The IGCP 429 Annual Report No.1, 1998

 

ORGANICS IN MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL  ISSUES

 

DURATION AND STATUS: 1998 - 2002 - ONGOING

 

PROJECT LEADERS: JAN PASAVA & JAN JENIK, (IGCP) (MAB)

Czech Geological Survey (address on guiding pages) & Faculty of Botany, Klarov 3 Charles University,  CS-118 00 Praha 1 Benatska 2,  Czech Republic CS-128 01 Praha 2

 phone: (+420)-2-5817390 & phone:(+420)-2-21953119; fax: (+420)-2-5818748& fax: (+420)-2-21953125, e-mail: pasava@cgu.cz & jenik@prfdec.natur.cuni.cz

 

PROJECT SECRETARY: ANDREW P. GIZE, Department of Geology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

phone: (+44)-61-275-3832; fax: (+44)-61-275-3947; e-mail: andy_gize@email.msn.com

 

INTRODUCTION

 

IGCP Project #429 "Organics in Major Environmental Issues" (1998-2002) was approved by UNESCO in February 1998. In the period from March, 1998 to October 15, 1998 which was the first year of the Project around 70 scientists from 31 countries participated in the Project activities.

 

The configuration of the Project is as follows:

 

 National Working Group Suggested Representative

 

Argentina

M. Brodtkorb

Australia

B. Lottermoser

Austria

H. Lobitzer

Bulgaria

T. Todorov

Brazil

Laecio C. de Souza

Canada

J.F. Barker

China

Fan Delian

Czech Republic

B. Kribek

Estonia

E. Puura

Finland

K. Loukola-Ruskeeniemi

France

M. Leblanc

Germany

K. Bosecker

Hungary

M. Polgari

Israel

Y. Chen

Italy

P. Lattanzi

Japan

S. Nakashima

Korea

H.T. Chon

Macedonia

T. Serafimovski

Mongolia

B. Tumenbayar

Nigeria

S. Akande

Philippines

E.C. Santiago

Poland

W. Mayer

Romania

C. Dinulescu

Russia

A. Kontorovich

Slovakia

I. Rojkovic

Slovenia

T. Dimkovski

South Africa

K. Walemba

Spain

I. Suarez-Ruiz

Switzerland

J. Spangenberg

United Kingdom

J. Parnell

United States

T. Giordano

 

 

1. SUMMARY OF MAJOR PAST ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PROJECT

N/A

 

2. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PROJECT THIS YEAR

 

2.1. GENERAL SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

 

v      1998 was the first year of the IGCP Project #429, characterized by the organization of its structure and by delineation of its scope and aims. National Working Groups or Correspondents have been established in 31 countries.

v      Newsletter #1, including full description of the Project #429 and the proposed agenda for the Inaugural Meeting, was distributed to all participants shortly after approval of the Project.

v      The activity of virtually all the newly formed National Groups was concentrated on the formulation of the goals which were to be discussed at the Inaugural Meeting of the Project.

v      The Inaugural Meeting of the IGCP #429 was held in Prague, Czech Republic between September 10-13, 1998. The two day meeting was followed by a one day field trip. Forty one participants from 20 countries took part in this event with the aim to present and discuss the proposed Project management structure, work plan, schedule of annual international

v      meetings, creation of working groups as well as publication policy. At the very beginning, the following basic information about IGCP and its rules were presented by Jan Pasava:

 

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE IGCP

 

v      co-operative enterprise of the IUGS and UNESCO

v      idea to create IGCP was suggested at a joint IUGS-UNESCO Meeting in October 1967 in Prague with the final approval in 1972

v      the first meeting of IGCP Board took part in May 1973 in Paris

 

PURPOSE:

 to encourage and facilitate international co-operation in research on geological problems and thereby to promote the wise use of the Earth as a human habitat, as a source of natural resources and to reduce the effects of natural disasters

 

OBJECTIVES:

increasing our understanding of the factors controlling the global environment in order that living conditions may be improved

developing more effective ways in finding and assessing natural resources increasing our understanding of geological processes and developing new geological concepts in order to meet future human needs

improving research capacities, methods and techniques of research, through international collaboration of scientists from developed and developing nations

promoting transdisciplinary co-operation, especially within the framework of UNESCO, on joint programmes of global importance

 

