bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Workshop on remote measurement of underwater parameters
Authors: Mollo‐Christensen Erik
Published: October 2011

This workshop was held at Bolkesjø, Norway, October 30 to November 1, 1980. It was arranged by the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Space Activity Division; Institute of Geophysical Research, University of Bergen; and Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia. It was sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the Office of Naval Research.
Extinctions: The democratic solution
Authors: Vogt Peter R. , Holden John C.
Published: October 2011

The problem of what caused the late Cretaceous extinctions still remains unsolved today (or does it?), after over a hundred years of inquiry supported by an ever increasing supply of theories and data. The classic approach of the multiple working hypotheses method to the problem of wholesale extinctions has apparently not succeeded, at least not until very recently.

What is the view of today's earth science community? To find out, we are soliciting your opinions in the accompanying poll. Of course the ‘democratic solution’ sought here cannot be considered the final answer to extinctions. But by taking the pulse of informed opinion, we hope to stimulate interest in the subject (of extinctions and of opinion surveys). The results of the poll will be reported in these pages at a later date. Whatever your specialty, please take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire. We don't even insist on your being an earth scientist, but do give us your professional specialization.
Saturn's rings: Debris from satellites
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

Saturn's rings may be the remains of at least three satellites smashed by a comet about 4 billion years ago. That's the latest word from the Voyager scientists at AGU's Spring Meeting.

The rings are fragments of preexisting satellites, explained Eugene M. Shoemaker of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz. Breakup of the satellites could have been caused by a comet and by the satellite collisions. Satellite fragments then smeared out to form the complex ring system photographed by Voyager 1 last November, he said.
Postdoctoral fellows: A diminishing supply
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

Highlighting the modern concept of what used to be positions of status are descriptive terms such as the ‘perennial postdoc.’ The research scientists with new Ph.D. degrees in hand that were awarded postdoctoral fellowships have been likened to ‘planes… stacked in a holding pattern’ (E. M. Leeper, Acad. News Rep., 31, p. 3, 1981). In the fields of physics, chemistry, and biology a situation of ‘extended appointments’ for postdocs still exists because of a lack of full‐time positions at the Ph.D. level.

The situation in the earth sciences contrasts sharply. Recent hiring patterns by petroleum and mining companies and by the federal government have followed a quickened pace. Geoscientists at the bachelors' and masters' levels are going directly into industry. Graduates in earth science with Ph.D. degrees are accepting research positions in industrial and government laboratories and thus are bypassing the postdoctoral experience. As a consequence, the number of graduate students and postdocs in earth science academic departments has fallen sharply over the past year.
Political action committee for scientists
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

Spurred by budget proposals that could severely reduce science funding (Eos, March 24, March 3, February 10), seven scientists currently serving as Congressional Science or State Department Fellows recently founded a political action committee (PAC) for scientists. The Science and Technology Political Action Committee (SCITEC‐PAC) aims to make scientists more politically aware and better informed about potential legislative actions that affect research. It will also serve to ‘establish a political presence’ with respect to science, said Donald Stein, SCITEC‐PAC's chairman.

The organization is not a lobbying group, explained Stein, professor of neurology and psychology at Clark University and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. ‘Lobbyists seek to influence officials by presenting information to them,’ he said, ‘while a PAC tries to influence the outcome of elections through campaign contributions of money, time, and effort in behalf of candidates that share similar goals and aspirations.’ In other words, the PAC will be a vehicle for promoting candidates for federal office who advocate strong support for scientific research and training. In addition, the PAC will develop and study science policy and budget issues and will attempt to stimulate government and private sector interest in these issues.
1981 Spring Meeting Report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Approximately 2150 participants registered for the 1981 Spring Meeting. More than 1500 papers were presented.

The spaciousness of the Baltimore Convention Center provided ample opportunity for attendees to exchange ideas and interact with their colleagues. Here are some candid shots.
Looking ahead to Voyager 2
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

Voyager 2 will whiz past Saturn late next month, giving scientists yet another look at the planet's intricate ring system, its satellites, and the atmosphere. The encounter will concentrate on selected targets, though, rather than take a sweeping look at the entire Saturnian system, as Voyager 1 did. Voyager 2 will take higher‐resolution photographs of five satellites—Enceladas, Tethys, lapetus, Hyperion, and Phoebe—than did its sister ship. Higher‐resolution pictures of the rings also are expected.

