International Scientific Conference (Annual Commission Conference), devoted to the International Year of Fresh Water

Second Announcement

International Scientific Conference (Annual Commission Conference), devoted to the International Year of Fresh Water

IGU Commission for Water Sustainability

NGO “International Scientific-Research Center on Water, Climatic and Recreational Resources”
THE RATIONAL USE AND CONSERVATION OF WATER RESOURCES IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

Venue: Yerevan, Armenia

10 - 15 July 2003
The IGU Commission for Water Sustainability, together with the NGO “International Scientific-Research Center on Water, Climatic and Recreational Resources”, is organizing a 6-day International Scientific Conference on “The Rational Use and Conservation of Water Resources in a Changing Environment” to be held in Yerevan (Armenia), and is inviting You to participate in it. The conference is devoted to the International Year of Fresh Water – 2003.

THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME OF THE CONFERENCE

The conference is aimed at the discussion of the issues of the dynamics of the quantitative and qualitative changes of water resources in a changing environment, analysis and evaluation of the causes of these changes, collaborative development of strategic programmes for appropriate policy on the conservation and use of water resources in the new millennium, which will foster the conservation of the environment and sustainable development of community.

The conference will be held in the form of panel and session meetings.

The Conference is calling for papers focusing on the following major themes

Section 1. Management of surface and groundwater resources

Section 2.Methods for evaluating and monitoring the pollution of water resources

 Section 3. Water ecosystems, their conservation and modeling

 Section 4. New approaches to the evaluation and forecasting of changes in water resources

under conditions of the global warming

 Section 5. Hydro-ecological problems in the Caucasus region

 Section 6. The problem of fresh water

Preliminary Programme

July 9 – Arrival in Yerevan

July 10 – Registration, Opening Ceremony, Oral Presentations

July 11 – Oral and Poster presentations

July 12 - 14 – Fieldtrip (see below)

July 15 – Oral Presentations. Closing Ceremony and Banquet
IGU Organizing Committee

Tony Jones (Chair, UK)

Academician Changming Liu (China)

Ming-ko Woo (Canada)

Olga Scarpati (Argentina)

Claudio Cassardo (Italy)

Tom McMahon (Australia)

Heinz-Theo Mengelkamp (Germany)

Kazuki Mori (Japan)

Peter J Robinson (USA)

A K Sinha (India)

K U Sirinanda (Brunei)

I J van der Walt (South Africa)

Jun Xia (China)

International Scientific Organizing Committee

Alexeevsky N.I. (Russia)

Beliy A.V. (Kazakhstan)

Duka G. (Moldova)

Grigolia G.L. (Georgia)

Kereselidze D.N. (Georgia)

Loginov V.F. (Belarus)

Mamedov M.A. (Azerbaijan)

Mussaelian S.M. (Russia)

Semsar Yazdi A.M. (Islamic Republic of Iran)

Waylen P. (USA)
Local Organizer: Trahel Vardanian (Armenia)

Organizing Secretary: Christina Hakopian (Armenia)
REGISTRATION FEE

Categories	Registration Fee		Registration Fee (For CIS countries participants)
	Before May	After May 1 and during the registration	Before May	After May 1 and during the registration
Participant	$ 210	$ 240	$ 160	$ 185
Student and Post-Graduate	$ 90	$ 105	$ 60	$ 70
Accompanying Person	$ 150	$ 170	$ 100	$ 115

Registration fee includes

 conference proceedings book and other documentation

 participation in the panel and section meetings

 excursions in Yerevan and its suburbs

 coffee breaks

 banquet

transportation from and to the airport

accommodation and meals (during three days- July 10, 11,15).
The Registration fee can be transferred to the following account.
Bank Account

INTERMEDIARY BANK: CITIBANK, N. A.

NEW YORK, USA

SWIFT: CITIUS33

BENEFICIARY’S BANK: ACCOUNT 36017277

ARMENIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

YEREVAN, ARMENIA

SWIFT: ARDEAM22

BENEFICIARY: CHRISTINA HAKOPIAN

ACCOUNT: 1810001189663311

In case the Organising Committee receives additional financial support and grants for the conference, it will cover certain expenses of participants. The information will be provided separately.

