Looking into the future of marine microbial observatories

At the beginning of Fall, just as the trees start changing colors, a group of scientists met to discuss the future of marine microbial observatories in Oldenburg, Germany. Experts in large-scale marine monitoring efforts, microbial observation, and open-access data storage and archiving were in attendance. Dr. Sam Setta, a postdoctoral researcher in the Molecular Ecology (OME) group, represented our group's efforts to develop standardized, reproducible molecular methods to assess ocean health.

The Marine Microbial Observatories for the Future (MMOF) workshop was hosted by Dr. Raïssa Meyer and Dr. Sarah Tucker in the Meren Lab at the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg in Germany. Over two days, participants focused on identifying major challenges facing marine observatories, improving standardization and reproducibility, and building a lasting sample and data legacy. Microbes are important sentinels of change with ocean conditions, quickly responding to the environment, and providing a metric for long-term ocean health. Designing observatories that consistently capture these organisms is therefore critical.

Unlike typical scientific meetings where discussions are limited to short question periods or informal conversations, MMOF was intentionally structured around extended discussion and collaborative problem-solving. MMOF provided the rare opportunity to collectively imagine the future of scientific observations for marine microbes and discuss the most useful data and sample archiving that would be necessary for future scientists.

Following the workshop, a day-long symposium highlighted ongoing efforts in marine microbial observation and data stewardship.  Presentations covered topics such as data archiving and management, and current widespread marine microbial observatories in places such as Australia, Mexico, Indonesia, and across the open ocean. These talks emphasized the diversity of current approaches and the need for greater coordination across programs.

Salient discussion points from MMOF and overall guidelines for making marine microbial research valuable to future scientists will be published for the scientific community. These efforts align closely with OME’s mission to promote reproducible, accessible molecular ecology research and will help ensure that our marine microbial data can continue to inform ocean science well into the future.

A view of St. Lambert’s Church (St. Lamberti-Kirche), one of the landmarks in Oldenburg, from the Schlossgarten Oldenburg park. Credit: Sam Setta