Subject: ICSI.

At the IUGG General Assembly in Boulder (Summer 2004) the ICSI,
the International Commission on Snow and Ice, made the proposal to
become a new association of the IUGG (International Union of
Geodesy and Geophysics). This is a rather unusual plan. The
current seven associations (IAG, IAGA, IAHS, IAMAS, IAPSO, IASPEI,
IAVCEI) of IUGG are all "rather old", joining the IUGG at or
shortly after its foundation after the first World War (!). The
creation of a new Association of IUGG is thus a very rare event
that should be considered very carefully.

This is why I proposed at the IUGG Executive Committee Meeting (in
Boulder, summer 2004) that the IUGG Associations are given the
opportunity to consult their Executive Committees before making a
binding decision. This is why the IAG Bureau is consulting you
today.

The facts:
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(1) Currently the ICSI is an entity of IAHS (International
Association of Hydrological Sciences). This seems to make sense --
after all: Aren't Snow and Ice in essence water in a different
aggregate state?

The ICSI nevertheless sent in a proposal to the IUGG Executive to
become a new Association under the Auspices of IUGG as soon as
possible. The plan of action of the ICSI is contained in the
attachment. I should mention that this plan of action was a
document prepared for the IUGG Executive Committee meeting and
does not reflect the decisions taken at the IUGG Executive
Committee meeting in Boulder.

(2) The ICSI plan of action was discussed at length at the IUGG
Executive Committee meeting in Boulder. It is important that IAHS,
today's mother organization of ICSI, fully endorsed the ICSI
proposal. In view of the importance of the cryosphere it seems to
be generally acknowledged that ICSI does not get enough visibility
as a sub-entity within IAHS.

(3) The IAHS is willing to cover part of the expenses arising,
should ICSI become a new association.

(4) Items (2) and (3) were the main reasons why there was not too
much opposition for ICSI to become a new association. Everybody
seems to accept the proposal which is undisputed in the current
"water/ice community".

(5) The IUGG Executive Committee even decided that ICSI should
become an IUGG Inter-Union body right away (beginning of 2005). In
view of the financial support offer by IAHS, the financial
implications of this step are marginal.

(6) Based on my proposal it was decided (at the IUGG Executive
Committee meeting in 2004) to make the decision whether or not
ICSI (under a new name) should become the 8th association of IUGG
only at the IUGG Executive Committee Meeting in Italy in summer
2007. We are thus in a position to consult you, the Executive
Committee members, before giving the definitive answer in 2007.

For this purpose we make the following

Proposal:
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We propose that the IAG representative in the IUGG Executive votes
in favor of the establishment of ICSI (under a new name) as a new
association of the IUGG at the IUGG Executive Committee meeting in
Peruggia, Italy.