IGCP GENERAL POLICIES

 

v      new projects are approved by IGCP Scientific Board (16 members) for a period of not more than 5 years

v      project leader must submit to UNESCO an annual report by 15 October each year which is reviewed by IGCP Scientific Board (new projects reviewed after 2 years)

v      it is important that project leader receives from National Representatives a summary report covering major activities (national meetings, major scientific highlights, planned workshops or field excursions for the year ahead) by September 1, each year level of financial support allocated annually from UNESCO and IUGS is based on the results of the reviewing process and money can be used to:

o        cover part of organizational expenses

o        facilitate participation of active scientists preferably from developing countries in plenary meetings of the project (requests directly to project leader/s)

o        NO RESEARCH AND PUBLISHING MONEY AVAILABLE FROM IGCP BUDGET

v      scientists participating in a project should keep in touch with their National Representative who has to be approved by IGCP National Committee

v      each publication which is a contribution to an IGCP should possibly bear IGCP logo and the IGCP project should be mentioned in acknowledgements

v      one copy of each publication should be sent to project leader who should attach it to the Annual Report for UNESCO

 

Following the official opening of the IGCP 429 Inaugural Meeting, the proposal for the IGCP 429 Management Structure and IGCP 429 - MAB (Man and Biosphere UNESCO Programme) initiative were presented, discussed and approved by the participants:

 

IGCP 429 MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

 

Co-Leaders:

Jan PASAVA (IGCP) (CZECH REPUBLIC) pasava@cgu.cz

Jan JENIK (MAB) (CZECH REPUBLIC) jenik@prfdec.natur.cuni.cz

 

Scientific Secretary:

Andrew Paul GIZE (UNITED KINGDOM) andy_gize@email.msn.com

 

Regional Vice-Leaders:

Kagumbu WALEMBA (AFRICA) 065KABUN@cosmos.wits.ac.za

Delian FAN (ASIA) fandl@public.intercom.com.cn

Bernd LOTTERMOSER (AUSTRALIA) blotterm@metz.une.edu.au

Kirsti LOUKOLA-RUSKEENIEMI (EUROPE) kirsti.loukola-ruskeeniemi@gsf.fi

Tom GIORDANO (NORTH AMERICA) tgiordan@NMSU.Edu

Laecio CUNHA DE SOUZA (SOUTH AMERICA) laecio@geologia.ufrn.br

 

It must be stressed that the IGCP 429 is unique in being the the first IGCP Project to be internationally co-ordinated by a geoscientist (Dr. Jan Pasava - experienced leader of several IGCP Projects from the Czech Geological Survey in Prague) and a biologist (Dr. Jan Jenik - MAB chairperson from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague). The primary objective of this collaborative venture is to integrate varied groups of geoscientists and biologists in order to bridge a gap between two major UNESCO Programmes - IGCP and MAB, and thus serve our society more effectively. After introduction of Man and Biosphere Programme, Prof. Jenik has strongly encouraged all the participants to get in touch with local MAB representatives in order to inform them about IGCP 429 activities with the aim to initiate joint studies.

The participants have agreed that the IGCP 429 will become together with the Czech Geological Survey and UNESCO/Paris one of the co-organizers of the GEOCHIM postgraduate course in Exploration and Environmental Geochemistry. Adding a “training component” and encouraging the involvement of more people especially from developing countries will be another very important aspect of IGCP 429 activities. This course will be held in Prague and Dolni Rozinka (Czech Republic) from September 7-20, 1999 and more information is available at GEOCHIM, Czech Geological Survey, Geologicka 6, 150 00 Praha 5 - Barrandov, Czech Republic, phone : +420-2-5817390, fax: +420-2-5818748, e/mail <kribek@cgu.cz or pasava@cgu.cz>.

Jan Pasava has emphasized major goals of the IGCP 429 – see the description of the Project above. 

