bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eocene land mammals from Seymour Island, Antarctica: palaeobiogeographical implications
Authors: Marenssi S. A. , Reguero M. A. , Santillana S. N. , Vizcaino S. F.
Published: October 2006

Middle Eocene land mammals from La Meseta Formation, Seymour (Marambio) Island are reviewed. A taxonomically diverse fossil land-vertebrate assemblage with small and medium-size mammals has been recovered from four localities. The depositional setting is shallow marine and most of the mammal-bearing beds are in reworked, moderate to high energy subtidal facies. The characteristics of these mammals not only confirm but also strengthen the biogeographical relationships between southern South America (Patagonian Province) and the Antarctic Peninsula during the Paleogene and rule out the possibility of a major barrier between these areas. The Antarctic ungulates (Astrapotheria and ?Litopterna) are plesiomorphics in retaining low crowned cheek teeth and are more similar to those from the Pancasamayoran local faunas of southern South America (Patagonia).
The chemical composition of glacial melt water ponds and streams on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Authors: Mora S. J. De , Whitehead R. F. , Gregory M.
Published: October 2006

Melt waters cover c. 20% of the McMurdo Ice Shelf during the austral summer. The streams, ponds, and lakes up to 104 m2 in area occur in two types of terrain systems with differing morphological, chemical, and biological characteristics: pinnacled ice (PI) areas with sparse sediment cover, low relief, and little biomass; and ice-cored moraine (ICM) areas with 10–20 cm sediment cover, hummocky topography with up to 20 m relief, occasional mirabilite deposits, and dense benthic cyanobacterial mats. Pond water composition in the two areas is markedly different. PI area melt waters have low salinities, <2270 mg 1−1 total dissolved salts (TDS), and near neutral pH, mean = 7.8. The chemical composition of PI waters closely follows that of diluted sea water, suggesting that the release of ions from the sea ice matrix of the ice shelf is the major solute source. In contrast, ICM area melt waters have a wide range of salinities, up to 60 400 mg 1−1 TDS and alkaline pH, mean = 9.3. The chemical composition in c. 40% of the ICM ponds investigated did not resemble that of sea water, but had higher relative abundances of SO2−4, Na+, K+ and Ca2+. Leaching of local salt deposits, particularly mirabilite, weathering of surficial sediments, and morphological features promoting closed-basin brine evolution are possible contributing factors to the enrichments.
Evidence for a marine molluscan fauna beneath ice shelves in the Lazarev and Weddell seas, Antarctica, from shells of Adamussium colbecki and Nacella (Patinigera) cf. concinna
Authors: Hain Stefan , Melles Martin
Published: October 2006

Only one living specimen of Adamussium colbecki was found amongst the shells of this species collected in the Lazarev and Weddell Seas, and those of the limpet Nacella cf. concinna from three locations in the southern Weddell Sea. In order to explain this peculiarity four hypotheses are discussed. The possibility that the shells belong to living deep-water populations is in contradiction to the high number of trawl samples taken in the area and the abundance of empty shell material. 14C dates show the shells are recent, thus excluding the possibility that the shells belong to autochthonous fossil populations exposed on the seafloor. Lateral transport of living specimens or shells over long distances by marine currents or by ice is unlikely due to their state of preservation and the water circulation pattern. The most likely explanation is that the shells are allochthonous, transported only over short distances by marine currents from adjacent areas underneath floating ice shelves where both species have living populations.
Phanerozoic exhumation history of northern Prince Charles Mountains (East Antarctica)
Authors: Arne Dennis C.
Published: October 2006

Apatite fission-track data from samples of Precambrian basement, Late Permian Triassic sedimentary rocks and inferred Cretaceous intrusive bodies are used to constrain the low-temperature (i.e. sub ~110°C) thermal history of the northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica. Two discrete phases of cooling have been identified, both of which are attributed to regional exhumation associated with rifting episodes. A phase of late Palaeozoic cooling, that began during the Carboniferous, is inferred to have been associated with the initial formation of the Lambert Graben. A more recent phase of cooling was initiated during the Early Cretaceous and is estimated to have locally involved the removal of at least 2 km of material using an assumed palaeotemperature gradient of ~25°C km−1 at the time of cooling. This latter phase of exhumation was closely accompanied by the emplacement of a variety of mafic alkaline rocks at ambient palaeotemperatures less than ~60°C and was probably related to renewed extension of the Lambert Graben during the break-up of eastern Gondwana. The results of this study suggest that final exhumation of high-grade Precambrian basement of the northern Price Charles Mountains was largely controlled by Phanerozoic rifting events.
Cycles of erosion and deposition during the Permo-Carboniferous glaciation in the Transantarctic Mountains
Authors: Woolfe Ken J.
Published: October 2006

At two localities adjacent to Hatherton Glacier, Darwin Mountains, a thick glacio-lacustrine sequence underlies the main diamictite facies of the Darwin Tillite (Metschel Tillite), and at one of these locations a glacio-lacustrine sequence also conformably overlies the diamictite. These deposits record the initial advance and final retreat of the Gondwana ice cap. Other, pro- and periglacial phases within these sequences record several minor advances and retreats of the ice sheet. Carbonaceous sediments above and below the main diamictite phase show that vegetation was established near the ice margin, suggesting that present-day ice margin temperatures are colder than those experienced during the Permo-Carboniferous (Gondwana) glaciation. It appears that there was little or no erosion of the Devonian Taylor Group which underlies the glacial sequence. The apparent erosional nature of the contact between the Permo-Carboniferous glacial sequence and the overlying Permian coal measures is attributed to surface winnowing of unconsolidated tills and locally the units are conformable.
The Antarctic climate of the UKMO Unified Model
Authors: Connolley William M. , Cattle Howard
Published: October 2006

