IUGG XXI
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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
H. Moritz
President, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Honoured guests, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I have the honor to be the last speaker, so I can be brief.
It is a privilege to open a General Assembly in a nation which all scientists admire, and in a city which is representative of this nation's nature, culture and science.
Let me start with two personal remarks.
My first IUGG General Assembly was held also in USA: in Berkeley, California, in 1963, 32 years ago. As a young man, I had the opportunity to listen and talk to all the eminent scientists whom I had known only from the literature. It was an unforgettable experience to me, an experience which was decisive for my future career in science and was the beginning of my love for IUGG.
I mention this because the need for such big interdisciplinary General Assemblies is frequently questioned. A General Assembly and small special meetings are mutually complementary; both types of meetings are necessary.
The second remark is on the city of Boulder: here the US National Geodetic Survey has provided an ideal opportunity to the British Brigadier Martin Hotine to write the book "Mathematical Geodesy" (1969) which has proved enormously influential in Geodesy. I am sure similar things have happened in other branches of Geophysics as well.
So IUGG has ample reasons to be extremely grateful to the U.S. National Committee for IUGG and the American Geophysical Union to have invited us to this scientifically, culturally and naturally exciting place.
IUGG has been in existence now for more than 75 years. Basic research has provided an extensive quantitative understanding of our Planet (and other planets as well). We must understand precisely how the System Earth, from the Earth's core and mantle to oceans and atmosphere works if we want to make applications in the present directed towards a better future. As in other sciences as well, theory and practice are inseparably intertwined, and basic research is essential for applications.
I need not go into details: you will be abundantly exposed to them in this General Assembly. Let me only mention some obvious applications: weather forecasting, prediction of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, the evolution of climate. To give just one example: everybody speaks about global warming but nobody can give an exact quantitative estimate in degrees per year. Cooperation with such projects as Global Change (the Geosphere-Biosphere Program) and the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction is natural.
The various branches of Geophysics are both visibly independent and subtly interrelated: the Earth forms a complex system in the precise meaning in which Complexity Theory is now understood. The Theory of Complexity and its application to the Earth System are only at the beginning; further research should provide fascinating and important results.
The considerable independence of various branches of geophysics is the reason why the bulk of the work of IUGG is performed by the Associations: from Geodesy and Seismology to Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography. Therefore, the independence of the Associations has been a strong tradition in IUGG, which has proved to be extremely efficient. In this sense during my Presidency, the IUGG Executive Committee has adopted several measures to strengthen the position of the Associations within IUGG.
Unfortunately, immediately after an excellent and promising business meeting in Boulder a year ago, we got a terrible setback in precisely this direction: IAPSO unilaterally decided not to meet with us in Boulder here, but to have a separate Assembly in Hawaii next month. The USNC, the IUGG Secretary General, and myself tried very hard to dissuade IAPSO from doing so, but unfortunately in vain. Although the fault situation is clear, I consider this the g reatest defeat in my deliberately Association- oriented Presidency. Fortunately, the USNC took a positive measure to minimize the negative consequences of IAPSO's decision, especially as regards joint symposia (which provide the coherence between the Associations!), also offering a strong oceanography program at Boulder, especially for the benefit of international participants.
With respect to foreign participants we received another formidable blow less than two months ago: the International Science Foundation which was expected to finance participants from the countries of the former Soviet Union, announced that for lack of funds it was unable to provide this financial support. Imagine that this was announced after the IUGG already has disposed of all its travel grant money. Furthermore, no Geohost Program was available this time.
This means a serious limitation of the internationality of IUGG that is one of its basic strengths. As a matter of fact, the International Science Foundation is beyond our influence, but nevertheless I offer my official and sincere apologies to the colleagues from FSU who, for this reason, have been unable to come to Boulder. As a matter of fact, this is also a great loss to the scientific work to be done at this Assembly.
I have talked to you about our shortcomings rather than about achievements. Strong criticism is particularly inappropriate because 1995 has been declared internationally the Year of Tolerance. Fortunately most of you will hardly notice the shortcomings and will have ample opportunity to be acquainted with the latest achievements in geodesy and geophysics, through Union Symposia and Union Lectures, Association and Inter-Association meetings and, last not least, through informal discussions and exchange of ideas, as well as making new scientific friends.
I wish you all a busy and fruitful General Assembly, such an Assembly being the greatest scientific event we have in Geodesy and Geophysics.
Thus I declare the General Assembly of IUGG open.
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