The Earth Living Skin : Soil, Life and Climate Changes

The Conference

Invitation to attend

We are glad to invite you to ELS 2014 - the Earth Living Skin: Soil, Life and Climate Changes - the first Conference organized under the auspices of the Soil System Sciences (SSS) Division of the European Geosciences Union. ELS 2014 will be held next 22 – 25 September 2014, in the Old Central Post Office Building (Vecchio Ufficio Centrale delle Poste) Piazza Cesare Battisti (opposite the Central University building “Palazzo Ateneo”) in downtown the city of Bari.

The Conference set up the ambitious goal of studying soils as the main environmental interface where atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere design and model incredible living systems. Here, physical, chemical and biological reactions and processes feed the continuous conflict between stability and changes occurring with time. ELS 2014 aims to gather the thoughts and the findings of scientists coming from all the different disciplines related to the soil systems: soil science, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, hydrological sciences, environmental microbiology, ecology, climatology, and natural hazards, only to mention the main ones. Scientists and researchers with a temporary or consolidated interest for these fields of science are warmly invited to participate to this Conference, to bring their knowledge or their doubts, thus contributing to create a permanent forum of stimulating scientific debates.
We strongly believe in scientific robot tondeuse sans fil périphérique and human contamination and we want to offer you the chance of sharing your results, meeting interesting people and finding enthusiasm and passion for scientific work in a gorgeous natural area of southern Italy.

The scientific program will be structured according to the proposed sessions, open to contributions, received within the new deadline, November 15th, 2013. In November the call for abstracts will be launched untill March 2014.

You are kindly invited to propose sessions, special events, technical meetings, short courses as well as soc ial activities, send abstracts in and join us in Italy in 2014.

Teodoro Miano, University of Bari, Italy
Artemi Cerda, University of Valencia, Spain
Johan Six, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
Claudio Zaccone, University of Alberta, Canada

Deadlines

15 November, 2013: Deadline for submission of specific session proposals
2 December 2013: publication of the list of scientific sessions on the website
From 3 December 2013 to 11 May 2014: Submission of Abstracts
2 June 2014: Deadline for abstracts acceptance
8 July 2014: Deadline for payment of early registration fee
31 August 2014: Deadline for payment of regular registration fee
After 31 August 2014 and on-site: payment of late registration fee
22-25 September 2014: Conference

Destination and Venue

The city of Bari is located on the sunny and warm Adriatic coast in Southeastern Italy, in the Region of Puglia of which is the regional capital. Bari counts around 400,000 inhabitants, is a very commercially active and tourist attractive city provided with a modern airport with several daily international and national flights and a port featuring daily ferry connections with Greece, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia.

The city features an old medieval area rich in renowned monuments, including the Romanic Basilica of San Nicola and the Cathedral of the 11th-12th century, several medieval, romanic and baroque and renaissance churches and buildings of various styles, narrow streets and small squares permeated by a suggestive atmosphere, and several small restaurants, pubs and bars.

The old city is surrounded by the active and crowded city centre that features long strait streets and avenues, several buildings of the 19th-20th century, including the central University building, the Ateneo, elegant shops, restaurants of all types, pubs and bars. A typical feature of Bari is the impressive boulevard along the seashore (Lungomare), about 2-km long, with the old small harbor still hosting small fishing boats.

The Conference will take place in the Old Central Post Office Building (Vecchio Ufficio Centrale delle Poste) Piazza Cesare Battisti (opposite the Central University building “Palazzo Ateneo”) in downtown the city of Bari.

The city centre is surrounded by the modern and wider city that includes the scientific Campus of the University of Bari and the Polytechnic of Bari, and several other Research Institutes.

The beaches south and north of the city are renowned for their fine white sands often surrounded by pine woods and cliffs of calcareous rock. The province of Bari and the region of Puglia offer a number of beautiful towns, both on the coast and on the hills, rich of culture, monuments and architectural features, and an agricultural land rich of centuries-old olive trees, vineyards and orchards.

