Wednesday, November 10, 2010

11 European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry, December-2010




































8-11 December 2010. Portoroz-Slovenia
Organized by the Universtiy of Nova Gorica in cooperation with European Association in Chemistry and Environment

 - atmospheric chemistry,
- soil chemistry,
- aquatic and marine chemistry,
- photochemistry and photocatalysis,
- biodegradation and bioremediation,
- ecotoxicology and biomarkers,
- emerging contaminants,
- waste water and solid waste treatment,
- analytical methods for environmental science and biomonitoring,
- pollution and cultural heritage,

will be covered within the conference keynote, oral and poster sessions.


Further information here

AGU Chapman Conference on Source to Sink Systems Around the World and Through Time






AGU Chapman Conference on Source to Sink Systems Around the World and Through Time 

Recent Advances in Understanding Production, Transfer, and Burial of Terrestrial and Marine Materials on the Earth Surface

Oxnard, California, USA
24–27 January 2011


Más información aquí

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

28th IAS MEETING OF SEDIMENTOLOGY Zaragoza, Spain 5th – 8th July, 2011




INVITATION
The International Association of Sedimentologists (http://www.iasnet.org), the Department of Earth-Sciences of the University of Zaragoza (http://wzar.unizar.es/acad/fac/geolo/) and the Geological Society of Spain (http://www.sociedadgeologica.es/) are happy to invite participants to the 28th IAS Meeting of Sedimentology, to be held in Zaragoza (Spain), on 5th – 8th July, 2011. The site of the meeting will be the Conference Centre of the Boston Hotel, located in the centre of the city of Zaragoza (http://www.hotelboston.es).
VENUE
Zaragoza (http://www.zaragoza.es) is currently the fifth biggest city in Spain and has 650,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Government of Aragón (http://www.turismodearagon.com) and is a modern city, which since the sixties has grown considerably. The strategic location of Zaragoza in the centre of northeast Spain makes it an ideal place for conferences, because it lies in the centre of the Madrid-Barcelona and Bilbao-Valencia axes.
Zaragoza can be reached by airplane from several European cities landing at the local airport (http://www.zaragoza-airport.com). There is also a regular connection by high-speed (“AVE”) trains from Barcelona and Madrid (http://www.renfe.es/ave).
Zaragoza was founded in the year 24 BC by the legions that had taken part in the Cantabrian Wars, in Augustus' time. The city took its name from the emperor Caesar Augustus (Caesaraugusta) and was built nearby the Ebro River (the ancient Iber). It fell under Moorish influence in 714: Zaragoza became Saraqusta, also known as Medina Albayda (white city). In 1118 Alfonso I won Zaragoza and it became the new capital of the Aragón kingdom. A few of the city's most important religious monuments from the 14th century are still in good condition, including the churches of mudéjar architecture style, which is characterized by a fusion on Romanic, Gothic and Arabic elements. Founded in 1542, the University of Zaragoza (at present, with 35,000 students) has several campus across the Aragón Community. One of the most attractive points of the conference will be the possibility to join some of the programmed geological fieldtrips. The surroundings of Zaragoza enclose a wide spectrum of sedimentary rocks, superbly exposed in the outcrops of the Pyrenees, Ebro Basin and Iberian Chain. These sedimentary rocks will be visited by a selection of 14 field trips, covering a wide array of topics and geological ages.                                                                             




Más información

2011 Sediment Microbiology Meeting

Microbiology in Marine Sediments
Theme: Microbiology in marine sediments
Date: 2011 March 6-9
Host: University of North Carolina (UNC)
Organizers: Andreas Teske - chair (UNC),
Jen Biddle (University of Delaware),
Matt Schrenk
(East Carolina University)
Scientific Conference: The theme of the UNC meeting will be the application of novel culture-independent and culture-dependent microbiological methods to marine sediments and their pore fluids. By necessity, research in this arena often focuses on enumerating cells and cataloging phylogenetic diversity. In the coming years, however, more emphasis will be placed on the active components of microbial communities and the expression of functional genes. Accordingly, to diminish misleading DNA signals from lysed and inactive cells, the more labile RNA molecules, which occur in proportionally greater numbers in active cells (Sørensen and Teske 2006), can be targeted through both molecular and microscopic techniques. The standardization of molecular (DNA and RNA-dependent) techniques, and development of consistent protocols in sample handling and analysis become increasingly important as divergent results from different groups and teams require cross-checking and reconciliation (Schippers et al. 2005 vs. Lipp et al.). Although sequencing capabilities and costs permit ever-growing genetic databases and an ever-growing dependence on such data, culturing efforts are also experiencing a scientific renaissance. As an example, the American Academy of Microbiology recently reported that "most environmental microorganisms have yet to be isolated and identified, let alone rigorously studies", and that research and technology must help overcome the barriers that prevent the study of uncultivated microorganisms (Harwood and Buckley 2008). Culturing efforts must target individual species and microbial communities, as well as the "effects of perturbation" on these communities.
Education workshop: The training workshop at this meeting will highlight methods for extracting genetic material from sediment, porewaters, and hydrothermal fluids; the development of nucleotide primers for functional gene analysis; advances in cultivating novel and dominant members of microbial communities; and ways to control for seawater contamination in sediments and associated fluids. First, new methods for analyzing deep subsurface communities based on 16S rRNA, instead of 16S rRNA genes (i.e. DNA), will be made available to the DEBI community through lectures, tutorials, and lab exercises; examples include extraction and analysis of 16S rRNA, instead of 16S rRNA genes (i.e. DNA), and rRNA-tag or randomly primed high-throughput pyrosequencing techniques (Sogin et al. 2006; Huber et al. 2007). Second, expertise in practical aspects of molecular surveys of deep-subsurface communities will be shared. One obvious example of many is primer development and functional gene analysis; published generic primers are frequently insufficient for deep subsurface studies due to lineage-specific mismatches and inherent bias (Teske and Sorensen 2008), and due to decreased sensitivity owing to lineage-specific nucleotide ambiguities; using multiple, lineage-specific primers allow much more comprehensive analysis of deep subsurface functional gene cohorts (Lever and Teske, 2007). Third, novel approaches for the enrichment of specific functional and phylogenetic groups will be discussed and also demonstrated as much as feasible. The approaches include sediment microcosms, stable isotope probing, and in situ colonization experiments. New culturing efforts are relying more heavily on solid substrates, non-traditional redox pairs, micronutrients, chemical gradients, and symbiotic relationships. Fourth, contamination monitoring with chemical tracers will be taught. An approach pioneered by Smith (Smith et al. 2000) and House (House et al. 2003), and developed further on IODP leg 301 to the Juan de Fuca Ridge flanks, can now be applied in microbial community analyses of deep sediments continuing into basement basalt (Lever and Teske 2007).

