bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Report lays out initial hazard risk reduction priorities
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

A new Bush administration report on disaster vulnerability provides an initial set of priorities for natural and technological hazard risk reduction efforts, an overview of hazards facing the U.S., and a review of current mitigation efforts.

Among the priorities identified by the 27 August report is that the U.S. should leverage scientific knowledge of natural and technological hazards to help address terrorism events and homeland security goals.
assessing contributions of jgofs; previewing Studies in Ocean Ecology, Biogeochemistry
Authors: Steinberg Deborah K. , Ducklow Hugh W. , Buesseler Ken O. , Bowles Margaret C.
Published: October 2006

Despite impediments to travel imposed by global political and health concerns, 332 scientists and students from 32 countries gathered in Washington, D.C. in early May to celebrate the conclusion of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), and to assess both its accomplishments and the future course of research in ocean ecology and biogeochemistry.

Launched in 1987 under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), JGOFS became the first core project of the International Geosphere‐Biosphere Programme (IGBP) 2 years later as its first field studies were getting underway. Global in scope and multinational and interdisciplinary from its inception, JGOFS adopted two major goals: to understand the processes controlling the cycling of carbon and other biogenic elements in the ocean and their exchange with the atmosphere and the sea floor, and to advance our capacity to predict the response of ocean systems to anthropogenic perturbations.
Large earthquake strikes Hokkaido, Japan
Authors: Coffin M. , Hirata N.
Published: October 2006

On 26 September 2003, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, Earth's most powerful in 2.5 years, struck offshore Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan, at 0450 local time. The hypocenter was at 40 km depth along the boundary of the Pacific and North American plates (www.jma.go.jp). The focal mechanism shows a reverse fault with a northwest‐southeast compressional axis (P‐axis) (see http://www.bosai.go.jp).

Following the main shock, named “Heisei 15 Tokachioki‐jishin,” seismic activity has continued in the region. As of 30 September, the largest aftershock was M7.1 on 26 September at 0608. Tsunamis were observed on the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, including waves of 1.2 m at Kushiro, 1.3 m at Urakawa, and 1.0 m at Hachinohe.
Remote sensing field experiments evaluate retrieval algorithms and land‐atmosphere modeling
Authors: Kustas W. P. , Jackson T. J. , Prueger J. H. , Hatfield J. L. , Anderson M. C.
Published: October 2006

The 2002 Soil Moisture Experiment (SMEX02) and the Soil Moisture Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (SMACEX) were both conducted during June and July 2002 near Ames, Iowa. The primary objectives of SMEX02 are to validate microwave soil moisture retrieval algorithms for existing and new, prototype microwave sensor systems under rapidly changing crop biomass conditions; and to explore the effects of rapid vegetation growth on the brightness temperatures and soil moisture retrievals from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometers (AMSR) on NASA Aqua and ADEOS‐II. SMACEX is a combined measurement and modeling program that will address one of NASAs core missions: rigorously building a bridge between remotely sensed data and operational forecast models, including advances in operational assimilation schemes.

The field observations will support the analysis of heterogeneities, ranging from within field‐ or patch‐scale (∼100 m) to regional scales that are commensurate with prediction models for weather and climate (10–100 km). The unique in‐situ and aircraft measurements of atmospheric and soil variables and fluxes provided by this data set will be used to validate both surface states and fluxes diagnosed using remote sensing methods at various scales. The experimental approach is thus also a “scaling” endeavor, in that it investigates how remotely sensed data at different horizontal and temporal scales can be utilized for both diagnosis and prediction of surface states and energy exchanges from patch to regional scales.
The 2001 Asian dust events: Transport and impact on surface aerosol concentrations in the U.S.
Authors: Jaffe Dan , Snow Julie , Cooper Owen
Published: October 2006

A transport event in April 2001 brought substantial quantities of mineral dust from Asian deserts to the U.S. atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The dust was seen in large amounts throughout the ABL in the U.S., with almost no reduction in concentrations. It was estimated that the amount of Asian dust in the continental U.S. ABL in mid‐April 2001 was 1.1 E5 metric tons, a value comparable to the daily emission flux of all U.S. sources of particulate matter (PM) less then 10 μm diameter (PM 10). In some regions, the Asian dust, combined with local pollution, elevated urban PM to levels associated with adverse health effects. The April 2001 event appears to be the largest Asian dust event ever observed in the U.S., and its effects provide evidence that air pollution issues must be viewed in a global context.
Communicating with uncertainty: A critical issue with probabilistic seismic hazard analysis
Authors: Wang Zhenming , Woolery Edward W. , Shi Baoping , Kiefer John D.
Published: October 2006

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is a widely used method for seismic hazard assessment. PSHA predicts a relationship, called the seismic hazard curve, between the maximum ground motion or response spectra and the annual frequency of exceedance (return period). Generally, the smaller the annual frequency of exceedance, meaning the longer the return period, the larger the ground motion— seismic hazard—PSHA will predict, and vice versa. PSHA is the most widely used method for assessing seismic hazards for input into various aspects of public and financial policy.
New technologies require advances in hydrologic data assimilation
Authors: Walker Jeffrey P. , Houser Paul R. , Reichle Rolf H.
Published: October 2006

Extensive amounts of hydrologically relevant remote sensing data are becoming available and require special capabilities for analysis and interpretation. For instance, land‐surface temperature data have been available for many years, and satellite precipitation data are becoming available at ever‐increasing space and time resolutions. In addition, a number of platforms provide snow and vegetation parameters of increasing sophistication, and satellite missions targeted at measuring near‐surface soil moisture are expected before the end of the decade.

