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Archives: Grant Grants Reports 2002-2006
PACKMEDS – Dynamics of semi-enclosed marine systems Lead Applicant: Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment and International
Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) A large part of the human populations living in coastal zones that border on semi-enclosed seas depend in part on resources from these adjacent seas. At the same time, semi-enclosed marine systems are heavily impacted by a whole range of human activities. There have been significant scientific advances in understanding how humans modify the complex dynamics and biogeochemical cycling at work in semi-enclosed marine systems. It is now timely to synthesise and review this knowledge in an integrated manner, identify the major gaps in our understanding, and highlight the most urgent priorities for further research and for more sound management of adjacent coastal zones. The PACKMEDS project focuses on the dynamics of semi-enclosed marine ecosystems, especially the integrated effects of changes in sediment and nutrient inputs from land, in the context of ocean physics and biogeochemistry. The project was launched in March 2006 and should be completed in early 2008 with the publication of a scientific book targeted to the environmental science community and a UNESCO-SCOPE policy brief. 40 international experts from a wide range of disciplines will participate in a week-long workshop in Delemnhorst, Germany in April 2007 . Background papers have been prepared that synthesise and review current understanding in key areas: Physical processes; Land-Water Linkages; and Marine Ecosystem Responses. Four cross-cutting themes: Climate change/Variability; Threshold responses to perturbations; Managing semi-enclosed marine systems to protect and enhance ecosystem services; and Integrating tools, have been selected in order to address the need of research planners, policy makers and practitioners.
Earth System Vulnerabilities: the permafrost-carbon-climate system Lead Applicant: International
Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Over the next 100 years it is expected that there will be increased carbon emissions from thawing permafrost. Potentially, this could have a positive feedback effect that would accelerate global warming. It is important to analyse the extent to which this positive feedback is likely to occur and identify the key processes and thresholds to inform effective mitigation strategies. A meeting bringing together ~20 international experts was held in Santa Barbara, USA, in December. This was the first international meeting convened specifically to collect, synthesise and assess the possible impacts of carbon in permafrost on climate change. One of the main products will be a new and comprehensive database on the stock and distribution of carbon in permafrost, which will provide for an estimate of the total global stock. The publication of the database and estimates of possible impact should enable carbon-climate models to better represent carbon-permafrost feedbacks. The workshop itself has also catalysed the development of new international and regional groups to continue work in this previously neglected area. The key workshop findings are being prepared for publication in the peer-review journals and are also being fed into projects that are being carried out as part of the International Polar Year. This new knowledge will also be used to inform and refine various analyses that underpin the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in relation to carbon-climate feedbacks.
Science for Health and Wellbeing Lead Applicant: International
Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) Many ICSU Member organisations are active in various aspect of research on human health and wellbeing. This grant was awarded to enable these organisations to come together and identify their common interests and potential areas where they might successfully combine their efforts. An eight-member Executive Committee and 21-member Steering Committee were established to provide a planning/activity framework for the initiative. The Executive Committee met in August, together with representatives from a separate ICSU Scoping Group to exchange ideas on a potential common activity. It was agreed that an integrative focus on urbanization and health and wellbeing should be adopted by the initiative. This would incorporate diverse expertise on such areas as water supply and safety, nutrition, stresses related to urbanisation etc. The eventual aim is to develop a synthetic, cross-disciplinary, innovative approach to problem-solving derived from basic science perspective to application and potential policy. A symposium is being planned for the end of 2007 at which various Institutions and scientific experts will be brought together to consider the development of a new programme – “A Systems Analysis Approach to Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment”
Sustainable Development: Local Partnerships with Teachers and Young Scientists Lead Applicant:
International
Geographical Union (IGU) This programme was designed to engage teachers and young scientists in developing countries in the production of novel science teaching modules that address three major contemporary sustainable development issues: biodiversity, forestry, and water resources. The pedagogical thrust of the programme is teaching through building communities of learners with the capacity to support each other in meaningful and sustainable ways. An intial 2-week residential training workshop was held in Rome for nine selected graduates from developing and tranisiton countries. Each particpant then returned to his or her own country with a training package and worked collaboratively with local educational and governmental officials to train a local group of teachers. The trainers and teachers then further developed and implemented local area projects. In total, 27 local area projects were designed and tested. The major outcome of the programme was the establishment of an ongoing,
self-sustaining mechanism for creating and sharing comparable examples
of local-scale sustainable development projects for use in classrooms
and in action programs in many parts of the world, especially in developing
areas. Descriptions and lessons from the 27 projects will be published
and widely disseminated and the IGU is committed to enhancing and expanding
the programme.