Closest approach to the planet will be on August 25 at 8:25 P.M. PDT (11:25 P.M. EDT). Transmission of signals from the spacecraft to earth will take nearly another hour and a half.
IES '81—Effect of the ionosphere on radiowave systems
Authors: Goodman John M.
Published: October 2011

A symposium entitled ‘Effect of the Ionosphere on Radiowave Systems’ was held on April 14–16, 1981, at the Ramada Inn, Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. Over 250 participants from government, private industry, and academia were in attendance at the symposium, which was organized by John M. Goodman of the Naval Research Laboratory and Jules Aarons of the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory and was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, NRL, and AFGL. The purpose of the symposium, as in the two previous IES conferences, held in 1975 and 1978, was to improve the information transfer between system architects, managers, and designers on the one hand and ionospheric physicists and propagation specialists on the other hand. Although the military (DoD) interest associated with various topics presented at the conference was transparent, the commercial and scientific research areas were also in evidence.
NRC: Wait on SPS research
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

A National Research Council committee recommends that funds not be allocated during this decade for research and development of a satellite power system (SPS). Instead, NASA should monitor relevant technical developments and report periodically to Congress.

Cost is the major obstacle to pursuing SPS, according to the Committee on Satellite Power Systems. Earlier estimates of $1.3 trillion are 2½ times too low, even in the most optimistic view, according to the committee. Better energy R&D prospects—technologically and economically—include breeder reactors, advanced coal burning technologies, and solar power from terrestrial photovoltaic cells. The committee also felt that, among other problems, SPS could interfere with terrestrial radio communications and with optical and radio astronomy.
Magnetic monopole
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The magnetic monopole, or magnetic point source (as opposed to the conventional concept of a north‐south magnetic dipole), is again in the news, as it has been off and on for the past 50 years. Perhaps it is more precise to say that another episode in the continuing search for the elusive monopole is underway.

In a recent report by the National Science Foundation (Mosaic, 12, 1981, p. 19) it was stated of the monopole, ‘If there is a dogma in modern physics, it might be that in nature anything not expressly forbidden to exist by a specific law must be presumed to exist… Physicists are just going to have to get clever enough to find them.’ In the eyes of the numerous investigators who have searched, monopoles are not just objects that exist by theoretical default, they are arcane, perhaps, but real.
1981 AGU Fellows
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Jaime Amorocho, for his contributions to nonlinear theory of hydrologic systems. Richard John Anderle, for his contributions to understanding the earth's gravitational field.
Diamonds in the outer planets
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The results of space exploration over the last 2 years have provoked considerable and widespread interest, among geoscientists, in the interiors of the outer planets. Even new data on remote Uranus and Neptune are becoming available, and so it is not unusual to expect a round of new speculation on their interior compositions and properties. In a very recent article in Nature (292, 435–436, 1981), one of the most eminent theoretical physicists in the field of gas thermodynamics at high pressure has developed a model of the layered structures of Uranus and Neptune. Marvin Ross of the University of California (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), taking into account the knowledge that the outer planets have an inner layer, or mantle, consisting of forms of water, methane, and ammonia (in addition to various proportions of hydrogen plus helium in solar abundance), suggests that there could be a process that forms diamonds and metallic compounds. In the Nature article, entitled ‘The Ice Layer in Uranus and Neptune—Diamonds in the Sky?,’ Ross makes a serious analysis of existing shock wave and theoretical data on methane, carbon, and hydrogen with which he compared the interior of Uranus (Neptune is very similar, he says). The results could have far reaching implications in the theory and understanding of the solar system. The postulation properties of the mantles of Uranus and Neptune could cause magnetic fields and the generation of radio waves.
NSF and NASA budgets increased
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

Research budgets of several of the federal government agencies were increased significantly over the Reagan administration's requests in the House of Representative's appropriations bill H.R. 4034. These budgets had been removed from the Reagan administration's omnibus reconciliation bill, and thus there were worries expressed that certain research funding could be in jeopardy. The rationale was that because the requests were voted on individually on the floor of the House, many sections of the budgets would be subjected to extra scrutiny, which would lead to more cuts.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) budget request had been cut and reordered by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by making sharp reductions in programs of the social sciences and in programs of science and engineering education. There were fears that these programs would be reinstated to the original request level, at the expense of the budgets of other research activities. These fears materialized, but only momentarily. Efforts to cut the research activities by the House Appropriations Committee were soundly defeated. The budget was supported, with additional increases to provide for the education programs, by a high margin, which included most Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives. The overall NSF budget, as passed, has a total appropriation of $1103.5 million, compared with the Administration's request of $1033.5 million (the Fiscal Year 1981 appropriation for the NSF was $1022.4 million). The House approved budget included increases of $44.9 million in research and $25.1 million in science and engineering education. Included in the research budget increase were recommendations by the House Appropriations Committee for support of the social sciences and for the international affairs programs. Also included in the recommendations was support of interdisciplinary research programs that cut across the directorates of the NSF.
Consolidation at U. Wash.
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

