Sylvi Haldorsen

(Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-1432 Aas, Norway)

 

I served as the Secretary General of INQUA during the period when Liu Tungsheng, was the Past President (1995–1999). It was with deep sorrow we received the message about his death on March 6, 2008 in Beijing at the age of 91. We have all lost an outstanding colleague and a good friend. His great wisdom and professional experience never ended to impress us. By his death he leaves an empty spot in the global Earth science community.

In INQUA he always contributed with his good advices. His great knowledge, particular within the field of Asian Quaternary Geology became an inspiration for INQUA to include more activity in Asia. He strongly encouraged Asian scientists to contribute actively to INQUA’s international network. From the years from 1995-1999 the number of Chinese Quaternary scientists in INQUA’s Commissions and Committees doubled, to a great extent because Liu actively helped to spread the information about INQUA in his own country. In particular he encouraged young Chinese scientists to take part in INQUA.

In 1998 the INQUA Executive Committee meeting was held in Haarlem in The Netherlands. Liu was at that time on a longer visit to Europe. He brought with him a series of high-level lectures, some of which he presented in Haarlem. They were not only of an outstanding standard scientifically, but also of a technical standard which quite few scientists at that time were able to produce. We were all greatly impressed by the lectures about the loess sequences in China, which was one of Liu’s areas of expertise. The new data from the loess records, in particular data from the older part of the loess stratigraphy, was during this travel presented at a number of British Universities. His studies during a large number of years form an important basis for the later very extensive international collaboration on loess stratigraphy in China. The loess records are today the most important terrestrial climate archives in the world. But Liu’s knowledge was not only restricted to the loess stratigraphy. He was also very well informed about the modern worldwide studies in marine Quaternary science, glacial geology, neotectonics, archaeology and palaeopedology.

Liu Tungsheng was widely interested in nature and culture. His interests included landscapes and climates, animals and art. The last INQUA Exectutive Committee meeting he attended was held in Umfolozi Nature South Africa in August 1999. With his video camera he participated in the game walks during which filmed all the wonderful animals he saw. He never stopped to admire the greatness of the nature.

Liu Tungsheng was a gentle person. He learnt us something about Chinese dignity, which in so many ways is superior to the more noisy way the western behavior. At the INQUA Congress in Durban in 1999, when he participated as the Past President, his wisdom helped us to solve some of the difficult tasks in the International Council. It resulted in a more united INQUA than previously. For this we are truly thankful.

At the Norwegian University of Life Sciences there has during the past 15 years been large number of Ph.D. students from China working within the field of soils and water. All of them have known about Liu Tungsheng and regarded him as China’s most distinguished Earth scientist. I have always been proud to tell them that  Liu was my friend. We will all keep the memory of Liu Tungsheng in our hearts.