Die Plattform vereint Fachgesellschaften und Fachgremien, die sich den Teilbereichen der Geowissenschaften widmen. Sie bildet die Schnittstelle zwischen den geowissenschaftlichen Fachgebieten sowie zwischen Forschung, Praxis, Verwaltung, Politik und Öffentlichkeit.mehr

Bild: NASAmehr

14th Swiss Geoscience Meeting 2016 in Geneva

Eagle Nebula's "Pillars of Creation". Credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)/J. Hester, P. Scowen (Arizona State U.)
Eagle Nebula's "Pillars of Creation". Credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)/J. Hester, P. Scowen (Arizona State U.)

The 14th edition of the Swiss Geoscience Meeting focused on latest advances in research in geosciences. It was held on 18th and 19th November 2016 in Geneva.

The Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Geneva and the Platform Geosciences of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, SCNAT cordially welcomed the 798 participants in the 14th Swiss Geoscience Meeting held on 18th and 19th November 2016 in Geneva.

On Friday 18th
The theme of the 14th SGM Plenary Session was “Time in Geosciences: Knowledge for a new beginning”. Time is a fundamental and fascinating variable at the heart of Geosciences. They strive to uncover the timing of events and their chronology in order to understand the dynamics of our planet and the forces that govern its evolution. Dating techniques occupy a central part in this endeavour, and their developments have been decisive in reshaping our understanding of Earth and the evolution of Life.

More than ever, our immediate concern with environmental change, energy resource availability and healthy living conditions requests an in depth understanding of the Earth’s history and functioning. In this plenary session, our aim is to inspire thinking around the broad notion of Time in Geosciences, and how this knowledge is an asset for adaptation to a changing planet.

Our four keynote speakers focused on this year’s theme “Time in Geosciences: Knowledge for a new beginning”, covering a wide range of geoscientific topics.

  • Klaus Mezger (University of Bern) and Andrew Knoll (Harvard University) took us far back to the origins of Earth and Life on Earth in deep time, unlocking the fundamental aspects of the physical and biological parameters underpinning the functioning of the Earth’s system.
  • Edouard Bard (College de France, CEREGE, University Aix-Marseille, CNRS) focused his presentation on timing and rates of environmental changes in our recent past, extracting lessons from the Holocene.
  • Ulrike Niemeier (Max Planck Institute for Meteorology) concluded the Scientific part with a talk om how rates of geological processes inform current geoengineering approaches in the context of adaptation to climate change.


On Saturday 19th
About 245 talks were given and 236 posters were presented in 20 scientific symposia that covered the diverse spectrum of current research in geoscience,encompassing the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere and the anthroposphere.

The SGM also provides the ideal environment to foster informal contacts and discussion among scientists, in particular during the Swiss Geoscience Party on Friday evening but also at the poster sessions in the hallways of the conference building (Kollegienhaus) on Saturday. Time is reserved for two poster sessions, at which the authors will be present for active discussion and feedback.