Announcing a Scientific Session and Workshop at SIL98
We are pleased to announce that there will be a plenary lecture, scientific session (contributed platform papers and posters), and workshop at the Dublin 1998 XXVII SIL Congress on the topic of Regionalization of Freshwater Ecosystems.
Interest in the regional characteristics inherent in aquatic systems and the interdisciplinary approaches that can be used to further understand them for a variety of scientific and management purposes has grown in the last several decades. Now, institutions throughout the world are actively seeking better and more cost effective means of managing their dwindling and threatened freshwater resources. To accomplish this in a scientifically credible way requires knowledge of landscape classification, ecological indicators, spatial and temporal scales, attainable conditions, sampling designs, restoration approaches, natural variability, and trend analyses. Applying such knowledge in an integrated way toward structuring and implementing a focused effort at a large spatial scale is “regionalization”.
The purpose of the plenary lecture, scientific session and workshop at SIL98 is to share ideas, approaches, and analyses that examine and document various regional sampling design and analysis schemes used around the world and evaluate their degree of success.
Plenary Lecture: Professor John Magnuson, Director for the Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, will present the plenary lecture entitled “Lakes in the Landscape: Approaches to Inverting the Telescope” (co-author Tim Kratz) which will draw on his many years of limnological experience and involvement in the Northern Lakes LTER program.
Scientific Session: A scientific session will be convened for an entire day, accommodating approximately 12 platform presentations. These presentations will be selected to provide a broad perspective on the various elements of regionalization. We anticipate that presentations comparing different approaches will be included. There will likely be more than 12 interested presenters, therefore, the scientific session will also feature poster presentations.
We encourage you to submit an abstract to SIL on any topic relating specifically to regionalization (regional analysis) of freshwater ecosystems. Some topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- landscape classification schemes for freshwaters
- approaches for different resource types (lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands)
- indicator development, selection and interpretation
- decoupling natural variability and anthropogenic degradation
- sampling/monitoring design
- site selection
- temporal and spatial scales
- reference condition(s)
- setting attainable goals
- restoration
- trend detection and analysis
- representativeness
Workshop: We will conduct an evening workshop on this same topic, hopefully on a different day. The purpose of the workshop will be to determine if there is enough known and demonstrated about approaches to the regionalization of freshwater ecosystems to consider preparing aMitteilungen (intermittant SIL communication) contribution for SIL. We anticipate that there will be two or three short presentations at the start of the workshop, followed by discussion, on the following topics: 1. definitions of terms; 2. linking aquatic resources – the landscape connection; and 3. future directions. If there seems to be consensus among the workshop participants that there is enough known to proceed to define and coordinate a Mitteilungen contribution, the co-convenors of the workshop will initiate this task and solicit contributions from the attendees and others.
For more information about this session and abstract submission contact our Web Page at http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/sil98.htm or contact one of the Co-Convenors
Dixon H. Landers
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Western Ecology Division
200 SW 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
E-mail: Landers@mail.cor.epa.gov
Phone: (541) 754-4427
Fax: (541) 754-4716
Richard Johnson
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Department of Environmental Assessment
Box 7050, S-750 07
Uppsala, Sweden
E-mail: Richard.Johnson@ma.slu.se
Phone: +46 18 67 3127
Fax: +46 18 67 3156
Anders Berntell
Swedish Ministry of the Environment
Section 5
S-103 33 Stockholm, Sweden
E-mail: anders.berntell@environment.ministry.se
Phone: +46 8 405-2058
Fax: 46-8-723-1160