Pressing national concerns with global change and the mitigation of natural hazards are leading to increased importance for research on the environments of the recent geological past. International collaboration has become essential for the analysis of important scientific problems related to these issues. This project will support the participation of key U.S. researchers, including new-career scholars, at the XIII Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) in Beijing, China, August 2-9, 1991. Due to its strong multidisciplinary tradition, INQUA has direct relevance to seven programs within NSF. The scientific contacts achieved at this meeting and the related scientific field excursions will be invaluable for enhancing understanding of the dynamic earth system at a critical point, when upon that understanding will depend the habitability of the planet. This project will provide the necessary support for 32 U.S. Quaternary scientists to participate in this very significant international meeting.
