The GeoTrop 2010 conference fruitfully finished on November 7, 2010 in the Institute of Urban Environment (IUE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Xiamen, China. The three-day conference was financed by National Science Foundation of China and organized by the Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, IUE, CAS and the International Society of Environmental Geochemistry and Health (SEGH). Over 70 participants were from China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, USA, UK, Australia, and Pakistan, and six outstanding scientists were invited to give plenary talks in the Bio-Geo-Socio-Chemistry of urban watersheds (Dr. Peter Groffman, USA), emerging chemical management (Dr. Ming Hung Wong, HK China), dehalogenation of contaminated sediments (Dr. Max Häggblom, USA), e-waste and plastics burning (Dr. Andrew Meharg, UK), arsenic in groundwater (Dr. Kyoung Woong Kim, South Korea), and ecosystem service of paddy fields to urban ecosystem (Dr. Zhihong Cao, China). Over 50 talks were given in six themes, i.e. heavy metals in urban environments, organic pollutants in urban environments, biodegradation of organic contaminants, remediation and toxicity, biology and biochemistry, and biogeochemistry.

The conference was chaired by Professor Shen Yu, the deputy director of the Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, IUE, CAS. The conference opened by a warm welcome speech by the Director in General of the IUE, CAS, Professor Yongguan Zhu and closed up by the IUE Adjunct Professor Ming Hung Wong, a chair professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.