bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regional geophysics and tectonics: Penrose conference
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Geological Society of America has announced plans for a Conference on Regional Geophysics and Tectonics of the Intermountain West to be held September 7 to 12, 1975, in Alta, Utah.

The purpose of the meeting is to examine Cenozoic tectonics and interpretations of regional geophysical data of the intermountain west in light of the general theory of plate tectonics. Emphasis will be placed on the transition zone from the Basin and Range province to the Colorado Plateau and the middle Rocky Mountains provinces, the eastern Snake River plain, and Yellowstone National Park.
Water Resources systems: One‐week course
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The International Water Resources Association and the AGU Section of Hydrology will cosponsor a short course on the Hierarchical Approach in the Planning, Operation, and Management of Water Resources Systems at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, from May 19 to 23, 1975. It is the fourth course in an annual series on the topic presented by the Case Institute of Technology.

The purpose of the course is to present the state‐of‐the‐art in the field of large‐scale systems engineering as applied to planning and management of water resources systems. Sessions will offer discussions of applications of decomposition and multilevel optimization techniques to multiobjective functions in water resources, multiregional conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water resources and hydrologic systems, regional water control and management, flood control analysis, and recent research results and applications in current literature.
Earthquake Engineering Sixth World Conference
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Indian Society of Earthquake Technology and the Institution of Engineers, India, are organizing the Sixth World Conference on Earthquake Engineering on behalf of the International Association of Earthquake Engineering. The meeting will be held in New Delhi from January 10 to 14, 1977.

Conference topics include recent destructive earthquakes; ground motion, seismicity risk, and zoning; response of structures to ground shaking; foundation and soil structure interaction; earthquake‐resistant design; dynamics of soils and soil structures; earthquake‐resistant design of nuclear power facilities; dynamic tests on structures; earthquake instrumentation; and dynamic behavior of structural elements. The language used will be English.
Land Subsidence subject of international meeting
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

An International Symposium on Land Subsidence is planned for December 13 to 17, 1976, at the Royal Inn near Disneyland, Anaheim, California. The symposium is sponsored by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, International Association of Hydrogeologists, and International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, with the cooperation and assistance of Unesco and the American Geophysical Union.

The symposium will be held during the week following the 1976 Fall Annual Meeting of AGU (December 6 to 9) in San Fransicso.
Penrose conference on Paleozoic plate margins
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A Penrose Conference on Paleozoic Margins of Paleo‐American and Eurafrican Plates, sponsored by the Geological Society of America, will be convened by James W. Skehan and Nicholas Rast at the University of New Brunswick at St. John, May 25 to 28, 1975.

The four‐day conference will concentrate on the evidence for the margins of plates that bordered the Proto‐Atlantic Ocean in Paleozoic time. In this sense it represents a corollary to the Penrose Conference on Pre‐Mesozoic Plate Tectonics held in Vail, Colorado, in January 1975, which stressed Precambrian plate tectonics.
Climate and Climatic Change: Australasian Conference
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A Conference on Climate and Climatic Change, sponsored by the Australian Branch of the Royal Meteorological Society and cosponsored by the Australian Academy of Science will be held December 7 to 11, 1975, at Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. The meeting's theme is ‘Climatic Change and Variability.’

Included among topics for papers and discussions are General Atmospheric Circulation, Oceanography on Climatic Scales, Quaternary Land Record, Quaternary Ocean and Antarctic Record, Recent Climate Variations, Theories of Climatic Change, Mathematical modeling of Climate, and Modification of Climate.
Fall Annual Meeting 1974
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1974 Fall Annual Meeting of AGU was held at the Jack Tar Hotel, San Francisco, California, December 12 to 17, 1974. Some sessions were held at the Holiday Inn—Golden Gateway, San Francisco. More than 1800 members, guests, and media representatives were in attendance.

Exhibitors included TRW, Inc.; Schonstedt Instrument Company; John Wiley and Sons; Spatial Data Systems; Computer Equipment Company; Hughes Aircraft; and Geothermal magazine.
ENDEC Conference: U.S. exhibits list
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The following books, papers, maps, and film were exhibited by the U.S. National Committee for the IHD at the End‐of‐Decade Conference in Paris, September 2– 14, 1974.