APPLY NOW! APPLICATIONS ARE DUE DECEMBER 1, 2010.

2011 Sediment Biogeochemistry Meeting






Theme: Biogeochemistry in marine sediments

a) Drill cores
b) Biogeochemistry in marine sediments

Date: 2011

Host: University of Bremen, Germany (UB)

Organizers: Kai-Uwe Hinrichs - chair, Wolfgang Bach (both at UB), Bo Barker Jørgensen (Max-Planck Institute & University of Aarhus, Denmark)

Scientific Conference. Biogeochemistry of the deep sedimentary biosphere will be the scientific theme of the meeting in Bremen. Marine sediments cover 70% of the Earth's surface and contain perhaps the largest reservoir of microbial biomass on Earth (Lipp et al.; Whitman et al. 1998). The ecology and physiology of the microorganisms in the vast realm of subsurface sediments remain enigmatic, despite their high genetic diversity and physiological potential (Jørgensen and Boetius 2007). Slow degradation of organic matter supports microorganisms down to depths of at least 1600 meters below the seafloor in over 100 Million year old sediments and at temperatures up to 100°C (Roussel et al. 2008). Even in extremely low-energy environments, radiolytic cleavage of water may support appreciable numbers of microbial cells (about 10^5 cells/cm³); (Blair et al. 2007). Availability of energy from organic carbon degradation and cell numbers both decrease with increasing depth in the sediments, but the specific relationships with the sediment's physical properties and temperature are poorly constrained. Largely unconstrained are also the consequences of changing palaeoceanographic conditions that result in vertically varying concentrations of substrates nutrients. The science conference part of the Bremen meeting will provide a forum for presenting and discussing the most recent results in marine sediment biogeochemistry and identifying the most pressing challenges that lie ahead.
Education Workshop. The workshop in Bremen will focus on recent developments in biogeochemical approaches employed to assess the diversity and activity of the deep sedimentary biosphere. A visit to the IODP core repository on campus is also planned to show first-hand the rock samples currently available for study. In the aftermath of the first dedicated sedimentary deep biosphere drilling expedition of the ODP Leg 201 six years ago, large strides have been made towards detecting microbial activity in deep drill cores and determining the incredibly slow rates of carbon turn-over (e.g., D'Hondt et al. 2004; Biddle et al. 2006). New directions in sedimentary biogeochemistry will be presented and discussed. These include quantitative applications of the most recent molecular probes and isotopic analysis of metabolites microbial cell constituents. Also discussed will be geochemical contamination tests of drill core samples. In analogy, to the ECORD summer school on the Deep Biosphere in September 2008, we are planning to provide a "virtual ship" experience in the facilities of the IODP core repository in Bremen. Workshop participants will learn details of shipboard core recovery, sampling, and other techniques pertinent to subseafloor biosphere expeditions.

Tsunami Event - October 25, 2010 Mentawai, Indonesia [NEWS]



















Lets check out HERE





2010 AGU Fall Meeting

13–17 December
Moscone Convention Center
Howard Street, Between Third & Fifth Sts.
San Francisco, California, USA

Welcome!

The Fall Meeting is expected to draw a crowd of over 16,000 geophysicists from around the world. The Fall Meeting provides an opportunity for researchers, teachers, students, and consultants to present and review the latest issues affecting the Earth, the planets, and their environments in space. This meeting will cover topics in all areas of Earth and space sciences.

Announcement

Congratulations to the 2010 slate of Medalists, Awardees and Fellows. Plan to attend the Honors Ceremony on Wednesday, 15 December, followed by a Celebration Champagne Reception.

Member Workshops & Opportunities

Check out the Member Workshops & Opportunities at Fall Meeting.

Workshops

NEW! Science Communication 101 Workshop -- registration open!
Are you a scientist wishing to improve how you explain your research to journalists and the general public? Would you like to learn about using social media to communicate your science? If so, this free science communication workshop is what you were looking for. Deadline to register: 05 November 2010.
Register Now


Further information 

Third International Workshop on the Fluvial Sediment Supply to the South China Sea, Quezon City, Philippines, 17-20 November 2010

Description:

As the largest marginal sea in the western Pacific, the South China Sea receives approximately 570 million tons of fluvial sediments annually through numerous rivers in adjacent continents and islands, including both world largest rivers (e.g., Pearl, Red, and Mekong) and small mountainous rivers (e.g., rivers in middle Vietnam, southwestern Taiwan, and Luzon). The river-borne terrigenous sediments have formed high sedimentation-rate deposits mostly on shelves of the South China Sea, and have recorded detailed climatic and environmental changes occurring in land source regions both naturally and anthropogenically.

To further understand how human activities affect sediment discharge and develop scenarios of future changes, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Sub- Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) established the project “Fluvial Sediment Supply to the South China Sea: Anthropogenic and Natural Aspects (FluSed)” at its 7th Session in May 2008 (Phase I, May 2008-May 2010), and then decided to extend the project at its 8th Session in May 2010 (Phase II, May 2010-May 2012). The project aims to: (i) investigate fluvial sediment discharge to the South China Sea; (ii) determine source and transport of sediments in the South China Sea during the geological past, and (iii) predict the future sediment discharge.
In its first phase of implementation, workshops and joint sampling provided a platform for scientists surrounding the South China Sea and in other regions to share their scientific knowledge, address data gaps and stimulate new ideas on the study of the fluvial sediment discharge. The first and second workshops were held in Tongji University at Shanghai. The third workshop is planned to be held in Quezon City, Philippines.

