On 21 July, 2014 the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Deltas: genesis, dynamics, modeling and sustainable development” opened at the research base in the International eco-educational center “Istomino” of the Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS.

The conference was attended by about 60 scientists and experts from Russia, Italy, Canada, USA, Switzerland, China, Japan and the Netherlands. The American delegation is represented by the scientists from 14 different universities. The Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS (Russia, Ulan-Ude), Institute of Geography SB RAS (Russia, Irkutsk), University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, USA), and Rice University (Houston, USA) have become the organizers of this scientific forum.

At the opening ceremony greetings to colleagues asked: Head of the Organizing Committee, member of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Information Policy, A. Tulokhonov; Co-Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee, Deputy Director of the Institute of Geography SB RAS L. Korytniy; Vice president of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, deputy of People’s Hural B. Tsyrenov; Professor Jeffrey Nittra and Gary Parker, as well as other prominent scientists addressed with the greetings to their colleagues.

The conference has a very tight schedule: meetings and workshops will take place from 8.30 to 20.30 during 4 days. Among the speakers there are the members of the expedition “Leman-Baikal”: correspondent member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Arnold Tulokhonov, researcher from the EPFL Yosef Akhtman (Switzerland), researchers from the Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS Larisa Radnaeva and Alexander Ayurzhanaev.

The goal of the conference is to ensure a multilateral exchange and cooperation on hydrology, geomorphology and paleogeography of deltas in the Northern Hemisphere.

The main directions of the conference:
1. Tectonics, baseline and impact of climate change on the morphology and stratigraphy of deltas.
2. Structure of the deltas channel network and transformation of real currents within it.
3. Erosion-accumulative processes in deltas.
4. Stability of deltas to global climate change and anthropogenic influences.