With two exceptions, the books and papers exhibited disappeared on the last day of the exhibit, presumably into the clutches of one or more avid hydrological library builders.
Books: World water balance and water resources of the Earth; permafrost hydrology, the Proceedings of a Workshop Seminar, 1974; Foreign Reports Available on Loan
Authors: Nace R. L. , Sloan C. E. , Childers J. M.
Published: October 2011

World Water Balance and Water Resources of the Earth, USSR National Committee for the International Hydrological Decade. (In Russian, with Russian and English title pages and tables of contents.) Hydrometeorological Publishing, Moscow‐Leningrad, 638 pp., 164 figures and maps, 200 tables, 511 references, (annex, Atlas of World Water Balance, 65 maps), 1974.
A proper balance: Basic and applied science
Authors: Manheim Frank T.
Published: October 2011

The captain of our scientific ship, Frank Press, has recently noted dwindling rations and hungry looks on his crew, while for the most part keeping his telescope trained on the distant horizon (President's Page editorial). I suggest that he is missing some important landscape around him, and the opportunity to acquire food supplies en route.

One must recognize that the crimp in basic research funding has had some positive side effects. Whereas a few years ago basic research carried away the cream of the young scientific crop, and the practical needs of the country rarely saw this talent again, increasing numbers of good scientists have been filtering down to hinterland educational establishments such as our own at South Florida, to public and private applied research organizations, government agencies, and even—mirabile dictu—to regulatory agencies. Some scientists who had their hearts set on name institutions came with chips on their shoulders, but many found to their surprise that they could have a satisfying career spending part of their time doing their thing and another part with things that need doing.
Gordon Research Conferences, summer 1975
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1975 Gordon Research Conferences will be held at various locations in New Hampshire and California from June 9 to August 29.

Established to stimulate research in universities, industrial laboratories, and research foundations, the annual series utilizes and informal type of meeting consisting of scheduled speakers and group discussions, with ample time made available to stimulate voluntary intercommunication among participants. This meeting format has proved to be singularly effective as a means not only of disseminating ideas and information but of enabling scientists in related fields to become better acquainted and to form associations that often result in cooperative research efforts.
Space view of United States available from USGS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Copies of a satellite space view of the conterminous United States have been printed by the U.S. Geological Survey for public sale.

The black and white mosaic of images taken by NASA's Landsat 1 earth resources survey satellite (formerly called Erts 1) shows what the nation, on the eve of its 200th anniversary, looks like from 570 miles in space. The 29‐ by 41‐inch copies printed by the USGS at a scale of 1:5,000,000 are reproductions of a larger master mosaic of the 48 conterminous states prepared by the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from parts of 595 Landsat 1 pictures taken between July 25 and October 31, 1972. The USDA has available for sale some more expensive photographic copies of the mosaic in a variety of sizes and costs.
Nominations
Authors: Spilhaus A. F.
Published: October 2011

Nominating committees for each of the sections and for the union are now beginning their work. For the union a president‐elect, general secretary, and foreign secretary must be elected. The president‐elect will serve in that capacity for the July 1, 1976, through June 30, 1978, term and as president for the following two‐year term. The term of the general secretary is two years and that of the foreign secretary four years; the incumbents are eligible for reelection to these two positions.

The union nominating committee is C.B. Raleigh, chairman, M.B. McElroy, and R.A. Freeze. They would welcome suggestions from the membership.
Geographical Meetings in Moscow, 1976
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

At the invitation of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the International Geographical Union will hold its Twenty‐Third International Geographical Congress and its Fourteenth General Assembly (devoted to union business) in July and August of 1976.

The meetings of the congress, for the most part, will be held at the Lomonosov State University of Moscow on Lenin Hills. The university campus is on the high bank of the Moscow River amid parks and sports grounds. Various means of transportation, including subway and busses, are available to downtown Moscow, and special busses will be at the disposal of attendees for trips from their hotels to the university and back. On the campus are a number of dining rooms, post offices, souvenir shops, and bookstalls.
NSF 1950–1975: The President's Page
Authors: Spillhaus Athelstan
Published: October 2011

A birthday is an occasion where one not only congratulates the birthday boy but also recalls his heritage.

I have the honor and pleasure of doing this in behalf of geophysicists for the National Science Foundation. During the last 40 years I have known personally and admired those who were the chief players in the developments that ultimately led to the National Science Foundation.
AAAS‐Rosenstiel Award in Oceanographic Science
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

This year the American Association for the Advancement of Science will inaugurate the AAAS‐Rosenstiel Award in Oceanographic Science, with support from the Rosenstiel Foundation through the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric sciences of the University of Miami.

The award of $5000 and a certificate will honor outstanding achievement and distinction in oceanographic science, including relevant aspects of ocean engineering where significant new principles are concerned, and aspects of atmospheric science with important implications for understanding of oceanic processes.
Program set for AIAA‐AGU conference on outer planetary exploration
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Program details for the Conference on Exploration of the Outer Planets, to be held September 17–19, 1975, in St. Louis, have been announced by the meeting sponsors, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Geophysical Union.

