International Association of Limnogeologists - International Paleolimnology Association joint meeting: Lagos, Memorias del Territorio
1, E. Piovano2, S. Stutz3 and M. Tonello3The event was organized in collaboration with the International Association of Limnogeologists (IAL) and the International Paleolimnology Association (IPA). The conference was attended by almost 300 people from 31 countries, including seven in South America.
The goal of the IAL–IPA 2022 conference (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/27009) was to gather research on lake systems from multiple perspectives, with a focus on both the sediment record from the Earth system archive and the social and cultural memory of the territory. The conference aimed to bridge the gap between a broad range of disciplines that work within the overarching theme of Earth system and climate–environment–cultural changes.
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Figure 1: IAL-IPA 2022 conference logo. |
The conference was made up of oral and poster presentations about diverse scientific themes and aspects. The general and focus sessions addressed topics such as human traces in the aquatic sedimentary record, the sensitivity of high-altitude aquatic ecosystems, lake biodiversity changes through time and space, and paleoenvironment and paleoclimate records from long-lived lakes. Novel approaches such as molecular application and perspectives on environmental systems, and integration of process models into paleolimnological methods, were topics particularly well received by the audience, especially by young scientists starting out in their careers in paleoscience. Additionally, the program included special sessions about the value of outreach, education, equality, diversity, and inclusion in the field of lake studies, and on the challenge of communicating science to the public.
Every day, invited keynote speakers from the Earth, Biological and Social Sciences presented a wide variety of topics in plenary sessions. Plenary talks were gender balanced, including two female researchers from Chile (Ana Abarzúa, Universidad Austral de Chile) and Argentina (Beatriz Modenutti, Universidad Nacional del Comahue). Esteban Castro, an Argentinean specialist in the field of social sciences, also attended the meeting and spoke about the serious problem caused by human failures behind the devastating water-related risks, threats and disasters suffered worldwide in recent years, and the expected worsening of this situation in many areas of the world.
Pre-conference virtual short courses were organized for students and early-career researchers (ECRs): "The Neotoma Paleoecology Database: How to Access, Use and Contribute Data" (Joy Hobbs, Don Charles and team), "An Introduction to GIS" (Julio Lancelotti) and "Multivariate Statistics for Paleoenvironmental Sciences" (Alex Correa-Metrio). Mid-conference social activities, including a workshop on landscape illustration, walking tours, and a local beer experience fostered a friendly atmosphere for participants. Two different one-day excursions took place on 2 December. During the meeting, Professor Daniel Ariztegui from the University of Geneva was awarded with the IAL W.H. Bradley Medal, which is given to a limnogeologist who is outstanding in their field. The IPA Rick Battarbee Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to Mark Brenner, Steve Juggins, Anson Mackay, Nora Maidana, and John Smol.
The congress was closed by a general IAL-IPA assembly, followed by a gala dinner. The next IAL-IPA Conference, as announced in the general assembly, will be held in 2025 in Savoy, France.
Finally, we would like to thank PAGES for encouraging the participation of ECRs by providing financial support to almost 50 young scientists from different parts of the world.
affiliations
1CENAC-CONICET, Bariloche, Argentina2CICTERRA-CONICET, Cordoba, Argentina
3Universidad de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
contact
J. Massaferro: jmassaferro@comahue-conicet.gob.ar