However, current hydrologic remote sensing analysis and interpretation tools may not be adequate due to little use of such data until recent years. This can be attributed to an emphasis on atmospheric rather than hydrologic remote sensing missions, a relative immaturity of retrieval algorithms for deriving hydrologic information from remote sensing observations, hydrologic models that are unsuitable for ingesting remote sensing information, and a limited understanding of the techniques to objectively improve and constrain hydrologic models by assimilating remote sensing data.
Can CO2 help save Venice from the Sea?
Authors: Comerlati Andrea , Ferronato Massimiliano , Gambolati Giuseppe , Putti Mario , Teatini Pietro
Published: October 2006

On 14 May this year, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cut the ribbon on a multi‐billion‐dollar project named MOSE that is aimed at solving the problem of “acqua alta,” the increasingly frequent floods that jeopardize the survival of Venice. Cost is estimated (a few say conservatively) at 3 billion euros and construction time (a few say optimistically) at 8 years. MOSE involves building mobile barriers at the Venice Lagoon inlets to prevent severe Adriatic Sea storms from flooding the city. Although the Italian government and the local administrations have given their final approval, MOSE still has several opponents who believe it will cause severe threats to the lagoon ecosystem, and will soon become obsolete because of the expected sea level rise due to global warming.
Strong Algerian earthquake strikes near capital city
Authors: Jacobs Judy
Published: October 2006

On 21 May 2003, a damaging earthquake of Mw 6.8 struck the region of Boumerdes 40 km east of Algiers in northern Algeria (Figure 1). The main shock, which lasted ∼36–40 s, had devastating effects and claimed about 2300 victims, caused more than 11,450 injuries, and left about 200,000 people homeless. It destroyed and seriously damaged around 180,000 housing units and 6000 public buildings with losses estimated at $5 billion. The main shock was widely felt within a radius of ∼400 km in Algeria. To the north, the earthquake was felt in southeastern Spain, including the Balearic Islands, and also in Sardinia and in southern France.
Measuring progress of the global sea level observing system
Authors: Woodworth Philip L. , Aarup Thorkild , Merrifield Mark , Mitchum Gary T. , Le Provost Christian
Published: October 2006

Sea level is such a fundamental parameter in the sciences of oceanography geophysics, and climate change, that in the mid‐1980s, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) established the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS). GLOSS was to improve the quantity and quality of data provided to the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), and thereby, data for input to studies of long‐term sea level change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It would also provide the key data needed for international programs, such as the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and later, the Climate Variability and Predictability Programme (CLIVAR).

GLOSS is now one of the main observation components of the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) of IOC and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Progress and deficiencies in GLOSS were presented in July to the 22nd IOC Assembly at UNESCO in Paris and are contained in the GLOSS Assessment Report (GAR) [IOC, 2003a].
[Comment on “Anonymous reviews: Self‐serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable”] from A. D. Kirwan Jr.: More on anonymous reviews
Authors: Kirwan A. D.
Published: October 2006

Judging by the considerable and varied response it generated, the letter by Myrl Beck in the 1 July 2003 issue calling for signed reviews touched a sensitive point with many AGU members. As succinctly noted by Joseph Walder (Eos, 23 September 2003), all of the evidence cited for abuse of the review process is anecdotal. Yet,the shear volume and variety of the responses was surprising, at least to me. This suggests there are some broad editorial issues that appropriate AGU oversight committees might address. To further this, I offer my perspective as a former editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research (Oceans and Atmospheres) and Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, and as current editor of the International Journal of Engineering Science.
[Comment on “Anonymous reviews: Self‐serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable”] from D. J. Wesolowski: Preserving anonymity in the review process
Authors: Wesolowski David J.
Published: October 2006

To those scientists who haven't served as editors or associate editors of scientific journals, I can assure you that it's already too hard to find enough qualified reviewers willing to do the job without threatening them with exposure as well! So, if you want your papers to be published within a reasonable timeframe, you'll pretty much have to put up with anonymous reviews.