Topics of the seven scientific sessions are Science Objectives and Thrusts; Mission Design; Science Requirements and Approaches; Planetary Entry Probes—Technology; Outer Planetary Spacecraft; Planetary Entry Probes—Mission and Design; and Future Directions. A panel discussion will follow the final session.
Soil‐water problems in cold regions conference subject
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Task Force on Soil‐Water Problems in Cold Regions of the AGU Section of Hydrology sponsored a conference to consider those problems on May 6 and 7, 1975, in Calgary, Alberta.

The meeting was held in the Convention Center and was attended by about 100 people. There were 13 papers on the program, followed by a discussion period.
The decade's contribution—A U.S. View
Authors: Hershey H. Garland
Published: October 2011

With this the last issue of the IHD Bulletin, I should like to do several things. First and most important, I want to thank, on behalf of the National Committee, all those who contributed to United States participation in the Decade. It is impossible to do this adequately, because during the past ten years a large proportion of the water‐related agencies, organizations, and institutions in this country took part in, furthered, and supported the projects and activities that made up the U.S. program for the International Hydrological Decade. Yet, if I may, I would like to single out the faithful and generous support of the National Science Foundation.
US IHD Bulletin: U.S. accomplishments, recommendations
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Part 3 of the final report of the United States National Committee for the IHD, summarizing U.S. activities during the Decade and offering recommendations based upon these experiences, was approved in principle by the committee at its last session (see meeting report in this issue). An ad hoc committee chaired by D.F. Peterson was apointed by U.S. National Committee Chairman H.G. Hershey to complete the final revision of part 3. The members of the ad hoc committee are W.S. Butcher, R.A. Clark, D.R. King, G.B. Maxey, and R.L. Nace.
Final meeting of USNC/IHD
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

At its sixteenth and final meeting on June 12–13, the U.S. National Committee for the IHD, under the chairmanship of H. Garland Hershey, considered and approved two additional reports for publication, subject to recommended revisions. These were the final reports of the USNC/IHD Work Groups on Snow and Ice Hydrology, and Hydrology of Carbonate Terranes (summaries of these contributions are in this issue). A major portion of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of the first draft of the conclusions and recommendations section of part 3 of the committee's own final report. It was decided that a subcommittee should meet in the latter part of July to finish work on this report and begin the formal National Academy of Sciences (NAS) review process.
New U.S. data manager for IFYGL program
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

William T. Hodge of NOAA's National Climatic Center, Ashevill, North Carolina, was appointed IFYGL data manager early this year. He succeeds David Drury of NOAA's Environmental Data Service, Center for Experiment Design and Data Analysis (CEDDA).
Folklore and the aurora
Authors: Holzworth Robert H.
Published: October 2011

The Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon of striking beauty and overwhelming presence in certain parts of the world. It is therefore natural to ask what effect these northern lights have had on the native cultures in the auroral zones. Since the sun, moon, and stars all have a place in the mythology of most primitive cultures, it is not surprising that mention of the aurora is prevalent in the legends and folklore of the people who live within regular view of it.

This paper does not attempt to delve into all the various historical sightings and accompanying explanations of the aurora but rather to relate some of the myths and legends built around the northern lights. There exist extensive listings of historical references to the aurora [Petrie, 1963], but it is not until one consults the folktales of the northern cultures that these sightings have any legendary importance. Auroral displays are connected to and explained by myths of great variety, and even today the northern lights appear in short stories and ballads such as the works of Service [1944].
Upper atmosphere research at NCAR balloon facility
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

To conceive of a ballon made of 16 acres of filmy plastic and filled with millions of cubic feet of helium would be enough to tax anyone's imagination. But launching such a balloon, carrying instruments that weigh more than a ton, merely exercizes the staff s ingenuity at the National Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas.

Balloons launched from the NSBF (operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder) have gathered data on cosmic rays in a search for evidence of antimatter, photographed the corona of the sun above most of the obscuring atmosphere around the earth, and helped to compile a profile of the chemical composition of the stratosphere. Through their creative ingenuity and skill, the engineers, meteorologists, technicians, and support personnel at the facility have helped to advance scientific ballooning to status as a sophisticated art. Instrument packages weighing more than two tons are launched routinely from the facility, and—more important—are successfully recovered.
Smithsonian Institution, Peace Corps program seeks hydrogeologist, petrologist
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Smithsonian Institution, Peace Corps Environmental Program, is seeking a hydrogeologist and a petrologist to serve two‐year terms as volunteers in the Dominican Republic. Now in its fourth year, the program assists developing countries to obtain qualified personnel for environmental and natural resource assignments in a broad spectrum of scientific and technical fields.