Augmenting Groundwater Resources by Artificial Recharge in S. E. Asia Lead Applicant: International
Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) Artificial recharge is one of several techniques being promoted as a solution to water scarcity in many developing countries. The aim of this project was to introduce this technique to South East Asia and to pilot it in a sample region in Vietnam. An international workshop, attended by more than 40 participants from 9 countries, was held in Vietnam in December 2004, to permit a critical assessment of artificial recharge techniques and initiatives from around the world. This led to the establishment of a collaborative international network, involving many local scientists, which worked together on the pilot project. Bin Thuan is a located on the coastal plain of central Eastern Vietnam,
which is characterized by sand dunes and suffers considerable water shortage
during the dry season. An experimental barrage was constructed in this
area and key parameters of water dynamics and quality were closely monitored
over a period of several months.
Annotating Sites for Drug Action in the Human Genome Lead Applicant: International
Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) As the result of the Human Genome Project, we now know that human DNA
codes for In a unique international collaborative effort, over 300 leading scientists from academia and industry came together in more than 50 subcommittees to discuss and approve receptor nomenclature and the methodologies involved. The peer-reviewed and validated data and information was then entered into a customized database and made publicly available The principal outcomes of this effort, to date, include the publication of a comprehensive list of the G-Protein Coupled Receptors encoded by the human genome. A database, which includes pharmacological, chemical, genetic, functional and anatomical information on these receptors, has been created (http://www.iuphar-db.org). Updated reviews of the nomenclature and functions of all the ligand-gated ion channels encoded by the genome have been published and similar material on nuclear hormone receptors has been prepared for database posting and publication in 2006. These are already proving to be invaluable tools for scientific education and teaching purposes, with the database recording over 30,000 accesses per month from all over the world.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Carbon Storage Lead Applicant: An
International Programme on Biodiversity Science : DIVERSITAS The aims of this project were: i) to review the field of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and identify the next generation of research challenges and, ii) to explore the links between biodiversity and carbon storage. These topics were addressed in two international workshops in Malaysia in September, the major conclusions of which were as follows:
These conclusions will form the basis for publications and science plans that will help establish new strategic directions in biodiversity and ecosystems research and new collaborative projects in earth systems science.
Scenarios to aid regional food security policy formulation Lead Applicant: WMO-ICSU-IOC
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) The overall research aim of this initiative was to develop the conceptual frameworks and methods necessary to formulate a set of scenarios for researching the interactions between regional food systems and Global Environmental Change (GEC). These scenarios were specifically designed to assist analyses of possible policy and biophysical interventions for adaptation to GEC and to explore the medium- and long-term prospects for food security. An international planning workshop was held in Rome in April, followed by 2 research workshops in Jamaica and Trinidad. These were organized in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Oganization (FAO) and Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, as well as local policy and research institutions from the Caribbean. A new operational framework for using scenarios to aid regional food security policy formulation was developed based on theoretical advances in (i) the notion of food systems and their vulnerability to GEC and (ii) downscaling global scenarios to regional level. An innovative method based on these novel theories was developed and its feasibility and practicality demonstrated through the construction of prototype scenarios. The outcomes are being published in several working papers, a major proposal for further research in the Caribbean has been submitted for funding and similar prototype exercises are envisaged in Africa and Asia.
E-science and the Information Society: the road to Tunis Lead Applicant: COmmittee
on DATA for Science and Technology (CODATA) Support from ICSU and UNESCO enabled a number of the Council’s Interdisciplinary Bodies, Members and Associates to work together in preparation for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Tunis, November 2005). The Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) took the lead in compiling an on-line inventory of more than 500 scientific activities that directly related to the implementation of the Agenda of Action that came out of WSIS phase I (Geneva, 2003, see www.codata.org.wsis). The Committee also convened an international workshop, “Creating the Information Commons for e-Science: Toward Institutional Policies and Guidelines for Action” that was hosted by UNESCO in Paris. This brought together both scientific experts and policy makers for 2 days of intensive discussions and was formally recognized as a WSIS preparatory event. A follow up to the Paris workshop was held at the Summit in Tunis, where an initiative to create a Global Information Commons for Science was formally launched. ICSU is continuing to work with CODATA and other partners to develop this initiative as a key part of its strategic commitment to help provide universal and equitable access to scientific data and information for research and education.
