Discussion Vadose Zone Journal 2000

Vadose Zone Hydrology (Research) Journal
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	2000 SSSA Board of Directors Meeting The SSSA Board voted overwhelmingly to initiate a Vadose Zone Journal. The journal will be all-electronic, with electronic submissions and electronic reviews, leading to a web-based publication. As with other SSSA journals, CDs will be available annually. The intent of the all-electronic journal format is to ensure timeliness and economy in the publication process. Over the next few months, an editorial board will be selected, papers solicited and advertisements secured. It is anticipated that the journal will begin publishing shortly after January 2002. A focus statement is currently being drafted to reflect the vision, scope, and objectives of the new journal. This information will be circulated to the SSSA via the web page and through the CSA newsletter.

	2000 S-1 Business Meeting During the 2000 S-1 Business Meeting Glendon Gee presented a detailed report on the proposed Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal. A discussion of the proposed journal was followed by strong support. It was noted that the emphasis of the journal will not be limited to hydrology, but will focus on physical, chemical and biological processes. Likely, the name of the journal will be changed to Vadose Zone or Vadose Zone Research. The editorial board should also be reflective of that change. Glendon expects that the journal proposal will be passed by the SSSA Board.

	1999 S-1 Business Meeting Glendon Gee and Rien van Genuchten presented an overall status and detailed report on the proposed Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal. A lengthy discussion of the proposed journal was followed by strong support to push forward before the next board meeting. It was also strongly encouraged to get other divisions involved to support the journal. Glendon Gee presented a feasibility study of the Journal based on projected price structure and subscription by members and institutions. A motion confirmed the strong support for the publication of a new Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal by S-1.


	Information and Results of Survey Conducted by Glendon Gee (7/18/98)

	INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT Dear S1 News Subscribers, SSSA (Soil Science Society of America) members, or any interested scientist: At the SSSA executive meeting in March, a proposal was submitted to consider a new journal that would be published by SSSA. The proposed title of the journal is "Vadose Zone Hydrology". In light of recent national (USA) interest in the Vadose Zone and proposed government programs to sponsor work in Vadose Zone research, the S-1 Division has requested that SSSA consider this journal as an opportunity for its members to be recognized as leaders and experts in this area of both national and international national concern. Please take a few minutes to read this following information and respond to the short questionaire. JUSTIFICATION: Why a new SSSA Journal called "Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal"? Purpose of Journal: To provide an outlet for interdisciplinary research on water flow and cemical transport in the vadose (variably-saturated) zone and the upper part of the saturated zone, and on all physical, chemical and micro biological processes and soil properties directly or indirectly affecting water flow and chemical transport in soils. There is currently no internationally recognized peer-reviewed journal on flow/transport processes in the unsaturated zone. The journal will focus on such topics as predictive modeling of variably saturated flow and/or solute transport in soils, numerical and analytical solution methods, experimental validation of flow and transport models, multiphase (immiscible) flow of NAPL's, multi- component transport, unsaturated soil hydraulic and solute transport properties affecting flow and transport, parameter estimation, the scaling and/or geostatistics of soil properties affecting flow and transport, scale-dependent dispersion, stochastic modeling, macropore flow and transport, flow through unsaturated fractured rock, unstable flow, and all soil physical, soil chemical, geochemical, hydrogeochemical and soil microbiological and other processes and soil properties affecting flow and transport. Main Justification: SSSA members are increasingly active in other societies,publish in their journals, serve as Associate Editors. These societies (not SSSA) get much of the credit from this work by soil physicists, and are increasingly viewed as organizations addressing or producing state-of-the-art research involving contaminant transport in the unsaturated zone and underlying groundwater systems. These societies/disciplines are becoming increasingly visible in the eyes of action and planning agencies (DOE, EPA, NRC, NASA, others) who also often serve as our main outside (soft-money) funding agencies. The new journal provides a mechanism for channeling some of this credit back to SSSA and its members. Additional Justifications: 1. Many soil scientists (certain in S-1 and S-2, some members of other SSSA divisions) do not publish their research in society journals (SSSAJ), even if the research is presented at ASA meetings. 2. Non-Soil Physicists/soil scientists do not, or only infrequently, publish in the SSSA Journal, even if they are member (thus providing a one-way publication route). 3. There is currently no journal focusing exclusively on Vadose Zone Hydrology 4. The new journal provides a home for interdisciplinary research involving the unsaturated zone, i.e., for soil physicists, soil and geochemists, soil microbiologists, agricultural, chemical and petroleum engineers, and hydrologists, geologists, hydogeologists and hydrogeochemists specializing in vadose flow and transport research. 5. The journal reverses the increasingly vocal claim by hydrologists and others (and their societies) to claim ownership of the unsaturated zone. The journal (and indirectly SSSA) does this by catering directly to hydrologists and others. 6. The journal does not put the SSSA on a competitive basis with other societies and disciplines. Rather the journal recognizes the at times very important contributions by other disciplines to vadose zone hydrologic research (e.g., numerical and engineering expertise), and incorporates this additional expertise in a much larger framework than is possible with the traditional agronomy-type soil science perception of the SSSA journal. 7. The journal will be published by SSSA, and as such will reaffirm the society's natural leadership role in research involving the unsaturated or variably saturated zone. The name also recognizes that the variably saturated (vadose) zone is part of the larger hydrological cycle. 8. The journal would complement other journals but would be unique. Journals where S-1 members currently publish, or which publish papers which could appear immediately in the new Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal: Advances in Water Resources AIChE Journal Chemical Engineering Science Environmental Health Perspectives Environmental Science and Technology Geoderma Ground Water Groundwater Monitoring Review J. Applied Mathematics J. Hydrology J. of Contaminant Hydrology J. Mathematical Geology J. Soil Science Journal of Chromatography Journal of Multiphase Flow Reviews of Geophysics Science of the Total Environment SIAM Society of Petroleum Eng. J. Soil Science SPE Reservoir Engineering Stochastic Hydrology Transport in Porous Media Water Resources Research MECHANICS (to be worked out further): 1. The journal will start with 3 or 4 issues per year 2. The journal will have one of two editors, and an Editorial AdvisoryBoard (EAB) consisting of several Soil Physicists (S-1), at least one member from the S-2, S-3,and S-6 divisions, perhaps one member of A-5, several hydrologists, and hydrogeologists, and possibly one or two from the chemical and petroleum engineering disciplines. EAB members must have considerable name recognition and are expected to publish a large part of their research in the journal for the first few years. 3. EAB members must be members of SSSA (they will be asked to join SSSA). However, researchers publishing in Vadose Zone Hydrology do not need to be members of SSSA 4. The journal has a relatively relaxed publication policy regarding notation, units, and length and format of the paper. Major emphasis will be on publishing innovative, high-quality research using an efficient (speedy) review and publication process. 5. The SSSA journal will continue to be an outlet of disciplinary soil science research using the current divisional structure.


