bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New geomagnetic activity index series published for 1844–1880
Authors: Nevanlinna Heikki
Published: October 2006

Between 1820 and 1840 a number of geomagnetic observatories and stations was established throughout the world. From these early foundations the present network was built. The Helsinki magnetic observatory, one of the early stations, was built in 1838 by the Finnish scientific community. The observatory operated continuously until it was closed in 1912. Yet, until our 2‐year project to examine and archive its carefully collected data, most of its 70‐year data record had not been studied.

We have now archived all 900,000 declination results made at Helsinki from 1844 to 1909 and the data are available to interested researchers over the Internet and on diskette. In examining the data, we found that the magnetic field variations were recorded so reliably that the D‐series forms a rather homogeneous database [Nevanlinna et al., 1993]. The Helsinki data set, spanning five solar cycles, gives valuable information about geomagnetic activity and secular variations for a period from which little useful magnetic data exist from other observations.
[Comment on “Looking at gender distribution among AGU Fellows”] A second look at gender distribution among AGU Fellows
Authors: Deming David
Published: October 2006

In the September 13,1994, issue of Eos, Ellen Druffel reported on the gender distribution of AGU Fellows [Druffel, 1994]. In brief, her findings were that women were underrepresented among AGU Fellows even when age differences and the overall low percentage of female AGU members were taken into consideration. Druffel concluded with a series of recommendations that were intended to “help balance the scales with respect to gender.” It was implicit in Druffel's conclusions that gender equity is desirable. However, her rationale for achieving gender equity was not so clear. Druffel may have been implying that women are kept from achieving Fellowship by biases of some type, and therefore well‐qualified candidates for Fellowship are not receiving the recognition they deserve. Alternatively, Druffel may have been conceding that the selection process for Fellowship is unbiased, but that gender equity in Fellowship is desirable in and of itself, regardless of individual achievement levels. In the latter case, her recommendations amount to the installation of gender‐based quotas for Fellowship. I hope that in her reply Druffel will clarify the philosophical basis for her recommendation. However, I disagree with Druffel's conclusion, regardless of her reasons.
AGU Front Range Meeting draws a crowd
Authors: Rush Sandra
Published: October 2006

Student involvement was high at the 1995 annual Front Range Branch AGU meeting, held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins earlier this year. A number of professors incorporated the meeting into their class agendas, and student presenters represented universities from the Front Range Rocky Mountain area and from as far away as Puerto Rico.

The 2‐day meeting was highlighted by a panel discussion on “Scientific Issues in Developing countries,” which served as the theme of the second day of the meeting. The convener of the meeting was Jorge A. Ramirez of Colorado State University.
AGU Chapman Conference featured on public television
Authors: Levine Joel S.
Published: October 2006

An AGU Chapman Conference on Biomass Burning and Global Change has captured the attention of the public and secured a spot on public television. To promote public awareness and the conference's educational aspects, a free public lecture was held on the first day of the Chapman Conference, which was held in March in Williamsbury, Va.
Four IAGA databases released in one package
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

IAGA Paleomagnetic Databases Version 3.1 will be released in July by World Data Center A in Boulder, Colorado. It includes two new databases and two upgrades in one package. Two forms are offered: Access V2.0 and Oracle 5.1C. Each database has been given an acronym for easy identification and the Access version has been streamlined so that the same version can be used throughout the world. The following are included in the package:
Boundary between paleoplates investigated with several techniques
Authors: Livelybrooks Dean W. , Banks Roger J.
Published: October 2006

Beginning in the Cambrian and continuing into Silurian times the Iapetus Ocean separating Avalonia and Laurentia was consumed by subduction beneath Avalonia and possibly beneath Laurentia. Paleontological evidence found in Lower Paleozoic rocks collected in the Southern Uplands of Scotland and in the Lake District in England confirms that the boundary separating the paleoplates, the Iapetus Suture, lies between the two geological provinces, but it is obscured by the Carboniferous and younger sediments of the Northumberland Trough.

The results of three different geophysical techniques—reflection seismics, magnetotellurics, and magnetic variation measurements—have been combined in a single interpretation to illuminate the crustal structure associated with this ancient convergence zone [Banks et al., 1995”. High‐quality seismic reflection profiles acquired in the North Sea (NEC, Figure 1a) and the Irish Channel just off the coast of Britain give tantalizing evidence for northward dipping, midcrustal structures that have been identified as the Iapetus Suture (IN and IS, Figure 1b).
Active hydrothermal system drilled at the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge
Authors:   ODP Leg 158 Shipboard Scientific Party
Published: October 2006

Between September and November 1994, drilling documented for the first time the sequence of events that led to the growth of a massive sulfide deposit on the seafloor and revealed the subsurface nature of a volcanic‐hosted hydrothermal system on a mid‐ocean ridge.

