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We are pleased to offer you exclusive & unlimited free access to Springer's extensive online library of journals in Geosciences, including our premiere Oceanography titles, for two full months!

What are you waiting for? Free access to the entire contents of more than 70 journals in Geosciences including:

Start accessing articles today by simply... Visiting: http://springer.com/freegeo And entering (by cutting & pasting) this SpringerToken: Q74A2Nw2YNc6hbG

Feel free to forward this message to your colleagues & friends so they too can take advantage of this outstanding offer!

Source: springeralerts@springer.delivery.net

Jorge Brenner

Satellite Remote Sensing Training Course for Biological Oceanographers-Cornell University

A two-week summer training course is being offered to researchers who have either modest or no prior experience with satellite remote sensing techniques. The goal of the course is to teach participants the basic skills needed to work independently to acquire, analyze and visualize data sets derived from a variety of satellite sensors (e.g., SeaWiFS, MODIS, AVHRR, SeaWinds and Topex/Jason). The course will focus a lot of attention on developing IDL (Research Systems Inc.) programming skills. A central feature of the IDL programming effort will involve working with SeaDAS commands from within IDL to batch process large quantities of SeaWiFS and MODIS data to obtain high resolution mapped images of chlorophyll and other ocean-color related products. The course will run from June 2 though June 16 and is open to advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and post-graduate professionals.

For much more information about the course, visit www.geo.cornell.edu/ocean/satellite

The application deadline is May 1, 2006.

Bruce Monger

Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

2136 Snee Hall, Cornell University

Ithaca, New York 14853

email: bcm3@cornell.edu

phone: 607.227.2972

fax: 607.254.4780

Source: ocean-color@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov

Jorge Brenner

European Alien Species Expertise Registry

Within the actual EU project DAISIE http://www.europe-aliens.org
a European Alien Species Expertise Registry has now
been established. This registry intends to collect the

expertise of experts which may be useful to gather the knowledge on
those species which are actually alien in Europe or may become so. Thus,
unlike its title, we want to gather the expertise of experts from all
over the world, since species alien to Europe come from all over the
world.

The expertise registry contains details for individual experts with
respect to taxonomic expertise, geographic units, and thematic areas
(e.g. distribution, conservation, restoration, ecology, economical
impact, genetics, legislation, administration, management, control,
biocontrol, pathways, transportation, physiology, risk assessment,
taxonomy, systematics).

The expertise registry has only now been set up and grows. We hope to
include already within this year a relevant part of experts and
expertise. This will enable us to analyze this expertise and to draw
conclusions. One of our goals is a paper which may become a political
postulation to ameliorate the expertise in those areas where it is not
sufficient. You see, it may also become important for yourself, in the
long run, to be included into our registry.

Please take the time to register at http://daisie.ckff.si
  the registry should be self explanatory, and
it will take you only 5 minutes. Forward this message to other experts
which may not have been reached by this mail.

Many thanks and best regards
Wolfgang Nentwig

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Nentwig, Zoological Institute, University of Bern
Baltzerstr. 6, CH 3012 Bern (Switzerland, old Europe)
Tel. +0041-31-631-4520 (direct), -4511(secretary), -4888(fax)
http://www.zoology.unibe.ch/nentwig/
http://www.zoology.unibe.ch/ecol/

Source: MARINE-B@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

Jorge Brenner

International Conference on Biodiversity at the Ecosystem Level - Patterns & Processes

Biodiversity at the Ecosystem Level - Patterns & Processes
 
In Aarhus, Denmark, April 26-27, 2006
 
The main purpose of the conference is to present an overview of
contemporary research related to ecosystem level biodiversity, and to
help formulate a GBIF strategy for dealing with biodiversity above the
species and molecular levels.
 