I've been an associate editor of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta for 11 years and an Editorial Board member of Chemical Geology for 4. I think anonymous reviews are perfectly acceptable, but that the editor evaluating the reviews should always be identified, both to the authors and in the published manuscript. Reviewers should be permitted to request anonymity, but authors should always be instructed to specifically acknowledge in their manuscripts the contributions of those reviewers who do not request anonymity. This, in fact, might encourage more reviewers to identify themselves. I don't know about you, but it tickles me pink when I see my name in print!
Final recommendations for reference materials in black carbon analysis
Authors: Schmidt Michael W.I. , Masiello Caroline A. , Skjemstad Jan O.
Published: October 2006

Last summer, a symposium was held to discuss aspects of global biogeochemical cycles, including organic matter cycling in soils, rivers, and marine environments; black carbon particle fluxes and the biological pump; dissolved organic matter; and organic matter preservation. Seventy scientists from various disciplines, including oceanography, soil science, geology, and chemistry attended the 3‐day meeting at the Friday Harbor Laboratories, a research station of the University of Washington.

“New Approaches in Marine Organic Biogeochemistry” commemorated the life and science of a colleague and friend, John I. Hedges, who was also involved in several groups developing chemical reference materials. Part of this symposium included a workshop on chemical reference materials, where final recommendations of the Steering Committee for Black Carbon Reference Materials were presented.
Autonomous hydrophone array monitors seismic activity at northern Mid‐Atlantic Ridge
Authors: Smith Deborah K. , Dziak Robert P. , Matsumoto Haru , Fox Christopher G. , Tolstoy Maya
Published: October 2006

The northern Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a classic, slow‐spreading ridge with an average spreading rate of ∼25 mm/yr. The MAR is typically marked by a 1.5–3‐km‐deep, 15–30‐km‐wide axial rift valley Major transforms offset the ridge along its length. Between the transforms, the ridge is divided into spreading segments; their ends are defined by non‐transform offsets. The rift valley commonly contains an axial volcanic ridge that is considered to be the predominant site of volcanic activity [e.g., Ballard and van Andel, 1977]. Based on the sizes of the volcanic ridges [e.g., Smith and Cann, 1999], large volumes of lava must be erupted on the valley floor. Currently, however, it is not known how frequently magmatic events occur, whether they migrate along the axis, whether there are spatial patterns in these events, or how they vary through time.
Can marine micro‐organisms influence melting of the Arctic pack ice?
Authors: Leck Caroline , Tjernström Michael , Matrai Patrica , Swietlicki Erik , Bigg Keith
Published: October 2006

The Arctic Ocean Expedition of 2001 (AOE‐2001) to the central Arctic, mostly north of latitude 85°N, was conducted to study marine life forms and their products in water and ice, how their products may get into the air, the evolution of the particles produced, and their growth up to sizes large enough for activation into clouds. The expedition also investigated whether these naturally generated particles and clouds constitute a positive or negative climate feedback upon temperature forcing, as schematically shown in Figure 1. Indeed, biological activity of the open lead surface micro‐layer was found to strongly influence particle production over the pack ice region, and this would influence cloud properties there.

Similar processes transferring particulates from the surface micro‐layer to the air—bubble bursting—should be operative over the world's oceans. So, can marine micro‐organisms influence the melting of the Arctic pack ice? The answer must be yes, but to determine whether that influence is significant or not, one has to contend with many unknown factors. For example, will biological activity and airborne particle production increase or decrease with melting of the pack ice, and will resultant changes in warmer oceans oppose or reinforce the Arctic changes? Will cloud cover and the feeble mixing between surface and higher air remain unchanged? To have identified a possible influence on climate change is important, but assessing the extent of that influence will be a far harder problem.
Exploring drought and its implications for the future
Authors: Trenberth Kevin , Overpeck Jonathan , Solomon Susan
Published: October 2006

Worsening drought, water restrictions, and wildfires have been widely featured in news reports across North America during recent years. Area burned by wildfire was at unprecedented levels in the United States in the summer of 2002, and devastating wildfires in California were in the news just a few months ago. Drought is not only gripping parts of North America, but also parts of Northern Africa and other regions worldwide, serving as a reminder of society's vulnerability to drought and its enormous economic impact.

But what is the full range of past drought variability, as revealed by paleoclimate data? What role might droughts associated with abrupt climate change play? Are droughts likely to become more frequent, longer, or more extensive as we move into the future with global warming?
Cosmic rays, carbon dioxide, and climate
Authors: Rahmstorf Stefan , Archer David , Ebel Denton S. , Eugster Otto , Jouzel Jean , Maraun Douglas , Neu Urs , Schmidt Gavin A. , Sever‐Inghaus Jeff , Weaver Andrew J. , Zachos Jim
Published: October 2006

Several recent papers have applied correlation analysis to climate‐related time series in the hope of finding evidence for causal relationships. For a critical discussion of correlations between solar variability, cosmic rays, and cloud cover, see Laut [2003].

