THERE ARE TWO MAIN MECHANISMS BY WHICH ASH CAN ENTER THE OCEAN AND INFLUENCE ITS BIOGEOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION: VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND COASTAL WILDFIRE. VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS HAVE DEPOSITED ASH IN THE OCEAN WHERE IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT IRON IN THE ASH WILL BECOME BIOAVAILABLE AND PROMOTE PHYTOPLANKTON GROWTH. VOLCANIC ASH HAS DIFFERENT COMPOSITIONS DEPENDING ON THE VOLCANO TYPE AND THE DISTANCE FROM THE SOURCE (I.E. AEROSOLS IN TRANSIT WILL BE PREFERENTIALLY DEPOSITED BASED ON DENSITY AND MAY ELICIT DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES. VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS CAN BE VIEWED AS A DISASTER (FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ITS IMPACT ON PEOPLE) AND A PERTURBATION (FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ITS IMPACT ON THE OCEAN). AT WHAT LEVEL DOES VOLCANIC ASH DEPOSITION IN THE OCEAN HAVE BIOGEOCHEMICAL AND SOCIETAL CONSEQUENCES? DO WE KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE SCIENCE IN ORDER TO BETTER PREPARE FOR THESE VOLCANIC EVENTS OR TO INTERVENE?