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IUSS Alert 219 (Genuary 2024)

IUSS Alert 219 (Genuary 2024)

IUSS News

World Soil of the Year

The IUSS has launched an initiative for the annual celebration of a “World Soil of the Year”  (WSY).

At present, we are witnessing remarkable success with activities centred around the celebration of the Soil of the Year at the national level in several countries. Building on this momentum, the IUSS envisions the potential to elevate this initiative to a global scale. This would involve the annual selection and celebration of a soil, proposed by an IUSS member and endorsed by a national society. The celebration of the WSY is an implementation of the IUSS Strategic Plan. There is a suggestion that the IUSS could consider the possibility of granting a monetary award to accompany this recognition.

A dedicated task force has been created to facilitate the start of the process, which foresees the participation of IUSS members, working mainly as officers of Commissions and Working Groups of Division 1. This task force, open to other possible interested colleagues of all Divisions, is responsible for refining the procedure and initiating the process, as well as the possible creation of a dedicated Working Group.

We firmly believe that this endeavour has the potential to enhance soil literacy across numerous countries and on a global scale. It also lays the groundwork for compiling a registery of soil heritage, recognizing the inherent natural and cultural values of soils. Furthermore, this initiative could represent a pivotal initial step, opening doors for soil science to integrate with environmental protection activities and projects.

The idea is to annually celebrate a specific soil to increase collective responsibility for soil resources and soil functions, and to increase actions on public soil awareness.

The first WSY has been already selected and will be celebrated during the Centennial Congress in Florence, Italy, next May.

We will keep you updated!

Edoardo A.C. Costantini and Richard Heck

IUSS President and Chair of Division 1

 

Stimulus found

 

Due to last year success, the Stimulus Fund call for 2024 has been brought forward to January 15 and will be open for two months. The budget has increased, as well, so do not forget to send your application to the Secretariat at iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it

Representative for International Affairs

The Representative for International Affairs will act as focal point of the Society/Academia for the International Affairs, will keep contacts with the IUSS and ease the mutual communication. This would improve the involvement of National and Regional Societies in the life of the IUSS, strengthening the relation between the Full Members and the IUSS, as foreseen in the IUSS Strategic Plan.

The Full Members who have not yet addressed a representative for International Affairs are kindly reminded to do so and give communication the IUSS Secretariat at iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it

 

Nominations for the IUSS Honorary Members

 

In line with the IUSS Byelaws, nominations must be submitted to the IUSS Secretariat: iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it by 25 February 2024 at the very latest. Later submissions will not be considered.

 

According to the IUSS Statutes Honorary Members will be elected by Council, and shall be living at the time of election. They must be scientists of great distinction in Soil Science and have made substantial contributions to ISSS/IUSS. The number of Honorary Members that can be elected every four years at the Inter-Congress meeting will be determined by the merit of the candidates but shall not exceed 10. Voting will take place at the Inter-Congress Meeting as defined in Bye-Laws 6.1h. The nominations for Honorary Membership shall be made with supporting documentation as defined in the Bye-Laws 5.1 h (for details please see below).

According to the IUSS By-laws, item 6.1 j) Honorary Members, as defined in Statute B5, will be nominated by any Full Member or Honorary Member and this material shall be sent to the Secretary at least 6 months before the Inter-Congress meeting of the Council. The material shall not be more than 2 pages long and should show the background of the individual and his or her service to the IUSS and the impact that this person has had internationally on soil science. The nominations should be distributed to the Council members at least three months before the Inter-Congress meeting. Elections shall take place by secret ballot among Council members present for the Inter-Congress meeting and the results announced in the Bulletin after the Inter-Congress meeting. The president will send a letter to the elected Honorary Members informing them of their selection. The new honorary members will be recognized with a certificate at the next World Congress of Soil Science. Council members will vote only for candidates they consider having the requirements of an Honorary Member of the Union. Successful candidates must receive more votes than a number equivalent to half of the number of eligible voting members attending the Council Meeting.

 

The Honorary Members will be elected during the Council meeting within the Inter-Congress meeting. According to the IUSS Statutes the Honorary members group can be represented by three honorary members who then are allowed to vote in Council decisions.

 

The next Council meeting will take place during the Inter-Congress meeting in Nanjing/China, October 20/24, 2024.