Foundation of an African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Lead Applicant: International
Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is a unique initiative, involving strong North-South collaboration, African and European Universities, and scientists from across the world with the goal of sharing knowledge and experience to help build scientific capacity in Africa. Based in Muizenberg, South Africa, the Institute offers a one-year course for mathematics and science graduates of African Universities, giving them cutting edge mathematical and computing research skills. Seed-funding from ICSU/UNESCO has been critical in getting AIMS started.
A 10-day residential course (the first stage of a three-month professional development course) was held at in July 2004 for 40 mathematics schoolteachers from all parts of South Africa on the subject “Mathematical Thinking, Problem Solving and Technology in Teaching and Learning Mathematics”.
International Nitrogen Initiative (INI)-Phase 1 Lead Applicant: Scientific
Committee On Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) To continue to meet the global demands for food, energy and fibre and minimize environmental problems, significant improvements are required in the efficiency with which N fertilizer is utilized within production systems. INI’s goal is to optimize the beneficial use of nitrogen and minimize its negative effects on human wellbeing and the environment. The Initiative is organized on the basis of regional centres and networks for nitrogen science, with a central coordinating Unit based in the USA. Seed funding from ICSU/UNESCO has been instrumental in the establishment of the Latin America, Africa and Asia centres. Phase I of INI will be organized around crosscutting themes, initially focusing on natural processes (biological nitrogen fixation, denitrification), agriculture, fertilizers, animal production, human waste and energy production/use. Studies are being performed at both regional and global levels. At the regional level, each centre will initially conduct a Phase I assessment. These assessments should inform the development of scientific, technological and policy tools that can be applied in specific regions. At the global level, INI will assess the current status of knowledge on nitrogen cycling and identify research gaps.
Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society Lead Applicant: International
Astronomical Union (IAU) The goal of the project is to identify the current state of knowledge and the major unresolved questions concerning the effect of asteroid or comet impacts on human society. It addresses questions of the probability and scale of impacts, potential consequences and how the negative effects could be reduced. It also identifies gaps in current knowledge and areas for future research. In order to address these complex issues, a workshop was organized in Tenerife in November, with 38 scientists from 15 countries participating. This event was unique in bringing together experts from many diverse disciplines, which prompted lively discussion and helped establish many new contacts across subject borders. The topic is of considerable interest to policy makers and the project has been presented to relevant UN Committees and is being followed closely by the OECD. The immediate product of the workshop will be a policy document to help both the public and politicians understand the issues addressed.
Review of Scientific Knowledge of the Global Iron Cycle Lead Applicant: International
Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) This project brings together terrestrial, atmospheric and aquatic scientists in a multidisciplinary analysis of the global dust / iron cycle, in which iron-containing soil dust is transported from land through the atmosphere to the oceans, affecting ocean biogeochemistry and hence feeding back on climate and dust production. A workshop was held in April 2004 in the UK that brought together 19 scientists from 12 countries, with relevant expertise in various aspects of the global dust/iron cycle. This provided the foundation for an in-depth review and synthesis of the current knowledge of the Global Iron Cycle, which will be published in a series of papers in peer-reviewed journals. The first of these appeared early in 2005 (Jickells et al (2005) Science, 308, 67-71). A major follow-up meeting is planned for Sept. 2005 to plan a coordinated set of in situ experiments. The project is a collaboration with many other international programs and will contribute to the new IGBP-led initiative - Analysis, Integration and Modelling of the Earth System (AIMES).
Biodiversity, Health and the Environment Lead Applicant: Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) Funding from ICSU/UNESCO facilitated the organization of an intensive 1-week Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) workshop hosted by UNESCO in Paris. This brought together 35 international experts from natural, clinical and social sciences. A major objective is to identify research priorities that will be incorporated into a new initiative on environment and health that is being planned by DIVERSITAS and other global environmental change programs under the auspices of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP). In addition, a full synthesis of the current status of scientific knowledge on the interactions between biodiversity, human health and the environment will be produced. This will be accompanied by a policy brief, and other publications, addressed to a wider audience.
