CMOS at the IUGG General Assembly in Montreal, July 9th to 14th

Formed in 1919, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) this year celebrates 100 years, and CMOS gets to be a part of it, as our congress coincides with their general assembly in Montreal in July.

Read on to get the lowdown on what’s what for CMOS members at this year’s IUGG general assembly:

How is IUGG 2019 organized?

The IUGG is made up of eight different associations, each association representing one of the main research areas of the organization. The two associations that most closely align with CMOS interests are the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Ocean (IAPSO) and the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS). Some CMOS members may also find links with the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS).

Each association will have its own symposia at the general assembly, and some of the associations will combine to offer joint sessions (called inter-association symposia), where lots of interdisciplinary topics will be explored – CMOS members may find the inter-association symposia that feature meteorology and oceanography of particular interest. There are also 9 different union symposia organized that will bring everyone together.

Where does CMOS fit in?

CMOS was invited to help shape some of the inter-association symposia, and you will find CMOS members convening and co-convening a variety of these. Here’s just a few worth checking out –

• Hydrometeorologic and Coastal Extremes in Current and Future Climates (JM04a) convened by Laxmi Sushama on Tuesday July 9th at 8:30
• Satellite Remote Sensing: Vital Information on the Health of our Planet (JM09d) convened by Kaley Walker on Tuesday July 9th at 4:30
• The North Atlantic-Arctic System: State, Process, and Change (JP02d) convened by Paul Myers on Thursday July 11th at 1:30
• The Arctic in the 21st Century: A Hotbed of Global Change (M09a) convened by Jim Drummond on Saturday July 13th at 1:30

CMOS members will also find themselves feeling well at home in any of the IAHS, IAPSO, IAMAS or IACS association symposia.

The CMOS portion of the IUGG General Assembly runs from July 9th to the 14th.

How can you find out what is happening for you?

The IUGG 2019 website is the place to begin iugg2019montreal.com.

Start by checking out the symposia that the association that you most closely align with are organizing, by following the Association Symposia link under the Programme tab. Inter-association symposia are organized by a listing of the convening associations, and you can see all of these options by following the Inter-Association Symposia link under the Programme tab.

There are also a great suite of Union Lectures that will appeal to any and all of the 3,600+ people in attendance. Long-time CMOS member and WMO President David Grimes will give the first of these with a talk titled Earth Sciences as the Underlying Pillars to Meet Societal Challenges in the next Century on Thursday July 11th, at 10:30.

There is also a searchable programme available, just follow the IUGG Programme link under the Programme tab on the website.

What are some of the highlights for CMOS members at IUGG 2019?

The public lecture, featuring a documentary film and a bilingual panel discussion on the subject of Canada’s three oceans should not be missed. July 9th, at 7 pm.

The associations have lined up some very high-impact speakers for the Union Lectures. There are nine of these in total, with three on the 11th, three on the 13th, and two on the 16th. As well as David Grimes’ talk on the 11th, CMOS members may be particularly interested in attending Canada’s Karen Kohfeld’s talk The Ocean’s Role in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Changes During Ice Age Cycles, also on the 11th at 11:30 am.

The opening ceremony on July 10th at 4 pm, attended by the President of the Royal Society of Canada and the Chief Scientist of Quebec amongst others, will be a great place to meet and mingle. The CMOS Banquet on July 11th will be our chance to spend time with some more familiar faces! Tickets are in addition to the registration fee. If you have already registered you can still get your banquet ticket here.

The Union Symposia are going to be fascinating, and with subjects like Achieving Sustainable Development: The Role for Earth Sciences and Data-driven Science for Earth and Space Exploration as well as an Early Career Scientists’ Symposium, they will appeal to any scientist.

Still need convincing?

With over 3,600 people attending the IUGG general assembly, this is a great opportunity to branch out, to see what people from different countries are working on, and maybe even pave the way for new collaborations. You’ll get to see how atmospheric and oceanographic research can fit in with other research domains – for example there is a session on tsunamis where oceanographers will speak alongside seismologists and volcanologists.

You will have the unique opportunity to take the occasional break from attending sessions that are focused on your own research area to sit in on others that address areas outside of your field. With symposium titles like Planetary Magnetic Fields and Secular Variations, Genesis of Devastating Continental Earthquakes, and Experimental Volcanology Approach to Investigate Magma Generation, Ascent and Eruption, how could your curiosity not be tempted?

More information and registration at iugg2019montreal.com.