As with our official twitter account (first @egu2010, recently changed from @egu2011 to @EuroGeosciences), the previous blogs, egu2010.wordpress.com and egu2011.wordpress.com, were initially created in association with the annual EGU General Assembly. Posts, mostly about the meeting, were more frequent at and around the time of the General Assembly. But we want the EGU blog to be constantly updated thoughout the year, something Jennifer started already in the 2011 version, and to have a fixed name: GeoLog. Therefore, there will be no more posts on this EGU2011 blog.

GeoLog will bring news about the Union and its activities year-round, while keeping the regular posts about the General Assembly. Other posts include the weekly Imaggeo on Mondays, which highlights a picture from EGU’s open-access image repository, Imaggeo, and the monthly Geosciences column, featuring recent research in the earth, planetary and space sciences.

We have also imported all content of previous blogs into GeoLog so that readers can access all posts ever published on EGU blogs from this website. Please refer to the archives on the right-hand side (on the new blog) for information published in previous years.

If you don’t want to miss out on the blog’s regular updates, please subscribe to it (RSS button on the top right of the header) or follow the EGU on twitter, facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

Logbook aboard the frigate Grand Turk (by JoJan, distributed by Wikimedia Commons)

Fog over Forest. Image by Konstantinos Kourtidis, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons License.

Fog sweeps over a pine forest in the early morning hours. The image was taken on a winter morning in February 2008. The photo was taken from the window of the photographer’s house in Xanthi, Greece. The fog is of the type of upslope fog or hill fog, which forms when winds blow air up a slope, cooling air as it rises, and causing the moisture in it to condense.

Imaggeo is the online open access geosciences image repository of the European Geosciences Union. Every geoscientist who is an amateur photographer (but also other people) can submit their images to this repository. Being open access, it can be used by scientists for their presentations or publications as well as by the press. If you submit your images to imaggeo, you retain full rights of use, since they are licenced and distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence.

There are three candidates for President:
Günter Blöschl
Denis-Didier Rousseau
Hans Thybo

There is one candidate for General Secretary
Mioara Mandea

• Abstracts should be short (300–500 words), clear, concise and written in English with correct spelling and good sentence structure.
• Mathematical symbols and equations must be typed in, and metric symbols should be used. Figures and tables should not be included.
• We recommend that the abstract is carefully compiled and thoroughly checked, in particular with regard to the list of authors, before submission in order to avoid last minute changes.
• The submission of an abstract carries with it the obligation that it is actually presented at the meeting by the author or, at least, by one of the co-authors.

Submitting Your Abstract

1. Use a text editor of your choice to compile your abstract: Title, Author(s), Affiliation(s) of author(s), and the Abstract Text;
2. Browse through the Session Programme and select the session of your interest;
3. Use the link “Abstract Submission” at the respective session;
4. You are asked to login to the Copernicus Office Meeting Organizer. Use your account data or create a new account;
5. Fill in the information about Title, Author(s), and Affiliation(s) of author(s);
6. Choose between Plain Text, LaTeX or WORD content with regard to the Abstract Text;
7. Copy-and-Paste your information into the form or download and use the WORD template;
8. Check the generated PDF file of your edited and formatted abstract;
9. If the conversion of your abstract fails please specify your problems when contacting Copernicus;
10. In any case, please indicate your invoice details for the Abstract Processing Charge as well as your payment details;
11. Submit your abstract. Your credit card will be checked and debited.

Authors may decide to submit their abstract with a preference either for a poster presentation or for an oral presentation. However, there is no guarantee that an oral preference can be realized.

First Author Rule: Regarding the oral preference, you are allowed as first author to submit either ONE regular abstract plus ONE abstract solicited by a convener, or TWO solicited abstracts. Each further abstract has to be submitted with a poster preference. If you submit to a session belonging to the programme group EOS, you are allowed as first author to submit ONE more abstract with an oral preference (THREE in total).

The Abstract Processing Charge

• An Abstract Processing Charge (APC) of €40 gross must be paid for each abstract submission.
• Abstracts are only processed and available for the session organization by conveners after the payment is completed. Please note that this is a processing charge and not a publishing fee.
• APCs are not refundable in case of an abstract withdrawal, rejection or double submission. The charges collected cover the cost to process the abstracts whether or not one attends the meeting.
• The APC does not register you for the EGU2012 General Assembly. Separate registration fees apply.
• Solicited Speakers do not receive discounted APCs, registration fees, or travel reimbursement.

In case of any questions, please contact us.

This information can also be found on the EGU GA 2012 webpages.

There are three sessions at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2012 directly related to sand dunes, these are listed below. To submit an abstract visit the meeting website.

GM5.1 Aeolian Processes and Landforms

Convener: J.M. Nield, Co-Convener: J. King
Aeolian geomorphology covers a wide spectrum of research from the small scale study of processes in the field or laboratory to modelling projects predicting long-term dune field evolution. This session aims to bring together a diverse group of researchers that study wind-blown sediment (both sand and dust) and associated bedforms in a range of environments, from coastal and semi-arid regions, to hyper arid deserts. Contributions that use novel instrumentation in field studies, remote sensing at the landscape scale or innovative numerical modelling methods, are encouraged, particularly those which attempt to elucidate feedback between surface properties and sediment transport.