General Information

CONFERENCE DATES AND VENUE

22 - 25 September 2014
Old Central Post Office Building (Vecchio Ufficio Centrale delle Poste)
Piazza Cesare Battisti (opposite the Central University building “Palazzo Ateneo”), in downtown the city of Bari.

HOW TO REACH THE CONFERENCE VENUE

by airplane

Bari is located in the Southern-East part of Italy, and is connected to Europe and the entire World through a large number of direct national and international flights or connections via Rome Fiumicino airport, Milan Malpensa airport, Milan Linate airport and other important Italian airports.

Bari-Palese “Karol Wojtyla” international airport is about 12 km from Bari.

Taxi cab transportation is available from the airport to any place in the city.

A blue coloured shuttle bus continuously connects the airport with the Railway Main Station at Piazza Aldo Moro (next to the main entrance of the Station and two blocks from the Conference Venue). The shuttle bus goes to Bari-Palese airport 80 minutes before every flight. Tickets can be bought on the bus.

There is also the new Railway line that connects the “Karol Wojtyla” international airport with the Main Railway Station.

To reach the Conference Venue: from the Railway Station proceed towards Piazza Aldo Moro and walk along Sparano street. Continue straight to Umberto I square. At the end of the square turn on the left along Domenico Nicolai street, the Conference Venue will be after one minute on walk on the left.

Bari Airport: +39 080 5800200

www.pugliairports.it
http://treni.aeroportidipuglia.it/

taxi services (about 20-25 minutes from the city centre)

Nuova CO.TA.BA. - Phone number: +39 080 5543333 - www.taxibari.it

Apulia, Taxi - Phone number: +39 080 5346666 - www.apuliataxi.it

Tempesta Bus Company

Direct connection from the airport to the Main Station, and vice versa (Towards Via Andrea da Bari,44 corner with Via Calefati, after five minutes departing from the Main station)

Schedule: See Bus Schedule
Time table Bus TEMPESTA http://www.autoservizitempesta.it/en/orari.php
Travelling time: 25 / 30 minutes
Ticket price: € 4.00 per ride to buy on the bus

public bus service from the airport

AMTAB BUS n° 16
From the airport to city centre and vice versa (A. Moro Square/Railway Main Station)
Schedule: service starts at 05.00 am and ends at 21.30 pm.
Average waiting time is 40-60 minutes.
Return ride includes stops at Via Capitaneo, Via Ranieri and Via Diaz.
It also stop at Viale Europa, Via B. Buozzi, Via Crispi, Via Piccinni, Via Q.Sella, Corso Italia.
Travelling time: 35 / 40 minutes
Ticket price: € 1,00 (valid for 75 minutes)
Timetable AMTAB linea urbana n°16
http://www.amtab.it/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view;=wrapper&Itemid;=129

by train

The Main Railway Station of Bari is connected by long distance express trains to Rome, Milan, Bologna, Napoli, Brindisi, Lecce, Taranto and several other Italian main cities.
To reach the Conference Venue see directions given above.

by car

From the north and the west: highway A14, take the exit towards Bari Nord. Take the A14/E55 towards Bari centro/Brindisi. Take the Bari Zona Industriale Exit towards the beltway (S.S. 16), keep the left at the crossroads, to continue towards the SS96 and take the SS96. Cross the roundabout and continue along Mario Pagano street and then along Dante Alighieri street. Turn on the right along Andrea da Bari street, take the first on the right, to Domenico Nicolai street, Your destination point is on the right, at Cesare Battisti square.

From the south: beltway (S.S 16) to “Foggia”, take the exit towards Bari Nord. Take the A14/E55 towards Bari centro/Brindisi. Take the Bari Zona Industriale Exit towards the beltway (S.S. 16), keep the left at the crossroads, to continue towards the SS96 and take the SS96. Cross the roundabout and continue along Mario Pagano street and then along Dante Alighieri street. Turn on the right along Andrea da Bari street, take the first on the right, to Domenico Nicolai street, Your destiantion point is on the right, at Cesare Battisti square.