The University of Washington Board of Regents has established a College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences. The new college, officially opening on September 1, will comprise the School of Oceanography, the School of Fisheries, the Institute for Marine Studies, the Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Washington Sea Grant Program. The board also appointed D. James Baker, Jr., as acting dean of the college. He has been chairman of the university's oceanography department since 1979.
Ocean drilling reorganized
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

The National Science Foundation has combined its proposed Ocean Margin Drilling Program (OMPD) with the existing Deep‐Sea Drilling Program (DSDP). This reorganization calls for the retirement in 1983 of DSDP's mainstay, the Glomar Challenger, which is nearing its 14th year of operation. The Glomar Explorer, the former CIA ship, with 5 times the carrying capacity of the Challenger, will become the sole NSF drilling ship.

Engineering and science planning for OMDP will continue largely unchanged with the new plan, though the schedules for achieving some scientific objectives may change, according to the Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc. (JOI), a consortium of 10 academic oceanographic institutions. Additional industry and foreign support will be sought under the new plan.
A mapping, charting, and geodetic tour through China
Authors: Williams Owen W. , Mancini Armando , Ayers Lawrence F.
Published: October 2011

For two weeks last December, we had the opportunity and privilege to visit the mapping, charting, and geodetic (MC&G) facilities in the People's Republic of China (PRC) as guests of the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (NBSM). There are two principal departments in the PRC that deal with the field of mapping: namely, the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, a civilian organization; and the Military Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (MBSM), which is the military MC&G counterpart. Both organizations have worked the national mapping program in China during the last 20 to 30 years.

Our tour was spent mostly with the NBSM and included visits with its provincial bureau in Guangzhou (Canton), the Wuhan College, the Research Institute in Beijing (Peking), and the Publishing House in Beijing. It also included a meeting with the NBSM headquarters' staff, also in Beijing; near the end of the tour we spent a full day with the Military Bureau.
Wanted: Aid to OES
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Research Council's Office of Earth Sciences (OES) and the office's advisory board are anxious to have the assistance of earth scientists in advancing the office's work, according to a recent statement by John C. Crowell, OES chairman. He identified the responsibilities of OES as continued awareness and active concern for the health of the earth sciences; identification of opportunities for the earth sciences in meeting national needs; and fostering awareness of scientific advances that may help to resolve national problems. Crowell invited atmospheric, oceanographic, and solid‐earth scientists to suggest activities at the national level to the office and its advisory board.

The OES uses the solicited suggestions to complement its perception of important national topics that need attention. Research is not supported, but the suggestions receive attention in several ways, Crowell explained. They are sent to appropriate units of the National Research Council when related activity is underway. In some cases, a suggestion may result in the establishment of an independent committee to study and report on the topic. For example, a report is being prepared on the geological aspects of industrial waste disposal. Such reports are usually read by government officials, scientists in the field, and the public.
Nation's water OK despite dry spots
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Streamflow conditions across the United States improved somewhat during August, with more areas reporting normal flows than in previous months, according to a month‐end check by the U.S. Geological Survey.

USGS hydrologists said that areas of low flow conditions persisted in much of the West and stretched across the Southeast from Virginia south to Florida and west to Louisiana. A small area of New York and most of Connecticut and Rhode Island were also well below normal–within the lowest 25% of record; that is, 75% of the time, streamflow will equal or exceed the measured levels.
Linking star age and rotation
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

As a star ages, it rotates more and more slowly. Astronomers believe that stellar winds (escaping gases that carry trapped magnetic fields to great distances) are the cause: they gradually drain the star of its inborn rotational momentum. Also, with increasing age a star's magnetic activity declines. Are the two phenomena—slowing rotation and decreasing magnetic activity—related? Arthur H. Vaughan of the Mount Wilson and Las Campanas observatories reports evidence that rotation of stars similar to the sun varies with their observed magnetic behavior.
NSF FY1982 update: Support for basic research
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

When the Appropriation Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate meet in conference this month, discussion of the Astronomical, Atmospheric, Earth, and Ocean Sciences (AAEO) sections of the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be limited. Both the House and the Senate committees made some slight increases to the Office of Management and Budget requests, and the program by program agreement between the two was unusual.

