General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, Hamburg 1983 - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1983 - 120 Pfennig

The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), founded in 1919, is an international scientific non-governmental organization. It is divided into 7 associations (geodesy, seismology and physics of the Earth's interior, volcanology and chemistry of the Earth's interior, geomagnetism and aeronomy, meteorology and atmospheric physics, hydrology oceanography) and pursues the purely scientific aim of promoting and coordinating all studies that deal with issues of Figure and physics of the solid earth, the oceans and the atmosphere deal. In addition to ground-based measuring methods, sophisticated satellite techniques contribute to the collection of the data required for this purpose. The multidisciplinary international research programs initiated and conducted by the IUGG, in part in collaboration with the International Union of Geological Sciences, include in particular the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958) and the Upper Earth Mantle (1961-1970) projects, Geodynamics «(1971-1979) and» Dynamics and Development of the Lithosphere «(from 1980). A groundbreaking result of this geoscientific research is the development and constant refinement of the global theory of plate tectonics, which places the continental movement postulated by Alfred Wegener in 1912 into a larger framework. The IUGG currently has 78 member countries through its respective scientific organization. For the Federal Republic of Germany this is the German Research Foundation (DFG) with the National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics (NKGG) as direct contact partner of the IUGG. Highlights of the scientific activities of the IUGG are the General Assemblies, which take place every four years with the participation of some 1,000 geoscientists. Their program includes interdisciplinary symposia, keynote speeches and a large number of special events organized by associations, commissions and working groups. In addition, administrative meetings, field trips and exhibitions by specialist companies and geoscientific institutes are carried out. The invitation to Hamburg issued by the NKGG in 1979 was accepted by the IUGG at the last General Assembly in Canberra. Thus, an IUGG General Assembly takes place in Germany for the first time in 1983, after the predecessor of the IUGG, which in 1862 on the initiative of the Prussian General J. J. Baeyer founded "Internationale Erdmessung", held its last "General Conference" in Hamburg. The organization of this major geoscientific event is the responsibility of the NKGG. It is supported by the Alfred Wegener Foundation and funded by the DFG and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The Federal President has assumed the patronage, the opening speech will be held by the President of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. (Text: Prof. Dr.-Ing Wolfgang Torge, Institute of Earth Measurement, University of Hannover, Chairman of the National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics)