Environmental Earth Sciences - An interview with the Editors-in-Chief Emeritus of Environmental Earth Sciences: James W. Lamoreaux and Gunter Dörhöfer
Please give us some background information about yourself.
James W. LaMoreaux:
I am the Chairman of the Board of PELA GeoEnvironmental (www.pela.com (this opens in a new tab)). PELA is a family-owned company and has been a leader in the natural resources field for over six decades providing professionals a vast array of expertise including geologic, hydrogeologic, and environmental services. PELA is one of the early karst authorities of the modern era, performing formative studies on sinkhole occurrence and carbonate rock hydrogeology. PELA’s extensive background in the study of karst terrains and water resources management has gained the firm international recognition. Projects have been completed in most U.S. states and in eighteen foreign countries. Our senior staff comprises highly experienced professionals whose tenure with the company spans two to four decades. It is this extensive history that drives PELA forward, always learning and always mentoring new generations to come. I have more than 45 years of experience in project management and communications within environmental science, water resources management, and geology. During my career with PELA, I have served as Vice President, President and am currently Chairman. In addition to my work with PELA, I serve as Editor-in-Chief of international journals including Discover Water, Carbonates & Evaporates, and Sustainable Water Resource Management, and as Editor Emeritus of Environmental Earth Sciences (EES). I am editor of five book series published by SpringerNature and am Editor of the Environmental Geology Volume of Springer’s Encyclopedia of Sustainability, Science and Technology. I also serve as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Earth Science and Engineering at Shandong University of Science and Technology in Qingdao, China. I have participated in guest lectures at various universities in China, the University of Alabama Department of Geology, and in a Water Environmental Federation training course in India. The topics of these lectures included hazardous waste disposal, sustainable water resources management, history of karst hydrology, and water resources management in karst.
Gunter Dörhöfer
During my professional career I was acting as hydrogeology director at the Geological Survey of Lower Saxony, Hannover, Germany. There, I was responsible for a large number of hydrogeological projects including all aspects of groundwater protection. I founded a section specialized on the hydrogeological issues of waste management facilities, such as municipal and hazardous waste disposal sites, industrial compounds and abandoned waste sites. We conducted large research projects to evaluate geological strata for their suitability for special wastes and developed the concept of geological barrier against groundwater contamination. When the European Water initiatives were brought forward I took over the harmonizing of hydrogeological maps in Germany and with the neighboring countries. This included the first time development of three dimensional hydrogeological underground models in Lower Saxony.
How did you become involved in Environmental Earth Sciences?
Jim:
In 1979, Dr. Philip LaMoreaux was contacted by Springer New York about the possibilities of forming a research group around the then-new topic of environmental earth sciences, or environmental geology. After some discussion a working group was formed with scientists from Europe and the Americas. In 1980, the first reports were published twice yearly, initially under the title Environmental Geology Working Group. By 1982, the research group reports were being issued four times a year, and Dr. LaMoreaux was named Editor in Chief. Supervision of the Environmental Geology journal was soon transferred from New York to the Berlin office of Springer. During those early years, many members of the staff of our environmental consulting firm P.E. LaMoreaux and Associates (PELA) were pressed into service to read initial submittals and article proposals and render an opinion as to whether a proposed topic would be appropriate and of interest to the group. That was my first role, to take a large stack of paper manuscripts home with me for my weekend reading and give an opinion for our Monday team meeting. Later, the oversight of the journal was moved to the Heidelberg office of Springer, initially under the oversight of Dr. Wolfgang Engel. Early members of the Associate Editor team were instrumental in the rapid growth and development of the journal, especially Dr. Mark Bultman of the U.S. Geological Survey, the late Dr. Barry Beck of PELA, and Dr. Jan Schwarzbauer of the University of Aachen. The journal has also been uniquely aided by the fact that three of our longest serving Assistant Editors Sigrid Doerhoefer, Barbara Kolditz, and Nancy Green were all former professional librarians, with the ability to provide a rapid synthesis of many topics. In addition, Assistant Editor Ann McCarley brought significant organizational skills to the fore. Upon the death of my father, I was named Co-Editor in Chief for the journal, and have continued in that role until recently being named Editor Emeritus.
Gunter:
It was in the late 1980s when I was acting as the German member in a Hazardous Waste Working Group of the International Association of Hydrogeologist IAH, which brought together scientists from different countries. Phil LaMoreaux, the father of Jim LaMoreaux was also a member of that working group, which joined at several meetings in the USA, Germany, Israel, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to come up with internationally accepted standards for waste disposal. Phil had founded the journal Environmental Geology at that time and asked me if I was willing to join him in managing the journal. I took over responsibility as Editor for Europe in the initial stages of the journal development. When the geographic diversity development grew larger, Phil and myself divided the work on manuscripts between us. He acted for the Americas, Australia and the Asian Far East, whereas I took over Europe, Africa and the Asian Near East. We invited more scientists to join the Editorial Board as the scientific field was becoming so large and diverse and the number of manuscripts was growing constantly. At that time there was no internet and the communication was by phone and snail mail. All the incoming manuscripts were sent in as three paper printouts, of which two were then sent to international reviewers. One version was kept in our office. We had to compile the reviews and present them to the authors. With the development of computers we developed our own tools to manage the flow of manuscripts, until finally Springer was providing the first internet based tools to help in these efforts.
At annual editorial meetings we developed a close working relationship with our counterparts at Springer in Heidelberg, the late Wolfgang Engel, Christian Witschel and Annett Büttner. This development was interrupted when Phil died in 2008 and his son Jim took over increased responsibilities as Co-Editor-In-Chief.
Shortly after the journal was renamed to Environmental Earth Sciences to include an even larger scientific audience. Namely, soil science and engineering geology were now included in the portfolio.