Call for Abstracts:

The Third Workshop welcomes presentations that deal with fluvial sediment records both on land and in the South China Sea. Sub-topics may cover weathering and erosion in river drainage basins, paleoclimate and detrital and chemical fluxes from land to sea, sea level changes and sequence stratigraphy in shelf and slope regions, deep-water sedimentation, and effects of human activities on sediment discharge.

Venue:

Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

Schedule:

16 November 2010: Registration (19:00-21:00 2nd meeting of Project Steering Group)
17-18 November 2010: Scientific program (the program sessions will consist of several 30-minutes keynote speeches plus 20-minutes oral presentations to be announced at a later stage)
19-20 November 2010: Field excursion

Important Dates:

30 September 2010: Deadline for travel grant application
10 October 2010: Notification of travel grants
20 October 2010: Deadline for abstract submission, and 30 September 2010 for those who applying for a travel grant
30 October 2010: Deadlines for field excursion registration, reservation of accommodation, and payment of registration fee

Local Organizers:

Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University

Local Organizer Contact:

Fernando Siringan
Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City 1101
Tel/Fax: +632-433 6063
Email: ando.msi@gmail.com

Registration:

For registration, please complete the enclosed Registration Form and send it to the Local Organizer by fax or e-mail.

Registration fees: US$250 for professional, US$200 for student, and US$200 for accompanying person. (Registration fee includes program & abstracts volume, coffee breaks, meals and accommodations from 16-18 November. The detailed means of payment will be announced in the second circular.

Abstract Submission:

Abstracts should be e-mailed to the Local Organizer (ando.msi@gmail.com) on or before 20 October 2010. Abstract format: MS Word file; title, authors, affiliation (s), e-mail address of corresponding author, main text (A4, maximum 2 pages including figures). All abstracts will be collated in an abstract volume that will be distributed to all participants.

Field Excursion:
A two-day field excursion to the Zambales coast, northwest of Luzon (19-20 November 2010) will be organized with a price of US$150. The fee will cover transportation, meals, 1 night hotel in Zambales and 1 extra night in Quezon City, accidental insurance. The excursion may be cancelled depending on level of response from delegates. Details of the field excursion will be posted later.

Accommodations:

Accommodations from 16-18 November 2010 and 20 November 2010 will be at the University Hotel. This hotel is located within walking distance, about 15 minutes, from the meeting site.

Travel grants:
The Organizers will help participants from WESTPAC countries to attend the Workshop with travel grants to cover partial travel costs to the Philippines and accommodations in Quezon City, Philippines. Travel grants will be used to pay the registration fee prior to the Workshop or to be offered in cash during the Workshop. Those who plan to apply for the grants should submit their applications along with abstracts on or before the deadline for travel grant application (30 September 2010). The application materials include: (1) a cover letter containing personal information, detailed travel budget, and the amount you are applying for; (2) an updated CV; (3) name and address (including email address) of one scientific reference. The notification of grants will be on 10 October 2010.

Ground Transportation:

Flights to the Philippines for Quezon City as final destination may use the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga or the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay, Metro Manila. However, participants are encouraged to use NAIA as this is closer to Quezon City and there are more public transport vehicles to Quezon City.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Mass Extinctions Change the Rules of Evolution


Mass Extinctions Change the Rules of Evolution

 A reinterpretation of the fossil record suggests a new answer to one of evolution’s existential questions: whether global mass extinctions are just short-term diversions in life’s preordained course, or send life careening down wholly new paths.
Some scientists have suggested the former. Rates of species diversification — the speed at which groups adapt and fill open ecological niches — seemed to predict what’s flourished in the aftermath of past planetary cataclysms. But according to the calculations of Macquarie University paleobiologist John Alroy, that’s just not the case.
“Mass extinction fundamentally changes the dynamics. It changes the composition of the biosphere forever. You can’t simply predict the winners and losers from what groups have done before,” he said.
Alroy was once a student of paleontologist Jack Sepkoski, who in the 1980s formalized the notion that Earth has experienced five mass extinctions in the 550 million years since life became durable enough to leave a fossil record. Graphs of taxonomic abundance depict lines rising steadily as life diversifies, plunging precipitously during each extinction, and rising again as life proliferates anew.
As the fossil record is patchy and long-term evolutionary principles still debated, paleobiologists have historically disagreed about what these extinctions mean. Some held that, in the absence of extinctions, species would diversify endlessly. The Tree of Life could sprout new branches forever. Others argued that each taxonomic group had limits; once it reached a certain size, each branch would stop growing.
Sepkoski’s calculations put him on the limits side of this argument. He also proposed that, by looking at the rate at which each group produced new species, one could predict the winners and losers of each mass extinction’s aftermath. Groups that diversified rapidly would flourish. Their destiny was already established.
“It’s a clockmaker vision of evolution. Each group has fixed dynamics, and if there’s an extinction, it just messes it up a bit,” said Alroy. “That’s what I’m challenging in this paper. There are limits, and that’s why we don’t have a trillion species. But those limits can change.”
Alroy crunched marine fossil data in the Paleobiology Database, which gathers specimen records from nearly 100,000 fossil collections around the world. He used a statistical adjustment method designed to reduce the skewing influences of paleontological circumstance — the greater chances of finding young fossils rather than old, the ease of studying some types of rock rather than others.