The Dominican Republic, which is revamping its collection, storage and use of geological information, has requested a hydrogeologist to produce and edit a series of geological maps of the country, to study the mineral and economic prospects of specified areas, to analyze potable waters for contamination, and to help in the formation of a National Geological Service.
Symposium on water‐quality data requirements
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A special Symposium on Data Requirements for Operational Water‐Quality Models is being sponsored by the Water Quality Committee of the Hydrology Section of AGU. This symposium is scheduled for the 57th Annual Meeting of AGU, to be held in Washington D.C., during April 12–16, 1976.

Considerable activity in recent years has centered on development and application of physical‐based water‐quality models. On numerous occasions, data deficiencies for model calibration and verification have curtailed the effectiveness of such models in influencing policy, investments, and decisions regarding water‐quality control and management practices.
1976 Specialty Conference on Dredging and Its Environmental Effects
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The ASCE Hydraulics Division Task Committee on Dredging and Its Environmental Effects will conduct a Speciality Conference on this subject area on January 26–28, 1976, at the new Sheraton Hotel in Mobile, Alabama. The conference will be cosponsored by the Alabama Section and Mobile Branch of ASCE.
Field trip planned for Fall Meeting
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Following the AGU International Conference on the Nature of the Oceanic Crust, at the Sea Lodge, in La Jolla Shores, December 4–6, 1975, a two part ophiolite field trip is planned. Part one of the field trip will leave La Jolla after dinner on December 6 by bus for Santa Barbara, arriving late evening. Participants will be housed close to the Point Sal area and will have a full day in the field on Sunday. The leader for this part of the trip will be Cliff Hopson.
IMS 1976–1979: New Concepts in International Scientific Cooperation
Authors: Roederer Juan G.
Published: October 2011

What do all the strange new cosmological objects discovered in the last decades—radiogalaxies, radio and X ray stars, pulsars—have in common with solar flares and the ionized envelopes of earth, Jupiter, and Mercury? They all feature different variations of one theme: whenever nature creates a hot gas, she also arranges for magnetic fields and for acceleration processes in which magnetic field energy accumulated in large portions of space is suddenly released and transferred in the form of kinetic energy to a limited fraction of particles. The earth's magnetosphere, representing the outer limits of man's immediate environment, can be considered as our private ‘backyard universe,’ where we can study in situ, quantitatively and repeatedly, a small‐scale version of related fundamental physical mechanisms that govern the behavior of matter in the vast regions of our universe.

The earth's magnetosphere may be defined as the region of near‐earth space that is threaded by magnetic field lines linked to the earth and in which ionized gas predominates over the neutral atmosphere. It is populated with ions and electrons from the earth's upper atmosphere, with plasma captured from the impinging solar wind, and with high‐energy particles trapped in the radiation belt. During the past 17 years the study of the magnetosphere has gone through a highly successful stage of discovery and exploration. Investigators have obtained a morphological description of the magnetospheric field, the particle population embedded in it, and its interface with the solar wind and have identified and are beginning to understand many of the physical processes involved. During this study it has become increasingly evident that the magnetosphere behaves as a single system of strongly interacting regions, governed by the streaming solar wind as the external energy source and by the dissipative ionosphere as an internal load. Magnetospheric physics is now ripe for a transition from the exploratory stage to one in which satellite missions and ground‐based observations are planned with the specific objective of achieving a comprehensive quantitative understanding of the cause‐and‐ effect relationships among the dynamical processes involved.
Oceanographers have more fun
Authors: Paskausky David F. , Murphy Donald L.
Published: October 2011

We have been dropping drifters in Long Island Sound, Lake Huron, and the American Mediterranean for several years, and our offer of a reward for return of information about the drifter find has resulted in volumes of mail, most of it blasé but some of it amusing. We would like to share a few of the more striking examples of the layman's reaction to simple science. Our erudite comments are in brackets.
Waste management conference
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Eighth Annual Waste Management Conference entitled ‘Land as a Waste Management Alternative’ will be held on April 28–30, 1976. The purpose of this conference is to examine appropriate ways to use the land as a waste receptor.

The specific emphasis of the conference will be placed on the institutional (social, legal, and economic) and technical aspects (capacity of soil to assimilate wastes, effect on crop growth and utilization, monitoring and management, and design criteria) of the use of land as an acceptor of wastes. Case histories of municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastes will also be an area of interest.
New national water quality monitoring network
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), a new water quality monitoring network designed to provide a balanced yearly picture of water quality in U.S. streams on a national and regional scale, is now in operation according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its primary objectives are to account for the quantity and quality of water moving within and from the United States, to depict areal variability of water quality, to detect changes in stream quality, and to lay the groundwork for future assessments of changes in stream quality.