We examine some aspects of the performance of the United Kingdom Meteorological Office's new climate model over Antarctica. Pressure and temperature fields are presented as a basic check on the model climate. The gradient of pressure between mid-latitudes and high southern latitudes is too great, resulting in an Antarctic trough that is too deep by 4–6 hPa. Temperature is well modelled though the interior is slightly too cold in winter. Precipitation is interesting because of its relevance to mass balance and therefore changes in sea level. The simulation of the pattern of accumulation is good despite somewhat high values at places in the coastal areas, with an areally-averaged value of 182 mm y−1. We also look at the phenomena of the coreless winter and the katabatic winds which are a consequence of the intense radiative cooling. These two effects may provide a useful diagnostic of the model performance.
The Southern Hemisphere Auroral Radar Experiment (SHARE)
Authors: Dudeney J. R. , Baker K. B. , Stoker P. H. , Walker A. D. M.
Published: October 2006

The near Earth space environment (known as Geospace) is dominated by the interaction between the solar wind and the geomagnetic field, which creates the magnetosphere. Considerable energy flows from the solar wind into the magnetosphere and ends up in the Earth's upper atmosphere (the thermosphere and ionosphere). The coupling of the geomagnetic field with that of the solar wind (known as the interplanetary magnetic field, or IMF) produces a variety of electro-dynamic responses with signatures such as electric fields and currents in the polar ionospheres. These produce, inter alia, motion of the ionospheric plasma (at altitudes between 100 and 1000kms) which can be monitored from the ground using radar techniques. Analysis of such plasma motion provides a very powerful means of investigating the nature of the interactions taking place at the boundaries between the magnetosphere and the solar wind. To do this effectively requires simultaneous measurements over as large an area (in latitude and longitude) as possible.
Services policies in transition economies: on the EU and WTO as commitment mechanisms
Authors: ESCHENBACH FELIX , HOEKMAN BERNARD
Published: October 2006

We analyze the extent to which the EU-15 and 16 transition economies used the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to commit to service sector policy reforms. GATS commitments are compared with the evolution of actual policy stances over time. While there is substantial variance across transition economies on both actual policies and GATS commitments, we find an inverse relationship between the depth of GATS commitments and the ‘quality’ of actual services policies as assessed by the private sector. In part this can be explained by the fact that the prospect of EU accession makes GATS less relevant as a commitment device for a subset of transition economies. However, for many of the non-EU accession candidates the WTO seems to be a weak commitment device. One explanation is that the small size of the markets concerned generates weak external enforcement incentives. Our findings suggest greater collective investment by WTO members in monitoring and transparency is needed to increase the benefits of WTO membership to small countries.
Development of a Culture Sub‐population Induction Model: Signaling Pathways Synergy and Taxanes Production by Taxuscanadensis
Authors: Senger Ryan S. , Phisalaphong Muenduen , Karim M. Nazmul , Linden James C.
Published: October 2006

Cell cultures of Taxus canadensis were subjected to exogenously applied ethylene (ET) hormone and methyl jasmonate (MJ) elicitation in factorial design experiments. Levels of extracellular taxanes, including paclitaxel, were used with principal component analysis for fault detection and real‐coded genetic algorithms for parameter optimization to construct a culture sub‐population induction model. Culture sub‐populations were identified by the model as (1) uninduced, (2) induced to unilateral function of the ET‐signaling pathway, and (3) induced to cooperation between jasmonic acid (JA)‐ and ET‐signaling pathways. Comprehensive model results suggested greater rates of cellular induction (resulting in exogenous taxane production) by ET gas as opposed to MJ elicitation. However, cellular induction of ET‐signaling pathway genes increased the rate of induction of JA‐signaling pathway genes by orders of magnitude. In addition, model results showed that induction of genes leading to extracellular production of the simple taxane 10‐deacetylbaccatin III was regulated by the unilateral ET‐signaling pathway. However, it was suggested that further processing of this simple taxane to complex taxane structures, such as paclitaxel, required further gene induction by the JA‐signaling pathway. Thus, production rate constants of exogenous complex taxanes were predicted to be an order of magnitude lower than that for the simple taxane 10‐deacetylbaccatin III. The fraction of the cell culture sub‐population displaying unilateral ET‐signaling pathway gene induction was found inversely proportional to levels of MJ elicitation. When coupled with simple non‐growth product models, levels of all extracellular taxanes were effectively predicted using the culture sub‐population induction model.
Klinische Entscheidungsfindung und kritisches Denken im pflegediagnostischen Prozess
Authors: Müller-Staub Maria
Published: October 2006

