Abstract
This virtual special issue of Deep-Sea Research II is the seventh volume of scientific papers arising from the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2, Fig. 1). This diverse body of research from the Indian Ocean encompasses papers on marine geology, physical, chemical, and biological oceanography, as well as paleoceanography. This volume represents another important step toward achieving the overarching goal of IIOE-2, which is to “… advance our understanding of interactions among geologic, oceanic and atmospheric processes that give rise to the complex physical dynamics of the Indian Ocean region, and determine how those dynamics affect climate, extreme events, marine biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems and human populations” (Hood et al., 2015).