Historical species diversity among marine animals of Cambrian, Paleozoic and Modern origin.
The analysis, published September 2 in Science, produced what Alroy considers to be the most accurate reflection of extinction dynamics to date. And while his data supported the notion that each group’s diversity eventually hits a limit, he didn’t find Sepkoski’s correlation between pre-mass-extinction diversity rates and post-extinction success. Each mass extinction event seemed to change the rules. Past didn’t indicate future.
In an accompanying commentary, paleontologist Charles Marshall of the University of California, Berkeley noted that Alroy’s statistical methods still need review by the paleobiology community. The Paleobiological Database, for all its thoroughness, might also be incomplete in as-yet-unappreciated ways. “There will be no immediate consensus on the details of the pattern of diversity,” he wrote. But “the pieces are falling into place.”
Enough pieces have come together for Alroy to speculate on his findings’ implication for the future, given that Earth is now experiencing another mass extinction. Starting with extinctions of large land animals more than 50,000 years ago that continued as modern humans proliferated around the globe, and picking up pace in the Agricultural and Industrial ages, current extinction rates are far beyond levels capable of unraveling entire food webs in coming centuries. Ecologists estimate that between 50 and 90 percent of all species are doomed without profound changes in human resource use.
In the past, many evolutionary biologists thought life would eventually recover its present composition, said Alroy. In 100 million years or so, the same general creatures would again roam the Earth. “But that isn’t in the data,” he said.
Instead Alroy’s analysis suggests that the future is inherently unpredictable, that what comes next can’t be extrapolated from what is measured now, no more than a mid-Cretaceous observer could have guessed that a few tiny rodents would someday occupy every ecological niche then ruled by reptiles.
“The current mass extinction is not going to simply put things out of whack for a while, and then things will go back to where we started, or would have gone anyway,” said Alroy. Mass extinction “changes the rules of evolution.”
Images: 1) A fossil skull of Dunkleosteus, an apex predator fish that lived between 380 million and 360 million years ago, and had what is believed to be history’s most powerful bite./Michael LaBarbera, courtesy of The Field Museum. 2) Graph of species diversity among marine animals of Cambrian, Paleozoic and Modern origin./Science.


NOAA Tsunami Reports Map (from Geology.com)





















NOAA Tsunami Reports Map

The National Geophysical Data Center has an online database of tsunami reports that can be accessed through an interactive map. The image above shows locations of reported tsunami observations along the eastern United States and through the Caribbean. If you visit their interactive map website you can query any point shown above for more information. NOAA image.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Abstract book (45th Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Section, GSA)

It is available on our web site the abstract of

45th Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Section, GSA

59th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section, GSA

Sheraton Baltimore City Center

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

14–16 March 2010

www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/northe/2010mtg/

2011 Sediment Microbiology Meeting


Next Meeting:           

Microbiology in Marine Sediments

Theme: Microbiology in marine sediments


Date: 2011 March 6-9

Host: University of North Carolina (UNC)

Organizers: Andreas Teske - chair (UNC),

Jen Biddle (University of Delaware),

Matt Schrenk (East Carolina University)



Scientific Conference: The theme of the UNC meeting will be the application of novel culture-independent and culture-dependent microbiological methods to marine sediments and their pore fluids. By necessity, research in this arena often focuses on enumerating cells and cataloging phylogenetic diversity. In the coming years, however, more emphasis will be placed on the active components of microbial communities and the expression of functional genes. Accordingly, to diminish misleading DNA signals from lysed and inactive cells, the more labile RNA molecules, which occur in proportionally greater numbers in active cells (Sørensen and Teske 2006), can be targeted through both molecular and microscopic techniques. The standardization of molecular (DNA and RNA-dependent) techniques, and development of consistent protocols in sample handling and analysis become increasingly important as divergent results from different groups and teams require cross-checking and reconciliation (Schippers et al. 2005 vs. Lipp et al.). Although sequencing capabilities and costs permit ever-growing genetic databases and an ever-growing dependence on such data, culturing efforts are also experiencing a scientific renaissance. As an example, the American Academy of Microbiology recently reported that "most environmental microorganisms have yet to be isolated and identified, let alone rigorously studies", and that research and technology must help overcome the barriers that prevent the study of uncultivated microorganisms (Harwood and Buckley 2008). Culturing efforts must target individual species and microbial communities, as well as the "effects of perturbation" on these communities.



Education workshop: The training workshop at this meeting will highlight methods for extracting genetic material from sediment, porewaters, and hydrothermal fluids; the development of nucleotide primers for functional gene analysis; advances in cultivating novel and dominant members of microbial communities; and ways to control for seawater contamination in sediments and associated fluids. First, new methods for analyzing deep subsurface communities based on 16S rRNA, instead of 16S rRNA genes (i.e. DNA), will be made available to the DEBI community through lectures, tutorials, and lab exercises; examples include extraction and analysis of 16S rRNA, instead of 16S rRNA genes (i.e. DNA), and rRNA-tag or randomly primed high-throughput pyrosequencing techniques (Sogin et al. 2006; Huber et al. 2007). Second, expertise in practical aspects of molecular surveys of deep-subsurface communities will be shared. One obvious example of many is primer development and functional gene analysis; published generic primers are frequently insufficient for deep subsurface studies due to lineage-specific mismatches and inherent bias (Teske and Sorensen 2008), and due to decreased sensitivity owing to lineage-specific nucleotide ambiguities; using multiple, lineage-specific primers allow much more comprehensive analysis of deep subsurface functional gene cohorts (Lever and Teske, 2007). Third, novel approaches for the enrichment of specific functional and phylogenetic groups will be discussed and also demonstrated as much as feasible. The approaches include sediment microcosms, stable isotope probing, and in situ colonization experiments. New culturing efforts are relying more heavily on solid substrates, non-traditional redox pairs, micronutrients, chemical gradients, and symbiotic relationships. Fourth, contamination monitoring with chemical tracers will be taught. An approach pioneered by Smith (Smith et al. 2000) and House (House et al. 2003), and developed further on IODP leg 301 to the Juan de Fuca Ridge flanks, can now be applied in microbial community analyses of deep sediments continuing into basement basalt (Lever and Teske 2007).



Application and registration information is forthcoming.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

William Smith Meeting 2010 - Landscapes Into Rock

Registration open now - see below for details


The aim of this meeting is to bring together geoscientists from different sub-disciplines to address the problem of the interactions between erosional and depositional landscapes, sediment routing systems and the building of stratigraphy. By studying these interactions we gain a better understanding of the dynamics of the coupling between exhumation, erosion, transport and deposition of sediment in source to sink systems, and an enhanced ability to invert stratigraphy for forcing mechanisms.

