The 1st International Online Conference on Earth Science
Part of the International Online Conference on Earth Science series
2–4 September 2026
4 May 2026
5 June 2026
27 August 2026
Climate Research, Ocean Systems, Hydrological Science, Natural Resources, Human-Landscape Interactions, AI in Earth Science, Geoconservation, Natural Hazards
- Go to the Sessions
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- S1. AI and Big Data in Earth Science
- S2. Coastal & Ocean Systems: Ecology, Resources & Conservation
- S3. Climate Dynamics, Variability and Change
- S4. Water in a Changing World: Hydrology, Hydro-AI & Resources
- S5. Natural Hazards and Risk
- S6. Landscapes, Geoheritage & Human Interactions
- S7. Air Quality and Climate Pollutants
- S8. Geothermal & Geo-resources for the Energy Transition
- Event Details
The IOCEA 2026 is Now OPEN for Abstract Submission and Registration.
Instructions for authors are available online.
Submit your abstracts HERE.
For any inquiries, please contact us at iocea2026@mdpi.com.
Welcome from the Chairs
Dear Colleagues,
It is our pleasure to invite you to join the 1st International Online Conference on Earth Science (IOCEA 2026). The conference will be held online from 2–4 September 2026.
This conference will address a variety of highly relevant research topics specially focusing on the Earth System components and their interactions. The agenda of the conference includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
S1. AI and Big Data in Earth Science;
S2. Coastal & Ocean Systems: Ecology, Resources & Conservation;
S3. Climate Dynamics, Variability and Change;
S4. Water in a Changing World: Hydrology, Hydro-AI & Resources;
S5. Natural Hazards and Risk;
S6. Landscapes, Geoheritage & Human Interactions;
S7. Air Quality and Climate Pollutants;
S8. Geothermal & Geo-Resources for the Energy Transition.
IOCEA 2026 will enable researchers to share, discuss and exchange ideas on the most recent research findings. The conference will provide a venue for active engagement of the audience in question-and-answer sessions that will take place online without any registration fee.
We hope you will join us, present your work at IOCEA 2026, and be part of this exciting online event.
Best regards,
Conference Chairs
Prof. Dr. Charles Jones, University of California Santa Barbara, USA;
Prof. Dr. Hossein Bonakdari, University of Ottawa, Canada;
Prof. Dr. Riccardo Buccolieri, University of Salento, Italy.
Event Chairs
Department of Geography and Earth Research Institute (ERI),University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Dr. Charles Jones is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Researcher at the Earth Research Institute, UCSB. He has a B.S. in Meteorology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, M.Sc. in Meteorology from the University of Utah and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of California Davis. Professor Jones has broad research interests in Atmospheric and Climate Sciences. Research topics including the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), predictability of extreme events including precipitation and high winds, monsoon systems, climate change, regional modeling, wildfires and machine learning. His current research projects include the dynamics of the low-level jet and precipitation variability in South America, regional modeling of downslope windstorms and wildfires, fog variability and predictability of extreme fire weather conditions in California.
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Dr. Hossein Bonakdari, Ph.D., P.Eng., is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa and a recognized leader in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to address climate change challenges. His research develops advanced models for real-time data analysis and forecasting, improving the management of water resources, environmental systems, and natural hazards. He has authored four books, over 310 peer-reviewed journal articles, and more than 20 book chapters, and has delivered over 100 presentations at national and international conferences. His contributions have earned him global recognition, and since 2019, he has been consistently ranked among the world’s top 2% of scientists.
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Riccardo Buccolieri is full professor of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Salento in the Micrometeorology Laboratory. His research, both experimental and modelling, deals with the study of the urban microclimate, flow and pollutant dispersion in urban areas. He is co-author of research papers in international journals, conference proceedings as well as book chapters.
Session Chairs
Prof. Dr. Eliseo Clementini
Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
Eliseo Clementini is Full Professor of Information Processing Systems at the University of L’Aquila, Italy. He graduated in Electronics Engineering (1990) at L’Aquila and earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science at INSA Lyon (France). His research focuses on modelling geographical space — especially on topological and positional relations — at the intersection of spatial databases, qualitative spatial reasoning, and cognitive approaches. Notably, he co-developed the DE-9IM model for representing topological relations between geometries — a foundational standard widely used in GIS and spatial-database systems worldwide. In more recent years, his interests have expanded to applying spatial reasoning and database modelling to new challenges, such as integrating GIS with remote sensing, data interoperability, and indoor navigation. He currently serves as Associate Editor of ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (IJGI). Through his ongoing work, Eliseo continues to contribute to advances in spatial information science and foster collaboration across research and applied GIS communities.