Der berufliche Alltag erfordert von Pflegenden komplexe Denkprozesse. Bisher wurde der klinischen Entscheidungsfindung und kritischem Denken wenig Beachtung geschenkt. Bei Pflegenden wurde ein großer Schulungsbedarf in klinischer Urteilsbildung bezüglich des pflegediagnostischen Prozesses nachgewiesen. Dass Pflegediagnosen klinische Urteilsbildungen bezüglich menschlicher Reaktionen auf gesundheitliche Probleme im Lebensprozess darstellen, ist in der deutschsprachigen Literatur kaum ersichtlich. Kritisches Denken wird als intellektueller, disziplinierter Prozess von aktiver Konzeptualisierung, Anwendung und Synthese von Informationen beschrieben. Es wird durch Beobachtung, Erfahrung, Reflexion und Kommunikation gesammelt und leitet Einstellungen und Handeln. Kritisches Denken beeinflusst die Aspekte der klinischen Entscheidungsfindung a) diagnostische Urteilsbildung, b) therapeutische Meinungsfindung und c) ethische Entscheidungsfindung. Menschliche Reaktionen sind komplexe Prozesse, die mit Blick auf die Gesundheit interpretiert werden. Daher ist der klinischen Entscheidungsfindung im pflegediagnostischen Prozess mehr Gewicht beizulegen. Dieser Artikel stellt theoretische Grundlagen des Beitrages «Klinische Entscheidungsfindung: Förderung des kritischen Denkens im pflegediagnostischen Prozess durch Fallbesprechungen» (Müller-Staub/Stuker-Studer, 2006) dar.
In defense of VAN's earthquake predictions
Authors: Uyeda Seiya
Published: October 2006

Chouliaras and Stavrakakis [1999] (hereafter referred to as CS) claimed that the following statement by Uyeda [1998] is completely false:“On March 5 and 26,1993, strong earthquakes hit Pirgos city, Greece. Despite heavy damage, there was no loss of life because the citizens were prepared due to VAN predictions.”

First, I would like to admit that the above cited was an inadvertent overstatement in the sense that the March 5 earthquake, though it caused several houses to collapse, was not heavily damaging. I would like to change the second part of the statement to,“With VAN predictions serious panic due to rumors was calmed down in the former case and lives were saved in the latter, despite the heavy damage.”
Satellite captures trichodesmium blooms in the southwestern tropical Pacific
Authors: Dupouy Cécile , Neveux Jacques , Subramaniam Ajit , Mulholland Margaret R. , Montoya Joseph P. , Campbell Lisa , Carpenter Edward J. , Capone Douglas G.
Published: October 2006

Obtaining a true estimate of nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria in the oceans, mainly Trichodesmium, is an important step toward understanding the entire nitrogen cycle in the tropical ocean. This strictly anaerobic process, which has a high Fe requirement, could regulate atmospheric CO2 over geological time. For example, during interglacial periods, N2 fixation would be too low (low Fe) to balance denitrification and the ocean would lose its fixed nitrogen [Falkowski, 1997]. Has the level of marine nitrogen fixation been underestimated until now? High N2 fixation rates measured on Trichodesmium spp. communities have led to an upward revision of this marine flux [Capone et al, 1997]. Recent modeling studies and observations predict that N2 fixation could regulate the long‐term N:P equilibrium in the oceans and balance denitrification [Tyrell, 1999; J L. Sarmiento and N. Gruber, manuscript in preparation, 1999].The major nitrogen fixer, Trichodesmium spp., which are filamentous, nonheterocystous N2‐fixing cyanobacteria, has a nearly ubiquitous distribution in the euphotic zone of tropical and subtropical seas and could play a major role in bringing new N to these oligotrophic systems. Satellite images from Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor (SeaWiFs), the recently launched ocean color sensor, and data from a recent cruise, provide further evidence of the importance of Trichodesmium in the southwestern tropical Pacific Ocean.
GPS‐based mapping system reveals lightning inside storms
Authors: Krehbiel Paul R. , Thomas Ronald J. , Rison William , Hamlin Timothy , Harlin Jeremiah , Davis Michael
Published: October 2006

Great Plains storms are known for their ability to produce severe weather. They are also prodigious producers of lightning; just how prodigious has been vividly illustrated by observations in central Oklahoma with a new Global Positioning System (GPS)‐based lightning mapping system.The observations are useful not only for studying storm electrification but also provide a valuable indicator of storm structure and intensity.

The system maps lightning in three spatial dimensions by measuring the times at which impulsive VHF radiation events arrive at a network of ground‐based measurement stations. Low‐cost GPS receivers provide sufficient timing accuracy to produce high‐quality pictures of the total lightning activity over a large area.
Basaltic rocks from the Pinacate Volcanic Field yield notably young 40Ar/39Ar ages
Authors: Gutmann James T. , Turrin Brent D. , Dohrenwend John C.
Published: October 2006