From east: highway A14, take the exit towards Bari Sud. Turn right and head towards “Foggia”. take the exit towards Bari Nord. Take the A14/E55 towards Bari centro/Brindisi. Take the Bari Zona Industriale Exit towards the beltway (S.S. 16), keep the left at the crossroads, to continue towards the SS96 and take the SS96. Cross the roundabout and continue along Mario Pagano street and then along Dante Alighieri street. Turn on the right along Andrea da Bari street, take the first on the right, to Domenico Nicolai street, Your destination point is on the right, at Cesare Battisti square.

OFFICIAL CONFERENCE LANGUAGE

The Official Conference language is English. No simultaneous translation will be provided.

GUIDELINES

SESSION CHAIRS

Please be in your session Room at least 10 min before the starting of the Session and check the presence of presenting Authors.
Please, duly consider that speakers must strictly observe given schedule.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Oral presentations must be prepared using PowerPoint 2007 or further versions (a laptop and a projector will be provided).
Authors are kindly requested to upload their presentations in the slide centre at least 30 minutes before the time block of their session. For sessions starting at 8.30, the PowerPoint presentation must be uploaded in the afternoon of the previous day. A lecture room assistant will be available for any help.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Poster assistance
Poster boards are positioned in the Main Hall of the Conference Venue.
Each poster will be indentified by the session and consecutive numbers.
The size of the poster boards is cm. 240 high and cm. 95 wide.

Poster set up and removal
Posters should be affixed between h. 08.00 and h. 08.30 and removed by h. 20.00 of the day of presentation (see the General Programme), and only in the afternoon of the first day (22 September). Early next day, posters still on the boards will be removed and discarded. Adhesive material will be provided at the registration desk.

EXHIBITION AREA

An exhibition area will be available at the Conference Venue where participants will have the possibility to visit the booths of various exhibitors.

VISA

No visa is required for citizens of the European Union and several other world Countries. However, Visa may be required for some countries. Please check with the Italian Consulate in your country and provide yourself for your Visa issue. We suggest to request in due time (at least three months before the Conference dates) any needed supporting invitation letter in order to avoid problems of late Visa issue.
CHANGES AND/OR AMENDMENTS
Selecto Srl reserves the right to make any changes for organizational or logistics reasons, which will be promptly notified by e-mail.

Scientific Programme

Downloads
FINAL_PROGRAMME.pdf (6 Mb)

How to access the Programme

There are two different approaches to access the ELS2014 programme in your preferred way:

  1. Browse by session: Online view of the sessions and their oral and poster sub-sessions sorted by session numbers;

  2. Personal Programme: Online tool to generate your own personal programme by selecting specific presentations or sessions. To be printed, saved in the Copernicus Office (for later recall or modification), or generated as PDF.

GENERAL SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME PLANNING


Downloads
GeneralScientificProgrammePlanning.pdf (48 Kb)

GUIDELINES

SESSION CHAIRS

Please be in your session Room at least 10 min before the starting of the Session and check the presence of presenting Authors.
Please, duly consider that speakers must strictly observe given schedule.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Oral presentations must be prepared using PowerPoint 2007 or further versions (a laptop and a projector will be provided).
Authors are kindly requested to upload their presentations in the slide centre at least 30 minutes before the time block of their session. For sessions starting at 8.30, the PowerPoint presentation must be uploaded in the afternoon of the previous day. A lecture room assistant will be available for any help.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Poster assistance

Poster boards are positioned in the Main Hall of the Conference Venue.
Each poster will be indentified by the session and consecutive numbers.
The size of the poster boards is cm. 240 high and cm. 95 wide.

