The quantity and quality of ocean observations is increasing. Our understaning of the fundamental properaties of the global oceans continues to develop. The interconnections that exist within the oceans and the role of the oceans in the climate system continue to be explorered. Investigations on all spatial and temporal scales are revealing the inherent complexity of the oceans and shelf seas. This session is open to all aspect of physical oceanography as it relates to our understanding of circulation, exchanges and fluxes, mixing, shelf sea processes, forcings and feedbacks with the climate system across the full spectrum of scales. We welcome submissions for all approaches to these problems; theoretical, observational, modelling and palaeo-proxy records.