overcome existing scientific barriers in understanding the interconnected Earth’s climate system.