deep Learning for earth observation; AI-driven climate insights; geospatial data science; real-time environmental analytics; smart remote sensing; earth digital twins
Dr. Lampros Vasiliades
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
Dr. Lampros Vasiliades is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Hydrology at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly, Greece. His research focuses on the modelling of extreme events (floods and droughts), deterministic and stochastic hydrological and hydrodynamic modeling, water resources management and the application of hydro-informatics in hydrology, water resources and hydrosystems. He has authored over 100 publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings with more than 3,600 citations (Google Scholar). Currently, he serves on the Editorial Boards of Water, Earth, and Frontiers in Environmental Science and actively participates in various European research projects and COST Actions.
hydrology; water resources; hydrological extremes; hydroinformatics; hydrological hazards
Dr. Yiannis Panagopoulos
School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Ioannis Panagopoulos graduated from the Agricultural University of Athens and acquired a PhD in Hydrology and Non-Point Water Pollution from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). This was followed by postdoctoral research at NTUA, Iowa State University and the Inland Waters Institute of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, on agricultural water management and agricultural water pollution, management of aquatic ecosystems and development of infrastructure for the monitoring of Greece’s inland waters. Since 2022, he is Assistant Professor of Agricultural Hydraulics and Environmental Hydrology at the School of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
hydrology; soil-water monitoring and management; nutrient pollution; watershed modelling; rural development
Prof. Dr. Rajib Shaw
Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan
Rajib Shaw is the professor in Graduate School of Media and Governance of Keio University, Japan. He is co-founder of a Delhi based social entrepreneur startup, Resilience Innovation Knowledge Academy (RIKA), and is the chair of United Nations Asia Pacific Science Technology Advisory Group (AP-STAG) for disaster risk reduction. He is IPCC CLA for Asia Chapter of Working Group 2 for 6th Assessment Report. His specialization is disaster risk governance, urban resilience, climate change adaptation and emerging technologies in disaster and climate change. He is the recipient of Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award (PBSA) of 2021 in Education Sector from the President of India. He also received United Nations Sasakawa Award for disaster risk reduction as a lifetime achievement and for his contribution to global disaster resilience initiatives in 2022. He published 86 books and over 450 research papers. His scholarly influence is reflected by over 31,000 citations and an H-index of 81 on Google Scholar, underscoring his global leadership in disaster resilience and sustainability studies.
disaster risk reduction; climate change adaptation; risk governance; innovation; risk communication
Dr. Katsuichiro Goda
Department of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Katsuichiro Goda is a Canada Research Chair in Multi-hazard Risk Assessment at Western University, Canada. He has developed an international reputation for unique natural hazard research spanning a broad range of academic fields, including seismology, earthquake engineering, tsunami engineering, financial risk analysis, and uncertainty quantification. He tackles the global challenge of developing an integrated multi-hazard framework through the disaster cycle approach of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. His research advances the understanding of possible future scenarios that may unfold from different hazard-risk drivers (e.g., changing climate, population, urbanization, and social vulnerability), and offers essential interfaces with other disciplines, such as social sciences, economics, and disaster policies.
natural hazards, risk assessments, disaster risk reduction, disaster risk management, disaster preparedness, community resilience
Prof. Dr. Karoly Nemeth
Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, Lithosphere Research Group, Sopron, Hungary; Saudi Geological Survey, National Program of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; The Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa Pacific, Opotiki, New Zealand
Károly Németh is a Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and is affiliated with the Institute of Earth Physics and Space Sciences in Sopron, Hungary. He also serves as a Technical Advisor in Geohazards for the Saudi Geological Survey. Additionally, he holds an Adjunct Professorship in Geology at Massey University, New Zealand. Dr. Németh chairs the Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa Pacific and currently leads the Subcommission on Geological Sites of the International Union of Geological Sciences. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Committee for the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior and served as Vice President of the International Association of Sedimentologists. His research covers monogenetic volcanoes, volcanic field evolution, geoheritage, and geodiversity. He has worked in countries across South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. He currently serves on editorial boards of multiple journals including the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research and is Series Editor of Springer's Advances in Volcanology. His contributions have earned him global recognition, and since 2020, he has been consistently ranked among the world’s top 2% of scientists in the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List.
geoconservation; geodiversity; geoheritage; geopark; georesources; geotourism
Prof. Dr. Ignacio J. Diaz-Maroto
Department of Agroforestry Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Terra, Lugo, Spain
PhD in Forestry Engineering from the School of Forestry Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain. His research interests include Forest Ecology and Sustainable Management, Forest Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services, and Landscape Ecology. He has co-authored more than 50 articles in journals indexed in the Web of Science database, as well as several books, book chapters, and conference/congress papers, both national and international. He has directed and participated in various research projects and supervised six doctoral theses. I would like to highlight his research stays at various universities, most recently at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), which lasted five months.
ecology and landscape planning; history of the forest landscapes; biodiversity conservation; ecosystem services
Sessions
S2. Coastal & Ocean Systems: Ecology, Resources & Conservation
S3. Climate Dynamics, Variability and Change
S4. Water in a Changing World: Hydrology, Hydro-AI & Resources
S5. Natural Hazards and Risk
S6. Landscapes, Geoheritage & Human Interactions
S7. Air Quality and Climate Pollutants
S8. Geothermal & Geo-resources for the Energy Transition
Registration
The registration for IOCEA 2026 will be free of charge! The registration includes attendance to all conference sessions.