GM10.1/PS2.9 Planetary Geomorphology

Convener: S. Conway, Co-Conveners: M. Balme , C. Gallagher
This session aims to give a different perspective on planetary science by bringing together geomorphologists from terrestrial sciences with those who spend more time on other planets. Studies of landscapes on any scale on any solid body are welcome. We particularly encourage those who use Earth analogues (either in the field or laboratory) to present their work. Submissions can include studies on glacial, periglacial, aeolian, volcanic or fluvial landforms. We welcome submissions from geomorphologists who are new to planetary science.

AS4.13/CL4.7 Aeolian dust, initiator, player, and recorder of environmental change

Convener: P. Knippertz, Co-Convener: J.-B. Stuut

The interactions between aerosols, climate, and weather are among the large uncertainties of current climate and atmospheric research. Mineral dust is an important natural source of aerosol with significant implications on radiation, cloud microphysics, atmospheric chemistry and the carbon cycle via the fertilization of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
In addition, properties of dust deposited in sediments and ice cores are important (paleo-)climate indicators.

This interdivision session is open to contributions dealing with:
(1) measurements of all aspects of the dust cycle (emission, transport, deposition, size distribution, particle characteristics) with in situ and remote sensing techniques,
(2) numerical simulations of dust on global and regional scales,
(3) meteorological conditions for dust storms, dust transport and deposition,
(4) interactions of dust with clouds and radiation,
(5) influence of dust on atmospheric chemistry,
(6) fertilization of ecosystems through dust deposition,
(7) any study using dust as a (paleo-)climate indicator including investigations of Loess, ice cores, lake sediments, ocean sediments and dunes.

We especially encourage our colleagues to submit papers on the integration of different disciplines and/or modeling of past, present and future climates.

Image by Ioannis Daglis, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence.

Rock Fall. Image by Fausto Guzetti, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence.

The photograph shows a rock fall occurred near Valtopina, Umbria, Central Italy, at an unknown date.

Rockfalls are a mass movement hazard. They mostly occur on steep rock faces, with the blocks that fall detaching along an existing weakness. The scale of a rock fall can range from a few blocks of rock to rock avalanches. Rock falls can be triggered by earthquakes, freeze-thaw or no apparent cause.

Imaggeo is the online open access geosciences image repository of the European Geosciences Union. Every geoscientist who is an amateur photographer (but also other people) can submit their images to this repository. Being open access, it can be used by scientists for their presentations or publications as well as by the press. If you submit your images to imaggeo, you retain full rights of use, since they are licenced and distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence.

Anyone may organize such a Townhall Meeting subject to approval by the Programme Committee chair. Townhall Meetings will be scheduled from Monday – Friday, 23 – 27 April 2012, 19:00–20:00 in the lecture rooms of the congress centre. Applications should be forwarded to the Programme Committee chair by using the Townhall Meeting Request Form. Upon acceptance, the respective meeting will appear in the Townhall Meetings Programme as a regular session.

Splinter Meetings
Splinter Meetings can be organized by participants during the course of the conference, 23 – 27 April 2012. Splinter Meetings can be public or by invitation only. The EGU has reserved 8 extra rooms free of charge for the Splinter Meeting organizer(s). Please note, that these splinter meeting rooms are not available for booking as an extension of a session or a Poster Summary Discussion (PSD). These kind of requests will automatically be withdrawn. Conveners can request a PSD room in their Session Organizing Tool SOII from 30 January to 02 February 2012. To request a Splinter meeting fill in the online form.

The 2012-GIFT (Geosciences Information for Teachers) symposium will take place on April 23-25, 2012 during the General Assembly of EGU in Vienna Austria. The general theme of the workshop is « Water!» and will be dedicated to the study of the hydrological problems of our planet.

The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. It also involves the exchange of heat energy, which leads to temperature changes. The water cycle figures significantly in the maintenance of life, society and ecosystems on Earth. However, several problems threaten water resources today, which are related to the unsustainable use of water and the lack of adequate supply of water in many parts of the world. Such problems are caused by an ever increasing population, consumerism, urbanization and changes in agricultural practice.

In addition, as the water cycle involves heat exchange, it has a two-way feedback with our climate as well. In particular, the effects of atmospheric global warming on the water cycle are significant. Observed warming over several decades has been linked to changes in the large-scale hydrological cycle such as:

• increasing atmospheric water vapor content;
• changing precipitation patterns, intensity and extremes;
• reduced snow cover and widespread melting of ice;
• and changes in soil moisture and runoff.

As a consequence, water resources have already been deeply affected by global warming: sea levels have risen, glaciers have retreated. The hydrological cycle is heavily affected by land use change which in turn affects groundwater recharge. The above problems cause concerns in almost every sector of everyday life, and geo-engineers are seeking ways of mitigation. All water bodies are going to be affected by global warming, making knowledge of the water cycle essential for any kind of human activity. Entire regions on Earth would face extreme temperatures eventually associated with torrential rainfalls whilst other regions would experience scarcity of water and droughts.