Determining the 40Ar/39Ar ages of young basaltic volcanic rocks is complicated by many factors, including the possible presence of excess argon and low potassium content. A recent investigation indicates that 40Ar/39Ar ages for basalts from the Pinacate volcanic field (PVF) in northwestern Sonora, Mexico, are as young as 12±4 ka, a very young age determination for a basaltic rock with excess argon. Further, these basalts represent three of the youngest volcanic centers in the PVF Two of these volcanic centers appear almost as if they “formed only yesterday,” and the ages determined, while young for 40Ar/39Ar methodology on basalts, nevertheless indicate the extremely slow rate of geomorphic change of volcanic rocks in such arid environments. Anthropogenic scars on the land surface here will last for millennia.
European seafloor observatory offers new possibilities for deep‐sea study
Authors: Favali Paolo , Smriglio Giuseppe , Beranzoli Laura , Braun Thomas , Calcara Massimo , Colore Daniele , Campaci Renato , Coudeville Jean‐Michel , De Santis Angelo , Di Mauro Domenico , Etiope Giuseppe , Frugoni Francesco , Fuda Jean‐Luc , Gamberi Fabiano , Gasparoni Francesco , Gerber Hans , Marani Michael , Marvaldi Jean , Millot Claude , Montuori Caterina , Romeo Giovanni , Palangio Paolo
Published: October 2006

The Geophysical and Oceanographic Station for Abyssal Research (GEOSTAR), an autonomous seafloor observatory that collects measurements benefiting a number of disciplines during missions up to 1 year long, will begin the second phase of its first mission in 2000. The 6–8 month investigation will take place at a depth of 3400 m in the southern Tyrrhenian basin of the central Mediterranean.

GEOSTAR was funded by the European Community (EC) for $2.4 million (U.S. dollars) in 1995 as part of the Marine Science and Technology programme (MAST). The innovative deployment and recovery procedure GEOSTAR uses was derived from the “two‐module” concept successfully applied by NASA in the Apollo and space shuttle missions, where one module performs tasks for the other, including deployment, switching on and off, performing checks, and recovery. The observatory communication system, which takes advantage of satellite telemetry, and the simultaneous acquisition of a set of various measurements with a unique time reference make GEOSTAR the first fundamental element of a multiparameter ocean network.
Electronic atlas of WOCE hydrographic and tracer data now available
Authors: Schlitzer Reiner
Published: October 2006

During the last decade, as part of the World Climate Research Programme, the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) produced a global set of hydrographic, nutrient, and tracer data of unprecedented quality and quantity Large parts of this data set are now publicly available and are being used for general oceanographic research and climate studies. However, widespread use of the combined WOCE data set is hampered; the data reside in many separate data files and the file format is complex.

To facilitate the use of the global WOCE data set, all data released by the WOCE Hydrographic Programme (WHP) have been compiled into an integrated data set. When used with the Ocean Data View visualization software for Windows, this data set constitutes an “Electronic Atlas of WOCE Data” (eWOCE) that permits graphical display and interactive analysis of the data in many different ways. With extensive interactive controls such as user‐defined plot configuration, zooming, auto‐scaling, color adjustment, and station/sample selection, this electronic atlas complements and surpasses printed atlases that are now in preparation.
Sea level rise shown to drive coastal erosion
Authors: Leatherman Stephen P. , Zhang Keqi , Douglas Bruce C.
Published: October 2006

Our research has shown that an important relationship exists between sea level rise and sandy beach erosion. The link is highly multiplicative, with the long‐term shoreline retreat rate averaging about 150 times that of sea level rise. For example, a sustained rise of 10 cm in sea level could result in 15 m of shoreline erosion. Such an amount is more than an order of magnitude greater than would be expected from a simple response to sea level rise through inundation of the shoreline.

Sea level is certainly only one of many factors causing long‐term beach change. Shoreline revisions from inlet dynamics and coastal engineering projects are more pronounced in most areas of the US. east coast and tend to mask the effect of a rise in sea level even over extended intervals. The implication is that sea level rise is a secondary but inexorable cause of beach erosion in such areas.
New grid of Arctic bathymetry aids scientists and mapmakers
Authors: Jakobsson Martin , Cherkis Norman , Woodward John , Macnab Ron , Coakley Bernard
Published: October 2006

For over two decades, Sheet 5.17 of the Fifth Edition of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) [Canadian Hydrographic Service, 1979] has been considered the authoritative portrayal of the sea floor north of 64 N.This sheet was constructed from publicly available bathymetric data sets, which in the late 1970s were rather sparse, consisting almost entirely of underway measurements collected from ice‐breakers, drifting ice islands, and point measurements obtained along snow‐mobile tracks or using air support. Data coverage tended to be fairly good at lower latitudes where ice cover was not a hindrance, but at higher latitudes, where ice was more prevalent, major features such as the Amerasian and Eurasian Basins were not well delineated. This situation posed problems not only for expedition planners but also for scientific investigators, who needed an accurate description of the sea floor to design field experiments and to link their research with processes affecting or affected by the shape of the seabed (for example, sea level change, ocean circulation, sediment transport,seafloor spreading, and Pleistocene glaciation).
Students participate in mars sample return Rover field tests
Authors: Arvidson Raymond E. , Bowman Judd D. , Dunham Catherine D. , Anderson Robert C. , Backes Paul , Baumgartner Eric , Bell James , Dworetzky Steven C. , Klug Sheri , Peck Nathan , Sherman Diane , Squyres Steven , Tuttle Deana , Waldron Anna M.
Published: October 2006

The Field Integrated Design and Operations (FIDO) Rover, a prototype vehicle designed to rehearse operations for the Mars Sample Return missions and associated Athena Rover, was put through a suite of field trials in the Silver Lake area of the Mojave Desert in April and October 1999. The trials also provided an opportunity to foster active involvement of students in rover missions using inquiry‐based study An integrated team of more than two dozen high school students and their teachers from Los Angeles, Phoenix, Ithaca, and St. Louis (LAPIS) developed and implemented their own FIDO‐based rover mission that employed long‐distance traverses to explore terrains and make discoveries.

