Given that natural hazards are at the forefront of the news at the moment, I thought it would be good to highlight three important forthcoming conferences at which we will learn a great deal more about recent and potential events:<\/p>\n
1. European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n Next week is the annual EGU meeting in Vienna<\/a>.\u00a0 This will be the largest natural hazards meeting of the year, at which there will be 60 natural hazards related sessions<\/a> in which almost 1700 papers will be presented.\u00a0 This will include special sessions on the New Zealand and Japan earthquakes.\u00a0 There are 12 landslide related sessions.\u00a0 As an aside this will mark the end of my term as scientific secretary and as Vice-President of the Natural Hazards Division.\u00a0 Unfortunately, due to other commitments I will only be in Vienna on Tuesday and Wednesday this year.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Conference on remote sensing, natural hazards and environmental change<\/a>, Singapore<\/strong><\/p>\n On 28th and 29th July 2011 the National University of Singapore will host a meeting with the above theme.\u00a0 The conference description states that it is designed to “initiate informal discussion and paper presentation in two areas that are significant for the Asia-Pacific Region and especially Southeast Asia. First of these involves *natural hazards *with emphasis on volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and large floods. The second concerns *environmental changes *including climate change,modification of hydrological and geological processes and urbanization. The application of remote sensing in both observing such phenomena and ameliorating their non-beneficial effects will be emphasized.”<\/p>\n Given its theme and location, this is likely to be really good.\u00a0 Details are available here<\/a>, with an abstract deadline of 15th April 2011.<\/p>\n 3. AGU Fall meeting, 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking further ahead, the AGU Fall meeting<\/a> will take place on 5th-9th December in San Francisco.\u00a0 Whilst that might seem a long way in the future, the deadline for session proposals is 20th April.\u00a0 This is likely to be the meeting at which we start to see detailed analyses of the recent events being presented.\u00a0 No doubt there will be a very strong natural hazards programme again this year, so mark it into your diary now!<\/p>\n REMOTE SENSING, NATURAL HAZARDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE<\/p>\n 28 — 29 July 2011, National University of Singapore, Singapore<\/p>\n *Second Announcement<\/p>\n This conference is organized by the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP), National University of Singapore; Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans (LMV), Universit\u00e9 Blaise Pascal; and the Working Group for Large Rivers andClimate Change, International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG). It is part of the STIC Asia (sponsored by the French Foreign Office in Southeast Asia) research and exchange programme of Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans involving remote sensing as applied to geological hazard studies between Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and France.<\/p>\n The conference is designed to initiate informal discussion and paper presentation in two areas that are significant for the Asia Pacific Region and especially Southeast Asia. First of these involves *natural hazards *with emphasis on volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and large floods. The second concerns *environmental changes *including climate change,modification of hydrological and geological processes and urbanization. The application of *remote sensing *in both observing such phenomena and ameliorating their non-beneficial effects will be emphasized. The conference provides a forum for exchange of views among researchers currently working in this area and for designing research strategies for the future.<\/p>\n Three keynotes will be offered by Dr. Simon CARN (Michigan Technological University, USA), Dr. Cees van Westen (ITC, University of Twente, The Netherlands), and Dr. Russel BLONG (Macquarie University, Australia).<\/p>\n *<\/strong><\/span>Abstract and Paper Submission*<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Authors who wish to present a paper or poster are requested to submit an abstract (approximately 250 to 600 words). The abstract submission deadline is *15 April 2011*. Authors are encouraged to submit a paper (extended abstract, maximum 4 pages, single spacing, 12pt font) for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings CD. In the absence of a paper, only the accepted abstract will appear in the Proceedings. The paper (extended abstract) submission deadline is *1 June 2011*. We would also like to publish a selected number of papers in appropriate peer-reviewed journals after the conference.<\/p>\n To submit an abstract on-line, go to the following website hosted at EasyChair.org:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.easychair.org\/conferences\/?conf=rsnhec2011<\/a><\/p>\n