The International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) was founded in 1928. It has members from a number of scientific disciplines who study the environmental changes that occurred during the glacial ages, the last 2.6 million years. One goal of these investigators is to document the timing and patterns in past climatic changes to help understand the causes of changing climates.
| Abbreviation | INQUA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1928 |
| Type | INGO |
Region served | Worldwide |
Official language | English |
President | Thijs Van Kolfschoten (Netherlands) |
Secretary-General | Eniko Magyari (Hungary) |
Parent organization | International Science Council |
| Website | INQUA Official website |
INQUA is a member of the International Science Council (ISC). INQUA holds an international congress normally every four years. The congresses serve as an educational forum as well as the opportunity for the various commissions, committees, and working groups to conduct business in person. Past congresses have been held in Copenhagen (1928), Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) (1932), Vienna (1936), Rome (1953), Madrid (1957), Warsaw (1961), Boulder (1965), Paris (1969), Christchurch (1973), Birmingham (1977), Moscow (1982), Ottawa (1987), Beijing (1991), Berlin (1995), Durban (1999), Reno (2003), Cairns (2007), Bern (2011) and Nagoya (2015).
The most recent INQUA Congress (XIX) was held in Dublin, Ireland, in July 2019. In 2023 the next INQUA Congress (XXI) will take place in Rome, Italy.
Climate change
In 2007, the union issued a statement on climate change in which it reiterated the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and urged all nations to take prompt action in line with the UNFCCC principles:
Human activities are now causing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases - including carbon dioxide, methane, tropospheric ozone, and nitrous oxide - to rise well above pre-industrial levels….Increases in greenhouse gasses are causing temperatures to rise…The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action….Minimizing the amount of this carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere presents a huge challenge but must be a global priority.
INQUA Congress
| Nr. | Year | Congress | Term | President | Secretary-General | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21. | 2023 | Rome | Italy | |||||
| 20. | 2019 | Dublin | Ireland | 2019-2023 | Thijs Van Kolfschoten | Netherlands | Eniko Magyari | Hungary |
| 19. | 2015 | Nagoya | Japan | 2015-2019 | Allan Ashworth | United States | Brian M Chase | France |
| 18. | 2011 | Bern | Switzerland | 2011-2015 | Margaret Avery | South Africa | Julius Lejju | Uganda |
| 17. | 2007 | Cairns | Australia | |||||
| 16. | 2003 | Reno, Nevada | United States | |||||
| 15. | 1999 | Durban | South Africa | |||||
| 14. | 1995 | Berlin | Germany | |||||
| 13. | 1991 | Beijing | China | |||||
| 12. | 1987 | Ottawa | Canada | |||||
| 11. | 1982 | Moscow | Soviet Union | Boris Sokolov | Soviet Union | |||
| 10. | 1977 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | |||||
| 9. | 1973 | Christchurch | New Zealand | |||||
| 8. | 1969 | Paris | France | |||||
| 7. | 1965 | Boulder, Colorado | United States | |||||
| 6. | 1961 | Warsaw | Poland | |||||
| 5. | 1957 | Madrid | Spain | |||||
| 4. | 1953 | Rome | Italy | Gian Alberto Blanc | Italy | |||
| 3. | 1936 | Vienna | Austria | Gustav Götzinger | Austria | |||
| 2. | 1932 | Leningrad | Soviet Union | Ivan Gubkin | Soviet Union | |||
| 1. | 1928 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Dmitry Mushketov | Soviet Union | |||
INQUA Medals
Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal
Since 2007 INQUA has awarded biannually the Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal to an "outstanding young [early-career] Quaternary scientist ... working in any branch of Quaternary science".
Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal recipients
- 2007 Chris Turney
- 2009 Zenobia Jacobs
- 2011 Yuki Sawai
- 2013 Not awarded
- 2015 Robert E. Kopp
- 2017 Amaelle Landais
- 2019 Qiuzhen Yin
- 2021 Julie Loisel
- 2023 Qiaomei Fu
Liu Tungsheng Distinguished Career Medal
Since 2011 INQUA has awarded quadrennially the Liu Tungsheng Distinguished Career Medal, awarded to "a senior Quaternary scientist who has made significant and distinguished contributions that have advanced Quaternary science through dedicated service to the international community".
Liu Tungsheng Distinguished Career Medal recipients
- 2011: Stephen C. Porter
- 2015: Ann G. Wintle
- 2019: Nicolas Lancaste
- 2023: Denis-Didier Rousseau
INQUA Distinguished Service Medal recipients
- 2015: Nathaniel W. Rutter
- 2019: Marie-France Loutre
- 2023: Norm Catto
See also
- Quaternary science
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about International Union for Quaternary Research, What is International Union for Quaternary Research? What does International Union for Quaternary Research mean?