LAPIS team members from each city were paired with local science mentors who are part of the Athena Science Team to ensure that the LAPIS activities furthered the overall mission objectives at Silver Lake and to provide expert advice.The students learned to work as a geographically distributed team, developed hypotheses to test, commanded the rover via the Internet to test their hypotheses, analyzed data, and generated their own Web site and archives. Post‐LAPIS assessments demonstrated that the participants gained new communication and information technology skills, an enhanced ability to cut across traditional disciplines to solve problems, and a greater understanding of planetary exploration and discovery Further, for some of the students, LAPIS provided the right set of experiences needed to help them define specific career goals in science, mathematics, and engineering.
Tree‐ring data document 16th century megadrought over North America
Authors: Stahle David W. , Cook Edward R. , Cleaveland Malcolm K. , Therrell Matthew D. , Meko David M. , Grissino‐Mayer Henri D. , Watson Emma , Luckman Brian H.
Published: October 2006

The two most severe, sustained droughts in the continental United States during the 20th century occurred in the 1930s and 1950s. The 1950s drought was most extreme over the southwest and southern Great Plains, where ecological consequences are still evident on the landscape [Swetnam and Betancourt], 1998].The Dust Bowl,vividly recounted in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, was the nations most severe, sustained,and widespread drought of the past 300 years, according to tree‐ring reconstructions of the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) across the continental United States [Cook et al., 1999] (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/pdsiyear.html.

Droughts during the 1750s, 1820s, and 1850s–1860s estimated from tree rings were similar to the 1950s drought in terms of magnitude, persistence, and spatial coverage, but these earlier episodes do not appear to have surpassed the severity or extent of the Dust Bowl drought. However, longer tree‐ring reconstructions of PDSI for the United States and precipitation for northwestern Mexico and western Canada indicate that the “megadrought” of the 16th century far exceeded any drought of the 20th century (Figure 1) [also see Wood‐house and Overpeck, 1998], and is considered to be the most severe prolonged drought over much of North America for at least the last 500 years [Meko et al., 1995].
Answers sought to the enigma of marine nitrogen fixation
Authors: Hood Raleigh R. , Michaels Anthony F. , Capone Douglas G.
Published: October 2006

Nitrogen fixation is a biologically catalyzed reaction that converts dinitrogen gas (N2) to ammonium (NH4+), which can then be utilized to support autotrophic growth. Early research suggested that N2‐fixation in the open ocean was not a significant source of nitrogen for phytoplankton growthsemi; virtually all of the nitrogen needed for growth was thought to come from the deep ocean through mixing and upwelling. A growing body of evidence now suggests that N2‐fixers may be far more ubiquitous in the open ocean than previously thought and that nitrogen fixation is quantitatively significant in the global nitrogen cycle.

This finding is important because primary production supported by N2‐fixation can result in a net export of carbon from the surface waters to the deep ocean and a net draw‐down of atmospheric carbon dioxide and may therefore play a significant role in the global carbon cycle as well. In fact, N2‐fixation may be the only biologically mediated process in the open ocean that drives a significant net export of atmospheric carbon dioxide over greater than annual timescales. In addition, the global balance between N2‐fixation and denitrification determines the degree to which the oceans are nitrogen limited. Thus global warming‐induced changes in N2‐fixation could have significant long‐term effects on oceanic productivity and the global carbon cycle. If this is the case, then we must understand the global controls on N2‐fixation and find ways to represent it in models that are currently being developed to predict future climate.
Contemporary tectonic stress: Advances in research and industry
Authors: Müller Birgit , Sperner Blanka
Published: October 2006

The need for knowledge about the in situ tectonic stress field in research and economic applications was the topic of a series of two World Stress Map (WSM) Euroconferences. WSM is a global database containing information on contemporary tectonic stress in the Earth's crust, which is derived from six types of stress indicators: earthquake focal mechanisms, well bore breakouts, hydraulic fracturing, overcoring measurements, and young (Quaternary) geological indicators such as faultslip data and volcanic alignments.The database as well as stress maps from different regions of the world are available via the Internet (http://www‐wsm.physik.uni‐karlsruhe.de/).

The first WSM Euroconference addressed the commercial application of in situ stress measurements. Improved knowledge of tectonic stress and effective rock strength is important in the design and construction of underground openings. For oil companies in charge of exploration and production, in situ stresses are basic input data for the calculation of actual production rates, petrophysical properties, borehole stability, compaction, subsidence, seismicity, solid control, sand production, geomechanical parameters, hydrocarbon migration, and hydraulic fracturing.The loss of drilling mud or hydrocarbons due to incomplete sealing of the drill holes or unexpected fracturing caused by tectonic stress leads to severe environmental problems and economic losses. In civil engineering and mining, the stability aspect is of equal economic importance, but in addition, the stability of road tunnels and mines is essential to save human life.
Pore pressure studies initiated in area of reservoir‐induced earthquakes in India
Authors: Gupta H. K. , Radhakrishna I. , Chadh R. K. , Kümpel H.‐J. , Grecks G.
Published: October 2006

An IndoGerman research program is investigating possible in situ pore pressure fluctuations associated with earthquakes at Koyna‐Warna in the State of Maharashtra, India. Koyna‐Warna, which lies roughly halfway between Mumbai and Goa, is ideal for such a study as induced earthquakes have occurred in the region since the impounding of the Koyna Dam Reservoir in 1962. Wells have never before been drilled in a region of intense localized seismicity to study the role of pore pressure in inducing earthquakes.

