GeoLog is our new blog

This week, the European Geosciences Union is re-launching its blog with a new name, web address and design. The new blog is GeoLog!

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)

Imaggeo on Mondays: Fog over Forest

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.

Election deadline approaching: 1st December

Members of the European Geosciences Union are reminded that voting for the positions of President and General Secretary closes on 1 December 2011. Members will have received an email from the Executive Secretary on the 3 November with details and a unique, one time only voting token. All members of the EGU are encouraged to use their voting rights, which ensures continuation of the well-established bottom-up structure of our Union.

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

There is one candidate for General Secretary
Mioara Mandea

Submitting an abstract to EGU GA 2012

Writing Your Abstract

• 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.

Sand Dunes at EGU GA 2012

Several participants in the Geoblogsphere having been posting recently about sand dunes. Its part of Sand Dune Week declared on twitter by Brian Romans. Some of the posts are listed by Matthew Francis or find more by searching on twitter for “sand dune week”.

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.

Imaggeo on Mondays: Rock Fall

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.

Townhall and Splinter Meetings at EGU GA 2012

Townhall Meetings
Townhall Meetings are meetings open for all participants in the conference at which new initiatives or decisions are announced to a larger audience following an open discussion on the matter raised.

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.