Photo courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Upcoming Meetings/Programs
The Third International Palaeontological Congress: London 2010
Following the highly successful meetings in Sydney and Beijing, the Third International Palaeontological Congress (www.ipc3.org) will be held in London in 2010, based in venues in and around Imperial College and the Natural History Museum. The meeting will be hosted by The Palaeontological Association and partner organizations from the 28th June - 3rd July 2010. As in Sydney and Beijing, we plan to showcase contemporary palaeontology through a diversified and exciting scientific programme.
NORTH AMERICAN PALEONTOLOGICAL CONVENTION
2009
North American Paleontological Convention, 2009, in Cincinnati. Pre-registration is now open for NAPC 2009, which will take place on the University of Cincinnati campus, June 21 to June 26 (pre-registration deadline is June 1, 2009). Full details can be found at the meeting website: http://www.napc2009.org/ . In addition to the online registration form, you can find a variety of logistical information about field trips, meal-plan options and other amenities, student reimbursements, traveling to Cincinnati, social activities, and much more! In all, more than 500 abstracts were accepted for the meeting, and the full program will be posted at the website in late April. For additional information, feel free to contact Arnie Miller, chair of the organizing committee (arnold.miller@uc.edu).
P. S. Sponsored Sessions at Regional G. S. A. Meetings This Year
SOUTHEASTERN
Paleobiology of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. Gregory Herbert, University of South Florida; Shubhabrata Paul, University of South Florida.
This session will highlight the diverse paleobiological and paleoecological records of the southeastern U.S. coastal plain sediments, emphasizing the Neogene and Quaternary intervals. Presentations of new data and interpretations regarding evolutionary dynamics, ecological processes, and environmental changes represented in the paleontological records of the region are encouraged.
NORTHEASTERN
Climatic Change: Perspectives & Insights from Hothouse & Icehouse Climates in Deep Time. David Sunderlin, Lafayette College; Kira Lawrence, Lafayette College.
Because the instrument-produced record of climatic variations is short relative to the time scales on which many climate system processes operate, understanding the dynamics and effects of recent and future climate change requires a deep time perspective. Paleobiological and biogeochemical information in the terrestrial and marine stratigraphic record provide data for examining pre-Quaternary climate conditions and their variability at both local and global scales. We seek to convene a diverse session broadly encompassing studies that explore climate signatures preserved in the ancient biosphere and geologic record as well as the context those signatures provide for recent climate change. We invite papers that explore case studies in paleoclimatic analysis as well as those that consider new methodological approaches to the study of deep time climates.
Advances in Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Paleozoic Dark Shales. Alex Bartholomew, SUNY-New Paltz; Diana Boyer, SUNY-Oswego.
Amongst the vast array of paleoenvironments preserved in the rock record, dysoxic to anoxic, shale-dominated facies remain some of the most poorly understood. At the same time, these rocks preserve many resources that have recently become economically attractive. Recent investigations into a broad spectrum of shallow- to deep-water, low oxygen paleoenvironments have brought about a much better understanding of processes that dominated ecology and deposition in this important suite of sedimentary facies.
Bioevents, Tectonics, and Sea-Level Change in Marine to Non-Marine Strata of Northeastern North America. Sean Cornell, Shippensburg University; Patrick McLaughlin, Wisconsin Geological Survey.
In recent years, the Paleozoic marine to non-marine intervals of eastern North America are being reexamined from the perspective of paleontology, event stratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, etc. These analyses are shedding significant insight into multiple types of biotic events and a range of environmental disturbances, especially within the Ordovician through Devonian succession. These studies are also contributing to the understanding of tectonic events and the timing of tectonism within the Paleozoic of eastern Laurentia. An increasing number of studies show that the stratigraphic record is punctuated by environmental disturbances on multiple spatial and temporal scales. These disturbances evidently had significant yet differing degrees of impact on marine and non-marine organisms, and they have been attributed to fluctuations in sea level, climate, sea water chemistry, primary productivity, etc. Nonetheless, the linkages between each disturbance event and their specific effect on marine and non-marine floras and faunas are challenging to unravel. This session will focus on highlighting the range of approaches used to explore critical environmental, biotic, and tectonic changes during this time interval in order to demonstrate the major strides that have been made.
NORTH-CENTRAL
Vertebrate Paleontology. Mike Henderson; Michael Ryan.
Fossils in Time and Space. Cosponsored by the Paleontological Society. Shanan E. Peters; Dana H. Geary.
Paleozoic Fishes: Evolution, Paleoecology, Systematics, and Assemblages. Chuck Ciampaglio.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
New Developments and Discoveries in Paleozoic Stratigraphy and Paleontology in the Rocky Mountains and Basin and Range. Scott Ritter, Brigham Young University; Forest Gahn, Brigham Young University–Idaho.
Mesozoic Paleontology, Sedimentology, and Geochronology of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. Brooks Britt, Brigham Young University.
Contemplating an event to be sponsored by PS?
If you are thinking of organizing a future short course or a GSA topical session, please contact the PS Program Coordinator, Rowan Lockwood (rxlock@wm.edu).
