Ocean Sciences Meeting 2026 (OSM) in Glasgow offered hundreds of science talks and town hall events, and had the added benefit of spontaneous networking opportunities while waiting in the epic-long queues for the coat check and food trucks. It would seem that sore feet and hoarse throats are a small price to pay for such an extravaganza. And yet, with over 6,500 attendees and the array of desirable, consecutive activities, this scale of magnitude begs the question: how does one navigate through it to maximise the experience? We asked some of OceanICU’s early career researchers what their inaugural OSM experience was like and what advice they would offer to future first-timers.
Houda Beghoura (UiB) gave an oral presentation: “Explicit quantification of the decadal ocean CO₂ sink using full-depth crossover analysis”. She is a postdoctoral researcher. As a biogeochemical oceanographer, her main research interest has been understanding the reciprocal relationship between the cycling of nutrients in the Ocean and the biological activity using statistical methods and Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Models.
Tobias Strickmann (GEOMAR) presented a poster: “Using UVP In-situ Imaging to Estimate the Impact of Environmental Drivers and Intermediate Particle Maxima on Vertical Particle Fluxes”. He is a PhD student in the field of Biological Oceanography. In the OceanICU project, his work is contributing towards the project’s investigation into the impact of environmental parameters on vertical particle fluxes by using global in-situ imaging, CTD, and sediment trap data.
Rebecca Millington (PML) presented a poster: “Quantifying the carbon flux due to diel vertical migration on the Northwest European shelf”. A marine ecosystem modeller, Rebecca focuses on developing biogeochemical models by including new processes and improved parameterisations. She uses models to understand the role of biology in oceanic carbon cycling, particularly in coastal and shelf regions.
What was your overall impression of OSM26?
Rebecca: I really enjoyed OSM, it was a great chance to catch up with lots of people I already work with (e.g. in OceanICU) as well as meet many new people. There were so many science sessions available which were simultaneously exciting and intimidating. I definitely had to accept that I couldn’t go to every talk I was interested in.
Tobias: I liked the conference, the venue was nicely organized and despite the huge masses of people everything went about as smoothly as you can expect from such a big event (at least for me). It was great seeing so many familiar and new faces, that you previously only cited and read about. And even though I was and still am a bit sceptical about the headphones, I must admit that they worked quite well. [headphones and microphones were used in a large hall to accommodate many different sessions]
Houda: My work focuses mainly on the carbon and oxygen cycles and the processes that drive them, so OSM was a great opportunity to catch up on the latest insights in these areas, exploring new perspectives. The only small challenge was that some sessions on similar themes were held in rooms quite far apart, which made it a bit tricky to move between them.
Was there a specific highlight for you?
Rebecca: My highlight was definitely the conversations I had with people and the opportunities that they opened up for us to do exciting new science.
Is there anything you learned that is still lingering in your thoughts?
Tobias: I don’t know why but specifically a talk about the modelled contribution of fish to the biological carbon pump (BCP) stuck in my head, with the statement that fish can locally contribute up to about 20% of the BCP flux but only <0.5% of that gets actually sequestered.
Rebecca: There were too many to pick one!
Did you receive good feedback or questions when presenting your work?
Houda: At the end of my oral, a knowledge-sharing discussion took place on the outstanding issues in my work. There were suggestions on how to validate the method we are developing in Bergen for calculating the ocean carbon sink and the estimation of uncertainties, which provides considerable food for thought regarding the next steps.
Tobias: There was lots of discussion around the poster I presented, and specifically a note about why some of the patterns I saw in my data did not align with a colleague’s data. But after looking at it, we realized that it’s probably due to the particle sizes chosen, which was very interesting.
Rebecca: I presented a poster and found it a really useful opportunity to have a two-way dialogue about my work. I’m currently working on a model of diel vertical migration which is a hot topic, lots of other modelling groups are working on including this process in their models at the same time. Many of the people that came to my poster are working on their own models and it was very useful to be able to discuss the similarities and differences of our approaches.
What advice would you give to anybody who will be presenting for the first time at the next event?
Houda: I recommend contacting, well in advance of the event, the researchers whose work is relevant to your own research, so that you can arrange longer discussions. And, plan your schedule in advance by estimating the travel time between sessions. Visiting the conference centre can help with this. If you’re giving a talk, it may be useful to familiarise yourself with the room’s layout and size beforehand.
Rebecca: If you’re presenting a poster, rest up before your session, it’s hard work chatting away for two plus hours.
Tobias: Just immerse in the atmosphere and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to connect and speak with everyone. There are so many interesting people and projects that you might think you’re constantly missing things, but that is perfectly normal.
As they say, yesterday’s hindsight is tomorrow’s foresight, and even if you are a seasoned veteran of OSM events, you can appreciate the wisdom in this advice. Special thanks to Rebecca, Houda and Tobias for sharing their experience and impressions.
Interested in knowing who else presented on behalf of OceanICU? Read our summary article.
Dr. Emma Dolmaire
Dr. Emma Dolmaire is a modeller in marine ecology and fishery. She has worked in the past on spatial population models and has recently joined the StrathE2E ecosystem modelling team at the University of Strathclyde to be part of the OceanICU project. Her work focuses on the impact of fishing on fish populations and ecosystem carbon budget.
