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NEAR - COL Symposium 2003 | |||||||||||
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The impact of global environmental problems on continental and coastal marine waters Report of the NEAR Conference and COL Symposiums 2003 Daniel Ariztegui & Jean-Luc Loizeau Water sources and management are essential for the development and sustainability of life and thus provide a unifying theme for a broad audience. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the year 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater. The main goal of this initiative was to encourage Governments, the United Nations system and all other actors to take advantage of the Year to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable freshwater use, management and protection. In this framework, a NEAR conference (Network for Environmental Assessment and Remediation of aquatic systems) on "The impact of global environmental problems on continental and coastal marine waters" was held in Geneva from 16 to 18 July 2003. The Commission for Oceanography and Limnology (COL) sponsored this event and combined it with its 2003 annual symposium. |
The conference focused on a few important topics of global nature and provided a common forum for scientists of leading research institutions as well as developing countries, and administration officials responsible for implementations of various environmental programs. A series of keynote speakers presented their views on the impact of global climate change on both water resources and the hydrological cycle. Water-related environmental risks of global importance were evaluated. Changes in species invasions, biodiversity and trans-boundary pollution, and weathering and continental fluxes to the coastal oceans were also presented in both oral and poster presentations. The water cycle embraces some of the most acute problems facing many societies, and it is the main link between the physical climate system and biogeochemical cycles. One of the conclusions of this successful meeting was that the dialogue between scientists from different fields, policy makers and the public at large is crucial to broaden our understanding of the future impact of global environmental problems in aquatic systems. One of the major goals of the COL commission is to promote and sponsor research opportunities and international contacts for Swiss students and scientists working in both marine and continental water environments. Thus, the NEAR meeting has provided an ideal forum to accomplish this goal. |
Archive: NEAR - COL Symposium 2003 (PDF) |
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