 

The Secretariat will be informed by the people that are going to participate into the Council meeting; participation is highly encouraged as the Council is the pinnacle of the IUSS activities.

Election of President of the IUSS

Nominations Process for the Position of President

Nominations are to be made by two Nominators who should be accomplished, highly respected senior soil scientists, ideally from two different countries.  The Nominators should also supply joint or individual supporting statements in their covering letter(s).

The Nominators together with the Nominee must provide the information in the attached file (President Election Full Info 2024), including an important ‘Statement of Intent’ plus a full CV.  All information submitted by the Nominee must also be provided to the Nominators to ensure that they can perform their task effectively.

 

Full Nomination documentation should be submitted electronically to Prof. Dr. Rainer Horn by 30th June 2024 (Email:  rhorn@soils.uni-kiel.de).

All information in attached file (President Election Full Info 2024).

A copy should also be sent to: Irene Fabbri, IUSS Secretary,

Email:  iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it

Vacancy

The position for the Vice-Chair of Commission 2.2, Soil Chemistry, is now vacant.

IUSS Full Members can submit their nomination to the IUSS Secretariat at the following e-mail address: iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it.

The nomination, according to the IUSS Bye-Laws, 6. Elections of officers for Divisions, Commissions, and Working Groups [See Statutes L1-L8.] will be collected by the Divisional Electoral Committee and the voting procedure for the final election of the new Vice-Chair will be advertised in due course.

The call will be open from February 1, 2024, to March 1, 2024. 

 

 

Display your  materials at the IUSS Centennial 2024

The Centennial is fast approaching. If you are a Full Member and you have something you want to be displayed during the Congress in the IUSS Booth, in Florence, and you like to know more about it, please get in touch with the Secretariat at iuss.secretariat@crea.gov.it

The call for grants will be open until February 15, and starting from February 1, it will be possible to submit your abstract only as a poster. Do not forget to book the excursion of your choice and register your participation to the Centennial Congress.

 

Centennial Celebration and Congress of the IUSS 100 years of soil science – past achievements and future challenges

Invitation from the organizers: Sara Marinari, Giuseppe Corti, Edoardo A.C. Costantini

“The custodian of soil science will celebrate its centennial contribute to the nature and human wellbeing in 2024.

The event will also empower the linkages with different disciplines, policy makers, stakeholders, institutions, and associations to effectively address civil society needs within agriculture, forestry, environment, urban planning, energy, education, and other societal issues.

The celebration will occur on May 19th and will be followed by two intense days of congress, with plenary and parallel scientific sessions. Both soil scientists and specialists from other disciplines will participate to each session, focusing on past achievements and future challenges.

The congress will be followed by technical/scientific excursions that will range from short local to long trips, spanning from Alps to Sicily.

A pre-congress visit to Villa Lubin in Rome, the historical place where the IUSS was founded, is scheduled on May 18th.

Sunday, 19 May 2024 to Tuesday, 21 May 2024

Florence, Italy

Website: https://centennialiuss2024.org/

Download: media/iuss_2024_brochure.pdf

 

In Memoriam

The GSP saddened by the passing of two eminent soil scientists from our community this year

The Global Soil Partnership bids farewell with affection and great appreciation to two eminent soil scientists who greatly contributed to the work of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils and the Global Soil Partnership and have left us this year: Prof. Jaume Porta Casanellas, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Lleida, and Dr. Juan Antonio Comerma Gutiérrez, member of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils during 2015-2017 and senior researcher at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agronómicas in Maracay (Venezuela) for more than 30 years.

Prof. Jaume Porta Casanellas

Prof. Jaume Porta Casanellas passed away on September 2023, at the age of 79. The scientist and engineer Jaume Porta Casanellas (Barcelona, 1944), was the first rector of the University of Lleida (1993-2003) and member of the Institute of Catalan Studies (1997-2023). Porta was a professor of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Agrària (Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering) at the University of Lleida, where he was an emeritus professor since 2014. Prof. Jaume Porta Casanellas was one of the Spanish’s great soil specialists. Jaume Porta co-founded and served as the secretary of the Editorial Board of the Spanish Journal of Soil Science and was President of the Spanish Soil Science Society (SECS) between 2009 and 2017.

