The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

international union in the fields of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

, planetary, and

space science Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

s whose vision is to "realise a sustainable and just future for humanity and for the planet." The organisation has headquarters in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

(Germany). Membership is open to individuals who are professionally engaged in or associated with these fields and related studies, including students and retired seniors. The EGU publishes 18

open-access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...

scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...

s and a number of other science publications. It also organises a number of topical meetings, as well as education and outreach activities. Its most prominent event is the EGU General Assembly, an annual conference that brings together over 15,000 scientists from all over the world. The meeting's sessions cover a wide range of topics, including

volcanology Volcanology (also spelled vulcanology) is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma and related geological, geophysical and geochemical phenomena (volcanism). The term ''volcanology'' is derived from the Latin word ''vulcan''. Vulcan was the anci ...

, planetary exploration, the Earth's internal structure and atmosphere,

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, and

renewable energies Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...

. The EGU has 22 scientific divisions that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the organisation.

History

The EGU was established by the merger of the European Geophysical Society (EGS) and the European Union of Geosciences (EUG) on 7 September 2002. Council members of the two organisations came together at Hotel Platzl in Munich, Germany, to sign the Union into existence. The final stages of the merger were completed on 31 December 2003. The EGU founding members were: Jan Backman, Jonathan Bamber, Ray Bates, Günter Blöschl, Lars Clemmensen, Max Coleman, Peter Fabian, Gerald Ganssen, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, David Gee, Fausto Guzzetti, Albrecht Hofmann, Jürgen Kurths, Yves Langevin, John Ludden, Arne Richter,

Michael Rycroft Michael John Rycroft (born 15 July 1938) is an ionospheric physicist. Early life After Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood (1951–57) his first degree was in physics from Imperial College London (1960) and his PhD was in meteorological physics f ...

, W. Schlager, Roland Schlich, Isabella Premovi Silva, Christopher Spotl, Håkan Svedhem, Hans Thybo, Bert Vermeersen, David Webb, Jerzy Weber, Richard Worden. On 12 February 2004, the EGU signed the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. The EGU Executive Office moved to central

on 1 August 2010, and later expanded by hiring six more staff members in addition to the EGU Executive Secretary, Philippe Courtial. In August 2011, the EGU signed an agreement with the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

(AGU) and with the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) with the aim to promote the cooperation between the institutions. In June 2019, the EGU announced a new chapter in its history: the Union launched a new strategy and moved its Executive Office to new premises in the Berg am Laim area of

Conferences and meetings

The European Geosciences Union convenes a yearly General Assembly. The first EGU General Assembly took place from 25 to 30 April 2004, in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, with the aim to gather together EGU members and other planetary, space and Earth scientists from all around the world. On this occasion the EGU also celebrated researchers for their contribution, with 21 Union and division prizes and medals. The EGU General Assembly moved to Vienna in April 2005 where it has since taken place annually, at the

Austria Center Vienna Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ci ...

. The first EGU co-sponsored geoscience meeting (the first

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

conference) was held in

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

. Afterwards, the co-sponsored programme expanded into conference series, meetings, workshops and training schools. The EGU

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

Conferences cycle started in 2015 when the first call for proposals was launched. At the 2019 meeting in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, there were 5,531 oral, 9,432 poster, and 1,287 interactive content (PICO) presentations. Over 16,000 scientists from 113 countries participated in the conference Abstracts of presentations are published in the ''Geophysical Research Abstracts'' (print: , online: ). The 2018 EGU General Assembly hosted 15,075 scientists from 106 countries participated, of which 53% were under the age of 35 years. Over 17,000 abstracts were presented at the meeting.

Publications

The first EGU newsletter came out in November 2002. The ''Eggs'' magazine became the EGU newsletter after the completing of the merging between EGS and EUG in 2003. The three-monthly newsletter was modernised in late 2012 and both its format and its name were changed in GeoQ. The necessity to give reports of its activities on a more regular basis, led the EGU to further change its newsletter format and name (now

EGU newsletter EGU or eGU may refer to: * E-Government Unit, of the Cabinet Office of the government of the United Kingdom * Eagle Air (Uganda), a Ugandan airline * English Golf Union, now merged into England Golf * European Geosciences Union, an interdisciplinar ...