The House appropriation bill, H.R. 4034, provides $70 million over the administration request of $1033.5 million. Of the increase, $44.9 million was added in the area of research and related activities and $25.1 million for science and engineering education.
Budget cuts jeopardize space exploration
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

In the light of 12% across‐the‐board cuts in the second round of federal budgetary action, the announcement by the Office of Management and Budget that the cut to be absorbed by NASA is only 6% appears to be good news. But this is not at all the case, even though the reduced NASA FY 1982 budget would still be above the FY 1981 budget by about 4%, because the first round of budget cuts trimmed NASA to a bare minimum. The budget had been strained after absorbing the huge first‐mission costs of the space shuttle. The portion of the budget for the shuttle still seems to be reserved, untouchable, basically as it was after the first budget‐cutting round. Further, the shuttle's costs are rising, and NASA's budget for the following year (FY 1983) is subject to larger cuts—a figure of about $1 billion has been mentioned.
Kimberlites: Strange bodies?
Authors: Pasteris Jill Dill
Published: October 2011

Several years ago I asked a well‐known mantle petrologist why kimberlites had been studied relatively little in comparison with kimberlite‐transported xenoliths from the upper mantle and lower crust. He replied, ‘When I see a bus full of people travel by, I'm more interested in the passengers than in the bus.’ For many years kimberlites were relegated to the status of the vehicle for a petrologically intriguing load of xenoliths.

There are several reasons for the initial lack of attention to kimberlites. (1) They are highly brecciated and inclusion‐rich. Many petrologists viewed them as a confusing potpourri of exogenous and endogenous fragments. In fact, some were uncertain whether kimberlites had any primary magmatic/liquid component. (2) Kimberlites usually have undergone a high degree of alteration, principally serpentinization and carbonation, but in some cases localized phlogopitization. Initially, most of the alteration was viewed as very late‐stage, probably post‐magmatic, and some of it perhaps due to weathering. (3) Because of their brecciated, altered condition, kimberlites often are porous, friable, and difficult to make into thin sections.
Instrumentation crisis for VGP
Authors: Smith Joseph V.
Published: October 2011

The fact that this latest book by Lieut.
B. U. Ö. Sonnerup—New JGR‐Blue editor
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

‘JGR is the foremost place to publish research in space physics. You really can't be in this field without having the journal right at your elbow,’ said Bengt U. Ö. Sonnerup, the new editor of the space physics section of the Journal of Geophysical Research. He will formally begin his 4‐year term on January 1, succeeding George Siscoe. Sonnerup has been receiving articles for the journal since October 1.
Geophysical events
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

This is a summary of SEAN Bulletin, 6(10), October 31, 1981, a publication of the Smithsonian Institution. The complete bulletin is available in the microfiche edition of Eos, as a microfiche supplement, or as a paper reprint. For the microfiche, order document number E81‐010 at $1.00 from AGU, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009. For reprints, order SEAN Bulletin (give dates and volume number) through AGU Separates: $3.50 for the first copy for those who do not have a deposit account; $2 for those who do; additional copies are $1.00. Order must be prepaid.
Solar neutrinos captured at Homestake
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The nuclear fusion processes in the sun are not clearly understood, but solar geophysicists Ray Davis, of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Ed Fireman, of the Smithsonian Institution, are improving on physical models of solar processes by studying the solar neutrino flux. They are doing this by capturing neutrinos and analyzing them with apparatus located a mile below the earth's surface in the Homestake gold mine in South Dakota.

This study has led recently to a few surprise findings related to fundamental properties of both the solar system and matter. The flux rate of solar neutrinos is closely tied to the fusion rates and thus the solar system release of energy. The rates are also a measure of the ultimate stability of matter in the universe, the ultimate loss of mass.
Special report: Krafla Volcano
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Careful study of a series of intrusions and eruptions at Krafla has added substantially to our understanding of processes at rifting plate boundaries. During more than a dozen deflation events between 1975 and 1979, most of the magma that left the shallow reservoirs beneath Krafla formed dikes in the fissure zone extending north and south of the caldera, with only minor amounts reaching the surface in associated eruptions. The character of Krafla's activity changed in 1980, and the largest eruptions since the rifting episode began in 1975 were associated with events in July and October 1980 and January— February 1981.

Krafla Caldera, Mývatn Area, Iceland (65.73°N, 16.6°W). All times are GMT. After more than 9 months without an intrusive event or eruption at Krafla, instruments recorded the simultaneous onset of deflation and harmonic tremor at 0036 on November 18, followed by the start of a fissure eruption at 0152. Between 0400 and 0500, geologists flew over the active fissure and observed vigorous lava fountaining, feeding flows that had advanced as much as 5 km to the west. Rates of lava extrusion along the fissure varied but were probably the most voluminous seen since activity began in December 1975. Extrusion occurred along the entire fissure, which extended from near the center of the caldera about 8 km to the north (the October 1980 fissure vents were in almost the same location but stopped about 1 km north of the southern end of the November 1981 fissure). Strong northerly winds blew some scoria onto the nearby power station, but no damage occurred. Discrete earthquakes initially accompanied harmonic tremor but stopped after a few hours. By 1000, lava extrusion had weakened considerably and was confined to three 1‐km‐long segments of the fissure. Inflation resumed November 22, but minor eruptive activity continued. Lava extrusion stopped early November 23, but late that afternoon occasional minor spattering resumed. Initial reconnaissance mapping indicates that lava flows covered 16–20 km2 and that the longest flow traveled roughly 6 km from the fissure.
IMS Assessment Symposium
Authors: Cowley Stanley W. H.
Published: October 2011