We encourage you to explore the scope and content of the conference at:
 
http://www.danbif.dk/conference2006
 
The website also provides practical information, an invitation to
contribute with posters, and it presents the international expert
speakers and a detailed programme which includes the following main
sessions:
- Definitions and relevance of biodiversity at the ecosystem level
- Classification and quantification of ecosystem level biodiversity
- Applications: Ecosystem diversity and ecosystem function
 
We see this conference as an important contribution to the future work
of GBIF, and sincerely hope you will be able to participate and
contribute to the moderated discussions.
 
On behalf of the organising committee[1],
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Prof. Henrik Enghoff, Director, Natural History Museum of Denmark and
DanBIF (henghoff@snm.ku.dk)
Node Manager Isabel Calabuig, DanBIF (icalabuig@snm.ku.dk)
Prof. Henrik Balslev, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of
Aarhus (henrik.balslev@biology.au.dk)
Senior Research Scientist Flemming Skov, National Environmental Research
Institute (fs@DMU.dk)

[1] The conference is organised by DanBIF, the Danish node of GBIF
(Global Biodiversity Information Facility), together with the University
of Aarhus, the Danish National Environmental Research Institute, the
Danish Forest & Nature Agency and the European Environment Agency.

Source: MARINE-B@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

Jorge Brenner

10 Academic Positions Available at the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences: Professors, Readers, Lecturers and Postdocs

At the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), we have recently been awarded a multi-million pounds package of funding that will see the appointment of 10 academic and 14 support staff over the coming months. As well as postdocs to accomplished career scientists may be interested in applying!

Website: http://www.sams.ac.uk

Jorge Brenner

BES funds Ecology research in Africa and Eastern Europe

Background

The British Ecological Society was the first national ecological society and has been an invaluable resource for ecologists in Britain and worldwide since 1913. In anticipation of its centenary, the BES will be supporting ecologists to establish organisations that can promote the science of ecology in their geographic area. The BES will do this through a new initiative called the Building Capacity for Ecology Fund (BCEF), which has the backing of the International Association of Ecology (Intecol). This new initiative will help to create the organisations needed to promote the science of ecology worldwide.

Objective

The Building Capacity for Ecology Fund will assist in the establishment or development of networks of ecologists that will allow ecologists in countries that currently lack a well-developed society or ecology institute to interact and gain from the experience and activities of colleagues. Ultimately, we expect the interactions promoted by the Fund to lead to the creation of new national or regional societies that will affiliate to Intecol.

Rationale

Ecological societies provide the network within which ecologists can interact, exchange ideas and influence each other. Ecological societies are also important in promoting the science and its application with policymakers, natural resource managers and the public. The lack of activities that a society can provide is a major obstacle for the development and practice of ecology in many regions.

Scope

The BES has committed £500,000 over a five-year period to provide resources to build capacity for ecological networks. Support will focus on building effective ecological networks in Eastern Europe and Africa.

• List of eligible countries

Projects the Fund will support

In some countries, ecologists have already created an organisation to represent them, but they lack the resources to operate it effectively. In these cases, the BES will consider making grants directly to the Society to pay for office equipment, web activities and other communications and meetings. In some countries, there may be a need for administrative support.

In countries or regions where there is no existing organisation, the most effective use of the funds may be to support meetings to allow ecologists to interact and begin to build the network that will lead to the creation of an organisation.

In both cases, grants will be for a fixed term. Proposals will need to demonstrate how capacity-building activities will lead to a sustainable network of ecologists that can promote the science in their country or region. Other proposals that clearly promote the objective of the BCEF will be considered.

Application form and Deadline

Please read the Guidelines before filling out the Application Form and Budget.

• Guidelines
• Application Form
• Budget Template

Deadlines

1st Round: 21 April 2006
2nd Round: Will be announced shortly

Contact information

Please contact the Grants Officer with any questions regarding the Building Capacity for Ecology Fund.

Source and Web page: http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/grants/bcef/

Jorge Brenner

3rd ENVISAT Summer School 2006

The 2006 ESA summer school will be held in ESRIN (near Rome) from 31 Jul to 11 Aug 2006. The course will cover a broad spectrum of research issues related to the Monitoring and Modelling of the Earth System - including the ocean, atmosphere, biosphere and cryosphere - with a cross cutting focus on Data Assimilation techniques illustrating how they maximize the scientific and economic value of EO data.