 

TOPICAL WORKING GROUPS

 

WG1: Organic matter - metals interaction

(A.P. Gize, UK - e-mail: <andy_gize@email.msn.com>

 

WG 2: Microbial leaching in environmental clean up

(K. Bosecker, Germany - e-mail: <k.bosecker@bgr.de> )

 

WG 3: Weathering of organic matter

(B. Kribek, Czech Republic- e-mail: <kribek@cgu.cz>)

 

WG 4: Acid mine drainage

(E. Puura, Estonia - e-mail: <epuura@math.ut.ee> or <erx@ket.kth.se>)

 

WG 5: Environmental models of black shale hosted mineral deposits

(W. Mayer, Poland - e-mail: <wmayer@geol.agh.edu.pl>)

 

WG 6: Organic atmospheric particulates

(K. Hall, U.K.l)

 

WG 7: Organic matter in nuclear waste issues

(D. Mossman, Canada - e-mail: <dmossman@mailserv.mta.ca>)

 

WG 8: Organics in aquifers and water systems

(L. de Souza - <<laecio@geologia.ufrn.br>and R. Melo, Brazil, J. Spangenberg, Switzerland - <Jorge.Spangenberg@imp.unil.ch>)

 

 

ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

 

1998 - Inaugural Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic (September 10-13)  (done)

 

1999 - Annual International Meeting (session 2 “Organics in the formation and  remediation of mineral deposits”, within the 5th SGA-IAGOD Meeting), London, U.K (August 25-28) - confirmed more info at http://www.immr.tu-clausthal.de/sga.html

 

2000 - Annual International Meeting (within the 31st IGC ),  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (August 6-17) - under negotiation with the organizers

 

2001 - Annual International Meeting (within the 6th SGA Meeting), possibly in  Krakow, Poland ?

 

2002 - Final Meeting in a country with the most advanced research (most likely at the GAC/MAC Meeting in Canada or GSA Meeting in USA)

 

The meeting was followed by a one day field trip to the North Bohemian Coal Basin, co-organized by the North Bohemian Coal Mining Joint Stock Company. It has been documented in several case studies that lignite mining and waste heap remediation have to address problems such as the generation of acid mine drainage, and various agrochemical properties resulting from newly formed organic substrates. Such issues will be evaluated during the IGCP 429.

 It has been agreed that an IGCP 429 WEB SITE will be set up by A.P. Gize (UK) <andy_gize@email.msn.com> who will announce its precise address to all the participants.

 The participants of the Inaugural Meeting have agreed to e/mail about 1 page abstract of their talks presented at the meeting to Jan Pasava <pasava@cgu.cz> by September 30, 1998. They will be printed in the Proceedings of the IGCP 429 Inaugural Meeting and distributed to the participants.

Newsletter #2, describing the Inaugural Meeting of the IGCP 429 was distribute to all the participants shortly after the meeting.

 

 

2.2. LIST OF MEETINGS WITH APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE AND NUMBER OF COUNTRIES

 

1. IGCP 429 Inaugural Meeting

 (September 10-13, 1998, Prague, Czech Republic)

 41 scientists from 20 countries

 

2.3. NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS (INCLUDING MAPS) - LIST OF MAJOR OR MOST IMPORTANT PUBLICATIONS

 

 Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting will be published at the end of 1998 in the printing house of the Czech Geological Survey (Prague). Excursion guide to the Ianugural Meeting of the IGCP 429 was prepared by J. Godany and B. Kribek from the Czech Geological Survey (attached).

 

2.4. LIST OF COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN PROJECT

 (* COUNTRIES ACTIVE THIS YEAR

 

Argentina, Australia, *Austria *Bulgaria, *Brazil *Canada, *China, *Czech Republic, *Estonia, *Finland, *France, *Germany, *Hungary, *Israel, *Italy, *Japan, *Korea, *Macedonia, *Mongolia, *Nigeria, *Philippines, *Poland, *Republic of South Africa, *Romania, *Russia, *Slovakia, Slovenia, *Spain, *Switzerland, *UK, *USA,

 

 

2.5. ACTIVITIES INVOLVING OTHER IGCP PROJECT, IUGS OR MAJOR PARTICIPATION OF SCIENTISTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

 

It must be stressed that the IGCP 429 is unique in being the the first IGCP Project to be internationally co-ordinated by a geoscientist (Dr. Jan Pasava - experienced leader of several IGCP Projects from the Czech Geological Survey in Prague) and a biologist (Dr. Jan Jenik - MAB chairperson from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague). The primary objective of this collaborative venture is to integrate varied groups of geoscientists and biologists in order to bridge a gap between two major UNESCO Programmes - IGCP and MAB, and thus serve our society more effectively.

The Project will become together with the Czech Geological Survey and UNESCO/Paris one of co-organizers of the GEOCHIM postgraduate course in Exploration and Environmental Geochemistry. Involvement of more people especially from developing countries will be another very important aspect of IGCP 429 activities.