To understand the purpose of the IMS Assessment Symposium, held at Goddard Space Flight Center, May 21–23, 1981, we should first say a few words about the International Magnetospheric Study (IMS) itself. Broadly speaking, the ’active‘ phase of the IMS, which ran from 1976 to 1979, was conceived as an intensive period of worldwide data acquisition on magnetospheric processes, with emphasis on closely coordinated multi‐spacecraft and ground‐based observations. As a result, many high‐quality data sets were generated during this period from spacecraft projects, such as GEOS and ISEE, and from extensive ground arrays of magnetometers and auroral cameras. However, the mere gathering of data is obviously a futile activity in itself if the data are not then subsequently turned into science by an equally vigorously pursued period of data analysis and interpretation. Therefore, although the active phase of the IMS ended in December 1979, the IMS exercise is by no means over yet. It was to promote effective worldwide participation in the data analysis phase (DAP) that IMSAS was held. Internationally, the IMS DAP is guided by a working group convened under the auspices of SCOSTEP (the ICSU Special Committee for Solar‐Terrestrial Physics), which is chaired by Gordon Rostoker (Alberta). It was with the backing of this working group that the concept that Chris Russell and David Southwood had of the IMSAS meeting came to fruition.
Trend toward multiple authors in research publications: Failure of the universities to support research
Authors: Fraser‐Smith A. C. , Hitchcock Z. R.
Published: October 2011

In a previous letter to this column [Fraser‐Smith, 1979] one of us drew attention to the marked decline since 1950 in the percentage of single‐author papers in the Journal of Geophysical Research, 1, Space Physics (JGR 1) and the commensurate increase in the percentage of articles by three or more authors. The decline in single authors is certainly not confined to JGR 1, as is shown by more recent work (according to the Institute for Scientific Information, which indexes 2800 journals, the average number of authors per paper rose from 1.67 to 2.58 between 1960 and 1980) [Broad, 1981], so it seems clear that there is a widespread change taking place in the way scientists report the results of their research. It is perhaps important for us to point out that this is not an academic change; it is taking place right now, and most readers of this column are likely to be affected by it.

There is undoubtedly an element of fashion involved in the decline of single authors, and it may well be that what we are all experiencing individually as scientists is a subtle process of rhinocerization, as described in the play by Ionesco [1960]. However, it would be unusual for a fashion to persist for 30 years or more unless other more substantive factors were involved. The question is, what are these factors?
Magnetospheric cleft
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The magnetospheric cleft is an opening between the earth's magnetic field and the interplanetary field associated with the magnetic poles. Charged particles entering the earth's upper atmosphere cause the airglow or aurora which occurs in the polar regions. At this time of year, as the sun approaches winter solstice and is below the horizon in northern Canada, atmospheric conditions can be studied on the ‘sunside’ of the earth as they appear in the dark from the ground. The cleft offers a unique opportunity to study particle acceleration mechanisms in a regime that is less structured in space and time, as opposed to the highly dynamic nightside auroral region, yet is equally interesting and physically rewarding.
[Comment on “A former editor views the editorial process”] More on the editorial process
Authors: Tscherning C. C.
Published: October 2011

R. Allan Freeze's article (Eos, September 22, p. 673) on the editorial process brings up also the question of the reviewer's role. Having authored and reviewed papers for a number of different journals gives me the impression that Freeze's experience with WRR must hold for most refereed journals.

My experience can be concluded in the following statements: (1) As an author I have always felt that the paper revised following the comments of the reviewers came out better than the original version. (I even know about authors who do not hide the fact that they use the review process to get new ideas and better papers.) (2) As a reviewer I many times felt unsure about whether my criticism was appropriate. As a consequence of this I never ask to get a paper back for a second review.
Pathological feldspar crystals
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

Zoned plagioclase crystals have long been used as a petrologic tool for marking magma fractionation trends. In the early part of this century, N.L. Bowen solved many of the riddles of feldspar zoning and of even reverse zoning. Now, C.J. Allegre et al. [Oscillatory zoning: A pathological case of crystal growth, Nature, Nov. 19, 1981] proposes a new theory on a secondary feature of plagioclase crystal zoning, namely, it is an explanation of the oscillatory character of the zoning of many naturally formed plagioclases.

