EGS XXVI General Assembly, Nice, France, March 2001

ERE3. Anthropogenic impact upon the hydrosphere, atmosphere and occurrence of natural disasters (co-sponsored by HS, OA, ST, NH)

Event Information

Water is the fundamental component of life. Life is more quickly extinguished in the absence of water than anything else. In many parts of the world water has been so abundant that its use, and misuse, have gone unmonitored and unnoticed. In others it's scarcity has made it a religious issue, for example in Christianity. Increasing human populations and industrialisation of human society have begun to make noticeable demands on the water availability of the planet. It has become necessary to know much more about available water resources, the potential for their use and replenishment, and ways in which this resource might be protected from necessary human activities. Impacts on water resources have come in both direct and indirect fashions. Discharging pollution into rivers and oceans has been an acceptable waste policy. These pollution sources are easy to target and eliminate. More indirect pollution occurs through diffuse inputs such as sulphur and nitrous oxide discharges leading to acidification and land applied chemicals washing into rivers and streams. More indirect again is the pollution caused to aquifers breached due to the activities of mining. Such pollution can upset natural systems leading to changes in the chemical balances achieved over centuries. The natural recycling systems of The Earth are under more strain than ever before. In the present day there are vast quantities of pollution, and chemicals previously unknown to nature within that burden. If it is not understood how pollutants travel within the biosphere, it is impossible to predict the risks and hazards associated with such materials. If it is unknown how natural processes affect chemicals once they have entered the biosphere, there can be no effective attempts made at remediation. Remediation can often be more effective and sustainable when married with natural activity that already occurs within the biosphere rather than working against it. By better understanding the way in which the biosphere remediates itself there should be more insightful methods of aiding such activity. Papers are invited which address the broad scope of how best to observe the effects human impacts on water resources and methods by which such impacts may be addressed. Papers on the following topics are particularly welcome: (i) Novel methods of monitoring and defining environmental pollution, including the application of biological tools. (ii) Methods of minimising the effect or containing harmful materials when released in the environment. (iii) The effect of pollutants upon natural and managed ecosystems. (iv) The threat to humans imposed by the burden of contaminants. (v) Techniques for monitoring and improving water quality both of potable and heritage resources. (vi) Measurement and monitoring of pollutant plumes in the environment. (vii) Novel applications of remediation strategies, including phytoremediation and bioremediation. (viii) Testing the efficacy of predictive models of pollutant behaviour and speciation. (ix) Defining and implementing values for critical loads in a spatial and temporal context. (x) Resolving issues associated with soil sustainability and degradation. (xi) The bioavailability of geochemically derived contaminants, and the transfer between the geosphere and ecosystems. (xii) Global distillation hypothesis and linkage to the geosphere. (xiii) The role of legislation in environmental sustainability.

Preliminary List of Solicited Speakers

Co-Sponsorship