The GEOHAB Implementation Plan (GEOHAB, 2003) specifies the formation of Core Research Projects related to four ecosystems types: upwelling, fjords and coastal embayments, eutrophic systems and stratified systems. There CRPs are initiated through focused open science meetings.

An open science meeting on HABs in Stratified Systems was held in Paris, France, 5-8 December 2005. The Core Research Plan is now available and outlines the justification and research priorities for the study of relationships between HABs and stratification, as well as some of the new approaches and advanced instrumentation that may be considered.

The following key questions are addressed:

1. What are the relative contributions of biological and physical processes to the initial formation of thin layers in statified systems?
2. What are the key processes defining the different strategies that maintain phytoplankton in thin layers?
3. What are the biological and chemical outcomes of the physical concentration of plankton into high-density thin layers?
4. What causes a high density population in a a thin layer to collapse?

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