After this period, he was appointed SECS Honorary Member in 2018 and SECS Honorary President in 2019. Prof. Porta made a great contribution to the advancement of soil science literacy by publishing more than 25 reference books and multiple scientific papers and being the mastermind and director of the Multilingual Dictionary of Soil Science, a fundamental tool for the harmonisation and dissemination of soil science concepts.

Dr. Juan Antonio Comerma Gutiérrez

Dr. Juan Antonio Comerma Gutiérrez passed away on November 2023, at the age of 85. Juan Comerma graduated in Agricultural Engineering in 1961 from the Central University of Venezuela. He was a researcher at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (CENIAP) from 1961 to 1995, where he served as National Soil Research Coordinator, Deputy Director and Director of CENIAP, and Member of the Board of Directors of FONAIAP.

His contributions to the development of soil science in Venezuela are innumerable.

As a recognition of his contributions to soil taxonomy, he was awarded with the Guy Smith Medal of the International Union of Soil Sciences in 2016. His scientific production has been collected in more than 80 publications of research articles and papers presented at scientific events.

News from the Past President

Publications:

Reyes-Sánchez L. B. 2024. An educational gaze from the International Union of Soil Sciences. Span. J. Soil Sci. 13:12208. https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.12208

 

Information:

In the framework of the GWB-2024: Catalyzing Diversity in Science the Young and Early Career Scientists Working Group organize the online event to be held in February 27 with the participation of five women scientists as principal speakers in the “Global Women Breakfast Emma Marie Antoine Taüber”. https://www.facebook.com/yecs.iuss

The GWB-2024: Catalyzing Diversity in Science is organized by the Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science. The event would be held on February 27, 2024, in París.

 

 

News from national and regional soil science societies

Soil Society of Pakistan and Arid Agriculture University (PMAS)

Committees of the 20th International Congress of Soil Science (ICSS-2024)

Soil Health: A Key to Food Security

February 20-22, 2024

“Soil Health: A Key to Food Security.” Soil health is a critical and often underrated component of global food security. In an era of growing global population and increasing food demand, the quality and vitality of our soils play a key role in ensuring a sustainable and nutritious food supply. The 20th ICSS-2024 is expected to bring together stakeholders including academia, research, industry, and farming community from Pakistan and abroad to share their provocative ideas with fellow soil and environmental scientists in relation with the theme of the congress.

Read more: https://www.uaar.edu.pk/media/departments/20th%20ICSS%202024-271023.pdf

16th International Conference of the East and Southeast Asia Federation of Soil Science Societies (ESAFS 2024)

March 26th – 29th, 2024

Thai Nguyen University, Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam.

ESAFS conference is a series of scientific meetings organized every two years to share updated experience and knowledge among soil scientists, particularly within East and Southeast Asia countries. It is also a platform to promote R&D and disseminate the acquired knowledge and technology related to soil sciences. This series of ESAFS’s conference are organized to fulfill part of the above aims, rotates within member countries thus allowing equal participations of local soil scientists and fair site information exchange. ESAFS 2024 is the first time for Vietnam as an organizer.

Read more: https://esafs2024.tnu.edu.vn/

Malaysian Society of Soil Science

 

INTERNATIONAL SOIL SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2024

May 14, 2024 – May 16, 2024

8:00 am – 5:00 pm

KUANTAN, PAHANG, MALAYSIA

 

“Cultivating Earth’s Future: Nurturing Soil Health for Sustainable Agriculture”

The Soil Science Conference is a conference that is conducted annually, where the MSSS is the main organizer, together with selected research institutions or universities as the co–organizers. It serves as a significant platform for researchers, scientists, academicians, practitioners, and industry experts from around the globe to convene and deliberate on the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities in the realm of soil science. This conference will foster interdisciplinary collaborations and knowledge exchange, aiming to unlock the hidden secrets of soil and harness its potential for sustainable development.

Argentinean Soil Science

The XXIX Argentinean Soil Science Congress will be held from 21 to 24 May, 2024, in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. The Argentinean Association of Soil Science (AACS) organises every two years in different locations throughout the country, the Congress of Soil Science, being in the year 2024 the twenty-ninth congress to be held in the city of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, from 21 to 24 May.

Read more: https://congreso2024.suelos.org.ar/

Canadian Society of Soil Science CSSS 2024 CONFERENCE

9 June 2024 to 13 June, 2024

Location University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Details Soil Functions for Future Generations

The theme of the 2024 annual conference of the Canadian Society of Soil Science is Soil Functions for Future GenerationsThis theme encourages soil scientists to think about how we can safeguard the vital resource of soil into the future and how we can ensure that the many functions of soil are continued on into perpetuity.

