International Symposium on Ice-Water Interactions; Portland, Oregon; Summer, 2004

Portland State University, Portland OR

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support for the International Symposium on Ice-Water Interactions which will be held at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 2004. This symposium was proposed to and accepted by the International Glaciological Society (IGS) as one of two major symposia sponsored by the Society each year. An important goal in organizing this symposium is to promote interdisciplinary dialog between specialists in snow and ice hydrology. While their topics are related, these groups rarely enjoy the opportunity to interact directly. By hosting the symposium in the Pacific Northwest, attention will be drawn to the place of snow and ice in regional resource issues. Interactions between water and ice span a wide range of topics, from some of the fundamental problems in glaciology to the daily lives of people who depend on alpine watersheds. This symposium will be devoted to the macro and mirco interactions between ice and water, providing new avenues for discussion across the phase boundary. For example, investigations of basal water-drainage systems in glaciers have an affinity with studies of subglacial melting and freezing processes, both of which are in turn connected to studies of glacier and ice-sheet flow rates, in both modern and paleo-environments; glaciologists, hydrologists, and biologists can share knowledge regarding the timing and rate of melt and meltwater discharge and its downstream effects; and similarities and differences between glacier and ice-shelf calving processes can be explored. The week-long symposium will take place from 26 to 30 July 2004.The meeting format will include both oral and poster presentations. Selected papers will be published by the IGS in the Annals of Glaciology. Student participation will be encouraged. This award provides a small amount of support for the development of a meeting website and an administrative assistant to manage meeting registration, reservations for accommodation, and related issues. By reducing overall meeting expenses, this grant support will allow the organizers to charge a lower registration fee for students, encouraging their participation in the symposium.