Beginning in 1995, 21 bore wells, 90–250 m deep, were drilled in the Deccan trap basalts of the region near the seismically active area (Figure 1), and continuously operating well level sensors were installed.Well level monitoring is expected to improve our understanding of the role pore fluids play in inducing earthquakes. Reservoir‐induced seismicity (RIS) describes a phenomenon in which initiation or enhancement of seismicity is linked to the impoundment of a reservoir in a region where ambient stresses are close to rock failure.
Researchers explore Arctic freshwater's role in ocean circulation
Authors: Forman Steven L. , Maslowski Wieslaw , Andrews John T. , Lubinski David , Steele Michael , Zhang Jain , Lammers Richard , Peterson Bruce
Published: October 2006

A critical, but insufficiently understood, component of global change is the influence of Arctic freshwater input on water mass exchange between the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Four of the Earth's 10 largest river systems, the Mackenzie, Ob,Yenisei, and Lena, contribute water to the Arctic shore (Figure 1) from a vast watershed that drains continental interiors. This river discharge flows into the world's largest contiguous continental shelf and supplies over 50% (1823 km3 ) of the riverine input to the Arctic Ocean.
Innovative software facilitates cyclone tracking and analysis
Authors: Grigoriev Sergey , Gulev Sergey , Zolina Olga
Published: October 2006

The need for research and development of new cost‐efficient methods for tracking and analyzing atmospheric cyclones is apparent. Currently storm tracking is performed either manually or using numerical codes. The manual approach is more accurate but it requires considerable time and labor. Numerical schemes [e.g., Murray and Simmonds, 1991] track the cyclones from digital sea level pressure (SLP) data, linking the sequential positions of cyclone centers using different assumptions based on atmospheric dynamics. This approach is very effective computationally but it creates a number of uncertainties and biases, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.
Paleomagnetic Principles and Practice
Authors: Love J. J.
Published: October 2006

Paleomagnetism is a discipline that gives a historical perspective to geophysics; it tells us about the temporal behavior of the Earth. Plate tectonics and seafloor spreading are quantitatively supported by paleopoles and ocean‐bottom magnetic anomalies. Paleosecular variation of the magnetic field, including its occasional reversal, provides us with a magnetostratigraphic timescale and reveals the dynamic nature of the Earth's core. Paleomagnetism is used for studying the paleoenvironment and rock formation, as well as for dating archaeological objects. Given such interdisciplinary utility, there is a need for a summary of the measurement and data analysis methods employed, and in this respect, Lisa Tauxe's Paleomagnetic Principles and Practice is a welcome arrival. (Editors Note: Tauxe is a former Eos editor)
Thinned crust in southwest Pacific may harbor gas hydrate
Authors: Auzende Jean‐Marie , Dickens Gerald R. , Van de Beuque Sabrina , Exon Neville F. , François Caroline , Lafoy Yves , Voutay Olivier
Published: October 2006

The Lord Howe Rise (LHR) is a large, complex, and poorly studied fragment of thinned continental crust submerged 750–3000 m beneath the oligotrophic waters of the central Tasman Sea (Figure 1). Deep seismic profiles taken during recent cruises in the region have revealed an intriguing phenomenon: the eastern slope of the LHR has a prominent and extensive bottom simulating reflector (BSR) that cross‐cuts lithology at 0.65–0.75 s two‐way travel time (twt) [Exon et al., 1998; Lafoy et al., 1998]. Given best estimates for sonic velocity (1600 m/s) and thermal gradients (0.9+0.04°C/m) in sediment on the LHR, predicted temperatures and pressures at the depth of the BSR lie on the CH4‐CH4 hydrate‐seawater equilibrium curve. Thus, the BSR on the LHR most likely represents an interface between gas hydrate and free gas [e.g., Dickens et al., 1997]. Although BSRs and gas hydrates are increasingly found in the marine realm, the LHR discovery has raised an interesting conceptual problem c oncerning the origin of gas hydrates.
Surface composition reveals icy Galilean satellites' past
Authors: McCord Thomas B.
Published: October 2006

The four largest satellites of Jupiter, called the Galilean satellites after their discoverer, comprise a mini‐solar system. They range from Moon‐sized to larger than Mercury. The innermost satellite, Io, is the most volcanically active body in our solar system. Europa, the second Galilean satellite from Jupiter, has a dense core and an ice crust, which may be underlain by a liquid water ocean. Ganymede, the third Galilean satellite, is also differentiated, with surface scars from giant impacts and wide‐scale resurfacing. Callisto, the fourth satellite, appears heavily cratered and is the least differentiated of the four satellites, which means that an abundance of evidence of its early history may be preserved.
Tectono‐magmatic processes investigated at deep‐water flanks of Hawaiian volcanoes
Authors: Naka J. , Takahasi E. , Clague D. , Garcia M. , Hanyu T. , Herrero‐Bervera E. , Ishibashi J. , Ishizuka O. , Johnson K. , Kanamatsu T. , Kaneoka I. , Lipman P. , Malahoff A. , McMurtry G. , Midson B. , Moore J. , Morgan J. , Naganuma T. , Nakajima K. , Oomori T. , Pietruszka A. , Satake K. , Sherrod D. , Shibata T. , Shinozaki K. , Sisson T. , Smith J. , Takarada S. , Thomber C. , Trusdell F. , Tsuboyama N. , Ui T. , Umino S. , Uto K. , Yokose H.
Published: October 2006

