Committees

1 – The six committees

C1. Marine Geosciences
       main themes: geodynamics; active tectonics; morphology and structure of active/passive margins; submarine landslides; tsunami hazards; sediments and sedimentary processes; evaporites; volcanic and hydrothermal activity; mud volcanism and cold seeps; geoarchaeology; multibeam sea-bottom cartography.

C2. Physics & Climate of the Ocean
      main themes: water masses structure and dynamics; thermohaline circulation; air-sea interactions; climatic variability; mesoscale phenomena; hydrodynamic processes; small scale mixing and turbulence; sea level; waves; operational oceanography.

C3. Marine Biogeochemistry
     main themes: chemical fluxes; trace metal speciation; sediment geochemistry; bioaccumulation and effects of contaminants; water chemistry.

C4. Marine Microbiology & Biotechnology
      main themes: ecology and biodiversity of marine prokaryotes (Archaea and Bacteria); viruses and hetero - and autotrophic protists (i.e., phytoplankton); microbial food web interactions; microbial pathogens.

C5. Living Resources & Marine Ecosystems
      main themes: biodiversity changes; exotic species; fauna and flora of the water column and sea bottom; life histories adaptations; food webs; dynamics of species of commercial interest; aquaculture.

C6. Coastal Systems & Marine Policies
      main themes: coastal processes; coastal erosion; land-sea interfaces (estuaries, lagoons, deltas); scientific aspects of ICZM; climate change impacts; coastal vulnerability; river fluxes to the coastal zone, natural and anthropogenic changes.

2 – Committees in action

Represented by their Chairs, the six Committees gather more than 2000 researches from all shores of the Mediterranean and Black Sea and beyond. Through brainstorming activities (Congress sessions, workshops, round-tables) and the CIESM running programs, they facilitate exchanges on emerging scientific topics, data and perspectives.

3 – Committees' chairs
The Chairs of the six CIESM scientific committees work closely with the Director General to define the scientific strategic agenda, and promote cooperation across the Mediterranean and Black Sea Basins. They are elected every three years, during the Congress, by the Congress participants.