Read more: https://csss2024.landfood.ubc.ca/

Soil Science Society of America

SSSA 2024 SUMMER CONFERENCE COMMON GROUND: SOILS BEYOND BORDERS JUNE 10-12

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO Home | ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meetings

 

The Soil Science Society of America is hosting a summer conference that provides unlimited networking opportunities, innovative scientific abstracts, poster sessions, invited symposia, exhibitors, technical workshops, and professional tours.

Read more: https://www.acsmeetings.org/

(SSSA) Soil Science Society of America

2024 SUSTAINABLE AGRONOMY CONFERENCE (FULLY VIRTUAL)

July 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2024

The Sustainable Agronomy Conference will provide Certified Crop Advisers (CCAs), agricultural sales professionals, and growers with the opportunity to more fully understand and implement sustainable agronomy in the field. Learn the drivers, economics, agronomics, environmental benefits, and implementation techniques for sustainable crop production. Economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainable agronomy will be considered.

Read more: https://www.agronomy.org/meetings/sustainable-agronomy/

Brazilian Society of Soil Sciences

XXI Brazilian Meeting on Soil and Water Management and Conservation (RBMCSA) and VIII Minas Gerais Soil Science Symposium (SMCS)

28/07/2024 @ 08:30 – 03/08/2024 @ 17:00

A forum to discuss the main issues and potential alternatives and strategies on the management and conservation of soil and water in mountain farming areas (AMo), bringing together people involved in research, dissemination and teaching from associated governmental, nongovernmental and private institutions and from all regions of Brazil. This will be an opportunity for focused discussion in a productive context never before addressed, either in Brazil or elsewhere.

 

Soil Science Society of China-Inter-Congress 2024 – CSSS.ORG.CN. – Congress Theme: Soil Health for Future Generations

Date: October 20th– 24th, 2024

Location:  Nanjing, China

 

The 6th International Conference on Soil Pollution and Remediation Organized by Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSAS) Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) Jiangsu Environmental Protection Group Co., LTD Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSCAS). (Flyer attached)

https://iussic2024.aconf.org/

Read more: Soil Science Society of China-Inter-Congress 2024 (csss.org.cn)

IUSS Inter-Congress 2024 (aconf.org)

Read more: IUSS Inter-Congress 2024 (aconf.org)

NZSSS – THE NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE

2024 Moana Oceania Soil Judging Competition

28 November – 1 December 2024, Rotorua

 

This prestigious professional development event aims to develop skills and knowledge in practical soil description and classification for understanding and interpreting soil and land use capability. No experience required.

The competition aims to teach and develop knowledge and practical skills in soil description, classification, and land use interpretation. These skills are vital when it comes to understanding and protecting soils. It is a great opportunity for students, researchers, contractors, council scientists, and anyone interested in soils to learn, network, and experience new landscapes and soils.

 

Conferences, Meetings and Workshops

2024

 

International Lysimeter- & Ecotron-Workshop

Date: March 19th – 21st, 2024

Location: Hallbergmoos (Munich Airport Business Park), Germany

 

Registration: until September 30 you will receive a 10% discount!

 

Website: https://ugt-online.de/en/workshops/lysimeter-und-ecotron-workshop/

 

 

 

European Geosciences Union

General Assembly 2024 – Exhibition

Vienna, Austria, 14–19 April 2024

The exhibition is scheduled daily from Monday, 15 April to Friday, 19 April 2024, the exact hours as follows: Monday, 15 April – Thursday, 18 April: 10:00-18:00 CET Friday, 19 April: 10:00-13:00 CET

More information:  egu24@copernicus.org

European soil ERosion field measurements at Plot scale

 

EUSO is launching a collaborative network targeting soil erosion by water data from European field experiments (EU_ERPlot). The aim of this network is to reach out to Researchers from European institutions to come together and create an open-access database (EU_ERPlot) of soil erosion records collected at plot scale, through a series of diverse land use and land cover features across Europe. This is an action promoted by the EU Soil Observatory Technical Working Group on Soil erosion.