Poster set up and removal

Posters should be affixed between h. 08.00 and h. 08.30 and removed by h. 20.00 of the day of presentation (see the General Programme), and only in the afternoon of the first day (22 September). Early next day, posters still on the boards will be removed and discarded. Adhesive material will be provided at the registration desk.

Scientific Programme

The Earth Living Skin 2014: Soil, Life and Climate Changes is the first of a Conference of the Soil System Sciences (SSS) Division of the European Geosciences Union. The Conference Scientific Program will focus on the fundamental role of soil systems, multiphase complex organisms which generates and sustain life onto the planet. Soils are the skin of earth and therefore represent magnificent intermediate substrates where most of the key environmental phenomena occur and where land, climate, living organisms and humans contribute to define typical patterns and characteristics.

The Scientific Programme is planned to merge the most recent and stimulating concepts and findings of the numerous disciplines related to soil systems: soil science, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, hydrological sciences, environmental microbiology, ecology, climatology, and natural hazards, only to mention the main ones. Scientists and researchers with a temporary or consolidated interest for these fields of science are invited to participate to this Conference to bring their experiences and results and to contribute to create a permanent forum of stimulating scientific debates.

The scientific program backbone will be structured on the sessions proposed by Conveners and co-Conveners during the first call for Sessions, open to contributions till October 2013. In November the call for abstracts will be launched and opened untill March 2014.

The Conference Series initiates a novel scientific experience around an environmental compartment, the soil, which represents the “critical system” of the earth surface, bridging several environmental compartments and biogeochemical phenomena. We sincerely hope you will be able to set this Conference in your agenda and to join us in 2014.

The Conference structure follow the bottom-up format of EGU General Assembly with a very general thematic framework, and sessions workshops, short courses, technical meetings, roundtables, debates and/or demonstrations distributed along the week in the various rooms and facilities of the venue.

The Programme is organized into three successive steps:

Call for Session Proposals and Skeleton Programme:
Any interested person is cordially invited to submit proposal(s) for convening sessions and/or workshops, and/or organizing short courses, debates, round tables, technical meetings and further events. Proposals have to be submitted from July till November 15, 2013 through the ELS2014 website (www.els2014.eu); they should include the title, the main scientific/technical objectives, and a brief description of the topic proposed. The session proposals will define a skeleton program to be approved by the Program Chairs after the deadline of the call for sessions. Conveners will have the responsibility of inviting one or two co-Conveners, organizing and promoting their session/event, inviting potential contributors to submit abstracts, approving voluntary contributions and distributing them between oral and poster sessions. In the approval phase, gender diversity, diversity in countries/Institutions, and younger scientist Conveners/co-Conveners will be appreciated.

Scientific Programme Finalization:
The Skeleton Programme of the Conference will be finalized, validated by the Scientific Committee and opened to abstract submission from 3 December 2013 to 11 May 2014. Any accepted event will be held in one of the main meeting rooms of the venue, and will be reasonably distributed along the time schedule of the event. Additional space may be obtained under request.

Call for Abstract:
Any interested person will be invited to submit abstracts and/or ideas to the scientific session, workshops and other events of the Conference from 3 December 2013 to 11 May 2014. An informative sheet will help the participant to select the preferred/appropriate event(s) to which the abstracts/ideas can be submitted. An abstract processing fee will be requested.

Abstract fee is € 45,61

SESSIONS

Sessions and additional events shall define the Skeleton Programme of the Conference. Oral and Poster submissions will complete the scientific programme once approved by the Programme Chairs. Oral contributions will be allocated in Oral Blocks (OB) whereas poster contributions will be presented in Poster Blocks (PB). Four (4) Oral Blocks will be distributed along the day in the various rooms available at the venue. Poster sessions will be allocated in the same day of the corresponding oral session. The following scheme is representative of the provisional time table of the event for each Oral Room.

