Thresholds, Tipping Points and Non-Linearity: Integrated Catchment Science for the 21st Century

Catchments are fundamental landscape units for understanding water quality and managing water resources. Contemporary environmental problems are being approached more than ever by stakeholders on the geographic basis of catchments, where the underlying physical, biological, and chemical science is complex. This Gordon Research Conference focuses on catchment science, exploring the interactions among hydrological, biological and geochemical processes that shape terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. An understanding of these processes is required in order to consider responses of catchments and ecosystems to climate warming, atmospheric deposition, land use shifts, catastrophic events, and other drivers of environmental change. Participants in this conference are typically scientists (e.g., hydrologists, ecologists, biogeochemists) from colleges, universities, and government agencies around the world.

The theme of the 2009 Gordon Research Conference on Catchment Science will be Thresholds, tipping points, and non-linearity: integrated catchment science for the 21st century. It is known that many physical and biological systems are inherently non-linear, but non-linear behavior in catchments has not been adequately addressed. Catchment scientists have only recently begun to consider the evidence for catchment nonlinearity by examining physical, ecological, and biogeochemical processes that could produce, for example, specific “thresholds” or “tipping points” in response to individual disturbances or perturbations. A more complete understanding of these processes is needed to better assess the likely responses of catchments to climate change, various types of disturbances, and different land management practices.

Scientists attending this conference will be prepared to share their cutting-edge research - especially evidence for and against nonlinear behavior that affects our ability to understand and predict responses to environmental change at the catchment scale. The conference is limited to 135 participants. The scientific program will include oral presentations (by invitation only), moderated discussions of important topics, and poster sessions. If you have any questions about the program or wish to suggest an invited speaker or discussion leader, please feel free to contact one of the conference organizers.