CALL FOR PAPERS: GEOMORPHOLOGY AND LAND DEGRADATION

Colleagues,
This conference should appeal to a number of CLAGers, particularly those working in soils and/or environmental history. The meeting will take place in the Old School of Medicine, an historic 18th century baroque building in the heart of the city. This should be an excellent conference, based on last years IGU meeting in Mexico City (also co-hosted by the UNAM group and the SMG) and because of incredible field trips!
paul hudson



CALL FOR PAPERS: GEOMORPHOLOGY AND LAND DEGRADATION

The International Geographical Union (IGU) Commission on Land Degradation and Desertification (COMLAND) is sponsoring sessions entitled "Geomorphology and Land Degradation" at the International Association for Geomorphologists (IAG) and Mexican Society of Geomorphology (SMG) conference in Mexico City, October 27th to November 2nd 2003. Understanding and interpreting land degradation requires knowledge of explicit process - response thresholds, landscape sensitivity, and time scales for adjustment. These sessions seek papers related to the geomorphic impact of land degradation under varying physical settings and controls (e.g. fluvial, hillslope, aeolian, coastal, etc...). Session organizers will pursue publication of papers in a reputable journal outlet. Papers are welcome from a range of disciplines and specialties that occur within the following broad categories:
· Case studies and applied (soil erosion and landscape response to engineering and land use change; environmental history; the role of geomorphology in land management)
· Methodological (development of criteria for defining land degradation; field and analytical techniques for studying land degradation)
· Theoretical (predicting and modeling land degradation to environmental modification; systems response, including establishing residence times for perturbations, range of morphologic adjustment; distinguishing land degradation from "natural" environmental change)

Session organizers:
Paul F. Hudson (Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin) and Irasema Alcántara Ayala (Institute of Geography UNAM, Mexico, D.F.)

Abstract Submission:
The deadline for abstract submission is March 31^st 2003, with notification of abstract acceptance by April 30^th 2003. Please contact Paul Hudson (pfhudson@mail.utexas.edu) if you intend to participate in these sessions. Note that you must register and submit your abstract online via the conference website. Additional details pertaining to abstract submission and registration, field trips, and lodging are available online at: http://www.smg.igeograf.unam.mx


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Paul F. Hudson
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712

pfhudson@mail.utexas.edu