CULTURAL PROGRAMME AND TOURS IN YEREVAN AND ITS SUBURBS

For the participants of the conference and the accompanying persons, sightseeing tours in Yerevan and is suburbs, as well as cultural events on July 10, 12, 15 (second half of the day) will be organised. The following tours are scheduled:

 The ruins of the Zvartnots temple (the temple was built in VII century AD and collapsed at the end of X century)

 Mother See of Echmiadzin (built in 301-303 after the adoption of Christianity in Armenia as the state religion; considered the Holy place of Armenians, and the spiritual center of the country).

 Fortress-city Erebouni (founded in 782 BC, situated in the southeastern part of Yerevan and considered the “birth certificate” of Yerevan)

 Matenadaran (scientific-research institute of ancient manuscripts, the book depository of ancient Armenian (from 405) and foreign (Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Assyrian, Greek, Latin and others) manuscripts

 Armenian Brandy plant (tasting of different Armenian worldwide known brandy types)
Other tours are also possible. See more detailed information about the tours in Yerevan and its suburbs in the third announcement.

FIELDTRIP

A three-day fieldtrip will be organised to different regions of Armenia – Lake Sevan, the Aragats massif and the valley of the Arpa river. Armenia is rich in diverse natural-climatic conditions and a complex hydrographic network. Here, in a small area, we can find a wide variety of hydrological features - rivers with different sources of discharge (snow-melt, rain, groundwater, glacial melt water and mixed regimes), lakes of different origin (tectonic-volcanic, crater, dam, glacial, groundwater), artesian and normal groundwater, small mountain glaciers, reservoirs of various sizes, canals, unique hydro-technical constructions etc. In other words, Armenia can be considered a hydrological laboratory.

The fieldtrip will explore examples of these and study the anthropogenic factors polluting these water resources, together with visits to a number of hydro-technical establishments.

Route 1 (July 12)

Yerevan-Valley of the Hrazdan River-Lake Sevan-Yerevan

Participants will visit the valley of the Hrazdan River, which is totally regulated by man and is the only river flowing from Lake Sevan. They will also visit the Sevan underground hydropower station and Lake Sevan– the largest freshwater lake in the region. There is also a hydro-meteorological observatory on the Sevan peninsula. This route also includes a tour to the Olympic town of Tsaghkadzor, where we will go up to the top of mount Teghenis on a cableway and will see the alternation of landscape belts.
Route 2 (July 13)

Yerevan- Lake Ayghr Lich – Aragats –Yerevan

Participants will visit Lake Ayghr, which has an underground water supply, the volcanic massif of the Aragats (4090 m) and Lake Kari, which is of glacial origin, located on the upper slopes of the Aragats at a height of 3190 m. On the way, there are historical and cultural monuments as well as the famous Burakan observatory.
Route 3 (July 14)

Yerevan-Ararat-Valley of the Arpa River-Jermouk-Yerevan

Participants will visit the artesian waters of Ararat basin, the valley of the Arpa River, minor mudflows around there, the Kechut reservoir, where the water accumulated in it flows through a 49 km long underground tunnel, and then flows into Lake Sevan, and finally the waterfall and major mineral water springs in Jermouk. The route includes a tour to the Jermouk mineral water plant and a number of architectural monuments.

The total cost of Fieldtrip for three days (July 12, 13, 14) is USD180 (before May 1) and USD210 (after May 1) for all participants it includes:

 transportation

 accommodation

 meals

Please, note that the fieldtrip cost is not included in the registration fee.

LANGUAGES OF THE CONFERENCE

The languages of the conference will be English, Russian and Armenian. There will be simultaneous translators available.

PUBLICATION

Conference proceedings will be published prior to the beginning of the Conference. The participants may choose to send their papers for publication in English or Russian (preferably, in English). If the paper is in Russian, a detailed, one-page abstract in English is required (at the beginning of the paper) The title of the paper, first and last name of the author(s) in English must be included.

