Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Mar 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010e%26es....9a1001m&link_type=abstract
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 011001 (2010).
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
'Retrospective views on our planet's future' - This was the theme of a tandem of meetings held by Past Global Changes (PAGES; http://www.pages-igbp.org), a project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). It reflects the philosophy of PAGES and its community of scientists that the past holds the key to better projections of the future. Climatic and environmental evidence from the past can be used to sharpen future projections of global change, thereby informing political and societal decisions on mitigation and adaptation.
Young scientists are critical to the future of this endeavour, which we call 'paleoscience'. Their scientific knowledge, interdisciplinarity, international collaboration, and leadership skills will be required if this field is to continue to thrive. Meanwhile, it is also important to remember that science develops not only by applying new strategies and new tools to make new observations, but also by building upon existing knowledge. Modern research in paleoscience began around fifty years ago, and one could say that the third generation of researchers is now emerging. It is a wise investment to ensure that existing skills and knowledge are transferred to this generation. This will enable them to lead the science towards new accomplishments, and to make important contributions towards the wider field of global change science.
Motivated by such considerations, PAGES organized its first Young Scientists Meeting (YSM), held in Corvallis (Oregon, USA) in July 2009 (http://www.pages-osm.org/ysm/index.html). The meeting took place immediately before the much larger 3rd PAGES Open Science Meeting (OSM; http://www.pages-osm.org/osm/index.html). The YSM brought together 91 early-career scientists from 21 different nations. During the two-day meeting, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and new faculty met to present their work and build networks across geographical and disciplinary borders. Several experienced and well-recognized researchers tutored this conference, and gave assistance to young scientists by offering advice on publication, promotion, outreach processes, and data management. At the subsequent OSM, the young scientists had the opportunity to present their results to a larger community, and to build networks with their senior colleagues.
In a friendly and classroom-like atmosphere, the research presented during the YSM was of a remarkably high quality, and merited publication in this special issue. The 23 short proceedings papers are first-authored by YSM attendees, and based on their presented work and the associated discussions. Consistent with the spirit of the YSM, the core of the guest editor team consisted of YSM early-career scientists, while members of the wider scientific community reviewed the papers.
Studies presented in this issue cover a large range of topics. Paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental research is always seeking new natural archives and improved proxies, and so some papers focus on reconstruction methodologies and the interpretation and calibration of proxies. Other papers present a variety of modeling approaches, such as climate system modeling, forward modeling, or ecosystem modeling. Still others focus on reconstructions from marine (foraminifera, diatoms, corals) or continental (tree rings, speleothems, ice cores) archives, or on understanding the dynamics of the Earth system and the feedbacks between its various components. The studies presented span timescales ranging from the past 200,000 years to the last few decades, and consider changes in natural phenomena such as the hydrological cycle and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, as well as local- and regional-scale interaction of humans with the environment. The papers presented in this special issue therefore reflect current challenges in paleoscience research: understanding natural variability on both long and short time scales, and monitoring anthropogenic impacts which range from historic landscaping to more recent pollution.
The concept and format of the 1st PAGES YSM worked very well, and created a high degree of enthusiasm and stimulation among the participants (as is demonstrated by this special issue). The 2nd YSM is therefore firmly planned to take place in 2013, back-to-back with the 4th PAGES OSM.
Crucial and gratefully acknowledged contributions to the success of the YSM were made by the numerous co-sponsors (see logos below), who provided the financial basis for the YSM and supported the attendance of many early-career researchers from various parts of the world. Furthermore, we cordially thank all reviewers for shaping this proceeding issue with their insightful and helpful reviews.
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