Understanding rapid geological change and its importance for people and landscapes
by
Antony R. Berger
IUGS Geoindicators Initiative, Victoria, BC, Canada

Despite the fact that many geological processes can be seen at work within a normal human lifetime, rapid abiotic changes in landscapes are commonly overlooked in ecosystem assessment, state-of-the-environment (SoE) reporting, and other aspects of environmental management and planning. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and eruptions do attract much attention, but there are other geological processes that can change on a decadal or faster time scale and that can influence the physical and chemical environment. These include shoreline changes, sediment and soil erosion, karstification, frozen ground activity, and groundwater quality. A convenient summary and description of these and other physical and chemical landscape parameters is presented in the geoindicator concept (www.geoindicator.org). This has been designed primarily to explain the importance of rapid geological change to those non-geoscientists responsible for environmental planning and management. Geoindicators also help to focus attention on the causes of change - whether by human or non-human agency. One example is the current Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which includes a special study of the Argentine Pampas. This identifies floods, soil erosion and surface water contamination as key parameters influencing human well-being, but says little about other geoindicators that may be relevant. Other areas where geoindicators can be usefully applied include national park management, assessing the environmental impacts of mining and quarrying, SoE reporting on a national scale, and identifying public health issues connected to geological processes and materials.

Date received: October 26, 2004

Copyright © 2004 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # caod-09.