The First Environmental Chemistry Journal

Environmental chemistry is a thriving, interdisciplinary field without a dedicated journal—until now: This issue marks the launch of Environmental Chemistry, an international, peer-reviewed journal that provides the first dedicated forum for chemical scientists working on environmental problems.

Environmental Chemistry is a cross-disciplinary journal addressing the chemical processes of the environment (air, water, soil, sediments, space, and biota). The scope encompasses atmospheric chemistry, (bio)geochemistry, marine and freshwater chemistry, polar chemistry, fire chemistry, interstellar chemistry, soil chemistry, climate change, chemical toxicology, and green chemistry.

There is clearly a need for such a journal that focuses specifically on the chemistry of environmental processes. Chemical scientists working on environmental problems have often resorted to publishing in biological, ecological, or technologically focussed journals, where the chemistry may be less rigorously assessed. On the other hand, some publish in pure chemistry journals, where the chemistry receives good critical evaluation, but where the environmental context may not be appreciated by the readers. Environmental Chemistry fills this need. Every manuscript we publish has been rigorously reviewed by several chemical scientists with specialist expertise. Every manuscript is professionally copyedited and presented to the broader environmental community with the environmental significance clearly emphasized.

Extraordinary support for Environmental Chemistry from the scientific community is reflected in the high calibre of the eighteen-member International Advisory Board, two of whom—Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina—are Nobel Prize winners. Board members are introduced in this issue, and their reasons for joining the Board appear with this editorial. In addition, three Board members—Graeme Batley, Peter Brimblecombe, and Simon Petrie—have put forth their diverse views in three Opinion pieces on what they believe are important issues in environmental chemistry.

Environmental issues are increasingly finding their way into political and public debate. Chemical science can shed light on these issues. With this in mind, each paper is accompanied by a short paragraph—an “environmental context”. The environmental context helps researchers from related fields (as well as interested readers outside research) understand the motivation behind, and the significance of, each paper. This does not dilute the scientific rigour of the research. Indeed, it enhances the impact of the results by extending the readers’ appreciation of the work.

The readership will include chemists, biologists, toxicologists, soil scientists, and workers from government and industry, and all those wanting to understand the implications of chemistry in the environment. Therefore, while focussing on the publication of important new original research and timely reviews, the journal also publishes Essays and Opinion pieces on issues of importance to environmental scientists, such as policy and funding.

We believe that the journal will quickly become essential reading for anyone who wants to stay informed about current issues and the latest findings in environmental chemistry. In fact to achieve maximum exposure of the new journal in the shortest time, we are providing the first three issues free of charge to anyone who registers (see the registration URL below). Financial support for this is provided by DuPont and BHP Billiton, our major sponsors. These companies enthusiastically support the role of environmental chemistry in bringing science, governments, industry, and individuals together in the pursuit of a sustainable future.

Welcome to the launch of Environmental Chemistry. We encourage you to submit your papers reporting important new chemistry with clear and significant implications or applications in the environment, and hope that you will enjoy reading Environmental Chemistry into the future. If you would like to discuss any aspect of Environmental Chemistry, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Alison Green and Richard Hecker
CSIROPUBLISHING
E-mail: publishing.env@csiro.au
Tel: (+61) 3 9662 7630

“While there are other journals that accept papers in environmental chemistry, these are often linked specifically to a component of the environment, e.g. water or air. This is an opportunity to give prominence to the importance of chemistry in environmental science. The planning and research that was undertaken impressed me. The aims were not modest, but bold, looking to create a journal with high standards from the start. I have no hesitation in giving it my full support, and in encouraging support from my environmental chemistry colleagues.” Graeme Batley

“Although there are some journals that publish environmental chemistry, many are specialist and this journal seemed willing to look at the subject as a whole. The new journal should start to give a sense of definition to the field of environmental chemistry.” Peter Brimblecombe

“There is a need for a high-quality journal that deals with the chemical nature of the environment in a broad context (i.e. not by compartment... land, water, air). I also think that an international journal with global readership based in Asia is very important, and should serve as a valuable vehicle for Asia-focussed studies.” Greg Carmichael