) in January 2015. The actual newsletter is an e-mail version, having a monthly frequency. At the General Assembly, the EGU has a daily newsletter called EGU Today. In 2010 the EGU released its official blog, which soon became a quick-to-read source of information about the EGU activities and on research in the Earth, planetary and space sciences fields. The blog has now grown to include division blogs and network blogs. EGU has also published academic books and other publications. Since 2001, the EGU and

Copernicus Publications Copernicus Publications (also: Copernicus GmbH) is a publisher of scientific literature based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1994, Copernicus Publications currently publishes 28 peer-reviewed open access scientific journals and other publicat ...

have published a growing number of

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

Journals

In October 2002 the first EGU journals were published by transferring the property of the EGS publications ''Advances in Geosciences'' (''ADGEO''), ''

Annales Geophysicae ''Annales Geophysicae'' is an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research within Earth science. Abstracting and indexing This journal is indexed in the following databases: According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', ...

'' (''ANGEO''), ''

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ''Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics'' is an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the European Geosciences Union. It covers research on the Earth's atmosphere and the underlying chemical and physical processes, including the al ...

'' (''ACP''), ''

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ''Hydrology and Earth System Sciences'' (HESS) is a monthly peer reviewed open access scientific journal that publishes original research in hydrology and related field like water resource management. The journal is published by Copernicus Publi ...

'' (''HESS''), ''Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences'' (''NHESS'') and ''

Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics ''Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics'' is an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research within Earth science. Abstracting and indexing This journal is indexed in the following databases: According to the ''Journal Cita ...

'' (''NPG'') – to the EGU. The open access journals ''

Biogeosciences ''Biogeosciences'' is an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal of the European Geosciences Union launched in 2004 by editors-in-chief Jean-Pierre Gattuso and Jürgen Kesselmeier. It covers all aspects of the interactions between the biolo ...

'' (''BG'') and ''

Ocean Sciences Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...

'' (''OS'') had been launched via

in March and November 2004, respectively. In 2005, EGU launched the open access journals ''

Climate of the Past ''Climate of the Past'' is an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research within Earth science. Abstracting and indexing This journal is indexed in the following databases: According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'' ...

'' (''CP'') and ''eEarth'' in July and October, respectively through Copernicus Publications. The latter was replaced by '' Solid Earth'' journal in 2009. The open access journals ''

The Cryosphere ''The Cryosphere'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on all aspects of frozen water and ground (especially glaciers) on Earth and on other planetary bodies. It was established in 2007 and is published by Copernicus Publications on beha ...

'' (''TC'') and ''

Geoscientific Model Development ''Geoscientific Model Development'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. It covers the description, development, and evaluation of numerical models of th ...

'' (''GMD'') were released in 2007 via

. In June 2007, the EGU launched Imaggeo, an open access database featuring photos and videos relating geosciences. In August 2008, the ''

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ''Atmospheric Measurement Techniques'' is an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research within Atmospheric sciences. Abstracting and indexing This journal is indexed in the following databases: According to the ''Journal ...

'' (''AMT'') journal was first published, and the journals ''Solid Earth'' (''SE'') and '' Earth System Dynamics'' (''ESD'') began publication in February and March 2010 respectively. In 2011, '' Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems'' (''GI'') was first published. On 7 April 2013 the open access journals '' Earth Surface Dynamics'' (''ESurf'') and ''SOIL'' were launched via Copernicus Publications. In April 2018, EGU launched the open access journal '' Geoscience Communication'' (''GC'') and the compilation '' Encyclopedia of Geosciences'' (''EG''), a collection of articles in between traditional review articles and online encyclopediae. EGU's newest journals are Geochronology, launched in April 2019, and '' Weather and Climate Dynamics'', launched in August 2019. *''

'': covers the sciences of the Sun-Earth system, including

space weather Space weather is a branch of space physics and aeronomy, or heliophysics, concerned with the time varying conditions within the Solar System, including the solar wind, emphasizing the space surrounding the Earth, including conditions in the ma ...