You may send the papers to the following email addresses: [e-mail] or

[e-mail]

The deadline of submission of papers is April 15, 2003.

The rule of the paper format:

The text must be typed in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, А4 format.

The title of the paper – in CAPITAL LETTERS, IN THE CENTER, BOLD, FONT SIZE-14. Line Spacing- 2 * 1,5.
Last name, the initial letter of first and middle name of the author- in bold, font size 12. Line spacing 1*1,5.

Organization, country -12, space. Line Spacing 2 * 1,5.

Key words – maximum 5. Line Spacing - 2 * 1,5.

Text: Font size – 12; line spacing – 1,5; paper length – maximum 5 pages, including tables, figures, references. The tables and figures must be in the paper in Word format. Please, don't send the figures and tables in separate files. The list of references must be typed in the alphabetic order, make the references in the text in round parentheses, indicating the last name and the initials of the author(s) and the publication year.

Margins: top and bottom– 2 cm, left – 3 cm, right – 1 cm.

While typing, set the automatic division of words, please.

The editing and publication cost for the conference proceedings is included in the registration fee. In case the participant cannot attend the conference and does not pay the registration fee, he/she has to pay USD30 before May 1, 2003 for editing, publication and postage of the conference proceedings. The bank account data are introduced above.

The Organizing Committee has the right of rejecting the papers, which are formatted inappropriately, do not correspond to the theme of the conference, and lack scientific value, as well as make all the necessary changes. The participants will be informed of the remarks and decisions of the Organizing Committee in advance.

A BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT ARMENIA AND YEREVAN

Armenia occupies a territory of about 30 thousand km². According to the data of 2002, the population is 3,2 million people. The geographic coordinates of the country are: from the north-41⁰20' N, from the south- 38⁰50' N, from the west-43⁰30^/ E, and from the east-46⁰00^/ E. Armenia is a mountainous country; the mean altitude of the territory is 1800m above sea level, the highest point is mount Ararat- 4090m, the lowest is the valley of the Debed river-380m. More than 90% of the territory is located on the height of 1000m. The maximal extent of the Republic from north to south is 360km, from west to east-200km.

Armenia is situated in the subtropical zone and has a dry continental climate. The mean annual precipitation fall amounts to 550mm, minimum-200-250mm has been observed in the Ararat valley, where the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, is; the maximum precipitation fall is in the higher mountain-slopes -900-1000mm. Precipitation mainly falls in spring and autumn; summer is dry and hot. The mean temperature in July reaches + 25, +27 ⁰C in the lowlands of the Republic (Ararat valley, Yerevan, 800-1000m), the maximum has been + 42⁰C; the mean temperature in January is ­­(– 4-5 ⁰C), the minimum has reached (– 46 ⁰C) (by lake Arpi, 2000m high).

Armenia is a very anciet country. It was mentioned about as early as in II millennium B.C. The country has rich culture and architecture, the development of which was fostered by the adoption of Christianity as the State religion (301AD) and invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots (405AD). Side by side with numerous historical-architectural monuments there are Christian temples and cross-stones (khachkar) - the silent witnesses of the multicentury history of the Armenian people.

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is situated in the northeastern part of Ararat valley, which expands in the central part of the Armenian Highland. The plateau where Yerevan is located is by three sides surrounded by mountains: on the northeast rises the massif Aragats (4090m), on the east are the spurs of the Geghama mountain range. Only in the south, Yerevan depression gradually goes down to the Arax river, beyond which is the majestic massif of Big (5165m) and Small Ararat.

The territory of the city is 265 sq km, the population is 1,1 million people.

The city is very anciet, co-aged with Carthagene and Ninivah. This year the city will celebrate its 2785^th anniversary.

According to the majority of researchers, the name of the city originates from the fortress-city Erebouni (Erebouni, Erevan), built by a Urartian king Argishti I in 782 BC. The hill, where the archaeologists reconstructed the ruins of the fortress-city Erebouni, is in the southeastern part of Yerevan.