	RESULTS OF SSSA QUESTIONAIRE ON THE POTENTIAL FOR A VADOSE ZONE HYDROLOGY JOURNAL

	Below find the results of the s1-news survey. The e-mail survey went out to all s1-news members on Jun 30 and July 1. A total of 70 responded (e-mail subscriber list for s1-news is over 250 and include foreign members, An estimated 10% of the subscribers do not belong to SSSA.) The results were overwhelmingly positive. >br? 96% favored the new journal. 79% would subscribe 71% would also publish in SSSAJ A detailed summary of the S1-News Survey is provided below. Total responses=70 SSSA QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE POTENTIAL FOR A VADOSE ZONE HYDROLOGY JOURNAL (Questions and Responses) 1. Assuming 6 pages w/o page charges, would you publish in the journal? Y = 67, N = 1 , Probably = 2 2. Would you subscribe to the journal? Y = 55, N = 5, Probably = 8, NR (no response)=2 3. If yes, what price range is acceptable? Under $50/yr Y= 29 Under $100/yr N= 32 NR=9 4. If yes, how do you want to receive the journal: Electronic only? 3 Paper only? 3 Paper+optional electronic? 25 CD version at end of year plus either paper or electronic? 10 Electronic immediately upon approval and one volume at year-end (either paper or CD)? 17 NR=12 5. As an author, would you continue to submit papers to SSSAJ? Y= 50, N = 12, Probably= 3, NR= 5 6. Please mark an X by the Journals (above) that you publish in. Advances in Water Resources 8 AIChE Journal 1 Applied Environmental Microbiology 1 Australian J. Soil Res. 1 Bioremediation J. 1 Clays and Clay Minerals 1 Environmental Health Perspectives 1 Environmental Science and Technology 10 Geoderma 14 Geomicrobiology 1 Ground Water 8 Groundwater Monitoring Review 3 International Nonlinear Mechanics 1 J. Hydrology 15 J. Hydrological Processes 1 J. of Contaminant Hydrology 15 J. Mathematical Geology 1 J. Soil Contamination 1 J. Soil Science 7 Journal of Chromatography 1 Journal of Multiphase Flow Reviews of Geophysics 3 SIAM 1 Society of Petroleum Eng. J. Soil Science 24 Transactions ASAE 1 Transport in Porous Media 3 Water Resources Research 32 Some interesting marginal comments were provided of the survey sheets. Mike Fayer suggested the titles: Vadose Zone Research or J. of Vadose Zone Research. Dani Or suggested other titles: Unsaturated Zone Hydrology, Soil Hydrology, Interfacial Hydrology, Hydrology and Interfacial Processes Wilem de Clercq indicated that the $50 price would be acceptable but indicated that in South Africa that $50 would buy 300 loaves of bread! Boris Faybishenko wrote that the word Vadose in Greek means "shallow" and because shallow soils are usually in the unsaturated state we often use the terms--vadose zone and unsaturated zone-- as synonyms.