 

3. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

 

3.1. GENERAL GOALS

 

v      Based on the approved IGCP #429 work plan the following activities were proposed for 1999:

v      Development of new and continuation of ongoing transdisciplinary research projects covering the eight major topics of the Project with possible involvement of MAB specialists on both national and international levels

v      Active participation in GEOCHIM postgraduate training course on the exploration and environmental geochemistry

v      Presentation of scientific results on both national and international levels

v      Publication of new results in local and internationally recognized periodics

v      Editing Newsletters

v      Updating Project web site

 

3.2. SPECIFIC MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS (*INDICATION OF PARTICIPATION BY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

 

1. Annual International Meeting, session 2 - “Organics in the formation and remediation of mineral deposits”, - co-convenors: A. Gize, J. Pasava and A. Fleet

organized within a joint SGA-IAGOD Meeting), London, U.K (August 25-28)

more info at http://www.immr.tu-clausthal.de/sga.html

 

2. GEOCHIM - training course in exploration and environmental geochemistry, - co-organized with the Czech Geological Survey and UNESCO,

Prague and Dolni Rozinka, September 7-20, 1999

 

3.3    PROPOSED MAJOR PUBLICATIONS

Chapter in a hard cover proceedings of the SGA-IAGOD International Meeting in London (A.A.Balkema Publisher).

 

4. PROJECTED FUNDING REQUEST

 

 In 1998, the IGCP #429 appreciated medium funding (US $ 7,000). This budget, coupled with contributions from two local coal mining companies (Severoceske Doly a.s., Chomutov - North Bohemian Coal Mining JSC Chomutov and OKD a.s. - Ostrava-Karvina Coal Mining JSC, contributed significantly to the participation of 24 scientists from 19 countries in the Inaugural Meeting of the IGCP 429, held in Prague (Czech Republic) The complete financial statement was mailed along with a brief report immediately after the meeting to the Secretary General of IUGS for approval with a copy to the IGCP Secretary.

In 1999, IGCP 429 will hold two major events - annual international meeting in London, UK and GEOCHIM - a postgraduate training course in exploration and environmental geochemistry.in the Czech Republic. Frankly, both places mean extra high travel expenses, especially for people coming from the former Soviet Union countries, South Africa, Australia, SE Asia (Korea and China) as well as North and South America (Brazil). Considering

the great efforts of the IGCP 429 leadership to integrate varied groups of geoscientists and biologists in order to bridge a gap between two major UNESCO Programmes - IGCP and MAB, we hope that Members of the IGCP Scientific Board will be able to recommend high funding for 1999.

 

5. REQUEST FOR EXTENSION

 N/A

 

6. SUMMARY

 

1998 was the first year of the Project #429, characterized by the organization of its structure and by delineation of its scopes and aims. Project links have been established in 31 countries. The very well attended Inaugural Meeting was held in Prague, Czech Republic in September with the attendance of representatives of 20 countries.

It must be stressed that the IGCP 429 is unique in being the first IGCP Project to be internationally co-ordinated by a geoscientist (Dr. Jan Pasava - experienced leader of several IGCP Projects from the Czech Geological Survey in Prague) and a biologist (Dr. Jan Jenik - MAB chairperson from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague). The primary objective of this collaborative venture is to integrate varied groups of geoscientists and biologists in order to bridge a gap between two major UNESCO Programmes - IGCP and MAB, and thus serve our society more effectively.

Two major events will be held in 1999 - Annual International Meeting in London, UK and GEOCHIM - a postgraduate training course in Exploration and Environmental Geochemistry which will be co-organized with the Czech Geological Survey in Prague and UNESCO/Paris. Involvement of more people especially from developing countries will be another very important aspect of IGCP 429 activities.

Two newsletters (April and September 98) were distributed to the participants and the Project has arranged its web site.

 

7. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

 

It has been recommended at the Inaugural Meeting in Prague, that the IGCP Secretariat in Paris should consider informing MAB Secretariat in Paris about newly initiated activities and ask for any help in distributing this information through individual MAB National Committees as possible.

 

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 

The Project leadership wishes to express best thanks to the Czech Geological Survey in Prague, the Severoceske Doly a.s. and OKD a.s. for their significant sponsorship of the Inaugural Meeting.