This open access book presents the proceedings volume of the YOUMARES 8 conference, which took place in Kiel, Germany, in September 2017, supported by the German Association for Marine Sciences (DGM). The YOUMARES conference series is entirely bottom-up organized by and for YOUng MARine RESearchers. Qualified early career scientists moderated the scientific sessions during the conference and provided literature reviews on aspects of their research field. These reviews and the presenters' conference abstracts are compiled here. Thus, this book discusses highly topical fields of marine research and aims to act as a source of knowledge and inspiration for further reading and research. 

1. YOUMARES - A Conference from and for YOUng MARine RESearchers

2. Can Climate Models Simulate the Observed Strong Summer Surface Cooling in the Equatorial Atlantic?
3. The Physical System of the Arctic Ocean and Subarctic Seas in a Changing Climate
4. Marine Optics and Ocean Color Remote Sensing
5. Phytoplankton Responses to Marine Climate Change - An Introduction
6. Reading the Book of Life - Omics as a Universal Tool Across Disciplines
7. Bio-Telemetry as an Essential Tool in Movement Ecology and Marine Conservation
8. How Do They Do It? - Understanding the Success of Marine Invasive Species
9. For a World Without Boundaries: Connectivity Between Marine Tropical Ecosystems in Times of Change
10. Arctic Ocean Biodiversity and DNA Barcoding - A Climate Change Perspective
11. Regime Shifts - A Global Challenge for the Sustainable Use of our Marine Resources
12. Biodiversity and the Functioning of Ecosystems in the Age of Global Change: Integrating Knowledge Across Scales
13. Microplastics in Aquatic Systems - Monitoring Methods and Biological Consequences
Appendix 1. List of Conference Participants
Appendix 2. Conference Sessions and Abstracts.