Topics:

• Observing Systems: Capabilities and applications of Earth Observation, physics of remote sensing measurement, concept of integrated observing systems of systems

• Earth System Modelling: Basics of ocean – atmosphere – land - ice modelling, Numerical Weather Prediction, ensemble forecasting.

• Data Assimilation: Theory of data assimilation techniques (e.g. OI, 3Dvar, 4Dvar, Kalman Filter) and applications (e.g. analysis, inverse modelling, state estimation, control theory, design of optimal observing system, targeting observations).

• Global Change: Observation of global change from space, use of Earth System model to understand, forecast and manage environmental issues.

The school is opened to young researchers (Ph.D. students, young post-doc) across the world belonging to a variety of Earth science disciplines (e.g. meteorology, oceanography, biology, remote sensing, modelling).

Participation is limited to a maximum of 65 students and is highly competitive (e.g. ESA received more than 200 applications from 47 countries for the 2^nd ENVISAT school ).

All participants will be hosted in the beautifully appointed rooms of Grand Hotel Villa Tuscolana60 EUR/night (half-board), which is an extremely low price for Rome. at a cost of about

There is no fee for the school but students are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.

Please apply by completing the web-based application form here. Deadline for application is Wed 1st March 2006. Please note that the full application includes both the (i) completed form as well as the (ii) letter of support from your referee. We therefore encourage candidates to apply early so that we can contact their referee and make sure we get the letter of support before the deadline. Successful applicants will be notified in early July 2006.

Course web page: http://envisat.esa.int/envschool/

Jorge Brenner

New Ecology and Society Journal Issue Announcement

A journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability

http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/

Editors-in-Chief:                   Lance Gunderson and Carl Folke
Managing Editor:                    Michelle Lee

Dear Ecology and Society subscribers,

The Editors of Ecology and Society are pleased to announce the publication of Volume 10, issue 2 (see Table of Contents below). Please go to: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol10/iss2/ to access the full text articles.

This issue includes the first in a collection of articles devoted to the topic: "Scenarios of Global Ecosystem Services" sponsored by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The article, "Changes in Nature’s Balance Sheet: Model-based Estimates of Future Worldwide Ecosystem Services" by Alcamo et al. can be accessed by going directly to: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol10/iss2/art19/. More articles on this topic will follow in early 2006.

With this new issue, Ecology and Society, together with the Foundation of Scientific Symbiosis (www.scientificsymbiosis.org), is launching a new annual competition called the "Science and Practice of Ecology and Society". A prize of $1000 Euro and an article in Ecology and Society about the winner will be awarded to the individual or organization that is the most effective in bringing the transdisciplinary science of the interactions of ecology and society into practice. The purpose of the competition is to recognize the importance of practitioners who translate the scientific findings and insights of the scholarly community into practical applications.  See http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/news/announcements/spes.php for details about the competition and how to nominate an individual or organization.

As always, readers are encouraged to discuss the issues, assertions and methodology described in Ecology and Society’s articles. To contribute to the dialogue please submit a response or critique for possible publication in Ecology and Society. Responses may be submitted online by following the RESPONSES TO THIS ARTICLE link in the table of contents of any article. Publication of responses, if accepted, is free.

Jorge Brenner

Free Linux Books and Manuals

For those of you looking for Linux documentation and manuals take a look for FREE eBooks at: http://www.pctech101.com/pcebooks.php

Jorge Brenner

Exploring Marine GIS: An ArcGIS Field and Lab Course in Baja California, Mexico

Location: San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California, Mexico
Dates: March 6-12, 2006
Instructors: Michelle Kinzel, Joe Breman and Peter Etnoyer
Cost: $1,399.00 per person

Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation is hosting this immersion week in
geospatial sciences and marine biology (gray whales) in San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico,
March 6-12, 2006.

