3rd Meeting Eastern Fife and Tayside 2007

A joint INQUA – IGCP 495 Meeting

International Conference and Field Trip on:

Holocene land-ocean interactions: Driving mechanisms and coastal responses

St Andrews

1st July – 4th July, 2007

A conference and field meeting to Eastern Fife and Tayside, organised jointly by the UK working group of IGCP Project 495 and the INQUA Commission on Coastal and Marine Processes.

Introduction
This conference and field meeting was the third annual meeting of the UK IGCP Working Group for IGCP project 495 (Quaternary Land-Ocean Interactions: Driving Mechanisms and Coastal Responses). The meeting aimed to address the key themes of IGCP495 by providing a one-day scientific session comprising academic papers and a poster session, followed by a one and a half day field trip to the spectacular coastal landscapes of Eastern Fife and Tayside. The main aim of the field programme was to present some classic landforms and field stratigraphy relating both to the decay of the last (Late Devensian) ice sheet and to coastal changes that took place during the Holocene. The majority of the field areas visited formed the focus of detailed studies during the 1960s and 70s. Thus, an emphasis of the field excursion was to explore ways in which new methods of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction may provide the potential to advance our understanding of land-ocean interactions that took place during the last glacial-interglacial transition and during the Holocene.

The number of delegates was be restricted to a maximum of 30 for logistical reasons and applications were processed on a first come, first served basis. We anticipated a mix of UK and overseas attendees, and particularly welcomed postgraduate students developing their research careers.

Conference Location
The Conference was held in the University of St Andrews, a town famous for its scenic setting and its internationally renowned golf courses. The town is within easy reach of Edinburgh airport. Road access is also good while access by train is via Leuchars (4 miles from the town). Transport can be arranged to and from Leuchars for delegates. A collection of delegates is also planned for those arriving at Edinburgh Airport during Sunday (July 1st).

Accommodation
En-suite accommodation was provided for delegates at the University and this cost was included in the registration fee.