[paleosol] The future of the Paleopedogy Commission

Posted by dan yaalon 16 Sen 2003 10:18:03

Dear Edoardo Costantini, Alex Makeev, John Catt, Leon Follmer, Arnt Bronger
and colleagues,

I appreciate you responses. I too tend to believe that we should remain with
INQUA and IUSS. If I understand Jim Teller correctly there are plans to
recognize officially within Terrestrial Processes, Deposits, and History
several Sub-Comissions. But it is not clear whether a formal request by the
previous Paleopedology Commission, that has duly elected its new Chair and
Vicechair, is needed, but certainly the approval should be obtained. Within
the IUSS the now Provisional Commission on Paleopedology (until now Working
Group) within Division 1 (like the new Pedometrics) will presumably receive
final approval during the 2004 IUSS Council meeting. So this should enable
to continue work - to preserve paleopedology individuality, stimulate
appropriate research, organize symposia meetings, continuing the web site
and newsletter. Usually in such groups the actual progress and activity
depends on the inputs from a small number of people willing to do these job,
which apparently paleopedology does have. Congratulations and good luck to
Edoardo and Alexander.

The significant ICSU project grant for 'Polygenetic models for Paleosols'
and the several publications and meetings recently organized are best
examples and evidence of this and we are duly grateful to those responsible
for organizing these. No doubt the new leadership will continue in the same
active direction. [By the way, Edoardo, the 'Paleosol and Soil Mapping
activities' in Firenze, mentioned in your letter, is new to me; please be
more accurate and specific.] The Mexico 2005 meeting on Global Soil Change -
Time-scales and Rates of Pedogenic Processes is sponsored by the pedological
Commissions of IUSS, so co-sponsorship with paleopedology is certainly a
good idea. Continuing also the printed version of the Newsletter is good for
spreading information to students via libraries, etc., so perhaps some funds
can be allocated for this from already funded projects ? Previously some
working groups were also active, and Roy Shlemon duly mentioned the need
to focus also on environmental and engineering applications of paleosol
data. So no doubt we shall receive due proposals on this and other possible
programs and working groups plans as well.

With kind regards and best wishes to all,

Dan Yaalon

-------------------------------
Prof. (emer.) Dan H. Yaalon
Institute of Earth Sciences
Hebrew University
Givat Ram Campus
Jerusalem 91904, Israel
e-mail yaalon@vms.huji.ac.il
fax 972-2-5662 581
---------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: paleosol-bounce@rc.ru [mailto:paleosol-bounce@rc.ru]On Behalf Of
costantini@issds.it
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 11:44 AM
To: paleosol@rc.ru
Subject: [paleosol] The future of the Paleopedogy Commission

I have read the comments about the disappointing exits of the last INQUA
meeting, i.e. the modification of the INQUA structure, which was actually
well foreseen, and the proposals of the members of our group. My personal
feeling is that we must take the good from the bad. I don't think we should
leave INQUA and form another society. I think we should maintain our
individuality as a group and the best possible links with INQUA and IUSS.
Inside IUSS we maybe have more opportunities, but all has to be verified. We
can as well form a sub commission inside INQUA and a commission inside
IUSS. To be a group and have an international prominent state the most
important thing is to work together and produce good scientific stuff:
projects, collaborations, conferences, business meetings, excursions. I hope
the different activities of the members of the group will be shared on our
web site and many of us will come to our next meeting of Florence. Another
issue is proposing new ideas, new scientific challenges, new projects. Some
good ones are the topics of our next meetings: "Paleosols and soil mapping
activities" (Florence), "Timing the soil forming processes" (Mexico),
another one could be "Paleosols as part of our cultural heritage". (By the
way: speaking with Sergey Sedov I understood the next meeting in Mexico
would have been a joint meeting with the Paleopedology group, did I wrong?).

At the moment I don't have any ideas about the funding for the printed
version of our newsletter, but I wonder: we do need it really?

Looking forward to your suggestions

Edoardo A.C. Costantini
Istituto Sperimentale per lo Studio e la Difesa del Suolo
Piazza M. D'Azeglio 30
50121 Firenze
Italy

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