| International Association of Geomorphologists |
Taken from the 2nd Circular
IAG Regional Geomorphological Conference, Mexico City, October 27th to November 2nd 2003, "Geomorphic hazards: towards the prevention of disasters" The International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) and the Mexican Society of Geomorphology (SMG) cordially invites you to participate in the next Regional Geomorphological Conference. The Conference is aimed to geomorphologists and professionals in associated disciplines interested in geomorphic hazards, and environmental topics related to disasters, to exchange techniques, experience, knowledge, and ideas in geomorphic hazards and related issues in an effective and friendly atmosphere. A fundamental goal of the Conference is the interaction of specialists to gain a better understanding of geomorphic hazards and the application of this knowledge to prevent disasters.
Scientific Programme
S1 Volcanic Geomorphology and Hazards (by the IAG Working Group Geomorphic Consequences of Volcanic Events, including Hazards) S2 Extreme Events and River Basins (by the IAG Working Group on Large Rivers) S3 Hazards and Hazard Management in Bedrock Channels (by the IAG Working Group on Hydrology and Geomorphology of Bedrock Channels) S4 Hillslope Processes and Hazards S5 Soil Erosion and Geomorphic Features of Land Degradation (by the IGU Commission on Land Degradation and Desertification, COMLAND) S6 Desertification, Land Degradation and Sandstorms in Arid and Semi-arid Regions (by the IAG Working Group on Arid Regions) S7 Coastal Geomorphology and Hazards S8 Morphotectonics and Seismic Hazards S9 GIS, Remote Sensing and Hazards Assessment S10 Geomorphology and Disasters S11 Usage of Hazard Maps by Local and Regional Authorities (by Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative - EMI) S12 Hazard and Vulnerability Assessments for Risk Analysis and Risk Management (by the IGU Hazards and Risks Commission) S13 Disaster Reduction Strategies on Local, Regional and National Level using Geomorphic Information S14 Hazards, Vulnerability and Public Policies (by the National Institute of Ecology, INE) S15 A geomorphic "Hodgepodge" (devoted to ALL GEOMORPHIC TOPICS not included within the other sessions) Activities
October 25 Young Geomorphologists' course October 26 Young Geomorphologists' course, Executive Committee Meeting of IAG October 27 Opening Ceremony, Informal General Assembly of IAG
Papers, Symposia, and Plenary Lectures, Welcome partyOctober 28 Papers, Symposia, Posters, Plenary Lectures, Informal Council Meeting of IAG October 29-30 Papers, Symposia, Posters, Plenary Lectures October 31 Papers, Symposia, Posters, Plenary Lectures, Closing ceremony, Farewell dinner party November 1 One-day Mexican traditional excursion to celebrate the Day of the Dead
One-day field excursionsNovember 2 Departure of post-Conference excursions. Post-Conference Field Trips
Popocatepetl volcano (Volcanic geomorphology, evidence of past catastrophic eruptions, present activity and prevention of volcanic disasters), Paricutin volcano (Volcanic geomorphology, volcanic forms and processes in a monogenetic field), Cuenca de Oriental-Sierra Norte de Puebla (Explosive volcanism landforms, mass movement processes), Central Mexico (Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Guanajuato, Evidence of environmental and groundwater interactions, subsidence).
Registration Fee
Early registration fee (before February 28th, 2003) 275 USD Early student registration fee (before February 28th, 2003) 200 USD Regular registration fee (before September 30th, 2003) 325 USD Student registration fee (before September 30th, 2003) 250 USD Accompanying persons (before February 28th, 2003) 150 USD Accompanying persons (before September 30th, 2003) 175 USD On site registration fee 350 USD On site student registration fee 275 USD On site accompanying persons 200 USD Financial Assistance to Young Geomorphologists
To encourage young geomorphologists to participate in this conference, the organisers have established two different programmes, offering some assistance (travel, accommodation or registration fees). The first programme is especially targeted to young geomorphologists from developing and economically disadvantaged countries of Latin America; the second is open to geomorphologists from any other country. For each of these programmes, a few awards will be made available to qualified candidates to attend the Conference. The deadline for receipt of applications is February 28, 2003. Applications should be sent to Dr. Irasema Alcántara-Ayala (Instituto de Geografía, UNAM, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico, D.F. Mexico City, Mexico, E-mail: irasema@igiris.igeograf.unam.mx)
Aztec Calendar
Deadline for early registration 28 February, 2003 Submission of abstracts 31 March, 2003 Notification of acceptance of abstracts 30 April, 2003 Deadline for hotel reservations 30 June, 2003 Deadline for payment of field excursions 30 June, 2003 Deadline for regular registration 30 September, 2003 Organising Committee
Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, Gerardo Bocco-Verdinelli, Lorenzo Vazquez-Selem, José Juan Zamorano-Orozco, José Lugo-Hubp, José Luis Palacio-Prieto.