The drilling was conducted at the Trans‐Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) active hydrothermal mound at 26°08′N on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (Figure 1) by Leg 158 of the Ocean Drilling Program. Drilling penetrated the mound and reached a depth of 125 m below the seafloor near the center of the mound, revealing the structure of the underlying zone of altered basalts through which the hydrothermal fluids flowed to the surface.
Warm ice
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

July 1995 is one of the warmest months in the temperature record—for the Antarctic. Several areas around the Antarctic shelf were as much as 5.5°C above seasonal norm of −38°C. For the rest of the globe, the average July temperature was not significantly above or below these norms, reports John Christy, an associate professor of atmospheric science in the Earth System Science Lab at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Researchers advance continental drilling for paleoclimate records
Authors: Colman Steven M.
Published: October 2006

Paleoclimate records can be used to achieve truly global reconstructions of past climates. They reveal changes on time and spatial scales that are pertinent to human activities and provide a record of how climate change has affected landscapes, fauna, and vegetation.

An international group of scientists representing 15 countries met in Potsdam, Germany, from June 30 to July 2,1995, to discuss continental drilling for paleoclimate records. The participants agreed that now is the time to energize and organize the continental paleoclimate community. As climate‐simulation models become more advanced and marine and ice core records improve, a network of high‐quality, continental paleoclimate records is especially important.
The future employment of geophysicists
Authors: Dessler A. E. , Smith W. , Lopez R.
Published: October 2006

The AGU Committee on Education and Human Resources is carefully following the current discussion about the job market for new and recent Ph.D.s. The Committee is aware that many recent Ph.D.s and Ph.D. students in geophysics are concerned about their career prospects, given the current imbalance between the number of people seeking permanent positions in their field and the number of such positions available. Moreover, many Ph.D.s find themselves unable to take advantage of opportunities outside of traditional careers.
Anticipating the successor to Mexico's largest historical earthquake
Authors: DeMets Charles , Carmichael Ian , Melbourne Tim , Sanchez Osvaldo , Stock Joann , Suarez Gerardo , Hudnut Ken
Published: October 2006

Note in proof: On October 9, as this article was being prepared for publication, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred beneath the Jalisco region and caused significant loss of life and property. This earthquake highlights the societal need for accurate measurements of crustal strain rates in earthquake‐prone zones. In the coming months, we plan to measure the amount of displacement that occurred within the GPS network during and after this earthquake.
Mussel watch
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Contamination of U.S. coastal areas may be decreasing as a result of environmental regulations that have banned or curtailed toxic chemicals, concludes a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The report, “Recent Trends in Coastal Environmental Quality: Results from the Mussel Watch Project,” presents results of analyzing chemical concentrations found in mussel and oyster tissues collected every year since 1986.

These mollusks are collected once a year at more than 240 sites nationwide and analyzed for over 70 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated pesticides, butyltins, and toxic trace elements such as copper, cadmium, and lead. The report states that from 1986 to 1993 there were many more decreases than increases in chemical concentrations in coastal regions. These decreasing trends were not unexpected; all of the monitored chlorinated hydrocarbons have been banned for use in the United States, and tributyltin has been banned as a biocide on recreational boats.
Outstanding student papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Olle Norberg was honored for his presentation of “The Astrid Microsatellite Mission—An Attempt at Energetic Neutral Atom Imaging.” Norberg received a M.Sc. (1988) in engineering physics from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in space plasma physics at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden, where he is a research assistant. His research interests include the study of magnetospheric plasmas, and space plasma instrumentation. He has been studying the hot plasma data from the Phobos‐2 Mars mission and the Freja mission. Norberg was a principal investigator on the Swedish Astrid‐1 mission, launched in January 1995 to study neutral atoms generated in the ring current.
Are magnetic storms hazardous to your health?
Authors: Roederer Juan G.
Published: October 2006

In recent years, solid scientific evidence has been obtained indicating that certain species of migratory birds, fish and insects can sense the Earth's magnetic field and use this information for orientation and navigation [e.g., Beason and Nichols, 1984; Kirschvink, 1994]. The primary field‐sensing units (magnetosomes) in brain cells may be quite sensitive: some bees have been found to respond to magnetic field intensity changes of only a few tens of nanotesla.

Studies claiming that natural, solar variability‐driven time variations, of the Earth's magnetic field can affect living organisms are on less solid ground. This subject is now loosely called biogeomagnetics; it does not include the politically sensitive topic of power‐line and domestic ELF (extreme low frequency) field effects. Scores of biomedical scientists and clinicians throughout the world are involved in this research and have become steadfast users of solar‐terrestrial data. In recent years, the Scientific Committee on Solar‐Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) has been asked repeatedly to include biogeomagnetics among its international projects, but has refused. A commissioned report on this topic to SCOSTEP is available on request from Juan Roederer.
Plutonium and the Rio Grande: Environmental Change and Contamination in the Nuclear Age
Authors: Leipnik Mark
Published: October 2006

