Abstract This volume is a collection of papers authored by senior managers and heads of Geological Survey organizations (GSOs) from around the world in an attempt to provide a benchmark on how GSOs are responding to national and international needs in a rapidly changing world. GSOs face an uncertain future and need to understand global trends. Whereas population trends are somewhat predictable, societal responses to change are much less so and technological change is fundamentally disruptive and chaotic. As countries adopt sustainable development principles and the public becomes increasingly (but not necessarily reliably) informed about environmental issues using social media, the integration of resource development and environmental stewardship becomes increasingly important. GSOs will continue to provide key information about Earth systems, natural hazards and climate change in this context. This introduction comprises a short review of the global trends affecting GSOs, a snapshot of the state of GSOs, examples of how GSOs are adapting their activities to the modern world, including the growing use of big data, and an examination of international collaboration between GSOs. The time is perhaps ripe to reinforce international collaborations through a global network of GSOs. To achieve this will require leadership and a focus on the big picture of global sustainability.

Abstract Building on the present volume, which provides a snapshot of Geological Survey organizations (GSOs) from around the world in 2020, this epilogue provides a retrospective on past efforts to form an international consortium of GSOs. These efforts have had the noble aim of bringing GSOs together to address problems of global scale, but have not fully succeeded in building a sustainable organization. The paper summarizes international discussions held over the past three decades, provides some analysis and makes some suggestions on how a world association of GSOs may become useful, credible and workable.

Abstract Characterized by an active margin to the west, passive margins to the east and north, and numerous fjords and estuaries, the seafloor of Canada is prone to subaqueous landslides. The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) facilitates government response in times of crisis by providing timely and concise information to Canadians, and informs the strategies to address natural hazards. Thus, the GSC is conducting a national assessment of the subaqueous landslide hazard. This paper reviews dozens of major subaqueous mass movement deposits with an emphasis on recent publications and summarizes the attempt to produce a national database. The types range from ephemeral turbidity current deposits to very large deposits (>100 km 3 ). To date, 1266 deposits are identified with many more expected as mapping progresses. This work is important as it will feed into the larger national tsunami strategy, and is a step forward for the national government to manage the risk. Canada is among the first countries to enter its entire database using the consistent morphometric characterization recommended by members of the UNESCO IGCP-640 (S4SLIDE) Community.

ABSTRACT Long term current-meter data from outer shelf, shelfbreak and slope sites off Nova Scotia have been compared with sediment textures in the same area to assess whether they are in equilibrium. Currents on the shelf and shelfbreak are strong with maximum velocities exceeding 50 cm s −1 . Sediment grain-size distributions were dissected into near-Gaussian medium sand subpopulations and non-Gaussian tails. These subpopulations were interpreted dynamically as representing bed-load (coarse tail), suspended load with “dynamic settling” (central subpopulation) and suspended load with “passive settling” (fine tail). Below 500 m water depth, only the fine-tail subpopulation is seen. The modal size of the central subpopulation corresponded well, in most cases, to u * estimates from Shields' criterion and to the observed maximum currents. Sediment textures can be explained by modem dynamic conditions. Sand transport is dominantly in suspension and in an alongslope direction with a small downslope component. Medium sand is transported only during short periods of high flow, whereas fine sand transport is during more continuous weaker flow. Permanent deposition occurs at a point downslope where the currents rarely exceed the suspension criterion for the size of particle concerned. Slight differences between inferred u * gradients at two slope areas, separated by 150 km, are tentatively interpreted as reflecting the effects of topographic Rossby waves, formed by Gulf Stream eddies impinging on the slope.