A prominent new example is a paper by Shaviv and Veizer [2003], which claims that fluctuations in cosmic ray flux reaching the Earth can explain 66% of the temperature variance over the past 520 m.y.,and that the sensitivity of climate to a doubling of CO2 is less than previously estimated.
Mission investigates tropical cirrus clouds
Authors: Jensen Eric , Starr David , Toon Owen B.
Published: October 2006

It has been 18 months since NASA conducted the highly successful Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers‐Florida Area Cirrus Experiment Study (CRYSTAL‐FACE). The measurement campaign was designed to investigate the physical properties and formation processes of tropical cirrus clouds. CRYSTAL‐FACE was sponsored by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise as an integral component of its Earth observation research strategy and included substantial collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Naval Research Laboratory. During July 2002, the mission's six aircraft (NASA ER‐2, NASA WB‐57, Scaled Composites Proteus, University of North Dakota Citation, NSF‐supported NRL P‐3,and NRL Twin Otter) operated from the Key West Naval Air Facility.
Space techniques used to measure change in terrestrial waters
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Terrestrial waters—including snowpack, glaciers, water in aquifers and other geological formations, water in the plant root zone, rivers, lakes, man‐made reservoirs, wetlands, and inundated areas—represent less than a mere 1% of the total amount of water on Earth. However, they have a crucial impact on terrestrial life and human needs and play a major role in climate variability.

Land waters are continuously exchanged with the atmosphere and oceans in vertical and horizontal mass fluxes through evaporation, transpiration, and surface and subsurface runoff. Although it is now recognized that improved description of the terrestrial branch of the global water cycle is of major importance for climate research and for inventory and management of water resources, the global distribution and spatial‐temporal variations of terrestrial waters are still poorly known because routine in situ observations are not available globally. So far, global estimates of spatial‐temporal change of land water stored in soils and in the snowpack essentially rely on hydrological models, either coupled with atmosphere/ocean global circulation models and/or forced by observations.
Earthquake shakes “Big Bend” Region of North America‐Caribbean Boundary Zone
Authors: Mann Paul , Calais Eric , Huerfano Victor
Published: October 2006

At 12:45 pm on 22 September, a M6.5 earthquake severely shook the northern Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. The earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings in the major cities of Puerto Plata and Santiago, along with landslides in outlying areas. The main shock was followed by a large aftershock of M5.1 1 hr and 45 min later. Unfortunately one person died due to collapse of a building during the main shock, two elderly people died of heart attacks, and one person jumped out of a building and later died of injuries. Fortunately two partially collapsed school buildings and several office buildings in Puerto Plata that were severely damaged were unoccupied at the time of the early morning main shock.
Undergraduate program focuses on international issues in water resources
Authors: Tyler Scott W. , Siliman Stephen E. , Campana Michael E.
Published: October 2006

For the past two summers, faculty from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of New Mexico have directed a U.S.National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site focusing on issues in international water resources. (See REU Site on Water Resources in Developing Countries, www.nd.edu/~reuwater/). The overarching objective of this project is to engage and educate U.S. students in the issues and problems facing the world's nations in water resource development and potable water supply.

The stated goals of the REU program are to expand student participation in all areas of research, and specifically, to attract a diverse group of students into the fields of science and engineering, including graduate‐level studies. In addition, international REU sites often seek to develop students who can be “globally competent;” that is, understand science and engineering in frameworks other than a North American perspective. (More information on international REU sites and site development can be found at www.nsftokyo.org/ and www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/.)
Landslides and debris flows strike Kyushu, Japan
Authors: Sidle Roy C. , Chigira Masahiro
Published: October 2006

On 20 July 2003, several damaging landslides and debris flows in southern Kyushu, Japan, attracted international attention and resulted in one of the most major natural disasters of recent years. Large amounts of rain fell on 19 and 20 July as a Baiu front passing over the Sea of Japan met a high‐pressure zone moving up from the southeast over the Pacific Ocean. Altogether, 21 lives were lost due to the sediment disasters, and more than 240 homes were either damaged or destroyed by landslides, debris flows, and flooding. Nevertheless, such natural disasters occur frequently in Japan. In summer 1993, 121 people were killed by landslides and debris flows within an area of unwelded pyroclastic flow deposits (known as Shirasu) in the Kagoshima Bay area of Kyushu. Thus, local residents generally acknowledge their potential exposure to these hazards, but risk and vulnerability issues may be clouded by inadequate warnings and scientific knowledge, socio‐economic factors, and the general feeling that local and national governments are overly protective.
Anomalous cold water detected along Mid‐Atlantic Coast
Authors: Sun Donglian , Liu Zhong , Chiu Long , Yang Ruixin , Singh Ramesh P. , Kafatos Menas
Published: October 2006

In July 2003, anomalous cold water along the mid‐Atlantic coast affected local tourism and fishing. The cold water interfered with tuna fishing, and for 2 to 3 weeks, rockfish generally found during the fall were present in the area [Kelly, 2003]. Satellite data, buoy observations, and weather maps were analyzed to investigate the cause of this cold water event. The results show that the increasing westerly and southerly winds that resulted from approaching cold fronts may have induced upwelling away from and along the mid‐Atlantic coast. This, combined with the southward advection of cold sea water from the North Atlantic Ocean, might have caused the anomalous cold water along the coast.
Dynamics of the Atmosphere
Authors: Clark John H. E.
Published: October 2006

