Downloadable PDF version of IGACtivities, Issue No. 21.

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A Note from the IGAC Chair: Guy Brasseur After the Aspen Meeting >Approximately 80 scientists representing the discipline of atmospheric chemistry and related sciences met in Aspen, Colorado from 28 April to 3 May 2000. The purpose of this large gathering was to review and improve a draft document (produced by a group of colleagues) summarizing our community's major scientific accomplishments of the last 10 to 20 years. Contributors were asked to synthesize progress within the framework of global change, and to identify questions remaining to be addressed. >The document produced as a result of this IGAC initiative is currently being finalized and in October will be evaluated by a group of 50 anonymous reviewers. The resulting book should be published in mid-2001 by Springer-Verlag. When completed, this book, which represents an integrated view on several societally important questions, will be widely available not only within the scientific community, but also to decision makers in government and industry. It will provide the first international assessment of the state of knowledge on questions related to global tropospheric chemistry. >I would like to thank the different agencies, mostly in Europe, that are supporting this important IGAC initiative, as well as the lead and contributing authors, who have given a lot of their time to write and improve versions of the document. >This synthesis effort is part of an important transition for IGAC. Established some 12 years ago, IGAC has achieved many of its objectives and therefore needs to redefine its future directions and priorities. This task will begin in 2001. The new IGAC will likely address new issues, focus on different time scales, and be organized very differently from the present IGAC. Starting in early 2002, a new Chair will lead IGAC into its new era. The choice of the new Chair is an important task for both IGAC and its parent organizations, the CACGP and IGBP. The nomination process is open. Nominations should be communicated to Dr. Alex Pszenny (pszenny@mit.edu), the IGAC Core Project Officer, before December 1, 2000.