Plutonium and the Rio Grande begins with an evocative description of the tranquility that prevailed along the Rio Grande in the halcyon days before the Manhattan Project changed the environment of this corner of New Mexico forever. Graf presents a methodology for studying the environmental impacts of the plutonium releases from facilities at Los Alamos. Specifically, he quantifies releases of various isotopes of plutonium and tracks their fate in the sediments and water bodies of the Rio Grande. Despite access to ample reliable data, his task is challenging: it requires regional‐scale analysis and applications of techniques from disciplines including geomorphology, hydrology, environmental chemistry, plant physiology, and historical research.
New database documents the magnetic character of the Arctic and North Atlantic
Authors: Macnab Ron , Verhoef Jacob , Roest Walter , Arkani‐Hamed Jafar
Published: October 2006

Magnetic observations of the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans and adjacent land areas have been compiled in a new database that offers an unprecedented look at the magnetic anomalies over the continents and oceans of the study area. The most visible result of this compilation is the shaded relief map shown in Figure 1, which offers one of the most complete and coherent perspectives to date of the region's magnetic character. When combined with other types of observations, this information promises to shed new light on the breakup of the continents and the creation of the seafloor.

Another product of the compilation is a grid of magnetic anomalies with wavelengths shorter than 400 km. Defined at regular intervals of 5 km, these grid values are well suited to quantitative tectonic investigations and to the automated production of accurate maps. Upon conclusion of the project in the first quarter of 1996, a digital version of the final grid will be released into the public domain for free and unrestricted use by investigators, along with full documentation and regional magnetic anomaly maps.
Scientists must be constituents
Authors: Thomas Dave
Published: October 2006

Former House Speaker Tip O'Neill often used the phrase: “All politics is local.” According to Anne Marcantognini, deputy chief of staff for the Science Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, that is a saying that American scientists should take to heart.

Meeting recently with AGU's Committee on Public Affairs (COPA), Marcantognini emphasized the central role that scientists must play in stating the case for federal spending on research. She reminded COPA members that the effort to balance the federal budget by 2002 has brought almost about every federal program under intense scrutiny. And while support for basic research remains an important part of the initiatives of the House Science Committee, every dollar spent these days must be fully justified.
Unexpected shock rocks an “aseismic” area
Authors: Stiros Stathis C.
Published: October 2006

A strong earthquake with surface wave magnitude 6.6 hit the small town of Grevena in northwest Greece on May 13, 1995. This unexpected earthquake surprised the seis‐mological community: it damaged more than 5,000 houses and caused more than half a billion dollars damage, but no deaths.

This event was just one of the frequent, strong (M≥6.0) earthquakes that hit Greece but cause relatively few deaths. There are two main reasons for this phenomenon: houses in most parts of Greece are designed to withstand earthquakes, and epicenters of most shocks are in the sea. Seismic waves are therefore attentuated when they reach inhabited areas. This event was even more remarkable, however. Where in the past, most of the epicenters of the shocks were in the sea, and the seismic waves were attenuated when they reached inhabited areas, in the case of the recent Grevena earthquake, the epicenter of the shock was inland, close to inhabited areas, while most of the houses were old and of low strength. Yet, the earthquake occurred on a nice spring Saturday morning, and most people alerted by a small foreshock were luckily outside of the buildings that collapsed. This event proves that lack of fatalities does not necessarily suggest weak earthquake magnitude. This is an important consideration to keep in mind when evaluating the 2500‐year record of seismicity in Greece and other areas.
Lucien J. B. LaCoste (1908–1995)
Authors: Harrison Chris
Published: October 2006

Lucien LaCoste, an inventor and gravity meter builder whose work is of major importance to both the research community and the exploration industry, died recently after a long, rich career. Can you imagine this happening today… brilliant young faculty member abandons a secure academic career to form a company with his senior professor, then dominates a major competitive field of geophysics for 50 years through sheer creative genius, while maintaining complete independence and the highest standards of integrity? It is the stuff that dreams are made of.

LaCoste was attracted to the University of Texas at Austin by the quality of the tennis program there, which was arguably the best in the country in the late 1920s. He lettered in tennis three times, developed an interest in physics, and obtained his doctorate in 1933. He then went to the California Institute of Technology to study quantum mechanics, a move calculated to bring him back to Texas as a member of the faculty, as quantum mechanics was a new field with few qualified instructors.
Pacific Ocean influences atmospheric carbon dioxide
Authors: Meyers Steven D. , O'Brien James J.
Published: October 2006

A question germane to the study of climate is: When does an El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event occur?