Deadline: first stage  31.3.2024                                                                                      Read more: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/themes/european-soil-erosion-field-measurements-plot

 

5th Virtual Micromorphology Meeting (ViMi5)

 

Date: April, 24th  and 25th , 2024. Virtual event

 

The ViMi5 workshop will have a mix of sessions: break-out rooms, live microscopy and methodological presentations. We are open to non-English sessions by/for students as well.

Read more: vimi. vimi.micromorph@gmail.com  by 29th February, 2024.

Zoom link for registration: https://univienna.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Uucu2pqj8rHdwB9tAWS7W-MXvqkHIw8k_n#/registration

 

4th ISMC Conference. Advances in Modelling Soil Systems

 

Date: May 7th – 10th, 2024

Location: Tianjin, China

The theme of the 4th ISMC Conference is “Advances in Modelling Soil System Science, Earth System Science, and Beyond.”

 

Sessions of ISMC 2024:

1: Modelling soil processes in land surface modelling

2: On representing memory effects, hysteresis and feedbacks in the Critical Zone

3: Toward characterising and modelling the temporal variability of effective soil properties

4: How to include root hydraulic architecture in soil models to simulate root water uptake

5: Saturation kinetics in soils: stochiometric limits, mineral-organic interactions, and microbial explicit models

6: Constraining soil hydrologic processes using in-situ and remote sensing observations

7: Data fusion for characterization of soil states and heterogeneity

8: Application of Machine Learning and Non-Linear Methods for Spatial Data Analysis

9: General Session of any model related research

Important Dates:

Submission Deadline for Abstracts: February 16th, 2024

Notification of Oral and Poster Presentation Assignments: February 29th, 2024

The Online Registration Deadline: April 30th, 2024

 

In response to the requests from some conference delegates, on-site registration and payment will be accepted.

Read more: ISMC (tju.edu.cn)

 

 

Plant Fascination Day 2024

Date: May 18th, 2024

The seventh international day “The Fascination of Plants” will be launched by plant scientists from all over the world under the aegis of the European Plant Science Organization (EPSO).

The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthusiastic about the importance of plant science for agriculture and the sustainable production of nutritious foods, as well as for horticulture, forestry and the production of plant products. non-food products such as paper, lumber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals.

Everyone is invited, from schools to producers, to join and contribute to this initiative. Numerous plant institutions, universities, schools, botanical gardens and museums, together with farmers and industries, have opened their doors during past editions of Plant Fascination Day.

Events can be organized throughout the month of May 2024.

 

Read more: Fascination of Plants Day 2024 – EPSO (epsoweb.org) and https://plantday18may.org/category/europe/italy/, where it will be possible to upload individual events

 

The 9th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter- SOM 2024

 

Date: May 26th – 31st, 2024

Location: Ben Guerin, Morocco

 

The first edition in Africa, UM6P Conference Centre in Ben Guerin. This symposium will highlight the latest discoveries on soil organic matter and reinforce its importance in global decarbonization. SOM 2024 features plenary and keynote contributed oral talks and posters by participants, awards for the top student contributions and exhibitions by publishers, technical service providers and soil organic matter advisors.

 

Read more: som2024.um6p.ma

 

5th International Conference of Young Scientists – Soil in the Environment (SITE)

 

Date:  June 16th – 19th, 2024

Location: Warsaw (campus of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences) and in European Centre for Geological Education in Korzecko.

Important dates:

March 1st, 2024: Deadline for registration

March 25th, 2024: Deadline for conference fee payment

April 1st, 2024: Deadline for the articles and abstracts submission

April 15th, 2024: 2nd Announcement and final conference programme

 

Download: site-warsaw2024 (arcgis.com)

 

XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024: Forests and Society Towards 2050

 

Date: June 23rd – 29th, 2024

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Deadline: the registration for Presenting Authors of accepted abstracts is 15 January 2024.  30 April 2024 program update.