Organisers

Philip Allen (Imperial College London)
Hugh Sinclair (Edinburgh University)
Paul Bishop (Glasgow University)
Robert Gawthorpe (Manchester University)


Conference themes

The Erosional Engine
Convenors: Alex Whittaker (Imperial College London) and Andy Carter (Birkbeck College, University of London)
Keynote speakers: Kelin Whipple (Arizona State University) and Niels Hovius (Cambridge University)

The Dynamics of Sediment Routing Systems
Convenors: Alex Densmore (Durham University) and Ruth Robinson (St. Andrew’s University)
Keynote speakers: Jim Syvitski (University of Colorado-Boulder) and Chris Paola (University of Minnesota)

Landscapes into Rock: the Making of Stratigraphy
Convenors: Sébastien Castelltort (ETH-Zürich) and Emma Finch (Manchester University)
Keynote speakers: Mike Leeder (University of East Anglia) William Smith Lecture 2010 and Rudy Slingerland (Pennsylvania State University)

Integrative Studies of Sediment Routing and the Petroleum System
Convenors: Ian Lunt (Statoil) and Mike Blum (ExxonMobil)
Keynote speakers: Ole J. Martinsen (Statoil) and Peter Burgess (Shell)

Instructions for authors of abstracts

Call for papers is now closed.


Registration

Registration is now open and you can download the registration form below.   Anyone who wishes to may attend the event, and registration fees vary depending on whether you are a Fellow, Corporate Affiliate, general public, etc. 


 

Date: 21-23 September 2010
Event Type: Conference
Venue: The Geological Society (Burlington House)
Accessibility: Hearing Aid Loop Wheelchair Access

 

Convenor contact details:

Name: Leila Taleb
Address: Geological Society

Burlington House, Piccadilly

London
Postcode: W1J 0BG
Country: United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7432 0981
Fax: 020 7439 8975
E-Mail: leila.taleb@geolsoc.org.uk

Monday, July 5, 2010

INTERESTING PUBLICATION

Arno Zang, Ove Stephansson, "Stress Field of the Earth's Crust"


Springer
2009
ISBN: 1402084439
240 pages
PDF
5,9 MB





This book about rock stress is suitable for students in geosciences and engineering, who need to broaden their horizon about the Stress Field of the Earth´s Crust. The book covers the topic in a way such that geoscience students will be able to grasp the Cauchy Stress Principle without fear of matrix transformations in an exercise. Students interested in math, physics and engineering will learn to cement a strain gauge on a rock specimen, measure residual strains by multiple overcoring and evaluate the results. Leading edge technology in determining stress (Kaiser Effect) is presented together with classical methods (Hydraulic Fracturing). In addition, borehole techniques (Breakouts) and drillcore techniques (Anelastic Strain Recovery) are illustrated. With respect to stress data, we choose locations of global interest where integrated stress determination strategies have been applied. Each case study presented has special application, like the scientific ultra-deep drilling project (KTB, Germany), drilling of seismic active fault zones (SAFOD, USA) and excavation for nuclear waste disposal (Forsmark, Sweden). Stress compilations viewed by the World Stress Map project are presented and interpreted in terms of plate tectonics. The purpose of this book is twofold. First, to report on the current field of knowledge in rock stress to students at an introduction level and second, to inform readers about stress measurements in underground excavations of public interest and about global rock stress in plate tectonic settings.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Coastal Zone Canada, Meeting





About the Conference
The Prince Edward Island Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development is pleased to be hosting Coastal Zone Canada 2010, in collaboration with the Coastal Zone Canada Association, and to bring the important subject of integrated coastal and ocean management to the province.
Larry Hildebrand, co-founder and vice-president of the association, said he is excited about bringing the biennial conference to Prince Edward Island. "Perhaps no where else in Canada is the connection between what we do on land and our ability to prosper from the sea more direct and intimate than in Prince Edward Island", he said. The conference will be a perfect opportunity to explore this relationship in some depth and to benefit from experiences on the Island, from across Canada and around the globe.

Why You Should Attend CZC 2010
Are you concerned about the future of Canada's oceans and coasts? Do you believe that Canada's rich ocean and coastal resources are critical to its ability to build a sustainable and prosperous future in the 21st century? Do you worry that our inability to manage the resources and natural environments in our vast coastal zones reduces our ability to plan for a sustainable and prosperous future? Do you believe that we need to raise the awareness and understanding of the importance of the world's oceans and coasts in global sustainability? Do you want to do something about it?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to attend CZC 2010. And if you answered yes to the last question, then being an active participant at CZC 2010 will allow you to be part of the analysis and discussions that will generate the Conference Statement and Call to Action that will be a clarion call to Canada and the world to implement Integrated Ocean and Coastal Management more aggressively and effectively.

CZC 2010 will mark thirty two years since the first Canadian national conference on coastal management the Shore Management Symposium) in Victoria in 1978, and it is an opportune time to assess how far we have come towards managing our oceans and coasts and where we are going in the future. Globally, there have been great advances in the state of ocean and coastal management, but huge challenges remain. Bounded by three oceans and the world's largest freshwater lakes system, Canada cannot maximize its potential for prosperity and sustainability into the 21st century unless we effectively understand, protect, and manage our oceans and coastal zones in an integrated manner. This conference will look at the advances and the setbacks in our understanding and management of coastal and ocean systems, both in Canada and globally, and will establish recommendations and actions for the immediate future and the next thirty years.