The Japanese Meteorological Agency(JMA) considers an El Niño (the warm extreme of the ENSO cycle) to be underway when sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific Ocean is a minimum of 0.5°C warmer than normal for at least six consecutive months. This definition does not account for what causes the El Niño: a large, down‐welling Kelvin wave propagating eastward across the equatorial Pacific Ocean [Busalacchi and O'Brien, 1981]. A new definition of El Niño based on sea level (SL) takes this into account and modifies our understanding of the global climate cycle. (Sea level at tropical locations such as Galapagos Islands can be used as a surrogate variable for thermocline depth.)
AGU 1998: A synopsis of the AGU Plan, July 1, 1995–July 30, 1998
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Every two years, AGU prepares a three‐year plan—a blueprint of Union activities for the next three years. The process of developing it promotes communication, the development of new ideas, and the search for consensus. It sets in motion necessary changes. In creating the Plan, we assess our internal capabilities and external environment. We identify actions necessary to achieve AGU's purposes and to avoid potential disaster. A good plan ensures a stable platform from which meaningful change can be launched at a rate and to the extent that AGU's membership, staff, and financial resources can support.
Imaging the San Andreas Fault with explosion and earthquake sources
Authors: Thurber C. , Lutter W. , Roecker S. , Ellsworth W.
Published: October 2006

Mounting evidence suggests that fault zone heterogeneity may play a crucial role in the localization of rupture in earthquakes [Aki, 1995]. The heterogeneity can take several forms: spatial variations in physical properties (elastic properties, pore fluid pressure, etc.) or complexity in the fault surface (bends, offsets, etc.). High‐resolution, three‐dimensional models of the P and S wave velocity (Vp and Vs) structure and accurate hypocenters provide tools for studying the effects of fault zone heterogeneity on rupture localization.

A dense, passive array of 48 seismic instruments was deployed south of Hollister, California, from mid‐November 1994 to late May 1995. The array obtained local‐earthquake seismograms for high‐resolution, three‐dimensional imaging of the (Vp and Vs) structure in the San Andreas fault zone. In mid‐May, anactive seismic experiment was also carried out. Figure 1 shows a 7‐km wide, 3‐ to 4‐km deep zone of very low Vp imaged during the experiment. The zone is bounded on the southwest by the San Andreas fault and the adjacent Northern Gabilan Range. The San Andreas fault appears to be approximately vertical to at least 5 km depth (the limit of good model resolution), contrary to an existing model based on gravity data.
Debate heating up
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

From a bird's eye view, 1995 was an average year for global temperatures, marked by a sudden, late‐year cooling trend. From the ground, it was one of the hottest years on record.

Using microwave sounding units on NOAA satellites, atmospheric scientist John Christy and colleagues at the University of Alabama‐Huntsville's Earth System Science Lab found that the average global temperature (from the surface to 6‐km elevation) for 1995 was 0.027°C above “normal.” Normal is defined as the average of temperatures from 1981 to 1991. According to Christy, 1995 was the eighth warmest year at the surface since satellite temperature data were first collected, in 1979. However, temperatures over the northern hemisphere plummeted 0.7°C from November to December, the largest 1‐month hemispheric change on record. The previous record was a 0.51°C warming trend over the southern hemisphere in September–October 1984.
The what, where, when, and why of magnetospheric substorm triggers
Authors: Spence Harlan E.
Published: October 2006

Over the past three decades, terrestrial magnetospheric physics has had a unifying and hotly debated focus: the magnetospheric substorm. A magnetospheric substorm is a three‐phase phenomenon [McPherron, 1979] in which energy is first extracted from the solar wind flow, transported, and stored within the Earth's magnetospheric magnetic fields (growth phase). The stored magnetic energy is then converted and released explosively within the magnetosphere and auroral ionosphere (expansion phase). Then the magnetosphere and auroral ionosphere relax, entering a quiescent state (recovery phase).

Understanding of this global process has unified the magnetospheric and auroral communities by providing the “big picture” of magnetospheric dynamics as a backdrop against which unrelated areas of more focused research may be put in context. The topic debated in the accompanying articles centers on one aspect of magnetospheric substorms, namely what triggers the expansion phase. The companion papers present two perspectives on substorm triggers: one advocates a trigger that is driven by an external change in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), while the other argues that external triggers are just one of many mechanisms that lead to the expansion phase, including internal instabilities.
Researchers study conductivity of crystalline rock in proposed radioactive waste site
Authors: Stober Ingrid
Published: October 2006

The crystalline basement of the Black Forest is under consideration as a possible repository for radioactive waste. Crystalline rock has traditionally been considered impermeable, even though very deep wells such as the Kola well in the former Soviet Union have been found to contain open, water‐filled fissures at more than 12,000 m depth. In 1995, researchers investigated the conductivity of the Black Forest crystalline rock and the chemical properties of the water within [Stober, 1995] and found that the crystalline basement is more permeable than once thought. Hydrogeologic evidence revealed the presence of several thermal and mineral water springs in the crystalline rocks, suggesting that the region may be especially poorly suited for the radioactive waste repository.
Reflecting on the first three years of TOPEX/POSEIDON
Authors: Fu Lee‐Lueng , Koblinsky Chester J. , Minster Jean‐Francois , Picaut Joel
Published: October 2006