In the past, attempts to document change or lack of change in water quality with time have been largely unsuccessful because of incomplete or inadequate data. Because NASQAN is set up on a national basis, has stations that are operated uniformly, and has a program that is committed to long‐term objectives, it should not have these problems.
International Survey on Land Subsidence
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) is conducting a detailed survey on land subsidence occurrence, research, and remedial activities throughout the world. The questionnaire requests information on location, causes, amounts, and rates of subsidence; problems and costs resulting from the subsidence and remedial measures taken; research completed or active; and list of publications describing the area or research.

Plans call for IAHS to publish all responses received from this survey. In addition, the information will be summarized in a state of the art paper at the Second International Symposium on Land Subsidence, to be held in Anaheim, California, December 10–17, 1976.
AAAS Annual Meeting
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will hold its annual meeting on February 18–24, 1976, in Boston, Massachusetts. All sessions were arranged by Stanley Changnon, Jr., Secretary of the Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences Section of AAAS. All of the sessions are cosponsored by the American Meteorological Society and the AGU.

The session ‘Progress in the Hydrospheric Sciences in America,’ chaired by William C. Ackermann, features papers by B. Berger and L. B. Dworsky, E. L. Armstrong, M. B. McPherson, B. J. Buehler, and W. C. Ackermann. J. P. Friend is the chairman for ‘Meteorology and Chemistry of the Stratosphere’; this session includes papers by J. Mahlman, E. F. Danielson, R. E. Newell, and J. P. Friend. ‘Climate and Plant Productivity,’ with E. R. Lemon as chairman, has papers by H. Landsberg, W. S. Broecker, G. M. Wood‐Woodwell, J. D. McQuigg, and P. E. Waggoner. Another session dealing with the interaction of man and weather, ‘Severe Storms and Society,’ is chaired by L. J. Battan and includes papers by C. W. Newton, E. R. Fosse, R. Booker, R. Miller, and P. McManamon.
Nominations sought for American Men and Women of Science
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

For the first time, American Men and Women of Science (AMWS) will be published with all volumes appearing simultaneously, six volumes plus geographic and discipline indexes bound In a separate volume, due in late 1976, An extremely accelerated production schedule will give users more current information. New methods will allow more frequent revision to give a more up‐to‐date and viable service to the scientific community.

This edition will cover an A‐Z compilation of the majority of disciplines. The fields of engineering, economics, psychology, political science, and sociology are under consideration for future volumes.
Hydrology and water resources
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The sixth annual joint meeting of the Arizona Section of the American Water Resources Association and the Hydrology Section of the Arizona Academy of Science will be held at the Braniff Place Hotel, Tucson, during the period April 28 to May 1, 1976. The hydrology sessions will be part of the joint meeting of the American Association for Advancement of Science (Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division) and the Arizona Academy of Science. Papers are sought on all aspects of southwestern water resources. The 10 minutes allotted for presentation of each paper will be followed by a 5‐min discussion period.
International Conference on Physics in Industry
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The First International Conference on Physics in Industry, a conference proposed and supported by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and organized by the National Committee for Physics of the Royal Irish Academy, will be held on March 9–13, 1976, in Dublin, Ireland. This conference is in response to the growing interest in applied physics expressed by several national committees of the IUPAP and will serve as a forum where physicists from industry, government laboratories, and universities can exchange experiences in problem areas and knowledge of recent advances. In addition to the invited presentations, there will be ample time for the presentation of contributed papers and for formal and informal discussions.
Scientists eye steaming Mount Wrangell
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Alaska are observing closely the increasingly high amounts of steam being emitted from the summit crater of 14,163‐ft (4.3169 km) Mount Wrangell, part of the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska. Although Mount Wrangell has been a special site of observations for the past 10 years, the monitoring of observations has been intensified because of the greatly increased heat flow, the amount of steam emitted, and the number of fumaroles this year. These are possible indications of an increasingly ‘restless’ volcanic mountain.

The heat flow from and the number of fumaroles in Mount Wrangell have been increasing slowly for the past 10 years. Because of the ‘picked‐up tempo’ of volcanic activity the three scientists who have been making periodic observations of the mountain during the last decade have begun an intensified monitoring program. Carl Benson, a professor at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, has made at least one field trip each year to the top of the mountain to conduct experiments. Tom Miller, an igneous petrologist, and Larry Mayo, a glaciologist, both with the U.S. Geological Survey, have supported Benson's ground observations with aircraft observations. Their attention has been focused on the summit caldera.
Congressional record
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The following notes are intended to provide a guide to material appearing in the Congressional Record that may be of interest to members of AGU. Dates and page numbers are given for those who want to look up the full text.
President's page: The president has donated this space to your money.
Authors: Spilhaus A. F.
Published: October 2011