Preservation of Data from WWSSN Film Chips Lead Applicant: Scientific Committee
of the Lithosphere and International Lithosphere Program (SCL/ILP) The objective of this project is to save part of the five million 20 year-old film chips which are deteriorating at the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory. These chips contain unique and valuable earthquake recordings made before the advent of digital seismology. With ICSU/UNESCO support, an initial scanning project was completed in 2004, with over ten thousand film chips scanned into digital format for 116 selected earthquakes from 38 of the 120 World Wide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) stations. The scanned images are being made readily available via the Data Management Center of Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). 26 earthquake archives are online, and about 100 more archives are waiting in construction. It is hoped that users of the image files will convert them to digital data files. IRIS DMC is now working hard to make the necessary digitizing software freely available.
Lead Applicant: International
Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Changes in the natural environment are not a new phenomenon. Rapid environmental changes have taken place and have profoundly damaged past societies. For example, the Halocene period in Africa was marked by desertification in the Sahara and large flooding events in Mozambique. Similar environmental changes are happening at the moment too and understanding past events should improve our preparedness for the future. Six meetings (in Mauritania, Mozambique, Argentina, Iran, Canada and Italy) have been organized to allow scientists from a wide range of disciplines – natural and social sciences and humanities - to debate the impact of rapid environmental changes on past societies. These debates have attracted considerable media attention and the proceedings are being published in academic journals The cumulative knowledge coming out of all these inquiries will eventually be published in “Dark Nature”, a book aimed at the non specialist public. This should be of interest to a wide range of audiences including politicians, ministries of the environment, media and insurance companies.
Databases of Bibliographical and Archival Sources Lead Applicant: International
Union of History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS) The principal objectives of this ‘World History of Science Online’ project are to:
In a unique cross-disciplinary partnership, seed funding from ICSU has been supplemented by additional support from the international parent bodies for Humanities (CIPSH) and Social Sciences (ISSC). This has supported the pilot phase of the project – the establishment of the central web-site, identification of current bibliographies and definition of standard procedures for construction of a user-friendly and searchable information portal.
Human Perceptions and Behaviour in Sustainable Water Use Lead Applicant: International
Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS) This international, cross-cultural research project seeks to identify the major individual, social psychological and environmental factors that influence human perception and use of fresh water resources. The knowledge obtained should help national, regional and international policy makers make informed choices that promote sustainable fresh water use. In the first phase of the project, which began in 2004, four qualitative pilot field studies were conducted, in France, Italy, India and Mexico. The sites were selected to represent contrasting geographical, climatic, cultural and access conditions more or less favorable to sustainable water management. The results from these preliminary studies have been used to set up the second quantitative phase of the project, which is currently being implemented. Reports on the pilot projects are in preparation and a final report of the complete study will be published in early 2006.
Lead Applicant: International
Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) This is a project to undertake integrated regional studies of global change in Monsoon Asia. It is a cooperative effort involving ICSU’s Earth System Science Partnership and its established regional networks in East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. The objective is to better understand how human activities are interacting with and altering natural regional variability of the atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine components of the environment. A series of meetings and working groups were convened to bring together key global change scientists to assess the current state of knowledge and establish a framework for the coordinated implementation of integrated sub-regional or national studies in the monsoon Asia region. Three books summarizing current knowledge and research priorities on regional aspects of global change in monsoon Asia are now in preparation. An international project office for the Monsoon Asia Regional Integrated Studies (MAIRS) program has been established in Beijing, supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology for an initial period of five years.
Inter American Workshop on Access to Environmental Data Lead Applicant: COmmittee
on DATA for Science and Technology (CODATA) The Inter-American Workshop on Access to Environmental Data was hosted by the Brazilian Reference Center on Environmental Information (CRIA) in March in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. It was co-sponsored by ICSU together with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, and the U.S. National Science Foundation. The aim was to bring together regional scientists, data managers, and representatives of research institutions and the policy community, who do not normally interact, to focus on the following issues:
It brought together more than 70 experts from 48 institutions in 14 countries.
Additional information about the workshop, including the workshop program
and speakers’ presentations, can be found at http://www.cria.org.br/eventos/iaed/.