The results reported by Allegre and colleagues reflect the increasing number of studies being done on igneous melts in the laboratory. The model proposed takes into account the coupling between ‘interface kinetics’ and the diffusion of chemical species in the melt. In Allegre's examples, plagioclase zones oscillate back and forth rather uniformly in varying albite content, as one tracks across a zoning profile from the crystal center to its edges. The theoretical analogy is described as ‘the perturbation equations result in almost undamped, dissymmetric oscillations in the concentration profile.’ The growth rate equations developed in the study predict a given episode of oscillatory zoning in all cases where the supersaturation of a given crystallizing‐diffusing component is not large.
[Comment on] Scientific Freedom and the Sea, II
Authors: Wooster Warren S.
Published: October 2011

Although I also have endured a few sessions of the UN Law of the Sea Conference, I have a very different interpretation of events from that described by Riddihough in a recent Eos Oceanography Report (Eos, 62, Dec. 1, p. 1162). In fact, his letter is sufficiently misleading to demand comment.

It is certainly difficult to distinguish among academic, economic (commercial?), and military research solely on the basis of the types of measurements made. A more useful test is whether the results are openly published. For example, in this country, academic research (about 11% of which is supported by the Office of Naval Research) is openly published, while that of corporations and of military laboratories often is not.
An AGU Fellowship on Capitol Hill
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The AGU Congressional Science and Engineering Fellows program provides an opportunity for highly qualified, accomplished scientists, engineers, and other professionals to spend a year in the office of a congressman or senator or on the staff of a committee. Fellows perform many of the same duties as regular staff members; in the past they have been involved in legislative, oversight, and investigative activities.

The fellows bring to the Congress new insights, fresh ideas, and extensive knowledge and education in a variety of disciplines. Not only are fellows provided with an opportunity to make a significant public service contribution but they also obtain firsthand experience in the legislative and political processes. In short, they offer their special knowledge, skills, and competence in exchange for the opportunity to acquire experience in a unique forum and for the chance to contribute to the formulation of national policy.
Polar ice melting
Authors: Calvert Jack G.
Published: October 2011

Shrinking polar ice caps may be causing the earth's sea level to rise and its days to lengthen. ‘Rising mean sea level is a significant indication of global climate change,’ R. Etkins and E. Epstein report, pointing out that global sea levels have risen slightly more than one‐tenth of an inch each year, on the average, since 1940, for a total of nearly 5 inches (Science, 215, 287–289, 1982). This is triple the rate of rise measured during the preceding half century, from 1890 to 1940.

Etkins and Epstein estimate that more than 10,000 cubic miles of polar ice, most of it presumably from Antarctic ice sheets, must have melted in the past 40 years. They calculate that transfer of this great mass to the equivalent of a thin layer of water spread over the world's oceans also would tend to reduce the speed of the earth's rotation. This would lengthen each day by about one‐thousandth of a second, they say, accounting for about three‐fourths of the actual increase in the length of the day observed by scientists over the past 40 years.
Earthquake and Earth deformation
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

Geophysicists are cognizant, if not in fear, of the chances of one or more great earthquakes occurring in the United States during the next several to 100 years. The San Andreas fault is, of course, the major threat. The worst earthquake along it occurred in 1857 in southern California, and it is just a matter of time before another follows the expected 100–200 year cycle. Warning would be a nice thing, but seismologists are not particularly successful in this, possibly because there is insufficient instrumental coverage of the earth's surface to study earthquakes. There is the international seismic network, but instruments have only local coverage and usually are set for optimizing the range of deformation, foreshocks, and other crustal changes that could provide warning. It would be a first step to determine what changes actually do give reliable forecasts of major earthquakes, and a range of seismographs, strain meters, and satellite detectors could be used to good advantage. According to the Panel on Crustal Movement Measurements (National Research Council Assembly of Mathematical and Physical Sciences' Committee on Geodesy and Seismology), ‘…The frequency with which geodetic networks are re‐observed is often of the order of years or tens of years, while most… seismographs are designed to register ground motion excited by an earthquake, and their response is most favorable in a range of periods from, say, one tenth of a second to a few minutes.’ (Geodetic Monitoring of Tectonic Deformation—Toward a Strategy, 119 pp., National Academy of Sciences Press, Washington, D.C., 1981.)
Atmospheric waves from Mount St. Helens
Authors: Båth Markus
Published: October 2011

