2009 IAPSO Activities
Administration
The Secretary General met with the SsG of the associations and the SG of IUGG in Munich 20 May for a first planning of the IUGG General Assembly 2011.
During the MOCA-09 Joint Assembly in Montreal, 19-29 July, IAPSO held one General Business Meeting (GBM) and two Executive Committee meetings. (Minutes of the GBM are posted on the IAPSO website). On the agendas were, for example, the visibility of IAPSO, how to establish the inclusion biogeochemistry in IAPSO, the relationship to the International Association for Biological Oceanography (IABO), and the connection with other (national) marine associations. The offer from Sweden to host and organize the 2013 Assembly in Gothenburg 22 – 26 July was discussed and has been approved by the IAPSO EC and the National Delegates in attendance at the GBM.
IAPSO Services, Commissions, and Working Groups report every second year. In particular, oral reports from the chairs of the three SCOR/IAPSO Working Groups 127 (Thermodynamics and equation of state of seawater), 129 (DOES) and 133 (OceanScope) were presented at the General Business Meeting during MOCA-09.
An updated pamphlet describing IAPSO has been prepared and was distributed widely at MOCA-09. General information about IAPSO can be found on website http://iapso.sweweb.net/_db.
The President and the Secretary General participated in the IUGG EC meeting in Melbourne in October. After the IUGG meeting Lawrence Mysak gave the Priestley Lecture at Aspendale CSIRO on October 13. The President and the SG then went to Beijing to participate in the SCOR meeting the same month. A new SCOR/WCRP/IAPSO WG Climatic importance of the Greater Agulhas System was set up in Beijing.
Activities
The main activity during 2009 was the MOCA-09 Joint Assembly in Montreal, July 2009 together with IAMAS and IACS. Some 1350 scientists from over 50 countries could choose among 53 symposia (sessions), consisting of 21 joint, 10 sponsored by IAPSO, 18 by IAMAS, and 5 by IACS. The theme of the conference was “Our Warming Planet”, but of course all high-quality presentations within the three associations’ subject fields were welcome. The total number of presentations came close to 2000. The new SCOR/IAPSO WG 133 OceanScope held the first meeting during three days before MOCA-09. Also the SCOR/IAPSO WG 129 Deep Ocean Exchanges with the Shelf (DOES) met during MOCA-09. In addition, DOES sponsored one symposium at MOCA-09. IAPSO provided some financial support both for the new working group OceanScope (via SCOR) and for the attendance of members of the DOES WG (provided directly from IUGG/IAPSO to two WG members).
During the Assembly IAPSO awards were presented and decided upon. Professor Harry L. Bryden FRS, University of Southampton, UK, was awarded the 2009 Prince Albert I Medal of IAPSO, "...in recognition of his fundamental contributions to understanding the ocean's role in the global climate system." The ceremony was followed by the Prince Albert I Medal Memorial Lecture by the awardee, entitled “Monitoring the Variability in he Circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean”. Dr. Bamol A. Sow of Senegal was selected to receive the 2009 Eugene LaFond Medal, which is awarded to an early career ocean scientist from a developing world country who presents an excellent paper on oceanography at an IAPSO or jointly sponsored IAPSO symposium. The title of his oral presentation at MOCA-09 was "Simulation of the Senegalese and Mauritanian Upwelling: How are the Winds actually Driving SST Variability and Water Mass Renewal?” He made his presentation at the DOES symposium mentioned above. Dr Sow was also invited to attend one of the WG meetings as a representative from developing countries.
Planned future activities/announcements
2010 is a year in between assemblies. The main activity is thus related to the planning of the symposia to be held during the IUGG2011 General Assembly in Melbourne. Also the planning of the Assembly in Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013, which will be arranged jointly with IAHS and IASPEI will take time during 2010.
The new SCOR/WCRP/IAPSO WG Climatic importance of the Greater Agulhas System will have the first meeting on 20-21 February 2010, in Portland, Oregon, USA, and the SCOR/IAPSO WG OceanScope will have a meeting on 12-14 April in London, UK.
Winner of the Prince Albert I Medal 2011 will be elected after a call for nomination in June 2010.