| International Association of Geomorphologists |
IAG Working Groups Editor's note: The IAG has seven active working groups: (1) Interaction between fluvial, aeolian, and lacustrine processes in arid regions, (2) Hydrology and geomorphology of bedrock rivers, (3) Geoarcheology, (4) Geomorphological sites: research, assessment and improvement, (5) Large rivers, (6) Terroirs viticoles, and (7) Geomorphological consequences of volcanic events, including hazards. Information about and reports from the working groups are posted on the IAG website: http://www.geomorph.org.
Since the Fifth International Conference on Geomorphology (Tokyo, August 23-28, 2001), the Working Groups (WGs) of the IAG have been active. The special sessions, meetings, international conferences or symposiums organized by the different WGs amount to over ten events, mainly held in Europe and Mexico.
The WG Interaction Between Fluvial, Aeolian and Lacustrine Processes in Arid Regions, chaired by Prof. Xiaoping Yang, organized two symposia: a poster session, "Late Quaternary Landscape Evolution and Palaeoclimates in Arid and Semiarid Regions of Central and East Asia" (INQUA Congress in July 2003, Reno, USA) and a special session on "Desertification, Land Degradation, and Landforms in Arid and Semiarid Regions" for the IAG Regional Conference in Mexico (October 27th to November 2nd, 2003). This WG is also preparing a workshop with a field excursion in China.
The Geoarchaeology WG has Prof. Eric Fouache as Chairman, and the professors Morgan de Dapper and Zhongyuan Chen serve as vice-presidents. This group has the objective of encouraging regional syntheses in geoarchaeological studies, and has organized four conferences, two of which have already taken place: the international conference "Environmental Dynamics and History in Mediterranean Areas" in Paris (April 24-26, 2002) and a workshop at the Harokopio University in Athens (October 2003). This WG is now preparing a field training session in Shanghai for 2004 and a workshop in Zaragoza for the Sixth International Conference on Geomorphology in 2005.
The group Geomorphological Sites: Research Assessment and Improvement, focuses on the areas of conservation, education, and tourist interests related to these sites. The group's leader, Dr. Emmanuel Reynard, called a first meeting from June 19-22, 2002, which was organized by Prof. Sandra Piacente and Dr. Paola Coratza, together with the Italian Research Project COFIN 2001-2003, "Geosites in the Italian Landscape." Other activities include the symposium held during the VI National Geomorphology meeting, September 19-22, 2002 in Valladolid (Spain): "Natural Heritage and Geomorphology." Mario Panizza opened the meeting with his presentation, "Geomorphology Applied to Cultural Heritage." Similarly, a postgraduate seminar on "Geomorphological Landscape Assessment, Protection and Valuation" was held on February 10-14 in Lausanne. This seminar was attended by 30 students and researchers from universities in Western Switzerland. In this same year, from October 1-5, an international workshop on the topic "Geomorphological Sites, Assessment and Mapping" took place in Cagliary (Italy). In Mexico, during the 2003 Regional Conference, a special session was held on "Geomorphological Sites: Vulnerability and Assessment." Several other activities have been programmed for 2004 and 2005, particularly those to be held during the 32nd International Geological Congress, Florence, 2004, and 6th International Conference of Geomorphology, Zaragoza, 2005.
The WG on Large Rivers, headed by Prof. Avijit Gupta conducted a special session devoted to the role of large-scale events, and water and sediment transfer and storage along valley slopes and river channels during the Mexican Regional Conference (2003). Prof. Paul Carling from the University of Southampton, chair of the WG on Hydrology and Geomorphology of Bedrock Rivers, set up an interactive web-based discussion forum on bedrock channel processes at http://www.geog.soton.ac.uk/research/bedrock. Geomorphology and Wine-Producing Regions is the WG chaired by Prof. Alain Marre of France. This group held its third meeting on "Mountain Regions" in April 2002 in San Giogio Canavese near Turin (Italy) and is preparing a book of proceedings from the meetings of Camerino (Italy) in October 2000, Reims (France), in June 2001, and the San Giogio Canvanese meeting. The WG Geomorphologic Consequences of Volcanic Eruptions, Including Hazards, led by Jean-Claude Thouret of France and J.J. Nossin from the Netherlands, organized a special session at the Mexican Regional Conference (2003) on "Volcanic Landforms and Hazards," directed by C. Ollier and J-C Thouret. The WG also has a website set up and updated by J.J. Nossin at the International Institute for Geo-Information and Earth Sciences (ITC, Enschede, The Netherlands) http://www.itc.nl/age/volcanic.
Alfredo Perez-Gonzalez, Professor, University Complutense of Madrid, and President, Spanish Society of Geomorphology.