Agenda


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

  • Morning – Late Afternoon: Field Trips (Various Bay Area locations)
  • Evening: Welcome Reception (Hyatt Regency)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

  • Morning: Opening Plenary Session (Hyatt Regency)
  • Late Morning – Noon: Concurrent Sessions (Hyatt Regency)
  • Noon – Luncheon Plenary (Hyatt Regency)
  • Afternoon – Concurrent Sessions (Hyatt Regency)
  • Evening: Reception and Poster Session (Hyatt Regency)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

  • Morning – Noon: Concurrent Sessions (Hyatt Regency)
  • Noon – Plenary Luncheon (Hyatt Regency)
  • Afternoon – Concurrent Sessions (Hyatt Regency)
  • Evening: Offsite Reception and Dinner (One Market Plaza)

Friday, September 10, 2010

  • Morning – Noon: Concurrent Sessions (Hyatt Regency)
  • Noon: Luncheon and Closing Plenary Session (Hyatt Regency)



More information here

Meeting of Sedimentology, 5th-8th July, 2011

28th IAS MEETING OF SEDIMENTOLOGY
Zaragoza, Spain, 5th - 8th July, 2011 Click here to download the first circular!

The International Association of Sedimentologists, the Department of Earth-Sciences of the University of Zaragoza and the Geological Society of Spain are happy to invite participants to the 28th IAS Meeting of Sedimentology, to be held in Zaragoza (Spain), on 5th - 8th July, 2011. The site of the meeting will be the Conference Centre of the Boston Hotel, located in the centre of the city of Zaragoza.
SECRETARIAT AND CORRESPONDENCE
Arsenio Muñoz
28th IAS Meeting of Sedimentology
Departamento Ciencias de la Tierra (Estratigrafía)
Universidad de Zaragoza
c/ Pedro Cerbuna, 12
50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Webpage: www.iasnet.org/ias2011
E-mail: ias2011@unizar.es
English will be the official language of the meeting. No translation facilities will be available.

18th International Sedimentological Congress







Invitation
On behalf of the Organising Committee, we are pleased to invite you to the 18th
International Sedimentological Congress 2010 in Mendoza, Argentina. First
convened in Belgium 60 years ago, this next event will be held in the Argentinean
city of Mendoza and for the second time in South America, after the 14th ISC in
Recife (Brazil) in 1994.
The 18th-ISC will be the result of a close cooperation among the members of the
South American sedimentological community, who will make every effort to
provide an excellent environment for a stimulating and enjoyable scientific
congress.



Secretariat and Correspondence
Address all correspondence to:
Dr. Sergio D. Matheos - Secretary General, CIG (La Plata)
ISC2010 Secretariat Office - secretary@isc2010.com.ar
1 # 644 (B1900TAC) La Plata - Argentina
Phone/Fax: +54-221-4215677/4258696

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Search for the Age of the Earth

The Chronologers' Quest: The Search for the Age of the Earth By Patrick Wyse Jackson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press 2006 | 310 Pages | ISBN: 0521813328 | PDF | 3 MB


The history of geology and how we learned about the age of the Earth is a fascinating subject, but Jackson, a geologist at Trinity College, Dublin, is unable to explain and pass along his enthusiasm. Aficionados might appreciate the tour through attempts to arrive at the planet's age from ancient myths, the Bible, the salinity of the oceans, temperature readings, fossils, geology, biology, radiology and cosmology. Each chapter ends with a "close but no cigar" statement of why a given theory was a good idea at the time. Numerous sections feel rushed—in particular the opening catalogue of creation myths—though when readers finally arrive at the sections on geology and fossils, Jackson injects more detail and, consequently, more interest. But while the preface states that this book is meant for a general as well as scientific audience, too many terms go undefined and too many names are dropped without immediate explanations of who the people were.

Economic and Palaeoceanographic Significance of Contourite Deposits

Economic and Palaeoceanographic Significance of Contourite Deposits (Geological Society Special Publication No. 276)
Publisher: Geological Society of London | ISBN: 1862392269 | edition 2007 | PDF | 360 pages | 56,1 mb

There has lately been a growth in the number and level of studies of contourite deposits. Most recent studies of contourites have two major lines of interest. One, propelled by the oil industry's continuous move into increasingly deep waters, concerns their economic significance. The other involves the stratigraphic/ palaeoceanographic record of ocean circulation changes imprinted on contourite deposits that can be a key to understanding better the climate ocean connection. The application of many different theoretical, experimental and empirical resources provided by geophysics, sedimentology, geochemistry, petrology, scale modeling and field geology are used in the 16 papers of this volume, proposing answers to those two main aspects. The papers are subdivided into two major categories (economic interest and stratigraphic/palaeoceanographic significance), with case studies ranging from well-documented drifts to new examples of modern and fossil series, involving a large diversity of geographic and physiographic scenarios worldwide.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

XV Congreso Peruano de Geologia





Descripción: El Congreso Peruano de Geología tiene como objetivo principal reunir a los profesionales nacionales como extranjeros, para compartir los resultados de las investigaciones recientes, trabajos técnicos y aplicaciones en las distintas ramas de la Ciencia de la Tierra. Asimismo, el Congreso está destinado a presentar avances tecnológicos relacionados con el estudio de la Tierra. Finalmente debe constituirse en centro de reflexión acerca del desarrollo de nuestras disciplinas geocientíficas y su incidencia futura en la sociedad.
Lugar: Centro de Convenciones Cusco
Fecha: 27 Setiembre al 01 Octubre, 2010
Inversión: Valores Hasta 30 Marzo 2010
-----------------------------------
Socios : US$ 150.00
No Socios : US$ 180.00
Docentes : US$ 65.00
Estudiantes : US$ 35.00


Valores Hasta 31 Julio 2010
-----------------------------------
Socios : US$ 200.00
No Socios : US$ 240.00
Docentes : US$ 75.00
Estudiantes : US$ 45.00


Valores Hasta 27 Septiembre 2010
------------------------------------------
Socios : US$ 300.00
No Socios : US$ 360.00
Docentes : US$ 85.00
Estudiantes : US$ 65.00
Reservaciones en Línea con Espacios Confirmados: La inscripción incluye: Coffe Break, Cocktail de Inaguración, Cocktail de Clausura, material de participantes, certificado participación.
Para cualquier consulta sírvase contactar a:
Contacto: Heidi Calcina
E-mail: congreso@sgp.org.pe
Teléfono: +511 4441180 Anexo : 102