For more details concerning one-day field trips, registration and payment, financial assistance, abstract submission, accomodation and other general information, please see the Conference website: www.smg.igeograf.unam.mx
IAG Symposium on "Climate changes, active tectonics and related geomorphic effects in high mountain belts and plateaux",
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), 9-10 December 2002The Symposium was convened by the IAG and co-sponsored by INQUA, Working Group on Mountain Building, AIGeo - Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology, and BAG - Belgian Association of Geomorphologists, in the frame of the International Year of Mountains. The Symposium consisted of a two days conference (9-10 December, 2002), held at the Italian Institute of Culture of Addis Ababa, a five days pre-symposium field trip in the Rift Valley, a five days post-symposium field trip to the highlands of northern Ethiopia, and a five days post-symposium field trip extension to the Semien Mountains and Lake Tana. More than 90 participants from 14 countries in the world attended the symposium and 45 papers were introduced as oral (23) and poster (22) presentations.
The pre-symposium field trip in the Rift Valley dealt with several issues of active tectonics, recent volcanism and their related landforms, with spectacular examples of fault scarps, hanging valleys, waterfalls and tectonically controlled drainage patterns and erosion and sediment yield processes were shown to the participants. The field observation of Quaternary stratigraphy, valley fill and gully formation gave rise to discussion on the relative effectiveness of climate changes and human impact on affecting the geomorphological evolution of the area during the mid-late Holocene.
The Symposium was characterised by presentations covering a wide range of topics including: recent volcanism, neo-tectonics, Quaternary climate changes and slope instability. At the end of the conference, a round table with local authorities, officials and journalists was held on "Geo-environmental Challenges on Sustainable Development".
Social events consisted of a dinner invitation, offered by the Italian Ambassador, Dr. Guido La Tella, at the Italian Embassy Residence and a conference farewell party in a traditional restaurant with an amusing full immersion in local cultural music and dance.
The post-symposium excursion, in which 36 participants took part, included structural landforms, planation surfaces, slope erosion processes and deposits, piping and gully formation, and travertine dams. A spectacular view of the Mekele plateau could be taken at a glance from the top of the Amba Aradam mountain. Field experiments on soil erosion control and the role played by stone cover and earth buns were illustrated by the Belgian colleagues in the surroundings of Hegere Selam. The visit to an impressive travertine dam of Holocene age near the village of Mai Maikden was made. On the way from Adigrat to Axum the excursionists had a chance to see many striking features including: planation surfaces, Paleozoic glacial deposits, deep canyons and volcanic necks (Adwa Mountains). The field trip ended up in Axum where the world famous stele camp was visited.
The 13 participants in the post-symposium field trip extension had the chance of visiting the Semien Mountains, the highest relief of Ethiopia (4620 m), where glacial and periglacial landforms are present. Subsequently, after a stop in the town of Gondar, the group moved to the Tana Lake, whose geomorphological setting is visibly conditioned by recent tectonics. The last topics of the excursion were the spectacular Blue Nile waterfall and, on the way to Addis Ababa, the 1000 m deep Blue Nile valley, where the whole Ethiopian sedimentary sequence outcrops.
Young Geomorphologists IAG Grants for the Symposium on "Climate changes, active tectonics and related geomorphic effects in high mountain belts and plateaux", Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), 9-10 December 2002
The selection procedure of the African candidates who submitted a request for an IAG grant has been completed, upon examination of the candidates' curricula and abstracts to be presented at the Symposium. IAG Grants have been awarded to Youcef Bouhadad (Algeria) and Stefan Grab (South Africa). In addition, the Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology (AIGeo), co-sponsor of the Symposium, offered two additional grants which have been awarded to Solofo Rakotondraompiana (Madagascar) and Ahmed Zegrar (Algeria).