IAG participation in 16th INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) Congress At the 16th INQUA Congress, held in Reno, Nevada, from July 23-30, 2003, the IAG was represented by a poster session entitled Contemporary Geomorphic Processes in Quaternary Science. Piotr Migon (Poland) and Olav Slaymaker (Canada) presided over the event. Twenty-two high quality posters were displayed, of which 8 were from USA, 4 from Italy, 2 from Germany, 2 from Canada and 1 each from Argentina, China, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and UK. They can be broadly divided into two groups.
The first group emphasized the complex interplay of contemporary processes which makes reconstruction of past Quaternary environments so challenging. They included actual/proposed measurements/measurement programs of rates of change in addition to a variety of morphological evidence. Soldati et al. outlined an ambitious national Italian project on paleoclimatic reconstruction, based on the assumption that slope instability processes are geomorphological indicators of climate change. Leonard et al. discussed paleoclimatic implications of rock glacier development in Colorado on the basis of three time scales of survey and measurement. Molnia described recent rapid retreat of the Bering Glacier, Alaska and showed the importance of glacier disarticulation in complicating the relation between glacier retreat and climate. Barnard et al. discussed paraglacial processes in the Indian and Nepalese Himalayas, and proposed a catastrophic series of paraglacial events, clearly climate-related, alternating with low energy periods of fluvial reworking. Webb et al. showed late Quaternary debris flow/river interaction in Utah, proposing that glacial and interglacial climates favour bedrock downcutting and interglacials with monsoon climate favour debris flow aggradation, whereas Comerci et al. analysed ground subsidence in Italy, supplementing their post-glacial stratigraphic record with detailed measurements of ground subsidence in the Como urban area since 1955. Finally, Laemermann-Barthel et al. discussed a proposed program to establish a sediment budget for the Swiss Alps and the upper Rhine.
A second group of posters emphasized the examination of morphology and used maps, remotely sensed imagery, GIS and stratigraphic evidence more extensively than the first group. Process and process rates in these studies were more inferential than in the studies in the first group. Bartolini addressed the interaction between rock uplift, local relief and exhumation in the Northern Apennines in the last few million years. Thomas et al. discussed landscape response to environmental change in Queensland, emphasising the variable time lags which are still unresolved. Mills considered topographic control of alluvial fans in North Carolina from early Pleistocene to Holocene. Migon raised critical questions about the efficacy of Quaternary cryoplanation, and suggested that significant remodelling of periglacial upland surfaces in the Quaternary has been seriously exaggerated. However, Aarseth and Fossen described new cryoplanation surfaces from Norway which, they report, are of Quaternary origin. Mäusbacher et al. examined subrosion depressions in Germany and discovered significant impact of Bronze Age and Iron Age anthropogenic influence on the sedimentology and palynology; Paulen et al. considered deformation structures in glaciolacustrine sediments in the Peace River valley, Alberta and Kovanen and Slaymaker demonstrated GIS aided delineation of glacial imprints over the surface of the Okanogan Lobe in Washington State. Dramis and Guglielmin discussed rock glacier development in Italy, noting the importance of discontinuous processes. Kite et al. documented an unusual algific talus in West Virginia and showed the importance of this environment as a paleo-refugium over the past 10,000 years. Large-magnitude geomorphic events were addressed by Hermanns et al. (massive rock slope failures in the southern Andes), Roberts (the variety of lahars on Mt. Shasta) and Manville (late Quaternary megafloods in New Zealand). Fluvial issues were discussed by Rowland et al. who showed the importance of tie channels on flood plains in Alaska, Louisiana, and Papua New Guinea, and noted that both the planform and cross-sectional morphology of the channels in all three systems show remarkable similarities over scales which vary by an order of magnitude; and Yang et al. plotted the changing activity of the Changjiang River in China over the Quaternary period.
Olav Slaymaker, Professor, Dept. of Geography, The University of British Columbia
IAG Regional Geomorphological Conference, "Geomorphic Hazards: Towards the Prevention of Disasters" This regional meeting was held in Mexico City, October 27 to November 2, 2003. Details of the meeting, including minutes from the IAG Executive Committee meeting on October 26, will be reported in the next IAG Newsletter. The Organising Committee, headed by Dr. Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, did an outstanding job. - Editor
Young Geomorphologists
The IAG and the Mexican Society of Geomorphology (MSG) awarded competitive grants to young participants at the IAG Regional Geomorphology Conference, held 27 October to 2 November 2003 in Mexico City. Nineteen applications were received from young and very talented geomorphologists from Latin America and other countries. After careful evaluation, IAG awarded three full grants to young geomorphologists from Latin America, and MSG awarded one full grant and four partial grants to young geomorphologists from different parts of the world.