Monday, June 14, 2010

Journal of Coastal Conservation


The Journal of Coastal Conservation is a scientific journal for the dissemination of both theoretical and applied research on integrated and sustainable management of the terrestrial, coastal and marine environmental interface.
A thorough understanding of both the physical and the human sciences is important to the study of the spatial patterns and processes observed in terrestrial, coastal and marine systems set in the context of past, present and future social and economic developments. This includes multidisciplinary and integrated knowledge and understanding of: physical geography, coastal geomorphology, sediment dynamics, hydrodynamics, soil science, hydrology, plant and animal ecology, vegetation science, biogeography, landscape ecology, recreation and tourism studies, urban and human ecology, coastal engineering and spatial planning, coastal zone management, and marine resource management.
Environmental applications that make use of spatial information technology (IT) to collect, analyse, interpret, visualise, and communicate the results of scientific research are also encouraged. This includes the use of remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), environmental databases, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and mobile technologies, cartography and digital mapping, geovisualisation, modelling and simulation, and the Internet.
Applications that focus on the use of physical coastal modelling involving the detailing of the design, construction, instrumentation and results of model tests are also encouraged, including the theory, measurement, analysis and modelling of: Waves - generation, theories, prediction; Structures - types, interactions and structural responses; Measurement Techniques - pressures, velocities, and forces; Erosion/Scour ? assessment and control; Scale Effects ? control and techniques; and Natural Hazards Assessment.
Research that promotes the role of education and training to integrated and sustainable management of the terrestrial, coastal and marine conservation and management is also considered important to the coastal practitioner and manager.
International contributions to the journal are encouraged.
Thematic volumes and output from conference proceedings are also welcome.
Related subjects » Ciencias Ambientales - Ciencias de la Tierra - Geophysics & Geodesy - Nature Conservation - Biodiversity - Oceanography

International Conference on Coastal Conservation and Management (Conclutions)

Conclusion Note

The ICCCM10 was participated by 250 researchers from 24 countries worldwide. A huge array of scientific and technical competences was gathered, amongst academics and the administration as well as corporations with interests in coastal conservation and management.
A general set of ideas and good pratices coming out from this event to improve performance of those working in the coastal area are listed below:
  • Good science is available but more information science-wise is needed.
  • Good technical solutions are also available but we need to work on new and more sustainable solutions.
  • We need better information management and networking.
  • We need to improve the translation of sustainability into operational terms, such as indicators.
  • We need to engage stakeholders to identify disfunctional states and raise awareness of problems.
  • We must make better use of negotiation tools to facilitate cross-scale and cross- organizational interactions and improve communication.
  • There is no institutional arrangements applicable to all situations, no single formula. We must maintain flexible strategies and transparency.
  • We need to recognize social-ecological interdependencies of human activities and ecosystem services.
  • We must act local. Municipalities must engage in actions to preserve and sustain natural resources and the services they provide.
  • Different jurisdictions on the coastal zones must work together, create synergies and commit to create a single voice of science.
The organizing Committee would like to thank the session chairs for their contributions and all the participants who contributed to improve knowledge on the coastal zone, either through their presentations or through the lively discussions they engaged on the various conference topics.
We thank the Universidade Nova de Lisboa – Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia for leading the ICCCM10 organization and the Cascais Municipality (Cascais Energia e Cascais Atlantico Agencies) for their logistic support.
The ICCCM10 was partially sponsored by Instituto da Água, Administração da Região Hidrográfica do Tejo, Porto de Lisboa e Instituto Geográfico Português.
We thank the Master students who volunteered to work and the great support from the Secretariat. Thank you all.
The Organizing Committee

Submitted Papers

Papers presented at the ICCCM10 and submitted for publication in the Special Issue of the Journal of Coastal Conservation and are now being evaluated.
This process may take some time, if you have doubts or need more information please contact the Secretariat (Felicidade Ferreira at fmnf@fct.unl.pt).
Download the list of submitted papers here.


Thursday, March 18, 2010

Book: Sedimentation and Sediment Transport

 

LOOK INSIDE HERE

International Conference on Coastal Conservation and Management in the Atlantic and Mediterranean

Estoril, 2010, Portugal. 11-17 April.

Conference Goals

The coastal zone attracts many uses, such as fishery, industry, transportation, recreation and tourism, different types of development that are compatible only to a limited extent. The increased human pressure on the coastal zone carries the risk of a substantial reduction of ecosystem services, and threatens Natural Parks Natural Parks and other protected areas. Multiple uses of the coastal zone, aggravated by the existence of several property-rights create a variety of conflicts that urge to be solved, especially when different social compromises are being pursued, such as sustainability, economic efficiency and equity.
The Universidade Nova de Lisboa, the Cascais Municipality, the Cascais Energy Agency, the Cascais Atlantic Agency and the Organizing Committee, are pleased to announce the International Conference on Coastal Conservation and Management in the Atlantic and Mediterranean (ICCCM2010), that will be held on April 11 to 17, 2010 at the Estoril, Cascais (Portugal).
This multi-disciplinary international conference is convened as a forum for scientists, engineers, planners and managers to discuss recent and new advances in scientific, technical, and socio-economic understanding of environmental issues related to coastal processes. The conference includes an interesting programme, with several field trips to the diverse and scenic coastal environment of the Lisbon area. International experts will offer a post-conference short course and thematic workshops.
It is also the objective of this conference to promote international exchange of knowledge among researchers, managers and technicians, as well as other professionals working in coastal zones conservation and management. The Conference also aims at sharing experiences and developing contacts and networks among all the practitioners.

