Activities & EventsAmerican Meteorological Society Policy Program presents Summer Policy Colloquium
Each year the American Meteorological Society Policy Program brings a select group of graduate students and professionals to Washington, D.C. for an intense, ten-day immersion in atmospheric policy. The most recent colloquium was held June 3-12, 2012. 2012 AAAS Symposium - “Toward Stabilization of Net Global Carbon Dioxide Levels”
Sponsored by the four USNCs for the Earth Sciences and spearheaded by the U.S. National Committees for Soils and for Geodesy and Geophysics, this session provided a clear understanding and comparison of the attributes of the various sequestration strategies, including their capacity, economics, risks, application time-scales, and long-term stability. The symposium was held February 17, 2012 at the AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Speakers included: - Isabel Montanez (University of California): Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Climate Sensitivity in a Warmer World
- Sally Benson (Stanford University): Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Deep Sedimentary Formations
- Peter Brewer (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute): Impacts of Stabilizing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels: The Role of the Oceans
- Keith Paustian (Colorado State University): Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Agriculture: Living Up to Potential?
- Karen Haugen-Kozyra (KHK Consulting Ltd.): Carbon Pricing Policies in North America: Past, Present, and Future
- Ben Yamagata (Coal Utilization Research Council): Managing Carbon Dioxide Emissions Today: An Industry Perspective
Organizer: Paul M. Bertsch, University of Kentucky
Co-Organizer: Ester Sztein, The National Academies
Discussants: James E. Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Cesar Izaurralde, Joint Global Change Research Institute More details and press coverage... 2012 AAAS Symposium - “Causes and Effects of Relative Sea-Level Changes in the Northeast Pacific"
This session, spearheaded by the U.S. National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics, first reviewed the various contributing factors to relative sea-level changes in the Northeast Pacific and then examined likely adaptations with an emphasis on shores in British Columbia. The symposium was held February 19, 2012 at the AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Speakers included: - John J. Clague (Simon Fraser University): Impacts of Rising Seas on the British Columbia Coast in the 21st Century
- Denise J. Reed (University of New Orleans): Surviving Sea-Level Rise: What Can Be Done To Maintain Viable Coastal Wetlands?
- David Flanders (University of British Columbia): Flood Adaptation Near Vancouver: A Regional Adaptation Collaborative
Organizer: Brian F. Atwater, U.S. Geological Survey
Co-organizers: C.K. Shum, Ohio State University and Ester Sztein, The National Academies
Moderator: Brian F. Atwater, U.S. Geological Survey
Discussants: Margaret Davidson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center More details and press coverage... Joint Earth Sciences U.S. National Committee Activities
The USNC/IUGG and the U.S. National Committees for soil science (IUSS), geological sciences (IUGS), and Quaternary research (INQUA) actively collaborate throughout the year on various activities, including: “Global Sea Level Rise: Observation, Causes, and Prediction,” a symposium held on February 16, 2009 at the 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The three-hour session focused on the scientific understanding of sea level rise as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Leading scientists conveyed the latest findings, highlighted and increased public awareness of the consequences of sea level rise, and its potential social and economic impacts. The speakers included Richard Alley (Penn State), Anny Cazenave (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, France), Georg Kaser (Universität Innsbruck, Austria), Sydney Levitus (NOAA), Stefan Rahmstorf (Universität Potsdam, Germany), and C.K. Shum (The Ohio State University). Discussants included John Church (CSIRO, Australia) and Robert Muir-Wood (Risk Management Solutions, Inc., United Kingdom). The session was moderated by Bill Boicourt (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science). This jointly co-sponsored event was co-organized by USNC/GG members C.K. Shum, William C. Boicourt, and Robin Muench. View speaker presentations. “Global Connections among Earth Sciences, Health, and Policy,” BISO's September 2008 symposium representing the geosciences, biological sciences, chemistry, and the multidisciplinary areas of biodiversity and global change. The three-person advisory committee that helped plan the symposium included a past member of the USNC/Soil Science and the co-chair for medical science of the International Medical Geology Association, an IUGS-affiliate society. View the symposium program and list of speakers (72KB PDF). The event was supported by the National Science Foundation, the American Geological Institute, and the Geological Society of America.
"Planet Earth: Lessons Ignored, Lessons Learned,” an International Year of Planet Earth-themed symposium at the February 2008 AAAS meeting held in Boston, Massachusetts. The 90-minute symposium included the following presentations:
• I-Earth: Introduction to Planet Earth— Rosemary Knight, Stanford University;
• Soil: Sustaining Food, Energy, and Human Health—Charles W. Rice, Kansas State University and
Ian Pepper, Arizona State University (USNC/Soils current and past members, respectively);
• When the Sahara Was Green—Farouk El-Baz, Boston University (USNC/GS chair).
View symposium announcement (17KB PDF) Support of the International Year of Planet Earth
The International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), which ran from January 2007 to December 2009, aimed to build safer, healthier and wealthier global societies through the effective use of accumulated knowledge by the world’s Earth scientists. The earth sciences USNCs sponsored the IYPE-themed symposium "Planet Earth: Lessons Ignored, Lessons Learned” at the February 2008 AAAS Meeting.
The U.S. National Committee for IYPE received grant support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for an IYPE partnership with the National Public Radio (NPR) program EarthSky to produce ten 90-second IYPE-themed radio podcasts.  EarthSky is a digital media company advocating science as a vital voice in 21st century decision-making. Discover EarthSky science podcasts for the Web community.
Participation in IUGG General Assemblies
IUGG XXV General Assembly - "Earth on the Edge: Science for a Sustainable Planet" - was held June 28 - July 7, 2011 at the new Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center in Melbourne, Australia, bringing together the eight Earth science associations that comprise the IUGG. Scientists from around the world worked on issues of sustainability, exchanged information, and discussed issues affecting our climate and atmosphere, water resources and oceans, volcanoes and polar regions, earthquakes and tsunamis. The U.S. delegates to the IUGG General Assembly were: Priscilla Grew, Nebraska State Museum; Laurie Brown, University of Massachusetts; Danny Marks, United States Department of Agriculture; Jeffrey Freymueller, University of Alaska, Fairbanks; Mary C. Hill, United States Geological Survey; Joyce Penner, University of Michigan; William Boicourt, University of Maryland; Lisa Grant Ludwig, University of California, Irvine; and Stephen McNutt, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. For more information about the General Assembly in Melbourne please visit the official website: http://www.iugg2011.com/. The 24th International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly (GA) was held in Perugia, Italy, July 2-13, 2007; the theme of the 2007 GA was “Earth: Our Changing Planet.” The U.S. Delegation to the Council and GA was led by USNC/IUGG Chair Priscilla Grew. Participation in IUGG's Semi-Autonomous Associations' Scientific Assemblies
The USNC/IUGG strives to increase awareness of IUGG's semi-autonomous associations. On July 4, 2007, the IUGG launched the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) as the 8th IUGG association. The IACS aims to promote research studies related to all aspects of Earth’s cryosphere and solar system. Learn more about the IUGG’s sister associations.
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