The study of atmospheric dynamics has seen an impressive expansion into many subdisciplines in the past few decades. It is only natural, then, that most textbooks published during this period have tended to focus on one of these sub‐disciplines. Atmospheric dynamics seems to be too broad a subject area to be the focus of a single text. A pitfall of writing a broadly focused text like Dynamics of the Atmosphere is that some subjects will receive short shrift. Nevertheless, the authors have succeeded admirably in striking a balance between, first of all, covering the important topics and, second, providing sufficient detail on these subjects in a concise and accurate manner.
GPS probes the kinematics of the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone
Authors: van der Hoeven André , Schmitt Günter , Dinter Georg , Mocanu Victor , Spakman Wim
Published: October 2006

In late 2001, the Surface Behavior and Dynamical Units of the Southeast Carpathian Tectonics (SUBDUCT) program was initiated by the Netherlands Research Center for Integrated Solid Earth Sciences (ISES), together with the faculty of geology and geophysics at the University of Bucharest, and the (Romanian) National Institute for Earth Physics.

The aim of this program is to monitor, analyze, and interpret the surface motions occurring in response to active crust‐lithosphere dynamics of the southeast Carpathians in Romania (Figure 1), using the Global Positioning System (GPS). For this region, observations of surface kinematics constitute a new and independent data source. In combination with other information, mainly obtained by geologic and geophysical studies, surface motions may help to unravel the intriguing tectonics of the region. Particularly SUBDUCT focuses on the dynamic processes of the Vrancea high‐seismicity region.
What is the physical meaning of the AE index?
Authors: Kamide Y. , Rostoker G.
Published: October 2006

We would like to propose ceasing the derivation and distribution of the AE (Auroral electrojet) index because AE has no physically interpretable meaning and is therefore of no scientific value. Note that the term “AE indices” is different from the term “AE index;” the former includes the AU and AL indices, whereas the latter is just the AE index itself. (See below for the definition of AU and AL.)

Since the introduction of the AE indices by Davis and Sugiura [1966], scientists have relied on the indices to monitor the level of geomagnetic disturbance resulting from the auroral electrojets and hence, by proxy, to specify the state of the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. The AE index was defined by the separation between the upper and lower envelopes of the superposed H component plots from auroral‐zone magnetic observatories. The upper and lower envelopes were defined as the AU and AL indices, respectively Thus, there is the relationship given by AE = AU ‐ AL.
Siberian River Run‐off in the Kara Sea: Characterisation, Quantification, Variability and Environmental Significance
Authors: Polyak Leonid
Published: October 2006

After the end of the Cold War, the number of scientific publications dealing with Russian Arctic seas increased dramatically These include compilations of Soviet‐era data sets, as well as new data collected by international expeditions since the early 1990s. Several large, multidisciplinary projects were organized through Russian‐German research partnership focusing on the Laptev and Kara seas.

Notably the Siberian River Run‐off (SIRRO) project was aimed at investigating the effects of the discharge of western Siberian rivers on the Kara Sea. The importance of this topic is justified by the critical role of runoff in the formation and maintenance of the Arctic Ocean ice cover, and in controlling the deep‐sea thermohaline convection in the Nordic seas. The Kara Sea receives more than one‐third of the total runoff into the Arctic Ocean, predominantly from the Ob and Yenisey rivers, which drain a huge catchment area extending to the slopes of the Tibetan Plateau.
U.S. Quaternary fault and fold database released
Authors: Haller Kathleen M. , Machette Michael N. , Dart Richard L. , Rhea B. Susan
Published: October 2006

A comprehensive online compilation of Quaternary‐age faults and folds throughout the United States was recently released by the U.S. Geological Survey with cooperation from state geological surveys, academia, and the private sector.The Web site (http://Qfaults. cr.usgs.gov/) contains searchable databases and related geo‐spatial data that characterize earthquake‐related structures that could be potential seismic sources for large‐magnitude (M>6) earthquakes.

This is the first nationwide compilation to provide current, comprehensive, geologically based information on known or suspected active faults. The Web site features a visual depiction of spatial and temporal patterns of faulting at local, regional, and national scales. Comprehensive written descriptions based on published data are presented in a uniform format for nearly 2000 faults nationwide. The database will be of interest to the seismological, geodetic, paleoseismic, and the ever‐growing seismic hazard assessment communities, as well as emergency managers, the insurance industry earthquake engineers, public officials, and developers. The Web site features a user‐friendly interface and supports user‐defined, downloadable geographic information system (GIS) data.
The global seismographic network surpasses its design goal
Authors: Butler Rhett , Lay Thome , Creager Ken , Earl Paul , Fischer Karen , Gaherty Jim , Laske Gabi , Leith Bill , Park Jeff , Ritzwolle Mike , Tromp Jeroen , Wen Lianxing
Published: October 2006

This year, the Global Seismographic Network (GSN) surpassed its 128‐station design goal for uniform worldwide coverage of the Earth. A total of 136 GSN stations are now sited from the South Pole to Siberia, and from the Amazon Basin to the sea floor of the northeast Pacific Ocean—in cooperation with over 100 host organizations and seismic networks in 59 countries worldwide (Figure 1).