Read More: Congress website: https://iufro2024.com/

 

 

Third International Symposium on Climate-Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems (ISCRAES 2024)

 

Date: June 25th – 28th, 2024

Location: ICD O’Brien Centre for Science Dublin, Ireland

Important deadlines:

Submitting abstracts:

Orals 31 January 2024

Posters and Flash Talks: 28 February 2024

 

Notification to authorsOral, Poster, and flash talk:  31 March 2024

Final revised abstracts submission: 15 April 2024

Early bird registration deadline: 31 January 2024

Standard registration deadline: 31 March 2024 (For inclusion in the proceedings and programme)

Late registration fee deadline: 01 April 2024

Deadline for submitting full papers to journal special issues: 30 November 2024

 

For register: Registration – INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CLIMATE-RESILIENT AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS (iscraes.org)

Read more: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CLIMATE-RESILIENT AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS (iscraes.org)

 

 

AISSA#under40 – “Agricultural Sciences in the Anthropocene: from productivity to the protection of material and cultural heritage”

 

Date:  June 26th-27th, 2024

Location: Florence, Italy

 

This event is also part of the program of initiatives to celebrate 110 years of agriculture in Florence.

The conference is aimed at enhancing the commitment of young researchers from all disciplines relating to science Agricultural, Environmental, Food, Forestry and Animals.

Read more: Aissa Under 40 | Aissaunder40; aissaunder40@dagri.unifi.it

 

 

50th CIEC International Fertilizer Conference – Unleashing Fertilizer Use in the Belt and Road Initiative

 

Date: September 4th-7th, 2024

Location: Weihai, Shandong (P.R. China)

 

The purpose of the 50th CIEC International Fertilizer Conference is food security which is of primary concern on a global scale, as are environmental aspects and issues related to soil protection. China’s new Belt and Road initiative will unleash the potential of vast regions of the globe for sustainable agriculture. CIEC’s ambition is to strengthen scientific exchange and cooperation to support this global challenge.

 

Read more: https://ciec.iae.ac.cn/ or contact the jieli@iae.ac.cn; with cc to: CIFC50@vodafonemail.de.

 

 

The next ISTRO international conference will be held in September 2024 in Virginia, USA: “Living Roots, Living Soils”

September 23rd to September 27th, 2024

International Soil Tillage Research Organisation (ISTRO) encourages the engagement of scientists working and conducting research on tillage, field circulation and its relationship to soil, the environment, land use and agricultural production. This conference is an opportunity to meet other researchers, share research and stimulate new collaborations and ideas for the advancement of soil science and agricultural production.

The theme of ISTRO 2024 is ‘Living Roots, Living Soils’ and focuses on regenerative agriculture, soil health, cover crops, residue systems and sustainable agricultural production as a whole. We want to focus on the impact of sustainable practices on soils.

 

ISMOM 2024 – 9th International Symposium of Interactions of Soil Minerals with Organic Components and Microorganisms

 

Date: October 10th – 14th, 2024

Location: Tsukuba, Japan

Read more: http://web.agr.ehime-u.ac.jp/~soil/ISMOM2024.html

 

 

 

Opportunities for the IUSS members

Archaeological Soil Micromorphology short intensive course at UCL (London) in February 2024.

Please see the link below for additional information and registration details.

More information: https://onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-social-historical-sciences-c03/institute-of-archaeology-f31/f31-archaeological-soil-micromorphology-training-course-2024

Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie 2024 – Call for Nominations

The prize is intended to reward original work in chemistry of benefit to mankind, society or nature. The GRAND PRIX will be awarded for the nineteenth time in 2024, to one or several persons, irrespective of nationality. The prize will carry a monetary award of 35,000 Euros.

All entries must imperatively be presented through a learned society or a national or international scientific organisation without any direct link with the nominee. Entry forms, together with a report detailing the arguments for the nomination, must be returned to the Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie by 30th April 2024.

These documents should be sent by e-mail to the following address: presidence@maisondelachimie.com

Read more: https://actions.maisondelachimie.com/les-prix-de-la-fondation/grand-prix-de-la-fondation/

International Science Council (ISC) 

The United Nations Environment Programme’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is seeking your views related to the work programme of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in addressing the scientific and technical needs to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Please share this call with your members and wider networks and kindly ask interested experts to contact olivia.tighe@council.science. The deadline for contributions is 23 February. More information: https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2024/ntf-2024-006-ipbes-en.pdf

  • Call for inputs for this year’s 10 New Insights in Climate Science for all researchers working on climate change-related topics to share what are key recent developments in climate change research that should be raised to the attention of policymakers and negotiators at the UNFCCC (deadline: 2 February)
  • Apply for funding through the Early-stage Grants Advancing Sustainability Science Program (transdisciplinary research – climate change, disaster risk, risk response) (deadline: 15 February)
  • Call for nominations for the Royal Society’s Copley Medal, Bakerian Medal (physical sciences), Croonian Medal (biological sciences) and other medals and awards (deadline: 23 February)

The ISC (International Science Council) is looking forward to an exciting year, with numerous opportunities for Members to contribute to critical global science-policy work in the multilateral space, including United Nations (UN) processes.

