Tracking rapid geological change

Assessing the health and condition of ecosystems and the environment in general require an ability to track important changes that take place in decades or shorter periods. Recognizing the importance of short-term geological change can assist in understanding and coping with environmental change, whether local or global. It can also challenge common perceptions about the stability of nature and raise some difficult questions about whether causes are human-induced or natural. As a tool for monitoring rapid geological change, the geoindicator approach is finding increasing application in a range of situations. Under the sponsorship of IUGS, the Geoindicator Initiative (GEOIN, www.geoindicator.org) is now engaged in an ambitious program of activities to refine and disseminate the concept.