International Association of
Geomagnetism and Aeronomy

Annual Report 1999

Summary

The main activity for 1999 was the participation in XXII IUGG General Assembly, July 18 - 30, 1999 in Birmingham, UK. The scientific highlight of the meeting was the first union lecture on "MARS AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ELSEWHERE," presented by IAGA Member, Dr. Edward C. Stone (USA). 915 of the participants representing 60 countries registered an affiliation with IAGA. IAGA hosted 67 symposia addressing diverse topics from the Earth's interior to the Sun and beyond. Approximately 900 papers were presented in these symposia. IAGA co-sponsored 27 Inter-Association Symposia and Workshops including those on scientific live issues such as the working of the geodynamo, space weather, climate change and electromagnetic effects associated with volcanoes and earthquakes. Approximately 1,250 papers were presented in these joint symposia. An Inter-Association Commission with participation by IASPEI and IAVCEI was established on Electromagnetic Studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes. IAGA members co-convened 3 of the 7 Union Symposia. With support of the local organizing committee, ICSU/UNESCO travel grants were issued to 119, or 17% of the applicants, deserving participants, mostly young scientists from developing countries.

The General Assembly was used to establish international agreements on models and guidelines. The International Geomagnetic Reference Field for 2000 was issued in November 1999. The revised international exchange format for geomagnetic data was agreed upon and issued in January 2000. The Polar Cap (PC) index of geomagnetic activity in the polar region, which is also an indirect measure of the interplanetary magnetic field, was officially sanctioned. We would like to highlight the first IAGA Resolution to encourage collaborative programs to mark the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year.

IAGA News No. 39, which focused on activities during the XXII IUGG General Assembly, was published in October 1999. However, the Web site, www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA, has been a effective mechanism to disseminate information and news in a timely manner. IAGA applied for and received a 1999 ICSU grant to support INTERMAGNET efforts to modernize and standardize global observations of the magnetic field. One international symposium and workshop were held in Russia and India, respectively.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa invited all delegates to the 9th Scientific Assembly of IAGA to be held jointly with IASPEI in Hanoi in August 2001.

IAGA Co-Sponsored Symposia and Workshops

In 1999 IAGA co-sponsored the following symposia and workshops:

1. "First International Workshop on Long-term Changes and Trends in the Atmosphere," February 16-19, 1999 at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India.
2. "The 2nd TIGER (Thermosphere/Ionosphere Geospheric Research) Symposium," June 9-10, 1999 at the S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Executive Committee Meetings

Executive Committee meetings were convened by Dr. M. Kono, IAGA President, on July 17th and 26th during the IAGA General Assembly in Birmingham, UK with all members in attendance.
Approved the minutes of Executive Committee meeting in Uppsala on August 3,1997 as submitted by Dr. JoAnn Joselyn.

Approved the revised IAGA Statutes and By-Laws for submission to the Conference of Delegates.

Approved the recommendations of the Nominations Committee for submission to the Conference of Delegates.

Approved the Financial Committee's report for 1997 and 1998.

Approved budgets for 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Dr. Herbert W. Kroehl (USA) was appointed to fill the remaining term of the office of Secretary General.

Accepted the proposal for a new inter-Association Commission with IASPEI and IAVCEI concerning 'Electromagnetic Studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes.

Declined an invitation to co-sponsor the International Journal of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy published by AGU.

Approved financial support for 9 co-sponsored symposia and workshops in 2000 and support for one symposium that did not request funding. They are:

1. "Space Weather: Progress and Challenges in Research and Applications," March 20-24, 2000, Clearwater, Florida USA
2. "Fifth International Conference on Substorms," in May, 2000, St. Petersburg, RUSSIA
3. "IX IAGA Workshop on Geomagnetic Observatory Instrument, Data Acquisition and Processing," (In Honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Observatory), June 12-18, 2000, Hubanovo, SLOVAKIA
4. "The 7th Biennial Castle Meeting on New Trends in Geomagnetism," June 19-25, 2000, Castle Moravany, SLOVAKIA
5. "Space Storms and Space Weather Hazards," June 19-29, 2000, Heraklion, Crete, GREECE
6. "33rd COSPAR Assembly," July 16-23, 2000, Warsaw, POLAND
7. "Lower Atmosphere Effects on the Ionosphere and Upper Atmosphere," July 25-28, 2000, Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
8. "15th Electromagnetic (EM) Workshop," August 19-26, 2000, Cabo Frio, BRAZIL
9. "The First S-RAMP Conference," October 2-6, 2000, Sapporo, JAPAN
10. "SPARC Second General Assembly," November 6-10, 2000, Mar del Plata, ARGENTINA

IAGA Conference of Delegates

The Conference of Delegates meetings were convened by Dr. M. Kono, IAGA President, on July 19th and 28th during the IAGA General Assembly in Birmingham, UK. Twenty-four accredited delegates on the 19th and thirty-four accredited delegates answered the roll call on the 28th. Thirty-nine member countries sent delegates with appropriate credentials. The Conference approved the minutes of the 1997 Conference of Delegates, the 1999 Report of the Finance Committee, and discussed and approved the actions of the Executive Committee since the 8th IAGA Scientific Assembly in Uppsala Sweden. The new nominating and election procedures designed to promote diversity in member and discipline participation proposed by the Nominations Committee were adopted. Revised Statutes and By-Laws designed to remove internal ambiguities and inconsistencies with IUGG Statutes and By-Laws were approved. New officers and members of the Executive Committee were elected.

The Executive Committee for 1999-2003 (with an election for Secretary General in 2001):

President:		Dr. David Kerridge (UK)
Vice Presidents:		Dr. Charles Barton (Australia)
		Dr. Jan Lastovicka (Czech Republic)
Secretary-General:		Dr. Herbert Kroehl (USA)
Past President:		Dr. Masaru Kono (Japan)
Members:		Dr. Eigil Friis-Christiansen (Denmark)
		Dr. Y. Kamide (Japan)
		Dr. G. Lakhina (India)
		Dr. M. Menvielle (France)
		Dr. S. Ogunade (Nigeria)

IAGA Resolutions in an Abbreviated Form

• IAGA recommends that national and international agencies support efforts and initiatives to develop collaborative programs. These are directed towards studies of the physics and dynamics of solar-terrestrial and solar-planetary systems during the period 2003 to 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the IGY and to act as a springboard for future research.
• IAGA urges National Committees to take the initiative in their respective countries to ensure free access to databases created for or by scientific activities and to advise, if necessary, appropriate authorities to take legislative action to ensure free access policies for scientific databases.
• IAGA urges action to be taken to start suitable magnetic observations at Pebek or a nearby site in Siberia as soon as possible.
• IAGA recommends that support be given to the creation of a permanent space patrol for monitoring solar ionizing radiation (EUV and soft X-ray) for investigating the physics of the upper atmosphere and for space weather forecasting radiations.
• IAGA requests that the Academy located in Taipei (China/Taipei) urge the appropriate agency to continue observations by setting up a new observatory and to continue to operate Lunping Observatory until an appropriate period of parallel observations has been completed.