International Permafrost Association - Organization and Structure

Organization and Structure

Membership is through adhering national or multinational organisations or as Associate Members in countries where no Adhering Body exists. The IPA is governed by an Executive Committee and a Council consisting of representatives from 26 Adhering Bodies having interests in some aspect of theoretical, basic and applied frozen ground research, including permafrost, periglacial phenomena, seasonal frost, and artificial ground freezing. Members are: Argentina, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America. News from the IPA members are posted on the IPA webpage .

The officers of the seven-member Executive Committee (2012–2016) are:

President: Prof. Antoni Lewkowicz (Canada)

Vice Presidents: Prof. Hanne Christiansen (Norway) and Prof. Vladimir Romanovsky (USA)

Members: Dr. Hugues Lantuit (Germany), Prof. Lothar Schrott (Austria), Dr. Dmitry Sergeev (Russia) and Prof. Ma Wei (China)

The Executive Director is Dr. Inga May (Germany).

The IPA Constitution provides for three categories of Working Group Parties: standing committees (long-term), working groups (5–10 years) and action groups (1-2 years) that organise and coordinate research activities and special projects. The first category includes a Standing Committee for Data, Information and Communication, an International Advisory Committee for the International Permafrost Conferences, and a Standing Committee for Education and Outreach. There are ten Working Groups, each with two co-chairs and some with subgroups. These are:

• Antarctic Permafrost and Periglacial Environments

• Coastal and Offshore Permafrost (see: Arctic Coastal Dynamics webpage)

• Cryosol (see: )

• Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in High Mountains (see: GAPHAZ webpage)

• Isotopes and Geochemistry of Permafrost (see: )

• Mapping and Modelling of Mountain Permafrost

• Periglacial Landforms, Processes, and Climate

• Permafrost and Climate

• Permafrost Astrobiology

• Permafrost Engineering

Details of the Working Parties goals and activities are found on the IPA website .

The International Secretariat is based at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research under the direction of Dr. Inga May (Germany). Annual membership contributions are used for producing and distributing Frozen Ground, and support of Working Parties and committee activities and representations at international meetings.