With the ever-increasing number of manuscripts, the work load became greater and the need for more person power on our side became more intense. I therefore in concert with Springer and Jim invited Olaf Kolditz of UFZ, Leipzig to join. Before, he had been acting successfully as Associate Editor for all articles with a strong mathematical background and he and I had been in contact on several occasions during my professional career.
What has been your biggest achievement working as Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Earth Sciences?
Jim:
Being a primary spokesperson for Environmental Earth Sciences while traveling to conferences around the world to meet with authors, reviewers and editors has been a major achievement. These personal relationships of Dr. Philip LaMoreaux and subsequently of myself have contributed to the longevity of the journal for several generations. This loyalty and support across all sectors has been a major reason for the journal’s continuous publication and growth over its 45-year history. From its initial size of two issues a year EES now publishes 24 issues a year. It is an established fact that personal relationships are what business is based on. An example is the strong relationships we have developed with our counterparts from around the world and to become trusting friends and then developing business therefrom.
Not only have we developed long standing relationships but we have also taught aspiring authors, reviewers and editors the basics of getting their articles published in scientific journals. Utilizing Springer’s Author Academy materials we have lectured on these principles around the world. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the rapt attention of your audience in this regard and then being able to help these authors negotiate their way through the publishing process. This is a stellar achievement which benefits all parties and the scientific community. Most importantly, good will and the knowledge that Springer editors and representatives are there to help creates longevity and loyalty for the publisher.
Another achievement EES is noted for is providing an opportunity for authors to present applied research to the scientific community. This is particularly important in developing countries to help scientists and developers have the information they require to make research relevant and helpful to stakeholders, regulators, businesses, professionals and academia in these countries. Distinguished scientists have worked together to establish EES as a well-respected journal known for its applied approach to science with an emphasis on the coverage of research in developing countries.
Gunter:
The biggest achievement for us as EiCs was that we were successful in expanding the scientific community of the journal to an ever increasing geographical distribution to a truly worldwide scientific participation. At the beginning EG was a journal that was dominated by contributions from the USA and Western Europe. This changed with more and more developing countries joining the investigation of environmental geological problems and exchanging views on these topics. Over the years articles came in from areas that had not been represented before. Articles from Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, the Near and the Far East were slowly gaining ground. Nowadays we have a majority of articles from China, India, Iran, and Turkey. Interestingly there continue to be few contributions from the former Soviet Union.
What would you say are the biggest challenges your research field is currently facing?
Jim:
Several challenges are facing the field of environmental earth sciences. Certainly water resources are at the forefront with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 to ensure access and sanitation for all being of utmost concern. One of the primary emphases of this effort is the program to Make the Invisible Visible; 2022 is being heralded as the year of groundwater; and March 22, 2022 is being designated as World Water Day. Another serious concern is the increasing number of catastrophes occurring around the world. These events are causing us to put more emphasis on resilience and recovering from these devastating occurrences. Environmental scientists will have to work across disciplines to address these issues and more importantly work with stakeholders, policy makers and regulators to develop applied solutions to these situations. The increase in data available has great promise to address these and other concerns. It will be necessary to apply Artificial Intelligence to this big data to sift through it and come up with optimal decisions to address a wide range of problems that the scientific community is facing in the earth sciences. It will be an exciting time to be integrally involved and lead the way to a better future for all.
Gunter:
The task to develop internationally accepted methods we had worked on in the 80s and 90s of the last century is still not fully accomplished. Some of the methods that were developed in the early days, such as the US developed tool DRASTIC for the assessment of the vulnerability of groundwater resources are still being used in many developing countries despite their known shortcomings. There is still the great need of finding new and generally accepted solutions to deal with the huge and often very adverse impact of human activities on the limited resources of the Earth. EES should continue to present such solutions to the international audience of scientists and decision makers. Contributions for EES should always explicitly deal with both the geoscience sensu strictu (that is the solid earth) and the multitude of environmental aspects. This will be an ongoing task for the responsible editors of the journal.
What is your plan for the future?
Jim:
Much of my plan for the future involves continuing to be active in various professional organizations including the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) Commission on Mineral and Thermal Water of which I am Chairman and serving as a member of the Karst Commission. In addition, I will serve in an advisory position to the IAH US National Chapter as Past President.
My involvement with Springer will continue as Editor in Chief of several key journals and as Editor Emeritus of EES. This is in addition to serving as the Editor of Springer Book Series: Cave and Karst Systems of the World; Advances in Karst Sciences; Professional Practice in Earth Sciences; and Environmental Earth Sciences. Perhaps someday I may be the topic of a book in the Pioneers in Science Series of which I am also Editor. In addition, I plan to continue to serve as Editor of the Environmental Geology Volume of Springer Encyclopedia of Science and Sustainability and Technology. Due to my involvement with Springer over the years Christian Witschel once proposed to nickname me “Mr. Springer”. All facetiousness aside, I am looking forward to serving as Editor Emeritus of Environmental Earth Sciences and helping Yan and Olaf continue to represent the journal as it launches into its next 45 years. Founder Dr. Philip LaMoreaux would certainly be proud that the journal he started and nurtured through several iterations including changing its name from Environmental Geology to Environmental Earth Sciences continues on solid footing addressing multi-disciplinary topics in an applied approach with emphasis on research in developing countries. I will continue to implement this same applied research emphasis in our consulting company PE LaMoreaux & Associates, Inc. (PELA) www.pela.com, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Springer and PELA have a long history of loyalty to one another and we look forward to the continuation of the same.
Gunter:
I will have more time for cultural activities in literature, music and the arts. Also, I am developing a renewed interest in the geoscientific processes that shape our planet. This is a little coming back to my scientific roots, when as a young geologist I was dealing with geological problems associated with the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous in Europe and America.