ANNUALREPORT 201 INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GEODESY AND GEOPHYSICS UNION GEODESIQUE ET GEOPHYSIQUE INTERNATIONALE IUGG Annual Report 2013 Published by Secretary General Alik Ismail-Zadeh No ISSN: 1038-3846 IUGG Annual Report 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 4 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT.................................................................................................. 9 MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL ......................................................................... 10 IUGG ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................... 11 ACTIVITIES OF THE UNION ASSOCIATIONS ............................................................................. 43 International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) ................................................................. 44 International Association of Geodesy (IAG) ........................................................................................ 48 International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) .................................................. 52 International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) ............................................................... 57 International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS) ................................ 60 International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO)....................................... 64 International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior (IASPEI) ...................... 68 International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) .............. 71 ACTIVITIES OF THE UNION COMMISSIONS.............................................................................. 75 Commission on Climate and Environmental Change (CCEC) ............................................................ 75 Commission on Mathematical Geophysics (CMG) ............................................................................. 81 Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability (GRC) .............................................................. 83 Commission on the Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior (SEDI) ........................................................... 85 Commission for Data and Information (UCDI) ................................................................................... 87 Working Group on History (WGH) ..................................................................................................... 91 ACTIVITIES OF THE INTER-ASSOCIATIONS WORKING GROUPS ...................................... 93 Commission on Physics and Chemistry of Earth Materials ................................................................. 93 Commission on Volcano Seismology .................................................................................................. 94 International Heat Flow Commission (IHFC)...................................................................................... 96 Joint Committee on the Properties of Seawater (JCS) ......................................................................... 97 Tsunami Commission........................................................................................................................... 98 Working Group 133: OceanScope ....................................................................................................... 99 Working Group 136: On the Climatic Importance of the Greater Agulhas Current System ............. 100 Working Group on Electromagnetic Studies on Earthquakes and Volcanoes (EMSEV) .................. 102 VLF/ELF Remote Sensing of the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere (VERSIM) ................................. 105 ACTIVITIES OF THE UNION STANDING COMMITTEES ....................................................... 106 Committee on Capacity Building and Education ............................................................................... 106 Honors and Recognition Committee .................................................................................................. 108 Visioning Committee ......................................................................................................................... 109 THE INTER-UNIONS COMMISSION: International Lithosphere Program (ILP) .................... 111 IUGG FINANCIAL REPORT ............................................................................................................ 118 ADDITIONAL UNION MATTERS ................................................................................................... 125 Awards and Honors ............................................................................................................................ 125 Obituaries ........................................................................................................................................... 12 LIST OF ACRONYMS........................................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION Established in 1919, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) is the international, non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing, promoting, and communicating knowledge of the Earth system, its space environment, and the dynamical processes causing change. Through its constituent associations, commissions, and services, IUGG convenes international assemblies and workshops, undertakes research, assembles observations, gains insights, coordinates activities, liaises with other scientific bodies, plays an advocacy role, contributes to education, and works to expand capabilities and participation worldwide. Data, information, and knowledge gained are made openly available for the benefit of society – to provide the information necessary for the discovery and responsible use of natural resources, sustainable management of the environment, reducing the impact of natural hazards, and to satisfy our need to understand the Earth’s natural environment and the consequences of human activities. IUGG Associations and Union Commissions encourage scientific investigation of Earth science and especially interdisciplinary aspects. Each Association establishes working groups and commissions that can be accessed by using the links on our website. IUGG is one of 31 scientific unions adhering to the International Council for Science (ICSU). ICSU provides a global forum for scientists to exchange ideas and information and to develop standard methods and procedures for all fields of research. IUGG brings expertise on Earth studies from researchers in its International and Inter-Association Commissions. As a member of ICSU, IUGG strongly supports its policy of non-discrimination by affirming the rights and freedom of scientists throughout the world to engage in international scientific activity without limitation by such factors as citizenship, religion, creed, political stance, ethnic origin, race, color, language, age or gender. IUGG has initiated and/or vigorously supported collaborative efforts that have led to highly productive world-wide interdisciplinary research programs, such as the International Geophysical Year (1957-58), the Upper Mantle Project (1964-70), the International Hydrological Decade (1965-74), the Geodynamics Project (1972-79), the Global Atmospheric Research Programme (1967-80), the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (1991-1999), the International Heliophysical Year (2007-2009), the Electronic Geophysical Year (2007-2008), the International Year of Planet Earth (2007-2009), the International Polar Year (2007-2008), the International Lithosphere Programme, the World Climate Research Programme, and Integrated Research on Risk Disasters. These programs have set a model for international, interdisciplinary cooperation. Representing all geophysical disciplines, IUGG is involved in the projects and programs related to climate change, global warming, and related environmental impacts. IUGG supported and supports initiatives by ICSU, especially those in which Earth sciences have a role to play. IUGG cooperates with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the study of hydrological (through IAHS) and oceanographic (through IAPSO) research; with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to promote studies in atmospheric sciences and meteorology (through IAMAS) as well as in hydrology (through IAHS). Together with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and WMO, IUGG promotes the studies, the monitoring and the modelling of volcanic ashes (through IAMAS and IAVCEI). IUGG also cooperates with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in the studies related to seismology (through IASPEI), hydroacoustics, atmospheric transport modelling, and meteorology. In addition, IUGG places particular emphasis on the scientific problems of economically less-developed countries by sponsoring activities relevant to their scientific needs, e.g. Geosciences in Africa, eGY in Africa, Water Resources, Health and Well-Being etc. The website, available in English and French, can be found at http://www.IUGG.org. 4 GENERAL INFORMATION MEMBERSHIP By their very nature, geodetic and geophysical studies require a high degree of international co- operation. IUGG is critically dependent on the