Basic research is being squeezed, tightly squeezed, in the United States by decreasing federal expenditures as emphasis is placed on relevant research, research applied to national needs. Dollars that have traditionally been spent on basic research are no longer available. And how can one argue against this; after all, scientists too must serve the national interest. There is no question but that the application of some of the best minds of science to immediate social problems is in the national interest, but to what extent is it in the national interest to trim basic research to gain this application?
Earthquake prediction
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A specific federal plan for the issuance of earthquake predictions and warnings has been proposed for consideration by federal, state, and local agencies. It was outlined by V. E. McKelvey, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), on November 7, 1975, at a conference on earthquake warning andresponse in San Francisco, California. Although presently, no operational capability for reliable earthquake prediction exists, it can be expected to be developed soon because of the rapid progress that scientists in the United States, the Soviet Union, Japan, and China are making in earthquake research. Therefore it is not premature to present a tentative plan for issuing predictions and warnings. The plan is expected to change as suggestions for improvements and comments are received, more progress is made in prediction research, and experience in issuing predictions is gained.
AGU Committee on Geomagnetic Reference Fields
Authors: Regan Robert D.
Published: October 2011

One of the conclusions reached by the participants of the Zmuda Memorial Conference on Geomagnetic Field Models, which was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in March 1975 (EOS, 56 (8), 536, 1975) was that the present international geomagnetic reference field (IGRF) is not totally adequate for many users. Furthermore, the user community appeared dissatisfied with the decisions on updating the model reached at the 1973 International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) meeting in Kyoto, Japan.
Commentary on “Radioactive waste storage in the arid zone”
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The length of the reference list in the paper ‘Radioactive Waste Storage in the Arid Zone’ by Isaac Winograd (EOS, 55,884–894, 1974) suggests that the author read extensively. However, at least two of the references contain information, if examined intensively, that tends to refute the author's assertion of the lack (or low value) of deep infiltrations under interfluve areas. A photograph in a work by Ruhe [1967, p. 61] shows stringers of caliche descending into the subsoil in an area of about 8 in. (∼203 mm) of precipitation annually. Brown [1956] pointed out that caliche under surface depressions extended tens of meters down into the vadose zone of the High Plains in an area of 16–22 in. (∼404–559 mm) of precipitation. Abundant natural and artificial outcrops observed by the writer reinforce these evidences of deep infiltration through the vadose zone in interfluve areas where precipitation does not exceed 10 in. (254 mm) per year. There is no reason why ‘periodic recharge by see page’ should not occur under minor as well as ‘major arroyo bottoms’ or why ‘deep infiltration beneath closed depressions’ should not occur under small depressions in semiarid areas as well as under the larger ones of the High Plains.
International deployment of accelerometers: A network for very long period seismology
Authors: Agnew D. , Berger J. , Buland R. , Farrell W. , Gilbert F.
Published: October 2011

The value to seismology of a global net of seismometers has long been recognized. Indeed, the first proposal for such a net came in 1895, only 6 years after the discovery that earthquake waves could be recorded at long distances, and the first net of standardized instruments was in existence by 1898 [Dewey and Byerly, 1969; Wood, 1942; Milne, 1899]. A true network, involving not only standardized high‐quality instruments but also the exchange and ready availability of data, did not come until the establishment of the World‐Wide Standard Seismograph Network (WWSSN) in the middle 1960's [Oliver and Murphy, 1971]. The importance of this to general seismology cannot be overstated; not only has it improved the quality of traditional research areas, but the availability of the data has suggested new types of investigations. In the decade since the WWSSN was built, two small networks have been set up: the High‐Gain Long‐Period instruments (HGLP) [Savino et al., 1972] and, very recently, the Seismic Research Observatories (SRO) [Peterson and Orsini, 1976]. Both of these networks use careful shaping of the instrument response to improve the detection of surface waves from very small events, which is important in lowering the magnitude threshold for discriminating earthquakes from explosions.
The world food problem and the role of climate
Authors: Laur Timothy Michael
Published: October 2011

Recent events in the world food market have highlighted the present urgent need for restoring and maintaining adequate food reserves. Drought and subsequent famine on the Indian subcontinent and in the sub‐Sahara region have demonstrated the gravity of the present world food situation and the extent to which it depends on climatic influences. Climate plays a crucial role in a nation's viability. A nation that cannot feed itself must be able to obtain food from producing nations or suffer epidemic disease, famine, and loss of inhabitants by death or migration.
Satellite observations of the eruption of Tolbachik Volcano
Authors: Jayaweera K. O. L. F. , Seifert R. , Wendler G.
Published: October 2011

