The Role of Process Geomorphology in Quaternary Science INQUA Congress in Reno - 23-31 July, 2003

Date: 16 October 2002

Call for contributions

Links between Quaternary science and geomorphology are evident, and there are many. On the one hand, appreciation of profound environmental changes which have taken place during the Quaternary, helps to explain and understand the landscapes of today, which bear superimposed effects of geomorphic processes acting in different periods and under different conditions. On the other hand, knowledge of surface processes, their rates, threshold values, and effects may assist considerably in the interpretation of the geological record of the Quaternary and prediction of global environmental changes to occur in the near future. Many of us, geomorphologists, employ time scales which extend back into the Pleistocene or even beyond, being involved in geomorphological and Quaternary research at the same time. Nonetheless, it is perhaps still valid that preoccupation with recent processes, which is one of the dominant trends in contemporary geomorphology, limits our visibility in the Quaternary community.

The coming INQUA Congress in Reno, Nevada (23-31 July, 2003) provides an opportunity to demonstrate how geomorphology can, and does, contribute to Quaternary science and to explore further fields of potential interdisciplinary cooperation. Therefore, we have decided to issue a call for contributions to the general poster session, provisionally entitled "The Role of Process Geomorphology in Quaternary Science", which would be conducted during the Congress. This session is intended to be a joint initiative of INQUA and IAG (International Association of Geomorphologists) and will hopefully act as an impetus for further collaboration between these two scientific associations.

There is already a strong geomorphological component in many sessions and symposia already announced. However, there also remain fields of interest which are not yet adequately covered and which, in our opinion, are well worth covering. These include weathering studies, slope and fluvial processes and landforms, geomorphology of periglacial environments, karst processes and, most obviously, glacial process studies. The poster session we announce is specifically designed to accommodate contributions from these lines of research. Please bear in mind that the main goal of the session is to look at geomorphology from the Quaternary perspective, therefore intended posters should:

• focus on processes investigated at Quaternary time scales and/or
• explore implications of short-term studies for interpretation of the Quaternary record.

Every one is welcome to contribute to the session. If you are interested, please feel free to contact

Olav Slaymaker Department of Geography University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada e-mail

or

Piotr Migon Department of Geography University of Wroclaw Wroclaw, Poland e-mail (from Jan 2003: Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA)

and do not forget to register to the XVI INQUA Congress!

See you in Reno

Olav Slaymaker and Piotr Migon