IAG Grants for the "Research Design Short Course for Geomorphology Students", Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park (UK), 9-12 December 2002
The selection procedure of the candidates who submitted a request for an IAG grant has been completed, upon examination of the candidates' curricula and PhD research project abstract. IAG grants have been awarded to Grzegorz Synowiec (Poland) and Yulia Fuzeina (Russia).
Activities of the IAG Hungarian National Committee Every year Hungarian geomorphologists gather for a half-day paper session and discussion and a full-day field trip at various universities, colleges and research institutes. Nowadays this occasion is of great importance since the number of geomorphologists has recently risen from ca 50 to almost 80. This spectacular growth is due to the employment of large numbers of young researchers and of PhD students at universities.
In 2001 the Department of Physical Geography at the University of Szeged organised a Hungarian Geographical Conference for both physical and human geographers. Out of the ca 100 oral and almost 100 poster presentations, 53 papers were read in physical geographical and geomorphological sections, including Theory and Practice in Physical Geography, Soil Geography, Landscape Geography, Hydrogeography, Land Use Change, Regional Geomorphology, Impacts of Climate Change and Human impacts on the Environment. The most popular issues in geomorphology are river rehabilitation, flood hazard, karst evolution, periglacial processes, volcanic reconstructions etc. A workshop was organised to discuss the change of paradigm in flood control.
In 2002 the annual geomorphological meeting in Eger, organized by the Department of Geography and the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Esterházy Károly College, was expanded into a conference of six sessions on fundamental and applied geomorphological issues. The subsequent field trip led the participants to the Bükk limestone mountains and its volcanic foreland.
Solidarity to the Mexican Colleagues (28 January 2003) To Dr. Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, Mexico National Delegate of IAG
Dear Irasema,
on behalf of the International Association of Geomorphologists and my own, I want to express to you and all the Mexican Colleagues all our solidarity for the victims and the devastation that your country has suffered because of the disastrous earthquake of these days.
With all my feelings of friendship and sympathy,
Mario Panizza, IAG President
Obituary of Márton Pécsi (1923-2003) The internationally most renowned figure of Hungarian geomorphology died on 23 January, 2003. He was director of the Geographical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, for 28 years. He was Secretary General and then President of the Hungarian Geographical Society, honorary member of seven geographical societies abroad, on the editorial boards of several international journals. He acted as President of the Loess Commission of INQUA and was decorated by the Hungarian State Prize and Széchenyi Prize. His most significant scientific results are associated with Quaternary and loess research, geomorphological mapping, river terrace morphology, landslides, long-term relief evolution, assessment of the physical environment and engineering geomorphology. Generations of Hungarian geomorphologists share the grief of his passing.
Dénes Lóczy
On behalf of all the IAG and my own, I wish to express the deepest simpathy to the family and all the colleagues who had the opportunity to know and appreciate a dearest friend and excellent geomorphologist, Prof. Márton Pécsi.
Mario Panizza
Editor's Note This Newsletter, together with No. 19 (3/2002), is published late owing to the sudden resignation of the IAG Publication Officer José Lugo-Hubp, due to health problems. Both Newsletters have been prepared by IAG EC Members D. Lóczy and M. Soldati. We apologise for the delay and wish to reassure you that Newsletter No. 20 (1/2003) will be issued regularly, and will be prepared by an EC Member with the specific assignment of Publication Officer.
The success of the IAG-Newsletter depends upon the contributions that we receive. Please assist by sending commentaries, reviews of regional or national meetings and field trips, summaries of issues pertinent to geomorphology, and announcements of future meetings and workshops. Temporarily, your contributions should be forwarded to the IAG President, Mario Panizza (see address below).
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEOMORPHOLOGISTS President
Mario PANIZZA
Dip. Scienze Terra
Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Largo S. Eufemia, 19
I-41100 Modena, ITALY
Ph.: +39 059 2055840
Fax: +39 059 2055887Vice President
Andrew GOUDIE
School Geography & Environ.
University of Oxford
Mansfield Road
Oxford OX1 3TB, UNITED KINGDOM
Ph.: +44 1865 271921
Fax: +44 1865 271940Secretary
Dénes LOCZY
Dep. Physical Geography
University of Pécs
Ifúság útja 6
H-7624 Pécs, HUNGARY
Ph.: +36 72 327 622 e4482
Fax: +36 72 327 622 e4480
IAG Account number: 068-2376668-01 IAG - DEXIA Banque
Av. Centenaire, 42 - B-4102 Ougree, Belgium
Account IBAN: BE 43-0682-3766-6801
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