Capacity Building Workshop -X-ray Astronomy -Physics of Magnetosphere (US $50,000) Lead Applicant: Committee on Space Research
(COSPAR) The second X-ray astronomy workshop in the COSPAR Capacity-Building Program (Udaipur, India, 2003) was organized to teach young or isolated scientists to exploit the existing data from the Chandra and XMM-Newton space missions. These archives are readily available over the Internet (together with software for all stages of data analysis) but they are primarily used by scientists in Europe, Japan and the USA. At the end of the workshop, each of the participants had mastered the analysis of at least the basic elements of X-ray astronomy. COSPAR’s programme of Capacity- Building Workshops is now in its fifth year of development and operation. In addition to India, a workshop in X-ray astronomy was held in Brazil (2001) and further one will be organized in South Africa (2004).
International Seminar – An International Perspective on the Education of K-12 Mathematics Teachers (US $10,000) Lead Applicant: International Mathematical
Union (IMU) Sometimes there is a gap between primary and secondary teaching practice as perceived by Ministries of Education and university academics, and as experienced by practicing teachers. The exploration of this gap was one of the main focus points of the 2003 Park City Mathematics Institute International Seminar. The seminar represented a rare collaboration among mathematics educators from different cultures and regions, including in 2003 for the first time, Cameroon, Ecuador, Iran, Northern Ireland and Romania. Through the course of the seminar, participants shared their wide range of education- related knowledge and personal experiences. Currently practicing teachers made up 50% of seminar participants. The PCMI seminar is to become an annual event, its proceedings being considered an important contribution to the international dialogue comparing educational policy and practice.
Past hydrological events related to understanding of Global Change (US $ 25,000) Lead Applicant: International Union for
Quaternary Research (INQUA) Working together, six different research organizations, representing
various countries and disciplines, devised a standard approach to the
analysis of dated palaeoenvironmental records.
Soils and Sediments: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: (US $35,000) Lead Applicant: Scientific Committee
on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) In addition to the publication of numerous articles and a science monograph,
a volume on recent advances in soil ecology has been prepared to help
explain the importance of biological diversity, and
Toward an implementation strategy for DIVERSITAS (US$ 25,000)
Lead Applicant: DIVERSITAS,
An International Programme on Biodiversity Science Sponsored by ICSU and other international organizations, DIVERSITAS is
an interdisciplinary During these meetings, a science plan and an implementation strategy were drafted for each core project. This was an opportunity to stimulate new collaborative partnerships among scientists representing various disciplines, with an initial focus on the link between ecological and economic sciences. Additional funds have also been raised both for the International Offices and for activities directly related to these projects.
Rescue of old analogue magnetograms by converting to digital images (US $35,000) Lead Applicant: International Union of
Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) In the course of this project, which involved participants from Russia, India, Japan and the United States, nearly 65,000 old and historic magnetograms (representing 177 station years) were catalogued and converted to digital images. An automatic system for recording routine observations of the Earth’s magnetic field was invented in the 1840’s. By the beginning of the 21st century, more than 150 years of geomagnetic recordings had been collected, mainly on paper, analogue magnetograms. These fragile records, some of which had been unknown to the international community before the project, others which had existed in a single copy, are important for studying long-term variations of the main geomagnetic field, as well as for determining the behaviour of short-term field variations. The latter is a key to understanding long-term trends in solar activity and their impact on global change.
Southern African Savannas Network (US$ 50,000) Lead Applicant: Scientific Committee
on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) Savanna resources in Southern Africa are subject to increasing pressures.The South African Savanna Network was initiated as a cross-disciplinary quantification and assessment project in three vital areas : - Sustainable management of natural resources (soil, water, flora and
fauna) Over the past three years, a synthesis of research and data gathering projects was carried out in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Site-specific results were integrated into national, regional and global perspectives. The findings, including more sustainable alternatives to certain existing practices and policies, were presented at a workshop in each of the four countries, at international conferences and in scientific publications.