OTHER EVENTS

Beside scientific session, proposals to organize additional events ( topical workshops, debates, technical meetings, short courses, etc.) are strongly encouraged. A stimulating Accompanying Persons Programme will be planned. Further technical information will be available on the Conference web site at www.els2014.eu.

Committees

Proposals

Open Call for Proposals

Any interested person is cordially invited and encouraged to submit proposal(s) for convening symposia and/or workshops, and/or organizing short courses, business meetings, open debates, round tables, technical specialized meetings and/or demonstrations (successively called “events”). Proposals have to be submitted by 15 November 2013 through the appropriate form available in the ELS2014 website at the following link.

Proposals must include the title, the main scientific/technical objectives, and a brief description of the topic proposed.

All proposals received will be duly considered, reviewed and evaluated. Conveners will have the responsibility of inviting possibly one or two co-Conveners, organizing and promoting their individual symposium/workshop, inviting potential contributors to submit abstracts, approving voluntary contributions received and distributing them between oral and poster sessions. In the approval phase, gender diversity, diversity in countries/Institutions, and younger scientist Conveners/co-Conveners will be appreciated.

Abstract Management

Public Call for Abstract

Any interested person will be invited to submit abstracts and/or ideas to the various scientific symposia, workshops and other events of the Congress from 3 December 2013 to 11 May 2014.

How to submit an Abstract?

Use a text editor of your choice to compile your abstract: Title, Author(s), Affiliation(s) of author(s), and the Abstract Text;
Browse through the Session Programme and select the session of your interest;
Use the link “Abstract Submission” at the respective session;
You are asked to login to the Copernicus Office Meeting Organizer. Use your account data or create a new account;
Fill in the submittal information about Title, Author(s), and Affiliation(s) of author(s);
Choose between Plain Text, LaTeX or WORD content with regard to the Abstract Text;
Copy-and-Paste your information into the form or download and use the WORD template;
Check the generated PDF file of your edited and formatted abstract;
If the conversion of your abstract fails please specify your problems, we will then take care;
In any case, please indicate your invoice details for the Abstract Processing Charge (see below) as well as your payment method (credit card or PayPal);
Submit your abstract. Your credit card will be checked and debited.
In case any questions arise, please contact us (meetings@copernicus.org).

General Remarks

Abstracts should be short (300–500 words), clear, concise and written in English with correct spelling and good sentence structure.
Mathematical symbols and equations must be typed in, and metric symbols should be used. Figures and tables should not be included!
We recommend that the abstract is carefully compiled and thoroughly checked, in particular with regard to the list of authors, before submission in order to avoid last minute changes.
The submission of an abstract carries with it the obligation that it is actually presented at the meeting by the author or, at least, by one of the co-authors!

Abstract Processing Charges (APC)

An Abstract Processing Charge (APC) of € 45.61 must be paid for each abstract submission.
APCs can be paid by credit card or PayPal.
Abstracts are only processed and available for the session organization after the payment is completed. Please note that this is a processing fee and not a publishing fee.
APCs are not refundable in case of an abstract withdrawal, rejection or double submission. The fees collected cover the cost to process the abstracts whether or not one attends the meeting.
The APC does not register you for the ELS2014. Separate registration fees apply.

Send us your Abstracts

Other links
Abstract Information:
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/ELS2014/abstractinformation

Abstract Update:
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/ELS2014/abstractupdate

Abstract Withdrawal:
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/ELS2014/abstractwithdrawal/

Registration

*Proof of student status must be provided by a relevant certificate signed by the tutor and must be sent by email (info@els2014.eu) or fax (+39 0805218556) soon after the registration, otherwise the form cannot be accepted.