GIS Course Summary:

This week long adventure is for both beginning and advanced GIS users,
and will also be suitable for those with some experience looking to
integrate GIS into their own conservation projects or professional work.
The workshop will include 2 days of instructor led training covering an
"Introduction to ArcGIS 9", using ESRI training materials and taught by
an ESRI authorized instructor. Participants will integrate these skills
and perform exercises in an exploration of the Marine Data Model (Arc Marine), and
discover how data modeling is used in GIS. In addition, participants
will work side by side with CERF's graduate students and marine mammal
biologists, collecting data on the distribution, behavior and ecology of
gray whales occupying winter breeding grounds. The course will include
data collection in the lagoon and the opportunity to learn how to use
some of the tools used by marine mammal scientists; digital images,
image processing software, CERF's 10 year photo identification catalog,
GPS units and underwater sonar tracking devices will all be incorporated
in the field work sessions. Participants will contribute to CERF's
ongoing research projects, study the concepts of data modeling and
management, learn and integrate the skills used in photo id cataloging,
participate in behavioral monitoring of gray whale mothers and calves
and learn the basic requirements for creating a working geodatabase for
conservation planning. Additionally, those with ongoing projects or
datasets are encouraged to bring their work with them, as we will have a
Data Modeler and GIS Consultant on hand to work with these participants.

Topics Covered in this Course:

. Introduction to ArcGIS 9
. Marine Data Model
. GIS in conservation research and planning
. Geospatial science; building a geodatabase, using GPS data in
scientific research
. Marine Mammal Science; Gray whale migratory behavior, photo
identification cataloging, and gray whale behavior

Wilderness experience:

This trip will follow our format for wilderness expeditions supported
and funded by the Earthwatch Institute. Please browse our website at
http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp2.asp?c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=1147575 for
photos and details on the San Ignacio Lagoon Grey Whale Migration trip.
This experience is ideal to learn the basics of ArcGIS 9, and provides
the opportunity to consult with GIS professionals, using these tools to
further professional and academic goals.

Laguna San Ignacio is located within the Vizcaino Biosphere Preserve,
and has gained international recognition and protection as a whale
sanctuary (read more at http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=554
). This trip will offer many chances to observe wildlife, explore the
diversity and wonder of desert and marine ecosystems and experience one
of the wildest places on earth. Whale watching, mud flat excursions,
mangrove explorations, bird watching, desert hikes and cultural
experiences will all be offered throughout the week.

Logistics:

The cost of the trip is $1,399.00 and includes all GIS instruction,
course materials, ESRI ArcGIS 9 trial version software, meals, camping
accommodations, whale watching trips and naturalist led hikes. The food
will be authentic Baja cuisine, and the lodging will be semi-rustic
camping accommodations.

Participants will need to arrange transportation to and from Baja
California, Mexico. There are 2 options for joining the team in the
field. Participants can fly in and out of Loreto Airport or they can
drive to the lagoon campsite themselves. Please contact trip organizer
for more information.

Instructors:
Michelle Kinzel, Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation,
http://cerf.bc.ca/baja/whales.asp
Joe Breman, Environmental Systems Research Institute jbreman@esri.com
Peter Etnoyer, Aquanautix Consulting http://www.aquanautix.com/

Space is limited! Please contact Michelle Kinzel (kinzel@cox.net) for
instructions on registering for this course.

Michelle Kinzel
Scientist/GIS Instructor
Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation
www.cerf.bc.ca

CERF now offers GIS support and training in ArcView 3.x and ArcGIS 9
platforms.

CERF offers volunteer and wilderness expeditions in conjunction with
Earthwatch Institute
http://www.earthwatch.org/expeditions/megill.html

Source: SEA-GIS@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

Jorge Brenner

American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Summer Meeting 2006

The ASLO Summer Meeting will be held on 4-9 June 2006 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The meeting includes also a session on new sensors for studying biological and chemical sensors in marine waters, see the attached information for more details. The session is organised by Friedhelm Schroeder from the GKSS Research Centre.