South African Vulnerability Initiative (SAVI) (US $45,000) Lead Applicant: International Human
Dimensions Programme (IHDP) Vulnerability is an emerging issue across a variety of themes and political agendas. This project aimed to incorporate multiple stressors (HIV/AIDS, conflict, globalization, urbanization, water scarcity, and institutional changes) into a framework for assessing how and why different regions and sectors of society in Southern Africa are vulnerable to global environmental change. A foundation has been laid for forging partnerships amongst scientists
working on global environmental change, development agencies and security-vulnerability
practitioners in South Africa. This was an opportunity to involve younger
scientists and certain agencies that would not typically include global
environmental change in their programmes.
Towards and Integrated Regional Study of the Asian Monsoon System (US $ 45,000) Lead Applicant: International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme (IGBP) Three sub-regional Rapid Assessment Projects for China/East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia systematically reviewed current knowledge regarding regional aspects of global change in Monsoon Asia. These Monsoon Asia Integrated regional studies (MAIRS) covered major demographic, socio-economic and institutional drivers for change; effects on atmosphere, water cycle, coastal systems and local ecosystems; impacts on biogeochemical cycles and climate; effects on regional biospheric life support systems. A conceptual framework was developed and refined. Sub-regional assessment exercises were carried out in East Asia and South Asia. As a result of the meeting, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is now considering hosting an international project office in Beijing. It is planned to publish a book as a way of sharing the outcome of the MAIRS project with the wider community.
Polygenetic models for the Pleistocene paleosols (US $ 30,000) Lead Applicant: International Union of
Soil Science (IUSS) Reconstructing the dynamics of terrestrial paleoenvironments is one way to better understand global climate change. Different collaborative groups from Germany and Mexico (soil chemical research and rock magnetic properties), from Austria (clay mineralogy), and from Germany and Russia (soil meso/ and micromorphology)contributed their specific methods to the study and interpretation of Pleistocene paleosols in relation to the polygenetic models of their development. Students participating in this project benefited from a unique experience in international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the course of field research and the presentation of results. A uniform approach to paleosol description and sampling was devised, making it possible to integrate future laboratory results on collected samples. The models will be viewed as a proxy for environmental history and correlated with sedimentary records.
Development of a comprehensive information on natural gas hydrates (US $ 100,000) Lead Applicant: COmmittee on DATA for
Science and Technology (CODATA)
Enormous deposits of methane hydrate on the ocean floor and in the permafrost at many worldwide locations offer an alternative energy source for future generations. During the first phase of this two-year project, a group of international scientists and scientific institutes started to create a world-wide, comprehensive information system on different aspects of gas hydrates. Such an integration system is very important as many agencies are considering the exploitation of these deposits in various countries. The ICSU grant was important in securing additional funding, for starting regional and national research activities in Russia, USA, China and India.
Promoting open access and the public domain in digital data (US $ 45,000) Lead Applicant: COmmittee on DATA for
Science and Technology (CODATA) There is considerable discussion within the scientific community on how to achieve and maintain full and open access to data. An international meeting on the subject of Open Access (OA) to scientific literature was organized in Paris by ICSTI, INIST and INSERM in January 2003. Scientists and commercial publishers met for a review of the current situation and an examination of possible future developments. In March, an International Symposium on Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science was jointly organized by UNESCO, ICSU, CODATA, the U.S. National Academies and ICSTI. Some 140 experts and managers from both government and academic sectors gathered to discuss the impact of OA on international public research.
Building integrated earth system science on the land-atmosphere (US $ 39,000) Lead Applicant: International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme (IGBP) The Integrated Land Ecosystem- Atmosphere Processes Study The first Open Science Conference (Helsinki, 2003) outlined and discussed a science plan and an implementation strategy for iLEAPS. About 150 participants from 30 countries attended the meeting, representing both fundamental and applied science in a wide range of fields (chemistry, physics, biology, meteorology, hydrology, etc.). Gaps in current knowledge were outlined to help plan for future research. New research activities were proposed at local to global scales, taking the present, paleo, and future perspective into account.