The famous volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, generated atmospheric and magnetic waves that encircled the earth. Ritsema [1980] reports atmospheric pressure waves (or gravity waves), recorded by seismographs and barographs, at De Bilt in Holland. Stimulated by his report, I searched our own seismograph records with positive results (Table 1). The instruments used are the Press‐Ewing long‐period vertical‐component seismographs (seismometer period, 15 s; galvanometer period, 90–100 s). Clear records of the direct air wave (A1) were obtained at all three stations (Kiruna, Umeå, Uppsala), while the antipodal wave (A2) was recorded less clearly and only at one station (Uppsala). In all cases, the initial motion is down on the records, which corresponds to an upward motion of the pendulum.
February streamflow shows upturn
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

Streamflow conditions across the country took a strong upturn during February, with many streams in a broad band from Maryland through the Ohio Valley and into the Midwest and the Dakotas and much of the Far West reporting well‐above normal streamflows according to a month‐end check of water resources conditions by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

USGS hydrologists said that the strong February upturn was reflected in the combined flow of the nation's ‘Big Five’ rivers—Mississippi, Ohio, St. Lawrence, Missouri, and Columbia—which averaged 1180 billion gallons a day (bgd) during February, 47% above normal and the highest flow above the monthly average in more than 2 years. The Big Five drain more than half of the conterminous United States and serve as a quick check on the status of the nation's water resources. Working in cooperation with federal, state, and local officials across the country, USGS hydrologists regularly collect information on surface and groundwater conditions at more than 65,000 gaging stations.
Submarine hot springs: Origin of life?
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The observations of hydrothermal systems along midoceanic spreading centers by the deep‐diving submarine, Alvin, have led to numerous geological theories to explain phenomena ranging from heat flow to the formation of massive sulfide deposits. Unusual life in the forms of giant tube worms and mussels (Eos, Dec. 29, 1981) have been found to live along the submarine hot springs in chemically reducing and normally toxic sulfurous environments. Analyses of data over the past year or two have formed the basis of new life‐evolution schemes. J.B. Corliss, J.A. Baross, and S.E. Hoffman have outlined a process by which concentrations of methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and metals may have reacted, in several steps, to produce living organisms within or adjacent to submarine hydrothermal systems (Oceanol. Acta, 59–69, 1981).
Geophysical science to ride on shuttle
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The space shuttle orbiter Columbia in its third voyage is the first of a long‐planned series to carry a broad variety of geophysical experiments. As the space shuttle program continues to feel its way through elaborate tests in space to determine everything from contamination to thermal effects, ‘science’ experiments are being conducted by sophisticated instrument packages within the spacecraft's cargo bay. The two major experiments are the solar flare X ray polarimeter and the solar ultraviolet spectral irradiance monitor.

The solar flare X ray polarimeter's purpose is to measure X rays emitted during solar flare activities on the sun. more definitive determination of what takes place during these solar eruptions could provide a major advance in understanding the physical processes that generate solar flares. Already, researchers have determined, through observations of gamma rays, radio emissions, and other manifestations of energetic particles, that particles are accelerated, sometimes in two or more stages, in such an event. Nevertheless, two fundamental questions remain: what is the nature of the mechanism by which these particles are energized, and how do they produce the observed emissions?
Is AGU in your will?
Authors: Whitten Charles A.
Published: October 2011

We are approaching the time of year when the IRS requires that we review our ‘financial position.’ The new tax laws, we are told, have benefits for everyone. These ‘goodies’ may be hard to find. However, those laws that apply to estates have been changed significantly, and our lawyer urges that my wife and I update our wills.

We hope you read the AGU‐GIFT editorial on deferred giving in the September 15, 1981, Eos. John Reed mentioned different options. The Steering Committee for AGU‐GIFT believes that the designation of a bequest to AGU in an updated will may be appealing to some of AGU's senior members who are well established, whose career‐long commitments are largely fulfilled, and who may be better shielded from inflation than some other members.
Career survey on women and minorities
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Board on Women and Minorities of the American Meteorological Society is conducting a career survey of minority professionals in the atmospheric sciences. If you are a minority professional working in atmospheric sciences (which includes physics, engineering, computer programing, mathematics, or any other related field, as well as meteorology) please contact the board so that survey materials may be sent.
Mt. St. Helens blows again
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Mt. St. Helens Volcano, Cascade Range, southern Washington (46.20°N, 122.18°W). All times are local (GMT−8h). The first explosive eruption from Mt. St. Helens in 17 months ejected a tephra cloud that briefly rose to more than 13.5‐km altitude on March 19. A directed blast from near the base of the lava dome spawned a multilobate avalanche that flowed several kilometers down the volcano's north flank. A mudflow moved down the north fork of the Toutle River but caused only minor damage. Clouds produced by explosions March 20–21 were much smaller and contained only a little tephra. Lava extrusion began March 21, adding a new lobe to the southeast side of the crater's composite dome. The eruption had been predicted by the USGS (see our report in last week's Eos) and no injuries resulted from it.
Violent ejection observed from star near Sun
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

What is believed to be the first direct evidence of a violent ejection, or jet, from a star relatively close to the sun has been detected by astronomers at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; the University of Maryland; and the Lick Observatory, University of California.