Themes


1. Strategic Environmental Assessment in Coastal Areas

  • Assessment, best practices and case study reports
  • Methods and techniques
  • Indicators of sustainable development
  • Other indicators (governmental actions, ecological indicators)

2. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

  • Integrated approaches on estuaries and adjacent coastal zones
  • Integrated coastal interventions and soft protection measures
  • Integrated approaches on coastal streams and coastal zones
  • Waterfront regeneration and city-port relationship
  • Governing and governance. Capacity building
  • Coastal observatory and spatial data infrastructures for coastal environments
  • Local Agendas 21 and public participation process
  • Socio-economic costs and benefits of ICZM
  • Adaptation to risks and the impacts of climate change

3. The Sea

  • Marine spatial planning (MSP)
  • Coastal laws, their application and associated problems
  • Sea and coastal pollution
  • Transport and coastal pollution
  • Civil protection
  • Ocean energy

4. Living with Erosion

  • Erosion versus land use
  • Sedimentary budgets and coastline evolution
  • Storms and consequences
  • Coastal erosion indicators
  • Coastal restoration & mitigation

5. Tourism and Coastal Conservation

  • Tourism and natural areas
  • Tourism and coastal hazards
  • Good practices for tourism on coastal zones
  • Defining, measuring and evaluating the carrying capacity of tourism
  • Towards quality of coastal tourism: integrated quality management of coastal tourist destinations
  • Environmental Planning of Coastal Resorts
  • Coastal Greenways 

Important dates

1st June 2009Pre-registration opening
23rd October 2009Abstract submission deadline
30th November 2009Acceptance notification
31st January 2010End of reduced fee for registration
31st March 2010NEW DEADLINE for submission of papers for publication

Workshops

Workshops will be held on the following topics:

W1 - Workshop CONSCIENCE                     Concepts and Science for Coastal Erosion Management (session pdf)
W2 - Workshop on Coastal Streams Restoration (session pdf)
W3 - Workshop on Carrying Capacity in Coastal Areas (+ info soon)
W4 - Workshop on Ocean Energy (+info soon)                                                                                                                                                                                                      
More information here  

Book: Sedimentary Responses to Forced Regressions

Geological Society Special Publication ; No. 172

10th International Conference on Gas in Marine Sediments

Listvyanka, Lake Baikal, Russia
September 6-12, 2010
The 10th International Conference on Gas in Marine Sediments covers all aspects of research related to methane in the ocean. The topics of the conference will include, but are not restricted to:
  • Formation of shallow gas in sediments
  • Subsurface fluid flow, geochemical and thermal gradients
  • Biological and biogeochemical processes at seep ecosystems
  • Formation and destabilization of hydrates
  • Diversity and functioning of methane seeps, bubble sites, pockmarks and mud volcanoes
  • Imaging sub-seafloor gas structures by seismic studies
  • Regional studies on gas and gas hydrate distribution and quantification
  • Seafloor emissions to the water column and the atmosphere
  • Methane-derived authigenic carbonates
  • CO2-hydrate for CH4-hydrate exchange: option for carbon storage in marine sediments
Given the special location, the Conference will also accept contributions dealing with the occurrence of gas in lacustrine sedimentary environments and on comparisons between lacustrine and marine settings.
Host of the Conference The conference will be hosted by the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Irkutsk, Russia).
Scientific Committee

Antje Boetius, MPI Bremen, Germany
Marc De Batist, Renard Centre of Marine Geology, Ghent, Belgium
Lyubomir Dimitrov, Institute of Oceanology, Varna, Bulgaria
Ian MacDonald, Tamu Corpus Christi, U.S.A.
Jean-Paul Foucher, IFREMER, Brest, France
Soledad Garcia-Gil, University of VIGO, Spain
Martin Hovland, Statoil Stavanger, Norway
Michael Ivanov, Moscow State University, Russia
Alan Judd, Newcastle, Great Britain
John Woodside, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Gerhard Bohrman, MARUM, University Bremen, Germany
Bo Barker Jørgensen, Center for Geomicrobiology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Nikolay Pimenov, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Moscow, Russia
Michael Grachev, Limnological Institute, Irkutsk, Russia
Anatoly Obzhirov, Pacific Oceanological Institute, Vladivostok, Russia
Tatyana Matveeva, VNIIOceanology, St. Petersburg, Russia
Ira Leifer, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A.
Daniel Orange, Black Gold Energy, Jakarta, Indonesia
Erwin Suess, IFM-.GEOMAR Kiel, Germany
Hitoshi Shoji, Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan
Local Organizing Committee
Oleg Khlystov
Tamara Zemskaya
Nikolay Granin
Tatyana Sitnikova
Bair Namsaraev
Galina Nagornaya
Alexey Gurulev
Oleg Kotsar

Place and Date

 














The conference will be held in Hotel “Mayak” from Monday, Semptember 6, to Sunday, September 12, 2010.
Hotel “Mayak” is situated on the shore of Lake Baikal in the village Listvyanka, 70 km from Irkutsk.



Registration
Please find a registration form on the Conference website http://lin.irk.ru/gims10/regform.zip and send the completed form:
- as e-mail attachment to Oleg Kotsar kotsar@lin.irk.ru;
- or by fax to +7 3952 42 54 05;
- or by post to: Oleg Kotsar, Limnological Institute, 3, Ulan-Batorskaya, Irkutsk 664033, Russia.
Deadline for preliminary registration: December 1, 2009.  
Accommodation
The organizing Committee (contact person: Galina Nagornaya galinan@lin.irk.ru) will book rooms for participants of the Conference in Hotel “Mayak” and Hotel “Baikal Legend” http://www.legenda-hotel.ru/ in single and double rooms, and in suites.
 
The average daytime temperature in September in Listvyanka is 10°C, and at night 2°C. You are recommended to bring warm clothes for the boat trip. Current weather forecast is shown at http://www.gismeteo.ru/, or http://www.irk.ru/.




Important Dates

1 December 2009 Deadline for preliminary registration
1 April 2010 Deadline for abstract submission
1 May 2010 Deadline for final registration
1 May 2010 Deadline for hotel booking
30 July 2010 Distribution of Conference Programme to all registered participants

Contact Address
Tamara Zemskaya
Limnological Institute,
3, Ulan-Batorskaya, Irkutsk 664033, Russia
Tel.: +7 3952 42 30 53
Fax: +7 3952 42 54 05
E-mail: tzema@lin.irk.ru
Web-site: http://lin.irk.ru/gims10