Introducing a New International Society of Aeolian Research

Aeolian research is a long-standing and rapidly growing area of geological study where scientists of many disciplines meet to investigate the effects of wind on the surface of the Earth and other planetary bodies such as Mars and Titan. Fields of study in aeolian research cover a broad spectrum ranging from developing a basic scientific understanding of the fundamental physical processes of grain motion to the effects of soil erosion on landscape health and environmental sustainability. Aeolian research also includes studies of the effects of aeolian particles on global climate, air quality, and human health, coastal sand transport processes, land degradation, dune migration, the formation of sand seas, and much more. A growing number of international conferences have been organized to focus specifically on aeolian phenomena and a vast number of scholarly publications have been produced to support the science. One popular bibliography includes over 30,000 citations and hundreds of peer-reviewed papers are published each year. Until very recently, no scientific society specifically dealing with aeolian research has been available. The new International Society of Aeolian Research (ISAR) that has been organized to bring together aeolian scientists from around the world. The new society was created to promote contacts among researchers in aeolian processes and related subjects for discussion and comparison of research, to initiate conferences (such as the International Conference on Aeolian Research), to organize excursions, and support the publication of a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The International Society of Aeolian Research sponsors the new Elsevier journal Aeolian Research in support of these activities. This paper will provide further details about the new society and the journal. Please see www.aeolianresearch.org for details.