15th Swiss Geoscience Meeting 2017, Davos

The WSL-Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and the Platform Geosciences of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, SCNAT cordially invite you to participate in the 15^th Swiss Geoscience Meeting to be held on 17^th and 18^th November 2017 in Davos.

On Friday 17th:

The theme of the 15th SGM Plenary Session is “Moving Boundaries”. Boundaries in Geoscience research are among the most prominent hot topics – and by understanding how those boundaries move we learn about the shaping of our planet, but also about how the future might look like as the climate changes. Moreover, the boundaries in science are moving and the way we work and publish is changing. The boundaries may not fully disappear as data and research open up, but future challenges call for cooperation among research communities, which implicitly requires open exchange. Open science looks like the bright future, but as individual researchers we also face obstacles and overcoming those is not always straightforward.

Our four keynote speakers will focus on this year’s theme “Moving boundaries” and take us on a journey covering a wide range of geoscientific topics and scales.

Maurine Montagnat (University of Grenoble) will introduce us to a fitting subject for Davos: the microstructure of ice. As crystals grow and deform– a classical moving boundary problem – they capture information about their environment. A deep ice core extracted from a polar ice sheet contains information about small scale deformation and microstructure evolution processes, and, in the meantime, informs us about large scale flow processes surrounding it.

With Susanne Buiter (Geological Survey of Norway) we will change temporal and spatial scales, as she will focus on the geodynamic evolution of continental plate boundaries through the plate tectonic cycle. By following plate boundaries through phases of oceanic subduction, continental collision and continental break-up, she analyses how structural and thermal inheritance from one phase can control deformation in subsequent phases.

In the mountains surrounding Davos climate change is already occurring and will further change boundaries. Annette Menzel (Technical University of Munich) will focus on ecosystem boundaries and how they move as the climate changes. As the snow and tree lines move uphill, many other changes happen to the flora and fauna, in particular in the mountains – the third pole – where expected changes are as prominent as in the polar regions.

The symposium will conclude with a presentation by Helen Glaves (British Geological Survey) on open (data) science – a development we all welcome but often see as a burden not a benefit. She will discuss current drivers and approaches, and through several use cases, illustrate ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of open data in Geoscience.

On Saturday 18th:

a series of 17 scientific symposia will cover the diverse spectrum of current research in geosciences, 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 on Saturday. Time is reserved for two poster sessions, at which the authors will be present for active discussion and feedback.

Looking forward to seeing you in Davos!
The SGM 2017 Organizing Committee