Sign in

Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group

@scor-cobs.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.3K following 30 posts

How do interacting drivers/stressors shape the oceans? Sharing new research, workshops, and tools for experimental design, data analysis, mathematical models, and more. scor149-ocean.com meddle-scor149.org

PostsRepliesMedia
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
MEDDLE workshop in Auckland attached to the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium!
000
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
May 4-15, four of the COBS team led a MEDDLE experimental design workshop at CIBNOR (Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste) in La Paz, Mexico, combining MEDDLE with an experiment examining the effects of low pH on scallops during a simulated acute heatshock event.
011
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
New paper out by COBS members on our resources for designing better multidriver studies! doi.org/10.1186/s444...
illustrations of different multiple driver experimental designs.
031
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
The COBS working group is offering an experimental design workshop before Ocean Sciences in Glasgow in Feb 2026! 🌊 Join us for a day of learning about designing and analysing multiple stressor experiments without getting multiply stressed out. forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
Date and time: 9:00–15:30, Sunday, February 8, 2026

Location: University of Glasgow, room details TBA

Title of the event: Designing multiple driver experiments

Conveners: Sinéad Collins, University of Edinburgh, Simin Gao, University of Edinburgh, Paul Renaud, Akvaplan-niva

Description: The MEDDLE resources were developed to help researchers design and carry out tractable and comparable multiple driver experiments. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use these resources to design multiple driver experiments. While the concepts and methods discussed can apply to many systems, examples used during the workshop will focus on manipulative experiments rather than observational data. 

The workshop is geared mainly towards PhD students, postdocs, and ECRs new to multiple driver research, and focuses heavily on the rationale of different experimental designs, and analysis strategies for multiple driver experiments. A basic working knowledge of statistics is needed (regression analysis), and statistical analysis examples will use R. Participants should bring a laptop with R and R studio installed. 

Topics include:
•	Defining a research question
•	Identifying relevant drivers
•	Identifying biological traits and responses
•	Experimental designs for multiple driver experiments
•	Statistical analysis plans

Hosted by the SCOR project “Changing Ocean Biological Systems”, this free workshop will be led by  Sinéad Collins, University of Edinburgh (UK), Simin Gao, University of  Edinburgh (UK), Paul Renaud, Akvaplan-niva (Norway). Spaces are limited. If you would like to attend, contact Sinéad Collins (s.collins@ed.ac.uk) by January 15, 2026 to register your interest. Limited to 24 people, so please register early!

Please include a brief (<150 words) statement outlining (a) your experience carrying out Ocean acidification or multiple driver experiments (if any) and (b) how you plan to incorporate multiple driver experiments into your work
175
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Our data analysis guides for multiple stressor/driver research 🌊 @christinamcgraw.bsky.social @sineadcollins.bsky.social @mridulkthomas.bsky.social @chrisecornwall.bsky.social + Peter Dillingham, Steeve Comeau, Sam Dupont aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The MEDDLE Data Analysis Guides as a Living Resource for Multiple‐Driver Marine Research
Click on the article title to read more.
084
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
🌊
010
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Enjoyed teaching this excellent group of young 🌊 oceanographers experimental design and data analysis! Our teaching team was @christinamcgraw.bsky.social, Peter Dillingham, Sam Dupont, @sineadcollins.bsky.social and @mridulkthomas.bsky.social Reach out if you'd be interested in these workshops!
Participants and teachers for a workshop on experimental design at the BECoME 2025 conference
020
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
We will be teaching two free training courses at the BECoME-2025 conference in Hong Kong next month🌊 Course 1: Designing Multiple-Driver Experiments Course 2: Data Analysis for Multiple-Driver Experiments Join us! Apply through the conference website: www.become2025.com/registration
Training Course 1: Designing Multiple-Driver Experiments

BECoMe-2025 and SCOR’s Changing Ocean Biological Systems infrastructure group are hosting a free training course for researchers interested in learning how to design and carry out multiple-driver (i.e., multiple stressor) experiments that measure responses in microbes, plants, or animals. This training course will guide participants in using the MEDDLE resources to:

•	Define a relevant research question
•	Identify key drivers, biological traits, and responses
•	Select an appropriate experimental design
•	Develop a statistical analysis plan

Training Course Details

Time &Date: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm, 18 August 2025 (Monday)
Location: City University of Hong Kong
Participant Limit: 24 researchers (first-come, first-served)
Eligibility: Participants should have experience in designing and conducting single-driver experiments that study biotic responses (e.g. marine warming, ocean acidification). 