If you are registering several people under the same registration, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual university email addresses. Thank you for your understanding.
Instructions for Authors
Deadline for abstract submission: 4 May 2026
Deadline for abstract acceptance notification: 5 June 2026
You will be notified of the acceptance of an oral/poster presentation in a separate email.
Abstract Submission
Abstract submissions should be completed online by registering with www.sciforum.net and using the "Submit Abstract" function once logged into the system. No physical submission is necessary.
1. The abstract should include an introduction, methods, results, and conclusion sections, and be within 200-300 words in length.
4. The abstracts submitted to this conference must be original and novel, without prior publication in any journals or it will not be accepted to this conference.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.
Note: We only accept live presentations.
The slot for the oral presentation is 15 minutes. We recommend a 12-minute presentation, leaving about 3 minutes for a Q&A session.
Authors are encouraged to prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or similar software, to be displayed online along with the abstract. Slides, if available, will be displayed directly on the website using the proprietary slide viewer at Sciforum.net. Slides can be prepared in exactly the same way as for any traditional conference where research results are presented. Slides should be converted to PDF format prior to submission so that they can be converted for online display.
Poster Presentation
- Size in pixel: 1080 width x 1536 height–portrait orientation.
- Size in cm: 38.1 width x 54.2 height–portrait orientation.
- Font size: ≥16.
- Examples of successful submissions can be viewed here at the following links: (1), (2), (3).
- You can use our free template to create your poster.
The poster template can be downloaded HERE. We will reach out to you closer to the dates of the conference with more information.
MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.
Publication Opportunities
1. Conference Full articles Publications in Organizer Journals
Participants of the conference are cordially invited to submit full manuscripts to the Topics Collections in Participating Journals (to be updated): Earth (ISSN: 2673-4834, IF: 3.4), Climate (ISSN: 2225-1154, IF: 3.2), Conservation (ISSN: 2673-7159, IF: 1.9), Geographies (ISSN: 2673-7086, IF: 1.7), GeoHazards (ISSN: 2624-795X, IF: 1.6), Geosciences (ISSN: 2076-3263, IF: 2.1), Hydrology (ISSN: 2306-5338, IF: 3.2), Oceans (ISSN: 2673-1924, IF: 1.6), Resources (ISSN: 2079-9276, IF: 3.2) with 20% discount on the publication fee.
Please note if you have IOAP/association discounts, conference discounts will be combined with IOAP/association discounts. Conference discounts cannot be combined with reviewer vouchers. No additional discounts are applicable beyond the above. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
2. Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings Paper Publication
You are welcome to submit a proceeding paper (4-8 pages) to the Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings journal (ISSN: 3042-5743) after the conference. Publication of the proceedings will be free of charge.
Authors are asked to disclose that it is a proceeding paper of the IOCEA 2026 conference paper in their cover letter. Carefully read the rules outlined in the 'Instructions for Authors' on the journal’s website and ensure that your submission adheres to these guidelines.
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Title;
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Full author names;
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Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses;
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Abstract;
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Keywords;
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Introduction;
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Methods;
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Results and Discussion;
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Conclusions;
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Acknowledgements;
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References.
IOCEA2026_proceeding_paper-template.dot
Event Awards

To acknowledge the support of the conference's esteemed authors and recognize their outstanding scientific accomplishments, we are pleased to announce that the conference will provide Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards.
The Awards
Number of Awards Available: 8
Best Oral Presentation Award
- Eligibility: Open to all authors selected as oral speakers who have delivered their presentation.
- Criteria: Evaluation based on content quality, delivery clarity, audience interaction, and overall impact.
Best Poster Award
- Eligibility: Open to all authors who have presented their work through posters.
- Criteria: Evaluation based on scientific merit, creativity, and ability to attract and engage viewers.
There will be eight winners selected for these awards. The winner will receive a certificate and 200 CHF each.
Sponsors and Partners
For information regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please click here.
Organizers
Co-organizers
Media Partners
Conference Secretariat
Ms. Napaporn Chintagavongse
Ms. Coco Hou
For inquiries regarding submissions and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.