Hawaiian volcanoes are exceptional examples of intraplate hotspot volcanism. Hotspot volcanoes, which frequently host large eruptions and related earthquakes, flank‐failure landslides, and associated tsunamis, can present severe hazards to populated regions. Many studies have focused on subaerial parts of Hawaiian volcanoes, but the deep‐water flanks of the edifices, which can reach 5700 m below sea level, remain poorly understood because they are so inaccessible. In 1998 a collaborative program between Japan and the United States was initiated to explore the evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes, including their growth and degradation.
GOMaP: A matchless resolution to start the new millennium
Authors: Vogt Peter R. , Jung Woo‐Yeol
Published: October 2006

The world's ocean floor, which is almost equal in area to two moons plus two Mars‐sized planets, is one of the most poorly mapped terrestrial surfaces in our solar system (Figure 1) [Vogtand Tucholke, 1986]. We propose a multiyear international effort to map the entire ocean floor using hull‐mounted or towed sidescan/swath bathymetric systems.The Global Ocean Mapping Project (GOMaP) would produce a seafloor backscatter image whose lowest spatial resolution, in the deep trenches, would be at least 100 m, comparable to that returned by the Magellan radar mission to Venus or Clementines optical imaging of Earths moon. GOMaP would simultaneously recover the bathymetry, a tight grid of water depths, as the second kind of ocean floor image but at slightly lower spatial resolution than the backscatter image. A GOMaP mission would collect numerous additional piggy‐back data, from seismic reflection profiles of the subbottom to whale counts, at little extra cost.
Evolution of the Cretaceous Ocean‐Climate System
Authors: Dean Walter E.
Published: October 2006

The Cretaceous period (ca. 136–66 Ma) of Earth history offers a significant opportunity to better understand global processes and their variations. Cretaceous marine and terrestrial strata are extremely widespread in outcrop, subcrop, and ocean basins. Much of the Cretaceous period had a globally warm, equable, mostly ice‐free climate that is generally viewed as about as far removed from our current glacial icehouse world as that of any other time in the Phanerozoic. This extreme greenhouse world had polar ocean temperatures of 15 C, which, for contrast, is our current global average.

As Al Fischer points out in the foreword of the book, The Cretaceous was the last [greenhouse] period for which accurate global reconstructions of ocean‐continent distribution can be made. The development of calcareous plankton, near the end of Jurassic time, provides a record of oceanic life far better than that available for earlier periods, and one directly comparable to todays planktonic communities.
Optimal Management of Flow in Groundwater Systems
Authors: Yeh William W.‐G.
Published: October 2006

Groundwater simulation models are physically based mathematical models derived from Darcy's law and the law of conservation of mass. Various established solution techniques utilizing either the finite difference or the finite element method, or a combination of both, are available for solving the governing equation of the model, provided that model parameters and initial and boundary conditions are properly specified. With the advancement of numerical computing and various user‐friendly interface software, groundwater simulation models are now commonly used by groundwater planners to assist in the decision making in a variety of water resources management problems.

In simulation,groundwater models are used to predict (1) the hydraulic or water quality response of the aquifer system to a set of pumping and recharge schedules and (2) the probable hydrologic and environmental impacts associated with groundwater development. Because it can only consider a limited number of management alternatives, the simulation approach generally does not identify the optimal pumping/recharge schedules in the context of all the objectives and constraints. A recent advancement in groundwater modeling has been the development of management models that combine optimization and simulation. In contrast to simulation, optimization models identify optimal planning, design,and operational policies for the groundwater system. And because the simulation model is incorporated in a constraint set of the management model, the optimal decisions not only define the optimal pumping/recharge schedules, but also predict the time and spatial variation in the hydraulic head.
Panel recommends disposal options for Galileo spacecraft
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Old spacecraft, those soldiering instruments of space exploration, don't just fade away sometimes. Take a few recent cases. At the conclusion of the NASA Lunar Prospector's mission on July 31, 1999, the craft was programmed for a purposeful death plunge into the surface of the Moon to chance if this controlled crash could stir up any evidence of water there. And when a gyroscope on NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory failed, the space agency on June 4, 2000 cautiously guided the instrument to a controlled reentry and watery landing in the Pacific Ocean away from populated areas, rather than risk it becoming an out‐of‐control satellite.