Conveners: Christina McGraw, Sam Dupont, Sinéad Collins, Mridul K. Thomas, Peter Dillingham Training Course 2: Data Analysis for Multiple-Driver Experiments

Researchers work hard to conduct interesting and challenging multi-driver experiments, but are often unaware of how best to analyse their data to take maximum advantage of these experiments. In this training course, participants will:

•	Learn some of the common statistical challenges that appear in multi-driver experiments and how to solve them
•	Work through an example R vignette for a multi-driver experiment
•	Simulate an example dataset based on a proposed experiment
•	Perform an appropriate analysis and visualise and interpret its output using “literate programming” via R markdown   

Training Course Details

Time &Date:  9:30 am - 1:00 pm, 22 August 2025 (Friday)
Location: City University of Hong Kong
Participant Limit: 12 researchers (first-come, first-served)
Eligibility: Attendance at Training Course 1 (Designing Multiple-Driver Experiments) is required, as Training Course 2 builds directly on the concepts developed in the first training course. Participants should have experience with R and good knowledge of regression. Strong Python skills may also be considered, but Training Course 2 will be conducted using R.

Conveners: Peter Dillingham, Mridul K. Thomas, Sinéad Collins, Christina McGraw
042
Reposted by Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group
Chris Cornwall @chrisecornwall.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Check out some snaps from our recent MEDDLE workshop at #ITRS Brest, France on experimental design. Great participants! @scor-cobs.bsky.social
091
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Ever wondered how to analyse your experimental data? 🌊🧪🌍 We’ve developed a series of tutorials in R to guide you through analysing & visualising data from single & multiple driver experiments. Beginners and experts, we've got something for all of you. Please share! meddle-scor149.org/vignettes/
meddle-scor149.org
Vignettes - Meddle
The MEDDLE data analysis tutorials illustrate statistical approaches for single and multiple driver experiments. The tutorials are not meant as an exhaustive list, nor do they replace formal statistic...
1127
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
We have a few slots free in our experimental design workshop at the International Temperate Reefs Symposium on June 30th in Brest, France 🌊 If you're attending the conference and are interested in honing your skills in climate change research/design, please sign up! itrs-home.org/designing-mu...
itrs-home.org
Designing multiple driver experiments – ITRS 2025
The MEDDLE resources were developed to help researchers design and carry out tractable, intercomparable multiple driver experiments. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use these…
051
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Do you plan to do a multiple stressor/driver experiment? 🌊 We developed a 5-step guide to help you design and carry it out: meddle-scor149.org/decision-sup...
meddle-scor149.org
Design Your Experiment - Meddle
Identifying the influences of ocean change on local and global scales is a complex task. However, a carefully designed experiment can help you contribute information needed for the development of scie...
0104
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
We are excited to host a virtual workshop about how to design & conduct multiple-driver experiments for Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association researchers. blog.wiomsa.net/2024/12/11/v... Applications due 23 December! Contact @christinamcgraw.bsky.social for more information. 🌊
blog.wiomsa.net
031
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Several of our members contributed to a couple of international meetings recently: The Sixth International Workshop on Bridging the Gap Between Ocean Acidification Impacts and Economic Valuation in Monaco, organised by the Centre Scientifique de Monaco and the IAEA.
Photo of COBS members and others at the Sixth International Workshop on Bridging the Gap Between Ocean Acidification Impacts and Economic Valuation in Monaco. Photo of COBS members and others at the Sixth International Workshop on Bridging the Gap Between Ocean Acidification Impacts and Economic Valuation in Monaco.
110
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
We are leading workshops on designing multiple driver experiments, at upcoming seaweed and temperate reef conferences 🌊
020
Changing Ocean Biological Systems working group @scor-cobs.bsky.social · 12/11/2024
Hello all! We're a working group studying how interacting drivers (or "multiple stressors") like temperature, acidification, etc. shape marine life. Follow us for new research and workshops, as well as tools to improve experimental design, data analysis, mathematical models, and more. 🌊
2188