The U.S./FranceTOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) satellite, in orbit since August 1992, is the first global ocean observing system specifically designed to study ocean dynamics. The satellite uses a state‐of‐the‐art radar altimeter system to determine the sea level—the height of sea surface relative to a reference ellipsoid—with an unprecedented accuracy. It is supplying a wealth of new information on ocean circulation and the patterns of the global seasonal cycle, low‐frequency wave dynamics, gyre‐scale variabilities, ocean tides, and global mean sea level variations. These observations are being used to test ocean circulation theories and the ever‐maturing computer models of ocean general circulation.
Dolomites: A Volume in Honor of Dolomieu
Authors: Arvidson Rolf S.
Published: October 2006

In 1791 the French naturalist Déodat de Dolomieu published a paper in the Journal de Physique with the lengthy title, “On a Type of Calcareous Rock That Reacts Very Slightly With Acid and That Phosphoresces on Being Struck,” giving the scientific community the first comprehensive description of the rock and mineral that would eventually bear his name. In observance of the 200th anniversary of Dolomieu's paper, a conference combining presentations on dolomitization and carbonate platforms was held in 1991, most appropriately, against the spectacular backdrop of the Dolomite Mountains in Ortisei, Italy.

Dolomites: A Volume in Honor of Dolomieu is an edited volume of 24 papers taken from the Ortisei conference proceedings, and will be a most welcome addition to the libraries of friends of the mineral. However, this is a volume clearly intended for carbonate sedimentologists and sedimentary petrologists. In this sense, it seems unlikely to attract the broad notice of Earth scientists whose major interests lie elsewhere.
Interplanetary weathering: Surface erosion in outer space
Authors: Clark Beth E. , Johnson Robert E.
Published: October 2006

What happens to bare rock and icy surfaces when they lie exposed to the interplanetary space environment for millions of years? This fundamental question has important implications for the interpretation of remotely sensed data, whether obtained by telescope or spacecraft. It is also, of course, very difficult to answer, but planetary geologists and field and particle physicists are working together to do so.
Natural hazards need not lead to natural disasters
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

According to Charles Meade of the National Research Council and Thomas Jordan of MIT, the Loma Prieta, Northridge, and Kobe earthquakes resulted in 6000 deaths and $130 billion in property damage, not to mention months of disruption and years of psychological damage. But in spite of their structural and human toll, none of these seismic events was unusual. Each year, an average of 17 earthquakes occur that are stronger than the Loma Prieta quake (6.9 Mw).

And so it is with many natural disasters in recent years. Despite the popular perception that Earth is being ravaged more often today than during other points in geologic history, most scientists believe that nature is no more tempestuous than it has ever been. Nonetheless, property losses due to natural disasters have skyrocketed to an average of $1 billion per week—about 2–3 times the losses in the 1980s—and the public wants to know why.
Developing a strategy for magnetospheric research
Authors: Stern David P.
Published: October 2006

This article seeks a new strategy for magnetospheric research in an era of reduced funding. It appears here because Eos is the main communication forum of the space physics and aeronomy community. While readers from other AGU sections may find it somewhat technical they might also look at what is being attempted and consider whether a similar reevaluation would be appropriate for their own fields. Perhaps some already have ideas in that direction and might present them in Eos in a similar format.
Ocean Acoustic Tomography
Authors: Flatté Stanley M.
Published: October 2006

The possible use of long‐range acoustic propagation as a tool for measuring oceanographic processes has tantalized the oceanographic community for 15 years. During this period a growing number of oceanographers joined teams to acoustically measure the fields of sound speed and water velocity (currents) on subocean‐basin scales and to infer from those measurements temperature, vorticity, and heat content.
Scale Issues in Hydrological Modeling
Authors: Skop Eli
Published: October 2006

Scale Issues in Hydrological Modeling is a collection of 27 papers presented at a workshop in Australia in 1993 and later published in two special issues of Hydrological Processes. It is one of the few books that addresses the scaling problem in hydrology: that is, how to transfer information from one scale to another and how to handle spatial heterogeneity. It gives us a flavor of the nature and extent of the scaling problems in hydrology, although no general answers are provided.
Repeat of thirty‐year‐old experiment could prove or disprove global warming
Authors: Walker Daniel A.
Published: October 2006

Thirty years ago an important investigation was conducted that could be used today as a benchmark experiment for measuring long‐term global temperature changes. In fact, such an approach could be the most cost‐effective method for providing the scientific community with rapid and reliable evidence for or against global warming.
Mediterranean Ridge Accretionary Complex yields rich surprises
Authors: Corselli C. , Basso D. , de Lange G. , Thomson J.
Published: October 2006

Exploration of the Mediterranean ridge's extreme environments has led to several surprising findings. Over the last 10 years five brine lakes have been discovered in the deep Eastern Mediterranean. For the first time in the sea's deep waters, a temperature of over 45°C was recorded in 1994 and evidence of a molluscan community possibly sustained by chemosynthesis was found in 1993.
Underwater observatory captures coastal upwelling events off New Jersey
Authors: Glenn S. M. , Crowley M. F. , Haidvogel D. B. , Song Y. T.
Published: October 2006