The relief of Yerevan is diverse; the altitudinal variations reach 400m (800-1200m). The Hrazdan river flows in the picturesque gorge through the city. Yerevan is one of the hottest cities in Armenia. The mean annual temperature is +11, +12 ⁰C, the mean temperature in January reaches (-5,5) ⁰C, the mean temperature in July - +25, +26 ⁰C, but sometimes it may be as high as +38, +40 ⁰C. In summer, in the evenings winds blow from mountains to the valley alleviating the intense heat. The mean annual precipitation fall is 300-330mm, in July-10-13mm.


ACCOMMODATION

The participants of the conference can stay at the hotel offered by the Organizing Committee, where the conditions are quite appropriate. The cost of this hotel are included in the registration and fieldtrips fee. In case you wish to stay in other hotels of the city, you must pay for them separately. The following hotels are offered:

Hotel Metropol

Room Types (category)	Rack Rates
Deluxe Single	For 1 person $ 110	For 2 people $ 125	For 3 people $ 140
Deluxe Double	For 1 person $ 110	For 2 people $ 125	For 3 people $ 140
Junior Suite	$ 140
Senior Suite	$ 150
Connecting Rooms	$ 200
Residential Suite	$ 280

Hotel Armenia

Room Types	Rates
Deluxe Single	$ 138
Deluxe Double	$ 138

Hotel Congress

Room Types	Rates
Single	$ 78
Double	$ 108
Double Twin	$ 108
Congress Executive	$ 120

PASSPORT AND VISA

A valid passport is required from all visitors to the Republic of Armenia.

Citizens, visiting Armenia for less than 21 days, may obtain a visa at «Zvartnots» international airport upon arrival in Yerevan. They need to pay USD30 (USD20-if less than 3 days). If you have a transit flight to Yerevan (through Moscow), you will need a Russian visa as well. If there is an Armenian Embassy in your country, we recommend to make the visa at the Embassy.

For detailed information, please, contact the Organizing Committee of the Conference.

The CIS participants do not need a visa to Armenia. Of the CIS countries, citizens from Turkmenistan need a visa.

WEATHER

The weather in the second decade of July in Yerevan is usually hot, sunny, without precipitation. The mean air temperature is + 25, +27 ⁰C, the relative humidity- 45-50%. For fieldtrips, we recommend to take sun-glasses, hat, umbrella, and suntan cream, because the solar radiation is intense. You might also need a warm sweater or a jacket for the expedition to the slopes of mount Aragats, where on the height of 3000m it may be quite cold.

CURRENCY IN ARMENIA

Armenian Dram (AMD) is the national currency. The exchange rate is: AMD 590 are equivalent to USD1, and AMD18 to 1 Russian Ruble, AMD 640 are equivalent to Euro1. We strongly advise you not to use the services of private entities, but exchange your money in banks or exchange offices.

EXHIBITION

During the conference, an exhibition of the recent publications in the spheres of hydrological, meteorological, and climatic researches will be opened. The Organizing Committee welcomes and encourages You to present new monographs, textbooks and manuals, methodic elaborations published in Your country in the latest ten years. If you wish, you may leave two samples of the publications with an inscription to the organizers of the conference: the IGU Commission for Water Sustainability and the NGO “International Scientific-Research Center on Water, Climatic and Recreational Resources”.
IMPORTANT DATES

Registration Form	April 1, 2003
Deadline of Submission of Papers	April 15, 2003
Early Payment of Registration Fee	May 1, 2003
Third Announcement	June 1, 2003

INFORMATION FOR SPONSORS
All organisations that provide financial or other kind of support for the organisation of the conference will have an opportunity of disseminating advertising material among the participants of the conference, the placing of the material in the folders for participants, advertising by TV, Radio, as well as the press, and your services.

In case You get interested in supporting the conference, please, contact the Organising Committee.

For all questions contact the Organizing Committee - Christina Hakopian

Email: [e-mail] or [e-mail]
You can find the information in English in the following web address:

http://water-sustainability.ph.unito.it