Established in 1986 by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) to replace the obsolete, analog Worldwide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN),the GSN continues a tradition in global seismology that dates back more than a century to the network of Milne seismographs that initially spanned the globe. The GSN is a permanent network of state‐of‐the‐art seismological and geophysical sensors connected by available telecommunications to serve as a multi‐use scientific facility and societal resource for scientific research, environmental monitoring, and education for our national and international community.
Apsell receives 2004 Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism
Authors: Becton Henry P. , Apsell Paula S.
Published: October 2006

Paula S. Apsell received the Cowen Award at the Joint Assembly Honors Ceremony, which was held 19 May 2004, in Montreal, Canada. The award honors lifetime achievement in science journalism.
Proposed initiative would study Earth's weathering engine
Authors: Anderson Suzanne P. , Blum Joel , Brantley Susan L. , Chadwick Oliver , Chorover Jon , Derry Louis A. , Drever James I. , Hering Janet G. , Kirchner James W. , Kump Lee R. , Richter Daniel , White Art E.
Published: October 2006

At the Earth's surface, a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes combines to create the engine that transforms bedrock into soil (Figure 1). Earth's weathering engine provides nutrients to nourish ecosystems and human society mediates the transport of toxic components within the biosphere, creates water flow paths that carve and weaken bedrock, and contributes to the evolution of landscapes at all temporal and spatial scales. At the longest time scales, the weathering engine sequesters CO2, thereby influencing long‐term climate change.

Despite the importance of soil, our knowledge of the rate of soil formation is limited because the weathering zone forms a complex, ever‐changing interface, and because scientific approaches and funding paradigms have not promoted integrated research agendas to investigate such complex interactions. No national initiative has promoted a systems approach to investigation of weathering science across the broad array of geology, soil science, ecology and hydrology. Such a program is certainly needed, and this article describes a platform on which to build the initiative to answer the following question: How does the Earth weathering engine break down rock to nourish ecosystems, carve errestrial landscapes, and control carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere?
Degassing the “Killer Lakes” Nyos and Monoun, Cameroon
Authors: Halbwachs Michel , Sabroux Jean‐Christophe , Grangeon Jacques , Kayser Gaston , Tochon‐Danguy Jean‐Claude , Felix Alain , B´eard Jean‐Christophe , Villevieille Adelin , Vitter Gérard , Richon Patrick , Wüest Alfred , Hell Joseph
Published: October 2006

A unique humanitarian, scientific, and technical experiment is currently taking place in a forgotten mountainous region of West Africa.

The experiment is on the verge of reaching its operational stage, which consists of the eradication of a “new” natural hazard; one that is potentially devastating, but which has been known for only 20 years. The Lake Nyos catastrophe, which claimed 1800 victims in August 1986, was not unprecedented. Indeed, 2 years previously a lethal gas burst, originating from nearby Lake Monoun in the same remote area of Cameroon, killed 37 people—an odd and tragic episode that went almost unnoticed. One had never before heard of Mother Nature asphyxiating human beings and most higher animals on such a scale in a single and brief non‐volcanic event.
Climate, Santa Ana Winds and autumn wildfires in southern California
Authors: Westerling Anthony L. , Cayan Daniel R. , Brown Timothy J. , Hall Beth L. , Riddle Laurence G.
Published: October 2006

Wildfires periodically burn large areas of chaparral and adjacent woodlands in autumn and winter in southern California. These fires often occur in conjunction with Santa Ana weather events, which combine high winds and low humidity, and tend to follow a wet winter rainy season. Because conditions fostering large fall and winter wildfires in California are the result of large‐scale patterns in atmospheric circulation, the same dangerous conditions are likely to occur over a wide area at the same time.

Furthermore, over a century of watershed reserve management and fire suppression have promoted fuel accumulations, helping to shape one of the most conflagration‐prone environments in the world [Pyne, 1997]. Combined with a complex topography and a large human population, southern Californian ecology and climate pose a considerable physical and societal challenge to fire management.
Prototype PBO instrumentation of CALIPSO project captures world‐record lava dome collapse on Montserrat Volcano
Authors: Mattioli Glen S. , Young Simon R. , Voight Barry , Steven R. , Sparks J. , Shalev Eylon , Sacks Selwyn , Malin Peter , Linde Alan , Johnston William , Hidayat Dannie , Elsworth Derek , Dunkley Peter , Herd Rerd , Neuberg Jurgen , Norton Gillian , Widiwijayanti Christinaw
Published: October 2006