A third summer of coastal upwelling observations was recently completed by researchers at LEO‐15, the Long‐term Ecosystem Observatory established in 15 m of water offshore of Tuckerton, New Jersey. Each year, real‐time satellite images of wind‐driven upwelling events trigger fast‐response shipboard surveys to study the subsurface structure of the upwelled features and their relationship to bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (Figure 1). The LEO‐15 observations indicate that recurrent up‐welling centers develop on the downslope sides of topographic highs and coincide with the historically observed regions of recurrent low DO. Recent modeling suggests that because of the along‐shore topographic variations, a cyclonic eddy in the upwelling center forms that may concentrate nutrients, leading to phytoplankton blooms and subsequent reductions in DO as the resulting organic material decays below the thermocline.
Cruise explores hydrothermal vents of the Manus Basin
Authors: Auzende Jean‐Marie , Urabe Tetsuro ,   Scientific Party
Published: October 2006

A joint Japanese‐French program (New STARMER) sampled active hydrothermal sites near the New Britain active subduction zone in the South Pacific from October 16 to November 13, 1995. Using the R/V Yokosuka and the submersible Shinkai 6500, researchers made a number of surprising findings about magmatic, tectonic, and hydrothermal activity at the central and northeastern ridges of the Manus Basin spreading system. Fifteen dives by the submersible revealed a spectrum of hydrothermal processes, ranging from shimmering waters to black smokers. For the first time, highly acidic fluids rich in H2S and low in temperature (87–118°C) were sampled in the eastern part of the Manus Basin.
The case for quasi‐steady models in describing the physics of dayside merging
Authors: Newell Patrick T. , Sibeck David G.
Published: October 2006

The magnetosphere varies on all measured temporal and spatial scales. Because this variability is apparent in so many data sets, and because dynamical behavior is intrinsically exciting, a large majority of space physicists have always emphasized transients. We quite agree that merging transients exist, although we believe that they are directly driven by the variable input from the magnetosheath (we have proposed examples ourselves). In emphasizing “quasi‐steady” in this discussion, we only mean that specifying the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind conditions (or more precisely, magnetosheath conditions) also pretty well specifies the state of the dayside magnetosphere.
Experiment studies circulation in the western South Atlantic
Authors: Campos E. J. D. , Ikeda Y. , Castro B. M. , Gaeta S. A. , Lorenzzetti J. A. , Stevenson M. R.
Published: October 2006

Observations in the Brazil Current region between 20° and 30°S are revealing many interesting oceanographic features. In the austral winter of 1993, what appears to be an anomalous northward penetration of waters from the Brazil/Malvinas confluence region into the South Brazil Bight was observed (Figure 1).
Ratios for light‐element isotopes standardized for better interlaboratory comparison
Authors: Coplen T. B. , De Bièvre P. , Krouse H. R. , Vocke R. D. , Gröning M. , Rozanski K.
Published: October 2006

Stable isotope‐ratio measurements of the light elements have been used in increasingly important ways to understand processes in geochemistry, hydrology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, environmental studies, and many other fields. Progress in these fields requires better precision and reproducibility of stable isotope‐ratio measurements. Some laboratories are claiming accuracies of 0.02‰; or better for δ13C and δ180. However, δ13C and δ180 analyses of the same sample by different laboratories can differ by more than 0.3‰. Recognizing that isotopic analyses of the same homogeneous material reported from different credible laboratories should yield the same isotopic composition within the uncertainty of the measurements, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held an Advisory Group Meeting on stable isotope reference and intercomparison materials for light elements in Vienna from December 11 to 14, 1995.
Program to study crust and mantle of the Archean craton in southern Africa
Authors: Carlson Richard W. , Grove Timothy L. , De Wit Maarten J. , Gurney John J.
Published: October 2006

A multidisciplinary research program is studying the structure, composition, and tectonic evolution of the mantle and crust of one of the best preserved early Archean eratons: the Kaapvaal craton in southern Africa. Cratons, which have survived over 2.5 Ga of tectonic activity on the Earth's surface, are more than just old crustal features. They form the stable nuclei of the present‐day continents, comprising regions of thickened lithosphere extending deeper than 200 km.
Science funding update: House approves '97 appropriations
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3666, an $84.3 billion appropriations bill for Veterans Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Independent Agencies. The VA‐HUD bill, as it is known, includes about $19.5 billion in fiscal year 1997 funding for research programs at NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Senate was expected to begin considering the bill on July 8.
John Elliott Nafe (1914–1996)
Authors: Nelson Robert J.
Published: October 2006