DL abstract submission date: 20 January 2006.

More information on: http://aslo.org/victoria2006/startprocess.html.

Jorge Brenner

SYNTHESYS ACCESS CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Next deadline: Friday 17 March 2006

The SYNTHESYS Office is pleased to announce the fourth call for proposals under the European Commission's FPVI European-funded Integrated Infrastructure Initiative. SYNTHESYS is a five-year project comprising two parts which together aim to create an integrated European infrastructure for researchers in the natural sciences.

SYNTHESYS Project funding is available to provide scientists (Users) based in European Member and Associated States (see below for eligible countries) to undertake short visits to utilize the infrastructure (namely the collections, staff expertise and analytical facilities) at one of the 20 partner institutions for the purposes of their research.

Taxonomic Facilities (TAFs)
The 20 partner institutions are organised into 11 national Taxonomic Facilities (TAFs). TAF Users will be hosted by a TAF staff member. The 11 TAFs institutions represent an unparalleled resource for taxonomic research offering:

- Collections amounting to over 337 million natural history specimens, including 3.3 million type specimens
- Internationally renowned taxonomic and systematic skill base
- Chemical analysis, molecular and imaging facilities

Award
Proposals are welcomed from high calibre researchers seeking access for short-term visits. SYNTHESYS is able to meet the Users' costs for:

- Research costs*
- International travel
- Local accommodation while based at the TAF
- A per diem to contribute towards living costs

* Research related costs including bench fees and consumables (including molecular biology at some TAFs).

Contact
Contact synthesys@nhm.ac.uk for more information or visit the website at http://www.synthesys.info/access.html.

Source: MARINE-B@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

Jorge Brenner

Join the Climateprediction.net Project

If you are interested in global climate change and would like to learn more then you should check this project. Even more, you can participate in the world wide distributed project by using your CPU time.

"The aim of climateprediction.net is to investigate the approximations that have to be made in state-of-the-art climate models. By running the model thousands of times (a 'large ensemble') we hope to find out how the model responds to slight tweaks to these approximations - slight enough to not make the approximations any less realistic. This will allow us to improve our understanding of how sensitive our models are to small changes and also to things like changes in carbon dioxide and the sulphur cycle. This will allow us to explore how climate may change in the next century under a wide range of different scenarios. In the past estimates of climate change have had to be made using one or, at best, a very small ensemble (tens rather than thousands!) of model runs. By using your computers, we will be able to improve our understanding of, and confidence in, climate change predictions more than would ever be possible using the supercomputers currently available to scientists." Source (http://climateprediction.net)

Project web page: http://climateprediction.net

Jorge Brenner

Coastal Environment 2006: Final Reminder!

COASTAL ENVIRONMENT 2006

Sixth International Conference on Environmental Problems in Coastal Regions
Including Oil and Chemical Spill Studies

5 - 7 June 2006, Rhodes, Greece
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2006/coast2006/4.html


Dear Colleague

RE: Coastal Environment 2006: Paper Deadline 7 February 2006

A quick note to remind you that if you would like to present a Paper at the
forthcoming international conference on Environmental Problems in Coastal
Regions Including Oil and Chemical Spill Studies, you will need to submit
your abstract now. Note that the paper deadline is 7 February 2006.

Abstracts can be submitted via our website at:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2006/coast2006/4.html

Alternatively please email or fax your submission:
Email: cbartlett@wessex.ac.uk  or  Fax: + 44 (0) 238 029 2853

We look forward to receiving your abstract, and welcoming your contribution
in what promises to be a most successful conference in 2006.

Yours sincerely

Charlotte Bartlett
Conference Secretariat

Source: Marinet

Jorge Brenner

GSDI Announces Awards in Annual Small Grants Program

In the third year of its Small Grants Program, the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Association announces grants of $30,000 plus $13,500 in consulting services to fifteen organizations around the globe. This year the cash grants were enhanced with the addition of consulting from GISCorps with an equivalent value of up to $2,500 per project which allowed for both a larger number of grants and an increase in the value of grants.