In this brief report we describe the observations of the eruption of the Tolbachik volcano by the NOAA 4 satellite. The NOAA 4 satellite carries among its sensors a very high resolution radiometer sensitive to radiation in the visible band (0.6 to 0.7 μ) and the thermal infrared band (10.5 to 12.5 μ) and has a resolution of 1 km at nadir. The signals are received at Gilmore Tracking Station near Fairbanks, Alaska. The Kamchatka peninsula is visible in at least one of the satellite orbits at about 2200 UT. The Tolbachik volcano, situated in the Kamchatka peninsula at 56°N and 160°E, erupted on July 6, 1975.
Minority participation in Earth Science Program
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The U.S. Geological Survey, the largest single employer of earth scientists in the United States, is committed to the expansion of its Minority Participation in Earth Science (MPES) Program, which operates within the USGS and with the cooperation of other federal agencies; civic, community, educational, and professional organizations; and industry. MPES is developing a flow of talented young people from all racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds into geology, geophysics, mineral engineering, hydrology, and related sciences.
Antarctic exchange scientists
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scattered across the United States are about 20 Americans with an unusual common bond: they are scientists who have spent a year wintering in Antarctica at a USSR station.

Exchange of personnel ranks high in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty. The United States and the USSR have continued this scientific exchange each year almost without a break since the International Geophysical Year. The exchange has been highly successful in making it possible for Soviet and American scientists to do research in areas not normally available to them, in enabling interaction with foreign colleagues to expand scientific knowledge, and in promoting understanding between nations.
Single crystals for geodynamics?
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The U.S. Geodynamics Committee has established a working group to determine the research needs of the geophysical and geological community in obtaining high‐quality (synthetic) single crystals of minerals likely to be found in the earth's lower crust and upper mantle for use in geodynamics‐related experimentation.

One part of such an effort is to inquire whether it is essential to make measurements requiring large crystals of the order of 1 cm or whether measurements on powders and very small samples will be sufficient to determine the physical properties relevant to geodynamic problems. Another part of this effort is to ask whether there are enough people asking geodynamically interesting questions who need such large samples. What would be the quantity of crystals necessary? Potential users are invited to inform the Working Group on Crystal Growth for geodynamics of their needs. (Comments from anyone interested in the subject are welcome.) The following information is essential: (1) the structures and compositions of a few likely mantle minerals that should have the highest priority; (2) briefly, what measurements would be made and their relevance to geodynamic processes; and (3) the minimum size required.
Deep well to test underground storage
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A 1219.20‐m test well is being drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey near New Hill, North Carolina, 40.23 km west of Raleigh, to determine the physical, chemical, and dynamic systems of a series of deep Triassic geologic basins in the middle and north Atlantic regions and their future potential for storage of liquid wastes.

Since more than 4 billion liters of oil field brine and liquid industrial waste are daily pumped underground in the United States, the demand for additional underground storage space is growing. The Triassic basins of the East including those of North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, and New Jersey have been suggested as waste disposal sites because they are readily accessible to major industrial areas, contain generally unusable saline water at depth and little known mineral wealth, form structural traps of enormous size, and appear to contain both confining rocks of low permeability that would block the flow of liquids and zones of higher permeability that might have significant storage capacity.
International Conference on the Nature of the Oceanic Crust
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The AGU sponsored International Conference on the Nature of the Oceanic Crust was held in La Jolla, California, December 4–6, 1975, more than 2 years after the first general meeting on rocks recovered by the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). A summary of the first meeting (‘Deep Sea Drilling Project: Properties of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks of the Oceanic Crust’) appeared in the November 1973 EOS. Because at that time (through leg 31 of DSDP) only shallow (<100 m) penetrations had been achieved, few generalizations on the nature of the oceanic crust could be made on the basis of results presented at the first conference. However, it was evident that a diversity of basaltic rocks had been recovered during the first 31 legs of DSDP and that altered tholeiitic basalt was the dominant rock type cored.
Theory on Martian volcano sizes
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A theory attributing the big difference in size between Martian and terrestrial volcanoes to the fact that the crust of Mars, in contrast to that of earth, remains fixed in place has been developed by U.S. Geological Survey scientist M. H. Carr on the basis of data from the Mariner 9 (1971) probe. For example, Olympus Mons, the largest volcano on Mars, is between 500 and 600 km across and ∼2 4 km high, whereas Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on earth, is 120 km across at its base on the ocean floor and more than 7000 m above the sea floor.

