Knowledge of the biodiversity of ocean ecosystems, from the surface ocean to deep-sea vents and from viruses to whales, is fundamental to our understanding of Earth system processes. Recent advances in the use of genetic probes and molecular techniques are particularly relevant in challenging our view of marine biodiversity and its functional importance. Furthermore, the scaling of these discoveries from individual cells to whole ocean basins in relation to the ocean environment is a novel field in oceanography. We welcome talks and posters on the subjects of marine biodiversity in relation to the ocean environment - past, present and future - and scaling of results from the molecular to the global scale.