The grants are aimed at assisting member organizations in building key components of their countries' emerging Spatial Data Infrastructures and are awarded to SDI coordinating bodies (councils, committees) and GIS user groups. Priority was given to projects in developing nations and countries with economies in transition. A GSDI Association team, including a representative of GISCorps, reviewed the 71 proposals and selected fifteen for grants.

Three grantees received $2,500 in funding from GSDI supplemented with voluntary services from the GIS Corps:
Institute for Ecology & Botany (Hungary) - Botany Portal
World Food Program (Mali) - SDI Application
Marshall Islands (Marshall Islands) - Metadata/clearinghouse

Nine grantees received $2,500 in funding from GSDI:
Columbia - Web Mapping Workshop
Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale (Congo) - Biodiversity Database
Directorate of Land and Property (East Timor) - SDI Workshop
Foodlink (Kenya) - Workshop on Data Inventory and Agreement
Ministry of Lands & Environment (Jamaica) - continuation of existing work
Livestock (Kenya) - Data Inventory & Clearinghouse Development
Delta (Niger) - On-line Database and Clearinghouse
Information Management (Philippines) - Building NSDI, Technology Working Groups; Policies, and Database
Management of Health Services (Uganda) - SDI Workshop

Three Grantees received voluntary services from the GIS Corps:
Biodiversity (Namibia) - Biodiversity Database
Armenia - Web-mapping Volcanoes
Kenya - Coastal Resources Maps / Oil Spills

The GSDI Association supports the work of organizations in developing their own SDI initiatives nationally and regionally, and collaborates with local, national, and international organizations to ensure that geospatial data, services, and metadata are accessible through interoperable standards-based services, systems, software, and products that operate in a web-enabled environment. The success of the GSDI Association depends on the quality of its partnerships with public, private, academic, and non-governmental organizations.
For more information visit http://www.gsdi.org.

GISCorps is an international initiative that offers GIS consulting and development services by qualified volunteers to civil society organizations.
For more information visit http://www.giscorps.org

For information about this announcement, contact:

Alan Stevens
astevens@gsdi.org

Source: news@gsdi.org 

Jorge Brenner

Second Argo Science Workshop

I am pleased to announce that the Programme for the Second Argo Science

Workshop (Venice, Italy
Wednesday March 15th - Saturday March 18th 2006) can be viewed at
http://www.argo.ucsd.edu.

There has been an excellent response to the call for papers.

The following is the outline of the workshop

Wednesday March 15th.
***************
The workshop will start with sessions on the "Integrated Approach"  in the
Symposium celebrating  "15 years of progress in Radar Altimetry".  There are
11 oral presentations and 12 posters describing the uses that are being made
of Argo data.

Thursday March 16th
**************
This will be the final day of the "15 years of progress in Radar Altimetry"
symposium.
During this day we will add the Argo posters to those displayed on
Wednesday.
Since we expect most scientists involved in Argo to be at the meeting,
Thursday will be an opportunity for meetings of groups of scientists
interested in specific Argo topics.

Friday March 17th
************
This will have 17 oral Argo science presentations on the themes
       "Heat and salt"
       "Watermass changes"
       "Ocean circulation"
and 2 hours for  viewing the almost 100 posters

Saturday March 18th
**************
Will have a similar structure to Friday with 16 oral presentations on
       "Climate applications and operational use"
       "The upper ocean"
       "New technologies and future prospects"
and a further 2 hours for posters.

The workshop is planned to conclude with an open forum discussion.

The programme for the "Integrated approach" session is accessible  at
http://earth.esa.int/venice06/programme.html

I hope that many of you, and your colleagues will be able to attend this
important demonstration of the progress that Argo has made.


Registration
********
Registration  can be done online at
http://earth.esa.int/venice06/registration.html


It would be helpful to have an e-mail from you  to argo@ucsd.edu when you
have registered so that we can keep a tally of how many people will attend
the Argo sessions.