The Conference Registration Fee includes:
Attendants/Students:
Access to the opening and closing ceremony, attendance at all scientific sessions and to the exhibition and poster areas, name badge, congress kit, scientific programme, proceedings of the conference on a USB flash drive and certificate of attendance;

The fee does not include anything not specifically mentioned above under the heading “The Conference Registration Fee includes”.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

Payments can be made, before the conference date, by:
Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, Cartasì, Diners Club)
Bank transfer (method of payment possible until 31 August 2014) in Euro payable to: Selecto Srl

Bank: Banca Popolare di Milano
Iban: IT 07 F 05584 04000 000000001204
Swift/Bic: BPMIITMM292

The bank transfer must indicate the name of the participant and the title of the conference ‘ELS2014’. The sender must pay all bank charges. Copy of the bank transfer must be sent by email (info@els2014.eu) or fax (+39 0805218556) soon after the registration, otherwise the form cannot be accepted.

IMPORTANT:
At the conference venue you can pay the registration fee only by CASH.

CONFIRMATION

The secretariat will issue you a complete confirmation letter including all details related to the booked services and payments received.
The confirmation will be sent by email within 10 September 2014.
Participants who have not email address are invited to fill-in the “fax number” field in the registration form.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

Cancellations must be sent in writing by e-mail or fax to Selecto Srl. Any refund will depend on the date of reception of the cancellation and on the following conditions:

by 30 June 2014: no penalty for cancellation;
by 31 July 2014: the refund will be 70% of the fee;
by 31 August 2014: the refund will be 30% of the fee;
after 31 August 2014: no refund of the fee.

Note: All refunds will be processed by Selecto Srl after the congress.

CHANGES AND/OR AMENDMENTS

Selecto Srl reserves the right to make any changes for organizational or logistics reasons, which will be promptly notified by e-mail.

Downloads
REGISTRATION_FORM.pdf (123 Kb)

Hotel Accommodation

NB. Prices are per night per room and include breakfast and VAT.

The Hotel reservation have to be done through the ”Accommodation Form” and instructions that can be found on this website.
Rooms at a favourable price have been optioned by the agency SELECTO in the city centre of Bari.
Several hotels of various categories have been reserved in order to meet all needs. As the number of rooms available in each hotel is limited, rooms will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.
Should all hotels selected be unavailable, the secretariat will suggest alternative accommodation.
In order to avail the rates published above, you have to book through the secretariat and not directly with the hotel.
Changes, if any, have to be requested in writing to the secretariat and acceptance depends on availability.

TERMS AND METHODS OF PAYMENT

Deposit 1 night for each room;
Balance on departure;
Booking fee € 12,00 for each room.

Payments must be made by:
Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, Cartasì, Diners Club)

CANCELLATION, PENALTIES AND REFUND POLICY

Cancellations must be sent in writing by e-mail or fax to Selecto Srl. Any refund will depend on the date of reception of the cancellation and on the following conditions:

Hotel Accommodation

There will be no penalty for cancellations made by 17 August 2014;
A penalty of one night for each room will be applied for cancellations after 17 August 2014 and for no show

Booking Fee
There will be no refund for administrative fees.

Note: All refunds will be processed by Selecto Srl after the conference.

CONFIRMATION

The secretariat will issue you a complete confirmation letter including all details related to the booked services and payments received.
The confirmation will be sent by email within 10 September 2014.
Participants who have not email address are invited to fill-in the “fax number” field in the accommodation form.

CHANGES AND/OR AMENDMENTS

Selecto Srl reserves the right to make any changes for organizational or logistics reasons, which will be promptly notified by e-mail.

Sponsors/Exhibitors

Downloads
Invitation_to_Sponsor-Exhibitor.pdf (223 Kb)
List_of_Sponsorships_ELS2014.pdf (17 Kb)

An exhibition area will be available for business operators to present their products and promote their business. Furtheremore, a range of diverse sponsorship/exhibition opportunities are available in the attached packages. We invite you to contact the organizing secretariat SELECTO, the Official Professional Conference Supporting Agency, which is also ready to reply to any question and further discuss with you in order to tailor a sponsorship/exhibition package at your specific request to suit your marketing strategy.

Under the auspices of


© ELS 2014 - email info@els2014.eu