Assessing impacts of biodiversity changes (US $ 48,800) Lead Applicant: DIVERSITAS,
An International Programme on Biodiversity Science DIVERSITAS organized a three-day meeting (Paris, 2003) to produce a science
plan and an implementation strategy for a new project on This project will study the impacts of biodiversity changes on ecosystem functioning (e.g., predation, productivity, carbon sequestration) and services (e.g., biological control, food, greenhouse gas regulation). The document produced describes how DIVERSITAS will engage the wider scientific community in:
The direct human response is to be considered as a critical component
of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Collection, Compilation, Analysis and Distribution of Data (US $ 25,000) Lead Applicant: Federation of Astronomical
and Geophysical Data Analysis Services (FAGS) Operating under the joint sponsorship of the International Astronomical
Union, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, and the International
Union of Radio Science, Today, as a result of this cross-union initiative, twelve data services have been established. Each deals with a specific astronomical or geophysical parameter, ranging from sea levels and glaciers to star catalogues. Data and information is collected, analysed and made available to the scientific community in the form of indices, maps and other useful publications. In keeping with the FAGS objective to widen the application and increase awareness of their work, a web portal was established. This links to all FAGS data services to provide easy access to the most up-to-date data.
International Symposium on Biological Sciences, Development and Society (US $ 40,000) Lead Applicant: International
Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) An international conference, “Biological Sciences, Development and Society” (Cairo, 2004) was organized at the invitation of the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ARST). The Cairo conference was a partnership platform, combining the expertise of the biological community with the strength and resources of a large coalition of international organisations. Focusing on the challenges of the 21st century, the conference emphasized the more applied aspects of new biology and its implications for development and society. The topics selected concerned not only biologists, but also politicians and decision- makers, economic and environmental actors, educators and the public at large. Five symposia were devoted respectively to “Bioinformatics and
the development of biotechnologies and bioresources”, “Stress
biology”, “Integrative biology”, “Biological education,
ethics and society” and
Environmental implications of endocrine-active substances ($100,000) Lead Applicant: Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) A wide range of natural and synthetic compounds are known to exert adverse effects by interfering with the chemical signalling system regulated by hormones. PCBs, dioxins, steroidal hormones, and phyto-estrogens are a just a few of the endocrine-active substances (EASs) found in the environment, which can be Iinked to increased incidence of cancer in hormone-sensitive tissues (e.g. breast, prostrate) in humans and to alterations in normal larval-to-adult metamorphosis in fish. Given the growing impacts of EASs, this joint SCOPE/IUPAC initiative identified present and future research needs and addressed a key question: when will scientific knowledge have the capacity to inform effective poIicy decisions?
Metals, health, and the environment ($45,000) Lead Applicant: International
Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Individuals living near the Bengal Delta (Bangladesh and India) are
at risk for arsenic poisoning from contaminated water. In southwest China,
respiratory problems can be traced to coal combustion. Examples of how
metals in the environment impact health and the environment are found
throughout the world.
Rapid assessment of emerging environmental issues ($80,000) Lead Applicant: Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) Questions related to environmental impacts on human societies and ecosystems—whether positive or negative—require early assessment and rapid information dissemination. SCOPE is meeting this need through the development of Rapid Assessment Projects (RAPs). The projects are designed to identify new research that addresses gaps and uncertainties in scientific knowledge and to develop appropriate policies and management practices. Modelled after the Dalhem conferences, the aim is to proceed from identifying a topic to publishing an assessment volume within 18 months. Following early successes on issues related to element interactions, stabilizing atmospheric CO2 , and forest management, the value of RAPs is gaining broad recognition. In partnership with ICSU’s global change programmes and various UN agencies, SCOPE is now organizing additional projects in areas such as assessment of sustainability indicators, biodiversity change and human health, nitrogen cycling, Asian monsoons, and emerging ecosystems.
Integrated marine biogeochemistry and ecosystem research - $50,000 Lead Applicant: Scientific Committee
on Ocean Research (SCOR) Ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystems were the focus of an Open Science Conference co-sponsored by SCOR and IGBP (January 2003; Paris), which drew 370 participants from 36 countries. The conference gathered input as the basis for a science plan/implementation strategy on how global change and human activities affect marine food-web dynamics, elemental cycling, and their interactions, as well as how ocean changes may feed back to other parts of the Earth system. The science plan/implementation strategy for the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) project will provide the scientific and societal justification for new large-scale ocean research and observations that will build on and be complementary to related SCOR and IGBP activities.
Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) - $40,000 Lead Applicant: Scientific Committee
on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Understanding and quantifying how ocean-atmosphere interactions affect climate and global change is important to many areas of research. SOLAS contributes to worldwide global change research efforts by studying physical, chemical and biological processes that affect interactions between the ocean and atmosphere. Many countries have SOLAS planning efforts underway, and some have already conducted field research. In June 2002, 19 national SOLAS representatives met in Amsterdam to discuss how national activities will contribute to international SOLAS implementation. Discussions at the meeting provided important information for the SOLAS Implementation Strategy, which is currently under peer review.
Extreme weather events and impacts - $40,000 Lead Applicant: International Geographical
Union (IGU) Each year, extreme weather events lead to loss of human lives and great material damage. Intensification of greenhouse gas effects, some of which can be attributed to human activities, is expected to increase the occurrence and severity of extreme weather events in the 21st century. IGU has initiated an effort to isolate human impacts on weather patterns, in part by mapping changes in landuse/landcover with correspondent changes in the atmosphere. The study focuses on spatial attributes of extreme events at various scales (local to global). Much of the research centres on deltas and low-lying tropical areas, where vulnerability to natural disasters is severe. In addition to research activities and workshops, the end goal is to produce a book (2004) on how to construct effective physical and social measures (preventative, adaptive, and enhancement) for life support systems.
Integrative biology and complexity in natural systems - $30,000 Lead Applicant: International Union
of Biological Sciences (IUBS) Understanding the complexity of natural systems continues to be one of biology’s biggest challenges. Moreover, it is essential to conservation and management of biological diversity and to sustainable development. In contrast to traditional biological research, the integrative approach crosses all levels of biological organization—from molecules to the biosphere—and all taxa. It includes perspectives from diverse subfields of biology, and from other disciplines, as appropriate to the problem under study. This meeting highlighted the need for new tools for new paradigms and vice versa. For instance, participants discussed conceptual tools to support modelling and scaling at various hierarchical levels, as well as ways to address temporal dimensions of complexity in natural systems. They also considered new knowledge derived from epidemiology and host-parasite and predator-prey relationships as exemplars of integrative approaches. IUBS produced a synthesis volume of the symposium that recommends several new approaches to analysis of the complexity of natural systems.
Environmental impact of GM crops - $48,000 Lead Applicant: International Union
of Soil Sciences (IUSS) Understanding how genetically modified organisms (GMOs) impact soil microbiology and nutrient dynamics is important to both environmental safety and to public perceptions of genetically modified foods. Two joint activities—a literature review of existing data and an international workshop—established the actual state of knowledge and identified gaps for future research (e.g. effects of transgenic plants on soil micro-organisms, horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, and stability turnover of DNA and element fluxes in soil). The final outcome of this initiative, expected by the end of 2003, will be a special issue of the international journal Plant and Soil on "The Impact of GMOs: Soil Microbiology and Nutrient Dynamics". With approximately 20 contributions from scientists all over the world, this is the first publication in the field of GMOs and soils, and will serve as a basis for the definition of future research targets. It will also improve communication amongst scientists and between the science community and policy and decision makers.
Dissemination of biodiversity data to Pacifc Island Nations ($90,000) Lead Applicant: Pacifc Science Association (PSA) The PSA organized several projects to address the fact that scientists and natural resource managers across the Pacifc Islands lack access to relevant scientifc literature.The initiative developed Pacifc-wide species checklists for all fshes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals (11,287 species), and for two-thirds of vascular plants.This information is widely available in databases at the Bishop Museum, which is linked to the Pacifc Basin Information Node (PBIN) and the Pacifc Biodiversity Information Forum (PBIF). The PBI is a new initiative of the PSA’s Biodiversity Task Force,
which
Latin American Network for Biophysics ($49,600) Lead Applicant: International Union
for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) Leading up to the 14th International Biophysics Congress (the frst such Congress in the Southern Hemisphere), IUPAB collaborated with regional partners to build Latin American biophysics capacity in key areas such as structural biology, nuclear magnetic resonance, genomics, proteomics, and data exchange. Primarily targeting young scientists, the initiative focused on creating
opportunities for scientist to scientist interaction through courses, IUPAB plans to replicate this initiative in other regions and strengthen its impact through the participation of other ICSU Unions.
Lead Applicant: International Union
for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) This event, attended by 300 participants from 60 countries, sought to
understand the severe,worldwide under-representation of women in The resolutions and follow-up activities can be found at the conference
website:
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