Thank you for interest

   Dr W John Gould
   Argo Project Director and Visiting Fellow
   National Oceanography Centre
   Southampton SO14 3ZH
   UK
           Phone    +44 2380 596431
           Fax      +44 2380 596204
           e-mail   wjg@noc.soton.ac.uk

Argo web sites accessible from http://www.argo.net

Source: Marinet

Jorge Brenner

Updates on the 2006 Benthic Ecology Meeting!

Here are updates on the 2006 Benthic Ecology Meeting, set for March 8-12

in Quebec City:

1. Abstract submission deadline extended to January 21. 

2. Deadline for the hotel’s special rates extended to January 22.

3. Special sessions planned on Arctic Benthic Systems and Aquaculture &
the Environment as well as a tribute session for Edwin Bourget.

Details: The deadline for the abstract submissions has been extended
from Monday, January 16, to Saturday, January 21, to accommodate
problems with the website (now resolved), an American holiday (Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s birthday), and a number of pleas for more time.
Please consult the website for instructions on formatting and submitting
your abstract.  

We have also negotiated an extension of the deadline for making
reservations at the conference hotel at the conference rate of $115 CAD.
As we cannot guarantee this price or the availability of rooms after
this date, we strongly encourage you to make your reservations as soon
as possible (remember that reservations can always be cancelled at a
later date if your situation changes  contact the hotel for their
specific cancellation policy).  Please note that to obtain this rate you
must call the hotel directly at 1-800-463-5256 and provide the
conference code (BEN803).  The price is the same for up to a four-person
occupancy so plan accordingly.  If you are looking for a roommate,
please contact Sophie Bussières (sophie.bussieres@videotron.ca) who will
provide contact information for others in the same situation.  Students
who want a special rate ($25 CAD/night) should also contact her. 

Finally, we experienced some problems over the weekend with the address
(http://www.bem2006.org/).  The problem appears resolved but should the
problem reoccur, try this alternative address:

http://hospqbc.forest.net/Clients/Benthic/BEM_home.html

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate contacting us.

Best regards,
        
Ladd Johnson (ladd.johnson@bio.ulaval.ca)

Mathieu Cusson  (Mathieu.cusson@giroq.ulaval.ca)

Source: BEM-2006-GIROQ@LISTES.ULAVAL.CA

Jorge Brenner

WATER POLLUTION 2006 CONFERENCE

Eighth International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of

Water Pollution

4 - 6 September 2006, Bologna, Italy

Organised by:
Wessex Institute of Technology, UK
University of Coimbra, Portugal


Sponsored by:
WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

Dear Colleague

RE: Water Pollution 2006: Paper Deadline 2 May 2006

Secure Registration is available at:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2006/water2006/2.html

Location and Accommodation Information is available at:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/locations/bologna/info/index.html


Further to my recent communication, please note that there is still time to
submit an abstract for Water Pollution 2006. In order to allow enough time
for the processing and review of your abstract and the completion of your
paper, please submit your abstract within the next two weeks and note that
the paper deadline is 2 May 2006.

Abstracts can be submitted via our website at:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2006/water2006/2.html

Alternatively please email or fax your submission:
Email: cbartlett@wessex.ac.uk  or  Fax: + 44 (0) 238 029 2853

Source: Marinet

Jorge Brenenr

9th International Conference of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association

The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association is pleased to invite the global spatial data community to attend our 9th international conference in Santiago, Chile. The primary sessions will occur Monday through Friday November 6-10, 2006. Continuing with our organizational goal of fostering spatial data infrastructure developments in support of important worldwide needs, the theme of GSDI-9 is "Spatial Information: Tool for Reducing Poverty."

The conference program has been designed to accommodate opening and closing plenary sessions with keynote speakers, a special plenary session on the use of spatial technologies in addressing the plight of the poor, technical sessions in five parallel tracks for which many will have simultaneous translation in Spanish and English, half-day pre-conference and mid-conference workshops freely open to all registrants, an extensive poster exhibit and competition, and numerous organized round table discussions to allow people from common regions of the globe or with common interests to present, discuss, and share issues, experiences and plans.