John Elliott Nafe, known for his many pioneering contributions to seismological research, died on April 6 at his home in Vancouver, British Columbia. He had been an AGU Fellow since 1962. A physicist by training, Nafe proposed several important seismological concepts. In 1958, he was the first to demonstrate that sound waves could travel around the globe through the ocean. With colleague Charles L. Drake, he developed the Nafe‐Drake Curve, which relates the velocity of sound through rock to the rock's density. He was one of several pioneering researchers at Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory, who in the 1940s and 1950s began profiling the Earth's crust at different points around the globe—an effort that eventually resulted in the tectonic plate theory of continental movement.
Jupiter's Moon exhibits planetlike traits
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

New photographs and space physics observations from Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, reveal that the satellite has more in common with the solar system's planets than just size. According to investigators for NASA's Galileo mission, the icy moon appears to have its own magnetosphere and also shows signs of tectonic activity. Researchers announced their discoveries at a July 10 press conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Experiment in eastern Mediterranean probes origin of deep water masses
Authors: Malanotte‐Rizzoli P. , Robinson A. R. , Roether W. , Manca B. , Bergamasco A. , Brenner S. , Civitarese G. , Georgopoulos D. , Haley P. J. , Kioroglou S. , Kontoyannis H. , Kress N. , Latif M. A. , Leslie W. G. , Ozsoy E. , d'Alcala M. Ribera , Salihoglu I. , Sansone E. , Theocharis A.
Published: October 2006

During the last decade the oceanography community has focused much attention on the Mediterranean Sea. One reason for the growing interest is that the Mediterranean's impact on the Northern Atlantic Ocean is more significant than previously realized. The warm, salty Mediterranean water tongue exits the Gibraltar Straits and spreads throughout the North Atlantic at all depths between 1000 and 2500 m. The second reason for the surge in interest is the well‐recognized role of the Mediterranean Sea as a laboratory for studying ocean processes that are important in global climate dynamics [Malanotte‐Rizzoli and Robinson, 1991; Malanotte‐Rizzoli and Robinson, 1994].
Exercise in Active Tectonics: An Introduction to Earthquakes and Tectonic Geomorphology
Authors: Frohlich Cliff
Published: October 2006

What should undergraduate tectonics students know about earthquakes? The thesis of Exercises in Active Tectonics is that they ought to have some familiarity with quantitative methods for determining earthquake size, location, repeat time, and effect on structures. While this manual is designed to complement Keller and Pinter's text, Active Tectonics: Earthquakes, Uplift, and Landscape, which was published in 1996, it could provide a laboratory component for a variety of introductory courses emphasizing tectonics, geomorphology, or seismology.
Development of recurrent coastal plume in Lake Michigan observed for first time
Authors: Eadie B. J. , Schwab D. J. , Assel R. A. , Hawley N. , Lansing M. B. , Miller G. S. , Morehead N. R. , Robbins J. A. , Van Hoof P. L. , Leshkevich G. A. , Leshkevich G. A. , Johengen T. H , Lavrentyev P. , Holland R. E.
Published: October 2006

NOAA CoastWatch satellite imagery from early 1996 captured the initiation, development, and decay of a recurrent coastal plume in southern Lake Michigan (Figure 1). For the past 4 years intermittent satellite coverage has revealed a late winter‐early spring plume in the lake, a feature also observed by Mortimer [1988]. In 1996, clear weather conditions allowed researchers to observe the plume's development for the first time and they also collected water samples from helicopter and a small boat.
The challenges of developing a changing world
Authors: Shuttleworth W. James
Published: October 2006

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has been active for a decade and is currently being reviewed by the National Research Council. Public and political perception is that the USGCRP inhibits industrial and agricultural development. Today, however, global change research has made it possible to manage sustained development in a way that recognizes climate change. By adopting several policy actions and refocusing some of its research, USGCRP could encourage sustained development.
Sultry last interglacial gets sudden chill
Authors: Maslin Mark , Tzedakis Chronis
Published: October 2006

An Eemian cold event observed in both high‐resolution marine and terrestrial climate records offers an opportunity to study a climate event during an interglacial on a human timescale, thus providing an analog for future climate change. This event, however, would not have been discovered had it not been for the “Eemian controversy” stirred by the Greenland ice core records.
Burst of activity
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

In the 17years since the Voyager spacecraft flew by, the volcano Ra Patera on Jupiter's moon Io has been quite busy. This summer, the Galileo orbiter caught Ra Patera in action on June 28 as it spit a blue‐tinted plume 100 km into space (see plume at 9 o'clock on photo and inset at the lower left). The plume is believed to be sulfur dioxide gas that condenses as snow as it expands and cools in the magnetosphere. Other images gathered by Galileo reveal that the plume glows in the dark, perhaps due to fluorescence in oxygen and sulfur ions as the sulfur dioxide breaks apart.
Macintosh Program performs time‐series analysis
Authors: Paillard Didier , Labeyrie Laurent , Yiou Pascal
Published: October 2006