“Currently, our civilization is not sustainable. I am deeply interested as a chemist in the intellectual and practical challenges that our non-sustainability brings centre-stage. Reconciling chemical technologies with the environment is one of the biggest problem areas in mankind’s quest for a sustainable high technology civilization. I joined the Board of Environmental Chemistry as this new journal might be a further tool in developing the academic dimension of sustainability within the chemistry community.” Terry Collins

“Environmental chemistry is in fact a complex scientific discipline at the cross road of physics, chemistry, and biology, relying on advanced analytical chemistry dealing with ill-defined multi-phase systems. It certainly deserves a scientific journal, bringing together all these disciplines to improve our understanding of elements and their formulation in the environment.” Olivier Donard

“Environmental chemistry is not only about pollution, it is foremost a field for those who want to understand how the world works. In order to understand macroscopic processes in the environment, we have to focus on the molecular level in biology and the environment. My interest is in the area of metal and metalloids, their distribution and transformation in the environment and their interaction with biota. The reason why I have joined the Board is that I believe we need a platform on which chemists can meet scientists from other disciplines to discuss the processes which happen around us every day.” Jörg Feldmann

“Environmental chemistry is one of the (few) public and friendly faces of chemistry. The decisions based on research in environmental chemistry have enormous consequences for us all, so the research has to be very sound. I welcome the introduction of a journal focussing on this area, and I appreciate the opportunity to be part of it.” Kevin Francesconi

“I support the journal’s concept of emphasizing the chemical processes that underlie environmental science. There is no alternative journal that captures this.” Keith Hunter

“To help build a forum in which environmental chemistry research that can make a difference in understanding and protecting our biophysical environments and enhancing our quality of life can be published.” Bill Maher

“The journal’s scope is in accord with my view that everywhere is an environment. This way of thinking not only encourages the identification of common chemical tendencies in disparate environments, but also promotes the useful and invigorating interchange of knowledge between researchers in otherwise separate disciplines.” Simon Petrie

“The focus on the chemistry of environmental processes is something that I believe is missing in available journals.” Kevin Wilkinson

“My research interests are in environmental analytical chemistry and (aquatic) biogeochemistry. Much of my research is at the interface between these two areas and Environmental Chemistry provides a welcome vehicle for publishing (and reading about) research across the full spectrum of my interests.” Paul Worsfold

“Chemistry is important in environmental issues, because chemical substances are not only contaminants in the environment but are also useful tools clarifying phenomena in the environment. I am studying the latter as a geochemist of the hydrosphere and the atmosphere, but I am convinced that our results can also solve the former problem. As a member of the Board, I would like to bridge the two aspects.” Shizuo Tsunogai

Alison took up her current role as Chemistry Publisher and Editor of Australian Journalof Chemistry—an International Journal for Chemical Science early in 2001 following two years as Associate Editor of Advanced Materials at Wiley-VCH in Germany. Prior to this she was an Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow in Marburg, Germany, following a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry and B.Sc.(Hons) in inorganic chemistry at the University of Melbourne. Her Ph.D. thesis was awarded the Monica Reum Memorial Prize. Alison has been working to establish Environmental Chemistry since hearing a lecture on Atmospheric Problems of the 21st Century from F. Sherwood Rowland at the World Chemistry Congress in July 2001.

Richard is currently a member of the editorial teams of Australian Journal of Chemistry—an International Journal for Chemical Science as well as Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. He joined CSIRO PUBLISHING in 2002 following three years at Wiley-VCH in Germany with the journals Angewandte Chemie and ChemPhysChem, where he was strongly involved in the founding of the latter. Prior to this Richard spent a postdoctoral year at the Max Planck Institute in Germany following a Ph.D. in colloid science applied to industrial wastes from Curtin University and a B.Sc.(Hons) from the University of Tasmania.

CSIRO PUBLISHING (the publishing arm of Australia's premier research organization), a not-for-profit publisher that already has a strong track record in Environmental Science publishing, having produced book titles such as Australia: State of the Environment 2001 (published for the Government), Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Climate Change (2004), and Ecohydrology (2004), and continuing periodicals such as Marine & Freshwater Research, Wildlife Research, Australian Journal of Soil Research, and Ecos.