Observable violent ejections are thought to be matter from the center of active galaxies or quasars. This most recent observation, however, reveals an extraordinary jet structure, known as the star R Aquarii, in a binary star system near our sun. In contrast to the only other star known to have jet structure in our galaxy, SS 433, R. Aquarii is much closer to our sun, a distance of only 750 light years.
Scientific communication and national security
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

The need for scientists to disseminate widely their research results often conflicts with the United States government's requirement that certain information be withheld from foreign adversaries. The Reagan administration has stepped up its campaign to clamp down on the transfer of scientific and technological information from the United States that might be used by foreign nations to gain military advantages. As a result, some scientists have become alarmed that they will be forced to forfeit essential rights to communicate freely. In light of the growing concern from both sides a panel of 18 senior policymakers and researchers has been assembled by the National Academy of Sciences to examine the relationship between university research and national security. The panel held its first meeting on April 16 and 17; an interim report is expected in September, followed by a final report in March 1983.
Atlas of the SEASAT synthetic‐aperture radar images of oceans and sea ice
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The synthetic‐aperture radar (SAR) on board SEASAT was an L band imaging radar that produced an enormous amount of images of the earth's surface with a resolution of 25×25 m. To introduce to the oceanographic community the general capabilities of the SEASAT SAR for observing oceans and sea ice, an atlas entitled SEASAT Views Oceans and Sea Ice With Synthetic‐Aperture Radar has been compiled at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, by Lee‐Lueng Fu and Benjamin Holt. This atlas presents 51 SEASAT SAR images of oceans and sea ice to demonstrate the variety of information contained in this unique and extensive imagery. Forty‐six are of oceans, showing signatures of surface waves, internal waves, currents, mesoscale eddies, bottom topography, various coastal and atmospheric phenomena, and ships in the North Atlantic, the eastern North Pacific, the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Reagan issues mineral policy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Materials and Minerals Program plan and report that President Reagan sent to Congress on April 5 aims to ‘decrease America's minerals vulnerability’ while reducing future dependence on potentially unstable foreign sources of minerals. These goals would be accomplished by taking inventory of federal lands to determine mineral potential; by meeting the stockpile goals set by the Strategic and Critical Material Stockpiling Act; and by establishing a business and political climate that would encourage private‐sector research and development on minerals.

Now that the Administration has issued its plan, the Subcommittee on Mines and Mining of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs will consider the National Minerals Security Act (NMSA), which was introduced 1 year ago by subcommittee chairman Jim Santini (D‐Nev.) [Eos, May 19, 1981, p. 497]. The bill calls for establishing a three‐member White‐House‐level council to coordinate the development of a national minerals policy; amending tax laws to assist the mining industry to make capital investments to locate and produce strategic materials; and creating a revolving fund for the sale and purchase of strategic minerals. In addition, the NMSA bill would allow the secretary of the interior to make previously withdrawn public lands available for mineral development. The subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Administration's plan on May 11. Interior Secretary James Watt has been invited to testify.
1982 Spring Meeting
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1982 Spring Meeting will be held at The Franklin Plaza Hotel and The Philadelphia Centre Hotel in Philadelphia from May 31 to June 4.
Truth is stranger
Authors: Markl Rudi G.
Published: October 2011

During a tour of a well‐known cave in central Pennsylvania several years ago, our young guide paused to ask if anyone in the group had questions. As no one else spoke up I, a geologist, asked him if any fossils had ever been found in the cave.
4th NASA Geodynamics Conference
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Fourth Annual NASA Geodynamics Conference and Program Review was held January 26–29, 1982, at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. These conferences are held every year, in January, to discuss scientific results obtained from the use of space and related methods in geodesy and geodynamics [NASA, 1982; Flinn, 1981.] This year there were about 250 registrants, and 90 technical papers were presented. Technical sessions were held on crustal movements, earth structure, polar motion and earth rotation, gravity and magnetic field results, laser ranging and longbaseline microwave interferometry (VLBI) systems status, and advanced systems development.
Publications committee highlights
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

On April 1 and 2, James C.G. Walker, chairman, and Publications Committee members Thomas Graedel, Jurate Landwehr, Peter Molnar, Bruce Taft, and Martin Walt met at AGU headquarters. The committee meets in these extended sessions at least twice a year to review policy matters and to prepare to advise the Council on the problems and opportunities facing the AGU publications program. As a result of the April meeting the following major actions will be taken: Recommend to Council that the experimental split of JGR‐Oceans and Atmospheres be made permanent.