, solar-terrestrial plasma physics, and the Earth's atmosphere. *''

'': covers the Earth's atmosphere and the underlying chemical and physical processes. It covers the altitude range from the land and ocean surface up to the

turbopause The turbopause, also known as the homopause, marks the altitude in an atmosphere below which turbulent mixing dominates. Mathematically, it is defined as the point where the coefficient of Eddy diffusion is equal to the coefficient of molecular dif ...

, including the

troposphere The troposphere is the first and lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, and contains 75% of the total mass of the planetary atmosphere, 99% of the total mass of water vapour and aerosols, and is where most weather phenomena occur. From ...

stratosphere The stratosphere () is the second layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is an atmospheric layer composed of stratified temperature layers, with the warm layers of air ...

, and

mesosphere The mesosphere (; ) is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. In the mesosphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases. This characteristic is used to define its limits: it ...

. *''

'': covers

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

, in-situ and laboratory measurement techniques for the constituents and properties of the Earth's atmosphere. *''

'': covers all aspects of the interactions between the biological, chemical, and physical processes in terrestrial or extraterrestrial life with the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. *''

'': covers the climate history of the Earth, including all temporal scales of climate change and variability, from geological time through to multidecadal studies of the last century. *'' Earth Surface Dynamics'': covers the physical, chemical and biological processes shaping the Earth's surface and their interactions on all scales. *'' Earth System Dynamics'': covers the functioning of the whole Earth system and global change. *''

Geochronology Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments using signatures inherent in the rocks themselves. Absolute geochronology can be accomplished through radioactive isotopes, whereas relative geochronology is ...

'': covers physical, chemical, and biological processes used to quantify time in all environmental and geological settings throughout Earth's history. *'' Geoscience Communication'': covers all aspects of outreach, public engagement, widening participation, knowledge exchange *'' Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems'': covers the area of geoscientific instruments. *''

'': covers numerical models of the Earth system and its components. *''

'': covers research in

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

, placed within a holistic Earth system science context. *'' Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences'': covers research on natural hazards. *''

'': covers nonlinear processes in all branches of Earth, planetary, and solar system sciences. *''

Ocean Science Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

'': covers all aspects of ocean science. *''

Soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

'': covers soil system sciences at the interface between the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. * ''Solid Earth'': covers the composition, structure and dynamics of the Earth from the surface to the deep interior at all spatial and temporal scales. *''

'': covers all aspects of frozen water and ground on Earth and on other planetary bodies. *'' Weather and Climate Dynamics'': covers all aspects of dynamical processes in the atmosphere.

Awards

The EGU bestows a number of annual awards and medals to recognise scientific achievements. Four of these medals are at union level: *the Arthur Holmes Medal for Solid Earth Geosciences, *the Alfred Wegener Medal for atmospheric, hydrological, or ocean sciences, *the Jean Dominique Cassini Medal for planetary and space sciences, and *the

Alexander von Humboldt Medal The International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) promotes contact between scientists and others interested in the study of vegetation ecology, promotes research and publication of research results. In 1939 the International Phytosocio ...

for scientists from developing countries (with emphasis on Latin America and Africa), who have achieved exceptional international standing in geosciences and planetary and space sciences, defined in their widest senses. The EGU also has four union awards: *the Angela Croome Award, for Earth, space and planetary sciences journalism *the Arne Richter Awards for Outstanding Early Career Scientists (formerly Outstanding Young Scientist Award), for achievements made by early career scientists in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences (these awards are selected from the Division level Outstanding Early Career Scientists Award Winners. *the Katia and Maurice Krafft Award, for geoscience outreach and engagement *Union Service Award, for outstanding services for the EGU. At division level there are 27 medals for outstanding scientists and division awards for early career researchers. Each year Outstanding Student Poster and PICO Awards are selected for participating divisions.

References

External links

*
Imaggeo: the online open access geosciences image repository of the European Geosciences Union

EGU Newsletter: a monthly, email information service for EGU members

GeoLog, the official EGU blog

EGU division and network blogs
{{authority control * International scientific organizations based in Europe Earth sciences societies Meteorological societies Scientific organisations based in Germany Scientific organizations established in 2002 2002 establishments in Germany