In the GIFT workshop “Water!” all the different aspects of the water cycle will be described and discussed. Talks will focus on global freshwater availability and distribution, overexploitation of water, strategies for sustainable use of water in the future and the threats by environmental change. Particular regions where global warming will have a major impact, such as the regions depending on the water supply from the Himalayan, Alpine and Andes mountain glaciers will be used as exemplars. The use of naturally occurring isotopes to “fingerprint” sources of water in precipitation and rivers, and the presence of ‘ancient’ water beneath the deserts and other areas, will also be discussed..

Focus will also be put on climate model simulations for the 21st century, mitigation measures to reduce the magnitude of impacts of global warming on water resources, and water resources management and its impacts on other policy areas.

As in every GIFT Symposium, contributions by the attending teachers on particular “off-the-program” activities that they may have had in their classrooms are particularly welcomed, either as poster or oral presentations, even if their subject is not directly related to the theme of the workshop.

Also, a first step will be a guided visit to the Vienna Museum of Natural Sciences, on Sunday April 22 afternoon, followed by a small reception as an ice-breaker event.

Grants are available to support teachers to participate in the 2012 Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) Symposium at the 2012 European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. Selected teachers will receive a travel /hotel stipend and free registration to the meeting.

Participating teachers will be selected based on their teaching experience and a supporting statement from their school administration. Selected teachers will be expected to attend the entire workshop and submit a statement within 1 year after the workshop on their impression of the workshop and how they plan to use this experience in their future teaching activities.

To apply please submit the following information:

• Applicant name, contact information, E-mail address
• School name and address
• List the subjects you teach, and the ages of students
• The workshop will be conducted in English. Please describe your capability to understand and speak English.
• A description of any leadership activities you have taken at your school or in national educational activities (examples: training new teachers, developing curriculum, etc.).
• A letter of recommendation from the senior administrator in your school supporting your application (by attached pdf document).
• (Optional) There will be opportunities for teachers to present any creative science activities they have developed for their classrooms to other teachers at the workshop. These presentations can be in the form of a talk, a poster or a demonstration. If you would like to present a science activity, please provide a title and description for inclusion in the program.

Applications should be received as soon as possible and in any case no later than November 30, 2011.

This information is also available in pdf format.

Strombolian activity on Mount Yasur, Vanuatu. Image by Derya Gürer, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence.

Imaggeo is the online open access geosciences image repository of the European Geosciences Union. Every geoscientist who is an amateur photographer (but also other people) can submit their images to this repository. Being open access, it can be used by scientists for their presentations or publications as well as by the press. If you submit your images to imaggeo, you retain full rights of use, since they are licenced and distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence.

The European Geosciences Union’s definition of Young Scientist is available online and is below: by 1 January of the year when the award is presented the scientist should be:

• be in age 35* or younger.
• be an undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters/PhD) student or have received her/his highest degree qualification (e.g., BSc, MSc, PhD) within the last seven years*.

* Where appropriate, up to one year of parental leave time may be added per child.

Please note, that the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) is also applied in case of support applications.

Each support award is granted to the contact author for a particular abstract. Should this abstract be withdrawn before the meeting or should this abstract not be presented at the meeting although the author who has been awarded is present at the meeting, the award has to be returned, i.e. the author in question will be asked to register and, if necessary, to pay back the money received. Awards cannot be transferred!

There are currently three different financial support schemes run by the European Geosciences Union.

1. Young Scientist’s Travel Award for Europeans (YSTA): This award includes a free registration together with a refund of the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) related to the abstract for which support was requested. Depending on the decision of the Support Committee an additional financial support for the travel expenditures with a maximum of €300 could be granted as well. Only the granted amount mentioned in the financial support email will be paid out to the supported contact author personally during the EGU General Assembly 2012.
2. Adrian Gill Travel Award (AGTA): For a young scientist from Britain to take part in a session of the Atmospheric Sciences or Ocean Sciences programme. This award includes a free registration together with a refund of the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) related to the abstract for which support was requested. Depending on the decision of the Support Committee an additional financial support for the travel expenditures with a maximum of €300 could be granted as well. Only the granted amount mentioned in the financial support email will be paid out to the supported contact author personally during the EGU General Assembly 2012.
3. Keith Runcorn Travel Award for Non-Europeans (KRTA): This award includes a free registration together with a refund of the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) related to the abstract for which support was requested. Depending on the decision of the Support Committee an additional financial support for the travel expenditures with a maximum of €500 could be granted as well. Only the granted amount mentioned in the financial support email will be paid out to the supported contact author personally during the EGU General Assembly 2012.

Scientists, who wish to apply for financial support must be the principal author of their contribution, and they must submit an abstract by 15 December 2011. The EGU support selection committee will decide about the support of individual contribution until 28 January 2012. All applicants will be informed afterwards.

For the submission of your abstract/application for financial support, please follow the normal procedure and tick the appropriate boxes during submission. A screenshot of the first screen of the abstract submission process is shown below, the support application section is in the red box.

This information is also available on the EGU GA 2012 webpages.