Email: iocea2026@mdpi.com
S1. AI and Big Data in Earth Science
This session explores how emerging AI and Big Data technologies are transforming the way we observe, analyze, and understand Earth systems. From deep learning models that extract patterns from massive remote-sensing datasets to real-time environmental analytics and geospatial data science workflows, the focus is on innovative methods that push the boundaries of traditional Earth observation. We will highlight applications such as smart remote sensing, AI-driven climate insights, and the development of Earth digital twins. The session invites young researchers to share fresh ideas, creative solutions, and forward-looking perspectives that will shape the next generation of Earth Science.
Session Chair
Prof. Dr. Eliseo Clementini, Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
S4. Water in a Changing World: Hydrology, Hydro-AI & Resources
The aim of this session is to bring together the latest advances in hydrological science, artificial intelligence applications, and sustainable resource management to address the critical challenges of water availability and system dynamics. As global water cycles face unprecedented pressures from climate variability and anthropogenic demand, this session will showcase innovative applications - from AI-enhanced hydrological modelling and big data analytics to integrated water resource management (IWRM) strategies - and discuss how these tools can be deployed to solve practical catchment and resource management problems. We welcome contributions that span applied and operational hydrological studies, hydro-informatics, machine learning in hydrology, decision support systems, remote sensing, and water governance, with an emphasis on data-driven solutions that enhance resilience, inform policy, and support sustainable decision-making in complex hydrological systems.
Keywords: hydro-AI; applied hydrology; hydroinformatics; digital twins; decision support systems; water resources management
Session Chair
Dr. Lampros Vasiliades, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
S5. Natural Hazards and Risk
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Novel methods for characterizing geophysical hazards (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and mass movements)
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Multi-hazard approaches for geophysical and interacting hazards (e.g., multiple cascading geophysical hazards as well as interacting geophysical and non-geophysical hazards)
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Innovative methods for quantifying natural hazard impacts to people, built environment, and society as a whole
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Innovative and effective risk management approaches for natural hazards and their risks
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Insightful case studies that offer interdisciplinary perspectives from physical sciences and social sciences.
Session Chairs
Dr. Katsuichiro Goda, Department of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Prof. Dr. Rajib Shaw, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan
S6. Landscapes, Geoheritage & Human Interactions
Research on Geoheritage, Geoparks, and Geotourism has experienced notable growth, highlighting their essential roles in advancing scientific understanding, supporting environmental conservation, and safeguarding cultural heritage. Investigating the significance of geological and geomorphological sites—as both records of Earth's history and vital resources for research—enhances our appreciation of these distinctive landscapes. Current research emphasizes the dynamic interface between natural environments and human societies, with a focus on promoting sustainable development and formulating strategies to bolster community resilience against natural hazards.
The intricate nature of abiotic environments is frequently underappreciated, particularly when juxtaposed with biodiversity, even though biological systems are fundamentally reliant on abiotic factors. This session aims to convene experts to discuss methodologies for characterizing and elucidating the relationships among abiotic components, biotic systems, and societal frameworks. Recent advancements in transdisciplinary studies of Earth's diversity have led to the emergence of comprehensive approaches—often termed "omnidiversity"—that expand our perspectives on environmental complexity. Contributions presenting scientific insights into these critical issues are welcome.
Human society exhibits considerable complexity, and although its interactions with abiotic features are evident, they remain inadequately understood, especially in light of rapid technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Achieving a thorough understanding of societal perceptions toward abiotic nature demands analysis of social behaviors, structures, traditions, and their practical expressions. Evaluating aspects like sense of place or the cultural importance of culinary customs from a resource-based perspective necessitates a robust transdisciplinary methodology to foster sustainable collaboration with Earth’s resources.
Ongoing research into geoheritage and geodiversity plays a pivotal role in addressing pressing global challenges. This session provides an interdisciplinary platform to examine research questions, share strategies for conserving and managing geological features, and discuss best practices in geopark management and the evolving contributions of geotourism to sustainable development. We invite research contributions from around the world, particularly those incorporating advanced technologies such as geostatistics, geophysics, GIS, and big data analytics. Priority will be given to topics including geoethics in resource management, applications of artificial intelligence, and resilience frameworks.
Keywords: cultural anthropology; geoarchaeology; geoart; geoconservation; geodiversity; geoeducation; geoethics; geofood; geoheritage; geopark; georesources; geotourism; indigenous knowledge; oral traditions; sense of place; social geosciences; sustainability
Session Chairs
Prof. Dr. Karoly Nemeth, Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, Lithosphere Research Group, Sopron, Hungary, Saudi Geological Survey, National Program of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, The Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa Pacific, Opotiki, New Zealand
Prof. Dr. Ignacio J. Diaz-Maroto, Department of Agroforestry Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Terra, Lugo, Spain
