The Polar Marine Diatom Taxonomy and Ecology Workshops represent a community-led initiative to provide international polar diatom researchers with an opportunity to interact and discuss topical issues and new results that bear on recent and future research activities in the polar regions. Workshops have a strong focus on the Neogene to Recent time period and on taxonomic issues toward standardization of terminology and identifications - workshops are interactive with dedicated microscope-based taxonomy sessions. Workshops allow students and early career researchers to interact with, and receive training and advice from, leaders in the field and, as such, researchers at all stages of their careers are encouraged to attend.

In brief, the workshop aims are to:

• transfer sound taxonomic skills and exchange knowledge relative to modern and fossil diatoms of polar regions;
• engage the international marine phytoplankton and palaeontological communities and raise the research profile, and provide the opportunity for on-going training of students and researchers.

The workshop supports the sound development of robust proxies for palaeoceanography, evolution of sea-ice communities, and timing of climatic events in polar regions.