Newswise — The ocean plays a critical role in Earth’s climate system and will be among the topics discussed during the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) taking place in Copenhagen from Dec. 7-18, 2009.

This year — for the first time — the climate meeting will feature an Oceans Day on December 14. Experts from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are available to comment on the following climate issues:

Recent Changes in Greenhouse Gases; Ocean AcidificationScott Doney, Senior Scientist, Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry

Ice Sheet/Ocean InteractionFiammetta Straneo, Associate Scientist, Physical Oceanography

Changes in Ocean CirculationAndrey Proshutinsky, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography

Sea-level RiseLiviu Giosan, Associate Scientist, Geology & Geophysics

Paleoclimate and Pre-Industrial Climate Change • William Curry, Director, Ocean and Climate Change Institute; Senior Scientist, Geology & Geophysics • Lloyd Keigwin, Senior Scientist, Geology & Geophysics

Ocean Circulation• Ruth Curry, Senior Research Specialist, Physical Oceanography• Terrence M. Joyce, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography

Water Cycle and Sea Level RiseRay Schmitt, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography

Ocean Iron Fertilization and Iron Fertilization, Carbon Sequestration Ken Buesseler, Senior Scientist, Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry

Sea Level Changes and the Coastline Jeffrey P. Donnelly, Associate Scientist, Geology & Geophysics

Water Cycle and Sea Level Rise Robert I. Evans, Associate Scientist

Climate Models and their Evaluation Ray Schmitt, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography

Global Climate Projections • Terrence M. Joyce, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography• Ray Schmitt, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography

Changing Precipitation and Evaporation Patterns: Air-Sea Interactions that Drive Weather and Climate• Lisan Yu, Associate Scientist, Physical Oceanography• Ruth Curry, Senior Research Specialist, Physical Oceanography Rising Temperature, Rising Disease? Links between climate change and harmful algal blooms• Donald M. Anderson, Senior Scientist, Biology Department• Dennis McGillicuddy, Senior Scientist, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent organization in Falmouth, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans’ role in the changing global environment.