The conference will be held at the Diego Portales Convention Center in the heart of the lovely city of Santiago. The program promises to be the most exciting and best yet.

GSDI-9 will support two primary forms of publication:
(1) a normal conference proceedings with abstracts and full articles
(2) a published book of fully refereed articles

For further information, see:
Conference web site: http://www.igm.cl/gsdi9/
Call for papers: http://www.igm.cl/gsdi9/english/04_Over_Call_for_Pap.htm

Submission deadlines:
    Fully Refereed Publication: Full paper due March 15, 2006
    Proceedings Publication: Abstract due May 2nd, 2006. If accepted, full paper due Sept 1, 2006

The web site will be updated regularly to give clear, full and current information.

We look forward to enjoying your company and benefiting from your insights. Please come!

Professor Harlan J. Onsrud
President, Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association

Luis A. Alegría Matta
Organizing Committee President, GSDI-9 Conference and
Director, Military Geographic Institute of Chile (IGM)

Contact: gsdi9@igm.cl or onsrud@gsdi.org
Sponsor web site: http://gsdi.org

Source: http://www.gsdi.org/

Jorge Brenner

Species Distribution Modeling Methods for Conservation Biologists

Applications are now being accepted for a course entitled: Species Distribution Modeling Methods for Conservation Biologists. Models that predict species’ potential distributions by combining observed occurrence records with digital data layers of environmental variables have great potential for application across a range of ecological analyses. The course will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of this approach (sometimes termed ‘ecological niche’ or ‘bioclimate envelope’ modeling) and is designed for students, researchers and practitioners of conservation biology. Using a mixture of lectures, hands-on computer lab applications, discussions, and case studies, course participants will learn to:

* Obtain and process data necessary for species distribution modeling;

* Run distribution models using a variety of approaches;

* Validate and interpret model results;

* Apply these techniques to a range of applications, including conservation prioritization, predicting potential impacts of climate change, and forecasting species’ invasions.

Each participant is encouraged to develop an idea for a project they would like to work on, so lessons learned during the course can immediately be applied to an example of interest. These projects can be discussed with the course organizers in advance to ensure they are appropriate. If participants do not have their own project one will be assigned to them during the course.

IMPORTANT DATES: Application deadline: April 7, 2006

Course dates: May 22 to 26 2006

COURSE LOCATION: This course will be offered at the American Museum of Natural History’s Southwestern Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The Station (http://research.amnh.org/swrs/) is located at 5,400 ft in riparian habitat, surrounded by oak-juniper-pinyon pine woodlands. The local region is of considerable biogeographical interest and the Research Station provides an ideal retreat for the course.

INSTRUCTORS: The course will be taught by three instructors – Drs. Richard Pearson (American Museum of Natural History), Catherine Graham (Stony Brook University) and Steven Phillips (AT&T Labs-Research).

COURSE FEE: $1,000 for each participant. The course fee includes room, board, and instruction in the class. Payment in full is due one month before the course begins. Unfortunately, scholarship funds to defray course expenses are not available. Participants will also need to provide their own transportation to and from the site.

APPLICATION: Those interested in participating in the course should send a short paragraph with the following information: name, contact details, current position (student, academia, government, etc.), brief statement on why you want to take the course, overview of prior modeling or GIS experience (if any), and a brief description of a project you would like to work on if you have one in mind. Please send applications and questions about course logistics to Diane Smith (dsmith@amnh.org), Southwestern Research Station, P.O. Box 16553, Portal, AZ 85632. For information about the contents of the course please contact Richard Pearson (pearson@amnh.org.

Please also see the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Remote Sensing and GIS facility website for further information: http://geospatial.amnh.org

Course webpage: http://geospatial.amnh.org/remote_sensing/training/cbc_workshops/species_modeling.html

Source: SCGIS@listserv.uri.edu

Jorge Brenner