IAG GRANTS were awarded to the following young geomorphologists: Samia Equino (State University of Maringa, Brazil), Kenia Costa (Federal University of Goiás, Brazil) and André de Souza Avelar (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). MSG GRANTS were awarded to Stella Moreiras (CONICET, Argentina), Lisa Borgatti (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy), Dorina Illies (University of Oradea, Romania), Laura Perucca (CONICET, Argentina) and Silvio Carlos Rodrigues (Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil). In addition, MSG waived the registration fee for the following young geomorphologists: Tobias Heckmann (University of Göttingen, Germany), Sergio Saldana (University of Vienna, Austria) and Michael Singer (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, President, MSG IAG Grants for the IAG Symposium on (Calcutta) and International Workshop on Landslides (Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas), India, 27 February-6 March 2004
The selection procedure of the Asian candidates who submitted a request for an IAG grant has been completed, upon examination of the candidates' CVs. IAG Grants have been awarded to Muh Aris Marfai (Indonesia) and Saifuzzaman (Bangladesh). In addition, the Indian Institute of Geomorphologists (IGI), co-sponsor of the Symposium, will offer additional grants for young geomorphologists from developing countries.
IAG Grants for the Post-graduate Research Training Workshop, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park (UK), 8-11 December 2003
The selection procedure of the candidates who applied for IAG grants has been completed, following examination of the candidates' CVs and PhD research project abstracts. IAG grants have been awarded to György Sipos (Hungary) and Attila Nagy (Hungary).
Mauro Soldati, IAG EC Member
The Carpatho-Balkan Geomorphological Commission The Carpatho-Balkan Geomorphological Commission (CBGC) celebrated its 40th anniversary in Bratislava with an academic session from 9 to 12 September 2003. About 80 geomorphologists who study the Carpatho-Balkan mountain system and the adjacent depressions gathered from seven counties and presented 33 oral papers and 49 posters. Founding members (distinguished scientists like Leszek Starkel from Poland and Jaromír Demek from Czech Republic) were awarded with diplomas. The local organizer was Milos Stankoviansky, who was elected as new president of CBGC. A Statute was passed by the General Assembly, and plans for future activities were discussed. The CBGC as a regional geomorphological organization wishes to build closer contacts with IAG. The very successful scientific sessions were followed by a two-day field trip led by Ján Lacika to the lowlands and mountains of western and central Slovakia.
Award to Ivan Gams On 1 July 2003 M. Panizza represented the IAG at the Scientific Symposium "Physical geography facing new challenges," on the occasion of the 80th year of Acad. Prof. Dr. Ivan Gams in Ljubljana (Slovenia). The IAG acknowledged the merits in Geomorphology of Prof. Gams with a silver plate.
Obituary of Professor Richard J. Chorley Richard J. Chorley (1927-2002) was a leader in the intellectual development of the study of landforms in the second half of the twentieth century. This claim is substantiated with reference to: (a) his direct challenge to the paradigm of denudation chronology; (b) his eloquent championing of general systems theory in geomorphology; (c) his insistence on the use of rigorous statistical techniques in geomorphology; (d) his magisterial 'History of the Study of Landforms', the fourth volume of which is being completed posthumously; (e) his founding of several scholarly journals; (f) his brilliant teaching style; and (g) his holding of an ad hominem Chair in Geography at Cambridge University (1974-2002). The intellectual influences that shaped his thinking included Oxford University's Geography Department (1948-51); Columbia University's Geology and Geography departments (1951-54); Brown University's Geology Department (1954-57); Cambridge University's Geography Department (1958-2002) and Sidney Sussex College, of which he was Vice-Master during the 1990's. Foremost among the many individuals who influenced the iconoclastic Professor Chorley were surely Arthur Strahler, Stanley Schumm, Mark Melton and Marie Morisawa of the Columbia 'School of Geomorphology'. Beyond the formal acknowledgments of a stellar academic career, the most lasting impression given to those of us who were privileged to know him well was that of 'a man totally without conceit or artifice or spin' (Peter Haggett's funeral address, Tuesday, 21st.May, 2002). He will be greatly missed by colleagues and friends and especially by Rosemary, Richard and Eleanor.
Olav Slaymaker, Professor of Geography, The University of British Columbia and Past-President, International Association of Geomorphologists
Editor's Note: The success of the IAG Newsletter depends upon the contributions 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. Your contributions should be forwarded to the IAG Publications Officer:
Carol Harden, Department of Geography, 304 Burchfiel Geography Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA 37996-0925. Fax 1+ 865 974 6025; e-mail: charden@utk.edu
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEOMORPHOLOGISTS President
Mario PANIZZA
Dip. Scienze Terra
Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia
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Fax: +39 059 2055887Vice President
Andrew GOUDIE
School Geography & Environ.
University of Oxford
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Oxford OX1 3TB, UNITED KINGDOM
Ph.: +44 1865 271921
Fax: +44 1865 271940Secretary
Dénes LOCZY
Dep. Physical Geography
University of Pécs
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