As the ISC’s work and impact in the multilateral system continues to grow, we will constitute an ISC roster of experts over the coming weeks on issues that are prominent on the UN agenda to be able to provide timely inputs that draw on a wide range of expertise across regions. Your organization’s participation is critical to help the ISC deliver on the global stage as we convene international expertise on priority topics of the 2024 multilateral agenda including through the Group of Friends on Science for Action, the President of the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretariat and the UN Science and Technology Major Group.

The ISC secretariat has identified 20 priority topics on which the ISC will be called upon to provide authoritative inputs in 2024 (including foresight, science diplomacy, global digital cooperation, peace and security and more), which will be critical for the success of events such as the Summit of the Future, the High-Level Political Forum, and the International Conference on Small Island Developing States. Please see the full list of topics at: https://council.science/current/news/expressions-of-interest-global-science-policy-work/.

Given the numerous topics that the ISC is engaging with, we are seeking to streamline the process of involvement of experts to demonstrate the ISC’s convening power, and the breadth and depth of expertise of the ISC membership to support global policy and action.

We, therefore, kindly ask you to share this call for expressions of interest with your organization’s membership/fellows/research networks/affiliated scientists etc. and to encourage those who are able and willing to contribute their expertise to science-policy activities on one or more of the 20 topics to add their names to the roster of experts by completing the online form at https://council.science/current/news/expressions-of-interest-global-science-policy-work/ by 29 February.

The ISC secretariat will draw on the roster of experts throughout 2024 and beyond to provide ad-hoc science advice and prepare high-level briefs for the UN secretariat and UN Member States, develop statements on behalf of the international scientific community, and provide recommendations of speakers for high-level debates as well as virtual and in-person panels for policy-making audiences.

More information on recent developments in the ISC’s global science-policy work in the multilateral space and UN processes, the ISC’s related 2024 priorities and forthcoming opportunities for Member involvement in policy activities will be provided at our upcoming Zoom sessions on 25 January and 1 February. Please register for your preferred Zoom session via https://council.science/events/isc-engagement-un-progress-priorities2024/.

As part of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, the European Commission launched the Mission Soil Manifesto, which calls for action to respond to the urgent need to protect and improve soil health in Europe and beyond. Sign the Manifesto as a representative of a legal entity or as an individual and stand up for soil health!

You will join a community that cares about soils, have the chance to network with others and be informed about the latest research results and activities of the Mission Soil.

https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/about/mission-soil

 

New publications

Assessing the phosphorus cycle in European agricultural soils: Looking beyond current national phosphorus budgets

By: Muntwyler, A., Panagos, P., Pfister, S., & Lugato, E., 2024.  Science of The Total Environment, 906: 167143.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167143

Process-based biogeochemical models are valuable instruments to monitor the P cycle and predict the effect of agricultural management.

Read more: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/phosphorus-cycle-european-agricultural-soils

Towards multi-model soil erosion modelling: An evaluation of the erosion potential method (EPM) for global soil erosion assessments

By: Bezak, N., Borrelli, P., Matjaž M., Auflič M., Panagos, P., 2024. CATENA 234, 107596.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107596

The applicability of the Erosion Potential Model (EPM) and its modified version (mEPM) for estimating gross and net erosion rates on a global scale is evaluated. Description of the application of EPM model at global scale is described in the manuscript.

Read more: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/erosion-potential-method-epm

Cadmium in topsoils of the European Union–An analysis based on LUCAS topsoil database.

By: Ballabio, C., Jones, A. and Panagos, P., 2024. Science of The Total Environment, 912: 168710.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168710

Read more: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/cadmium-topsoils-european-union; Cadmium in topsoils – ESDAC – European Commission (europa.eu)

FAO Statistical Yearbook – World Food and Agriculture

By: FAO. 2023. Rome, Italy. 384 p. ISBN: 978-92-5-138262-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc8166en

This publication offers a synthesis of the major factors at play in the global food and agricultural landscape.

Download: World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023 (fao.org)

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