According to Carr's theory (see his article in the Scientific American, January 1976 ), volcanoes that develop over ‘hot spots’ in the upper mantle just below the earth's crust are relatively short‐lived because they erupt and grow only so long as they remain over the hot spots in the stationary mantle. They become extinct as the motions of the crustal plates carry them away from the hot spots, and new volcanoes may form in the parts of the plates that drift over the hot spots. But on Mars, whose crust is not divided into moving plates, possibly because it is too thick to fracture, volcanoes remain for long periods over the hot spots and continue to erupt for long periods of time.
NASA lunar research support
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

NASA encourages and supports research in all aspects of lunar science. Its goal is to improve the scientific understanding of the origin, evolution, structure, and composition of the moon and of its relationships to the earth and the solar system.

NASA's broadly based lunar programs include experimental and theoretical research on lunar materials (samples and Surveyor parts), lunar data analysis and synthesis, using published or other generally available data, and support for research and technology designed to further the general goals of the other lunar programs such as theoretical studies, laboratory simulations, meteorite research, advanced experiment concepts, etc. NASA especially encourages well‐qualified scientists not now in the lunar programs to participate if they have new ideas, techniques, or research capabilities. An announcement giving details on where and how to make a proposal may be obtained from Edward A. Flinn, Deputy Director, Lunar and Planetary Programs, NASA Headquarters, Code SL, Washington, D.C. 20546.
Satellite observations of Sun planned
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists at the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, are preparing to send a solar telescope into orbit to observe the sun during a period when its activity reaches a maximum in 1979 and 1980. An HAO coronagraph/polarimeter has been accepted as one of seven solar experiments to be launched in the fall of 1979 on the solar maximum mission (SMM).

The satellite observations will be part of an HAO program for studying the solar corona during the solar maximum, when solar flares, sunspots, and other forms of solar activity will reach high levels of frequency and intensity. Robert MacQueen is principal investigator for this program, and Lewis House is principal scientist, both of HAO. Other scientists participating in the program are Martin Altschuler, Richard Hansen, Roger Kopp, and Charles Querfeld, all of HAO; George Dulk, of the University of Colorado; William Wagner, of the Sacramento Peak Observatory in New Mexico; Hermann Schmidt, of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, West Germany; and Kevin Sheridan, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Sydney, Australia. Charles Ross, of HAO, is project manager. The SMM is managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which will support the HAO program with funds supplied through the National Science Foundation.
Committee on geodesy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Academy of Sciences has established a Committee on Geodesy in the Office of Earth Sciences under the Assembly of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The committee will review (1) the state of scientific and technological advances in modern geodesy and related fields to determine when technique and methodology transfer is practicable, (2) the planning for space‐borne instrumentation pertinent to geodesy during the 1980's, (3) the need for geodetic control for the oceans, (4) the educational opportunities in geodesy and surveying, (5) the status of current work in plane surveying and mapping, and (6) the status of current work on traditional geodesy and will also provide for a Visiting Scientist in Geodesy Program.

The committee will be chaired by Jack E. Oliver, Chairman of the Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University. Hyman Orlin has been appointed executive secretary. The committee, consisting of experts with appropriate backgrounds in geodesy and related fields, is as follows:
Prediction of landslide
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Most landslides occur in winter, following storms that soak the ground. Research in an area of Contra Costa County, in the San Francisco Bay region, recently completed by two investigators from the Menlo Park Office of the U.S. Geological Survey showed that most of the damaging landslides were found to take place on old landslides, which were reactivated by grading, construction, an excess of water, or a combination of these.

According to Tor H. Nilsen, senior author of a new report (USGS Bulletin 1388) on the Contra Costa County landslides, ‘most of the landslides that occurred during our study took place during or immediately after storms in which 7 inches or more rain fell, particularly if the land was already wet from earlier storms.’ How fast and when the rain falls, he emphasized, ‘are more important than the total amount of rainfall during the season. Long continuous rain can be more dangerous insofar as landsliding is concerned than sudden storms separated by dry periods.’
Argos System
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

From 1978 to 1986 the Argos space‐based platform location and data collection system will be operational and available to users.

From 1978 to 1986 the Argos space‐based platform location and data collection system will be operational and available to users.
Tectonics institute in the Soviet Union
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Four years ago the Institute of Tectonics and Geophysics of the Far Eastern Research Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences was set up in Khabarovsk, in the Soviet Far East. It is the Soviet Union's only research establishment of this type. Before the founding of the Institute of Tectonics, specialists in tectonics were scattered throughout various institutes.

The Far East was chosen as the location for this institute because volcanism, high seismicity, and intensive tectonic movements are most apparent in the continental shelf region there. Along with the Aleutian, Japanese, Philippine, and other island arcs this zone forms a part of the fiery belt of the Pacific Ocean.