A Macintosh computer program that can perform many time‐series analysis procedures is now available on the Internet free of charge. Although AnalySeries was originally designed for paleoclimatic time series, it can be useful for most fields of Earth sciences. The program's graphical user interface allows easy access even for people unfamiliar with computer calculations. Previous versions of the program are already used by hundreds of scientists worldwide.
Interactions of Desertification and Climate
Authors: McDonald Eric V.
Published: October 2006

Desertification is defined as large‐scale dryland degradation resulting from human activity or the advancement of arid deserts into surrounding regions. This global problem threatens over 250 million people living in dryland regions that cover approximately 35 million km2 in nearly 100 countries. Only recently has global climate change received increasing attention as a major factor that contributes to desertification. At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, the effect of climate and drought on land degradation was extensively discussed. Interactions of Desertification and Climate is a direct outcome of this meeting and was written to provide a comprehensive report for understanding relations between climate, drought, and land degradation and desertification.
Seismogram offers insight into Oklahoma City bombing
Authors: Holzer Thomas L. , Fletcher Joe B. , Fuis Gary S. , Ryberg Trond , Brocher Thomas M. , Dietel Christopher M.
Published: October 2006

The terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, generated seismic waves that were recorded on two permanent seismographs about 7 and 26 km away from the bombing. The seismogram recorded at 26 km shows two low‐frequency wave trains, discrete sets of oscillatory signals, that begin about 10 s apart. Public release of this record prompted speculation that each wave train was caused by a different energy source. On May 23, 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey monitored the demolition of the bomb‐ravaged Federal Building with portable seismographs (Figure 1). Two wave trains were picked up again. The recordings indicate that the wave trains during both the bombing and demolition represent seismic waves traveling at different velocities. We conclude that the two wave trains recorded during the bombing are consistent with a single impulsive energy source.
Large earthquake in northern Europe more likely than once thought
Authors: Camelbeeck T. , Meghraoui M.
Published: October 2006

Northern Europe would typically be classified as a relatively stable continental region where seismic hazard is low. Indeed, in comparison to active zones in the Mediterranean, seismic activity is low in northern Europe and the Lower Rhine graben region. Until recently, no one would have suspected that the normal faults related to graben structures in the Lower Rhine embayment could produce large earthquakes. Yet, on April 13, 1992, an Ms = 5.3 earthquake struck the city of Roermond in the Netherlands. This moderate earthquake is considered to be one of the major historical seismic events in this region, and it is stimulating concern among seismologists and geologists. Fundamental questions are being asked about fault behavior in the region and the earthquake distribution in time and space.
Why bother for 0.0001% of Earth's water? Challenges for soil moisture research
Authors: Islam Shafiqul , Engman Ted
Published: October 2006

For each kilogram of water on Earth, only 1 mg is stored as soil moisture. Yet this miniscule amount of water exerts significant control over various hydrological, ecological, and meteorological processes ranging from boundary layer dynamics to the global water cycle. The 1993 Mississippi River flood illustrated the power of 0.0001% of Earth's water to dictate the fate and evolution of regional weather and climate.

The space‐time distribution of soil moisture is a key component in describing transfer and distribution of mass and energy between the land and the atmosphere. It is a fundamental variable in biosphere‐atmosphere transfer, biogeochemistry, ecosystem process, and rainfall‐runoff models. There is a growing consensus that a unified approach is necessary to monitor, characterize, and model soil moisture over a range of scales, but such an approach has yet to be defined.
Winter ocean/sea ice interactions studied in the East Antarctic
Authors: Worby A. P. , Bindoff N. L. , Lytle V. I. , Allison I. , Massom R. A.
Published: October 2006

An experiment to identify changes in water mass properties as a result of sea ice growth and deformation was conducted in a 110×110 km region of the Antarctic pack ice near 64°S, 140°E in August 1995. This was the first intensive winter‐time study in this region, which is thought to be high in ice production and active in bottom water formation [Foster, 1995; Gordon and Tchernia, 1972]. The information gathered is important in understanding the role sea ice plays in the climate system and for developing and validating combined ocean‐ice‐atmosphere models.
New method developed for studying flow on hillslopes
Authors: McDonnell Jeffrey J. , Freer Jim , Hooper Rick , Kendall Carol , Burns Doug , Beven Keith , Peters Jake
Published: October 2006

Hillslope hydrologists have long assumed that the downslope movement of water and solutes can best be described by surface topography since gravitational potential largely dominates hydraulic gradients in steep terrain. Hence with the increased availability of Digital Terrain Maps (DTMs), surface topography is driving many popular hydrological models and is being used to estimate flow pathways in hydrological and geochemical models. This method may suffice at the catchment scale, but at the hillslope scale, flow pathways are not always determined by surface topography.

It is at this critical scale (100–10,000 m2) that water flux and the chemical composition of soil water and groundwater can be measured as they move downslope. The complex interactions between water and solutes along hillslope subsurface flow paths have not been well documented. New evidence suggests that for steep hillslopes with thin soils, the fundamental control on hillslope flow paths is the bedrock surface.