With the NASA Galileo spacecraft's mission through the Jovian system winding down, some scientists are concerned about a different kind of planetary protection. Instead of protecting people, scientists in this case want to ensure that Galileo—which entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995, and whose mission already has been extended several times—will pose minimal possibility of contaminating any planetary bodies in the Jovian system with living organisms from the Earth. The scientists are mindful of obligations to avoid contamination that are outlined in the United Nations' 1967 Outer Space Treaty, and of evidence suggesting that Jupiter's moon, Europa, may harbor a water ocean beneath its icy surface.
New scales help public, technicians understand space weather
Authors: Poppe Barbara B.
Published: October 2006

The Space Weather Scales of the US. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were recently developed by NOAA's Space Environment Center (SEC) to improve understanding of space weather events among technical operators and the general public alike. The scales (see tables) serve as a sort of Richter scale that correlates space weather events with their likely effects on electric power, satellites, and other systems. To many who view space weather as an obscure field, the NOAA Space Weather Scales will convey useful information and perhaps pique new scientific interest.

The SEC has forecasted the space environment for more than 35 years, alerting users to existing conditions between the Sun and Earth. Demand for these services has grown as technology susceptible to space weather damage has increased in use. Satellites, for example—which were once rare and only government‐owned—are now numerous, and many are commercially owned. Transmissions to and from those satellites now carry weather information and military surveillance, television and other communications signals, credit card and pager information, navigation data, and cell phone conversations.
The hundred year hunt for the sprite
Authors: Lyons Walter A. , Armstrong Russell A. , Bering E. A. , Williams Earle R.
Published: October 2006

The scientific community's perception of the middle atmosphere above thunderstorms as “uninteresting” changed completely in the last decade. Today, a host of lightning‐related Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) have been identified, including sprites, blue jets, elves, sprite halos, and trolls. Others may remain to be discovered.

Aside from the intrinsic scientific issues arising from this linkage of tropospheric electrical phenomena with that of middle atmosphere, a number of practical questions emerge. What, if any threats might TLEs pose to aerospace operations above 20 km? Do sprites represent a heretofore undocumented source of middle atmospheric Nox? What role might they play in the global electrical circuit, as well as in the energetics of the upper atmosphere [Bering et al., 1998]? Might these phenomena impact satellite‐based global monitoring and surveillance efforts?
Using GPS and gravity to infer ice mass changes in Greenland
Authors: van Dam Tonie , Larson Kristine , Wahr John , Gross Susanna , Francis Olivier
Published: October 2006

Climate research indicates that global warming is occurring and will probably continue for the next several decades. One consequence of a global warming scenario is a global sea‐level rise due to thermal expansion of the nearsurface ocean water and melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets and continental glaciers.

The lack of appropriate data has made it difficult to determine the relationship and feedback mechanisms between climate, sea level, and ice mass changes. It is even unclear, for example, whether changes in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets over the last century have caused sea level to rise or fall.
EU Project on Development of the Glaciated European Margin
Authors: Evans Dan
Published: October 2006

A new 3‐year project that began work in March 2000 is the first to study the stratigraphical development of the European glaciated margin by taking a regional approach.

The project, Stratigraphical Development of the Glaciated European Margin (STRATAGEM), is studying the relatively shallow mid‐Cenozoic to recent geology of the European Atlantic margin from Ireland to Norway (Figure 1). Seismic techniques are being principally employed, but studies will also be carried out on cores from the Ocean Drilling Project and IMAGES long piston cores. Post‐rift backstripping modeling will be carried out on transects, along the length of the margin and will be calibrated with dated drill information.
Model estimates hurricane wind speed probabilities
Authors: Mumane Richard J. , Barton Chris , Collins Eric , Donnelly Jeffrey , Eisner James , Emanuel Kerry , Ginis Isaac , Howard Susan , Landsea Chris , Liu Kam‐biu , Malmquist David , McKay Megan , Michaels Anthony , Nelson Norm , O Brien James , Scott David , Webb Thompson
Published: October 2006

In the United States, intense hurricanes (category 3, 4, and 5 on the Saffir/Simpson scale) with winds greater than 50 m s −1 have caused more damage than any other natural disaster [Pielke and Pielke, 1997]. Accurate estimates of wind speed exceedance probabilities (WSEP) due to intense hurricanes are therefore of great interest to (re)insurers, emergency planners, government officials, and populations in vulnerable coastal areas.

The historical record of U.S. hurricane landfall is relatively complete only from about 1900, and most model estimates of WSEP are derived from this record. During the 1899–1998 period, only two category‐5 and 16 category‐4 hurricanes made landfall in the United States. The historical record therefore provides only a limited sample of the most intense hurricanes.
Old seismic data yield new insights
Authors: Hedlin Michael A. H. , Earle Paul S. , Bolton Harold
Published: October 2006

We live in a time of unprecedented growth in the volume and quality of seismic data gathered worldwide. Today's global seismographic networks collectively comprise over two hundred continuously recording stations and are complemented by numerous regional networks, arrays, and temporary deployments. These instruments record ground motions as small as a few nanometers at periods ranging from hundredths to hundreds of seconds. Many of these seismograms can be obtained and analyzed within hours of an earthquake by any individual equipped with a computer and an Internet connection. These modern data sets have been used to determine, with unprecedented clarity, the Earth's inner structure. But not all of the latest advances in global seismology have come from newly acquired and easily accessed data.
“Sixty minutes” Calls! What to Do?
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Well, do take the call. But know what to say and what not to say to Mike Wallace.

When an opportunity to present Earth and space science news to the media occurs, scientists should welcome it.That applies to any medium: newspapers, magazines, radio, and Web sites (although Americans get most of their news from local TV).