This article is an update on the status of an innovative new project designed to enhance generally our understanding of andesitic volcano eruption dynamics and, specifically the monitoring and scientific infrastructure at the active Soufrière Hills Volcano (SHV), Montserrat. The project has been designated as the Caribbean Andesite Lava Island Precision Seismo‐geodetic Observatory known as CALIPSO. Its purpose is to investigate the dynamics of the entire SHV magmatic system using an integrated array of specialized instruments in four strategically located ∼200‐m‐deep boreholes in concert with several shallower holes and surface sites. The project is unique, as it represents the first, and only such borehole volcano‐monitoring array deployed at an andesitic stratovolcano.
InSAR permanent scatterer analysis reveals ups and downs in San Francisco Bay Area
Authors: Ferretti A. , Novali F. , Bürgmann R. , Hilley G. , Prati C.
Published: October 2006

Using new analysis techniques of spacebased radar data, surface deformation features caused by various tectonic, geomorphic, and hydrologic processes are imaged in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Uplift is due mainly to sub‐mm/yr tectonic upheaval related to slip along and interaction of the complex array of San Andreas transform system faults, while seasonally recharging aquifers account for tens‐of‐millimeters rise. Observed downward motions are caused by seasonally depleting aquifers, active deep‐seated landslides, and rapid settling of unconsolidated sediments and man‐made fill alongside the San Francisco Bay.

Synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) from Earth‐orbiting spacecraft has revolutionized the field of crustal deformation research since its first geophysical application about a decade ago [Massonnet et al., 1993]. During the last 10 years, InSAR has been used to study a wide range of surface displacements related to active faults, volcanoes, landslides, aquifers, oil fields, and glaciers, to name just a few, at a spatial resolution of less than 100 m and centimeter‐level precision [see Massonnet and Feigl, 1998; and Burgmann et al., 2000a for reviews of the InSAR method and applications]. The temporal resolution is limited by the approximately monthly repeat time of satellite flyovers. Due to the viewing geometry of the radar satellite (the beam along which distance changes are measured is oriented at ∼23° off vertical), InSAR is particularly sensitive to vertical deformation, but cannot detect displacements parallel to the orbit track. Severe limitations to the InSAR method remain, especially decorrelation of surface scatterers due to vegetation or other surface change processes, incoherence caused by large satellite orbit separations between the two image acquisitions used to make an interferogram, and noise from signal delays in the Earth's atmosphere.
Earthquake rupture dynamics: Comparing the numerical simulation methods
Authors: Harris Ruth A. , Archuleta Ralph J.
Published: October 2006

Thirty years ago, scientists first developed computer programs that could tackle the complicated problem of simulating earthquakes as dynamic rupture processes, and predicting the ensuing fault movement.

At first, only a few people were able to formulate the appropriate numerical solutions, but these researchers were working with methods that could rarely simulate the full three‐dimensional world in which real earthquakes occur. Now, three decades later, our computational infrastructure has vastly improved, along with our knowledge about how to construct computer software that numerically simulates the sudden faulting that occurs during earthquakes. Whereas in the past a lack of computational power provided formidable obstacles, in the present computer capacity is less of a concern, but the science is still hampered by a lack of key field observations, along with critical ideas about the predominant physical processes that control earthquakes.
The Jupitor icy moons orbiter project: The scientific rationale
Authors: Creely Ronald , Johnson Torrence
Published: October 2006

The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) is proposed by NASA as the next step in the exploration of the Jovian system following the successful Galileo project. JIMO would use nuclear‐electric propulsion to deliver a highly capable scientific payload to Jupiter and go into orbit around Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, and to conduct investigations of the Jovian system. In early 2003, a NASA Science Definition Team (SDT) was appointed to develop the scientific rationale and priorities for JIMO. The SDT, co‐chaired by T. Johnson and R. Greeley, consisted of 38 scientists representing the broad scientific potential afforded by JIMO.This article summarizes the principal findings of the SDT.
Reply [to “Comment on ‘Coupling semantics and science in earthquake research’”]
Authors: Wang Kelin , Dixon Timothy
Published: October 2006

We thank Thorne Lay and Susan Schwartz for their comment on our Forum article (Eos, 85(18),4 May 2004, p. 180). They agree with our main point that slip rates of a fault should not be confused with stress conditions or frictional properties, but they criticize our use of the word “locked” and the interseismic deformation model we used to illustrate a conceptual error. We agree with Lay and Schwartz that the term “locked” has connotations beyond purely kinematical and that “no slip” may be more appropriate. The present reply is to further discuss the meaning of the simple deformation model.
New seafloor map of the Puerto Rico trench helps assess earthquake and tsunami hazards
Authors: Brink Uri ten , Danforth William , Polloni Christopher , Andrews Brian , Llanes Pilar , Smith Shepard , Parker Eugene , Uozumi Toshihiko
Published: October 2006

The Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean, is located where the North American (NOAM) plate is subducting under the Caribbean plate (Figure l). The trench region may pose significant seismic and tsunami hazards to Puerto Rico and the U.S.Virgin Islands, where 4 million U.S. citizens reside. Widespread damage in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola from an earthquake in 1787 was estimated to be the result of a magnitude 8 earthquake north of the islands [McCann et al., 2004]. A tsunami killed 40 people in NW Puerto Rico following a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1918 [Mercado and McCann, 1998]. Large landslide escarpments have been mapped on the seafloor north of Puerto Rico [Mercado et al., 2002; Schwab et al., 1991],although their ages are unknown.
Comment on “Error made in reports of main field decay”
Authors: Maus Stefan , Macmillan Susan ,   IAGA Working Group V‐MOD on Geomagnetic Field Modeling
Published: October 2006

As the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) Working Group on Geomagnetic Field Modeling (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/), responsible for the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) [Macmillan et al., 2003], we would like to comment on the Forum article by Wallace H.Campbell (Eos,85(16),20 April 2004). Campbell claims that reports of dipole decay at a special session held at the AGU 2003 Fall Meeting were misleading due to an incorrect choice of the coordinate system for the spherical harmonic analysis (SHA) of the geomagnetic field used for the IGRF the model on which the decay calculation was based.

Campbell alleges that the dipole moment of a spherical harmonic expansion depends on the choice of the origin of the coordinate system. In his textbook on geomagnetism, Campbell goes one step further in asserting that, without changing the origin, the process of “tilting the analysis axis to align with the geomagnetic axis…would enhance the dipole term at the expense of the higher multipoles” [Campbell, 2003].
The ocean in a high CO2 world
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

It is now 25 years since the first papers appeared documenting by direct measurement the buildup of fossil fuel CO2 in the ocean. In the past quarter century the situation has changed enormously. What was at first a controversial detection of a signal above a large natural oceanic background is now a huge and easily recognizable geochemical perturbation on a scale not matched for a large part of Earth's history. Earth's atmospheric concentration of CO2 is now higher than experienced during at least the last 400,000 years.
Global dimming comes of age
Authors: Cohen Shabtai , Liepert Beate , Stanhill Gerald
Published: October 2006

Thirty years ago, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.,and the National Physical Laboratory Jerusalem reported ‘severe changes over the years in solar radiation” and issued a call for “a careful study of incoming radiation at different places throughout the world…to determine the exact kind, order of magnitude and their causes…” [Suraqui et al, 1974]. The “severe changes” referred to emerged from the measurements at the site of the Smithsonian Institution's former solar radiation monitoring station on Mount St. Katherine in the southern Sinai peninsula (28°31′N,33°56′E, 2643 m altitude). Measurements using modern radiometers as well as some of the original instruments used between 1933 and 1937 showed a 12% loss in global radiation during the intervening four‐decade interval.
Water year 2004: Western water managers feel the heat
Authors: Pagano Thomas , Pasteris Phil , Dettinger Michael , Cayan Daniel , Redmond Kelly
Published: October 2006

This spring, a rare combination of exceptionally warm temperatures and near‐record lack of precipitation in the western United States caused a rapid change in hydrologic conditions and an unexpectedly early onset of spring conditions.

With much of the western U.S. already in its fifth year of drought, an above‐average western snowpack on 1 March 2004 provided hope for much‐needed abundant runoff. Unfortunately snowmelt began far earlier than anticipated, resulting in dramatic declines in seasonal spring‐summer streamflow forecasts as the month proceeded, declines more rapid by some measures than ever before in the past 75 years. With reservoirs near historic lows, many water users have been hard pressed to deal with the continuing drought.
An invitation to participate in a North American sediment‐monitoring network
Authors: Osterkamp W. R.
Published: October 2006

An informal collaboration has been established to encourage the development of a North American network for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of fluvial‐sediment data. The principal objective of the network is to define continental‐scale gradients of mean yield, variability of loads, particle‐size distributions, and natural regimes for suspended and bed sediment released during unstressed to minimally stressed conditions of land use. Extending that goal, a second objective is to identify stream reaches where fluxes of sediment and associated contaminants now are elevated to levels at which water quality and ecological integrity are compromised.
Copahue volcano: A modern terrestrial analog for the opportunity landing site?
Authors: Varekamp Johan C.
Published: October 2006

The Opportunity Rover on Mars landed in an environment that contained grey hematite (specularite) and jarosite,with structures indicative of flowing water. Less firm evidence suggests the presence of gypsum as well, and the environment is overall rich in S, Cl, and Br (NASA news releases, 2004). Such a suite of minerals may form from an iron‐ and sulfate‐rich brine, either through evaporation, cooling, or changes in redox conditions (see Hynek et al. [2002] and Christensen et al. [2001], for a discussion of the extent and possible origins of the Mars hematite deposits).

On Earth, such an association of minerals is not very common, but is found in alteration zones with fumarolic activity in some volcanic craters. The condensation or dissolution in meteoric waters of S‐rich volcanic gases creates acid fluids in the surficial environment that leach rock‐forming elements (RFEs) from the surrounding rocks, forming large, bleached areas of mineralizations of hematite, cristobalite, and gypsum, occasionally with zones rich in alunite or jarosite.
Exploring Martian polar atmospheric circulation and surface interactions
Authors: Prettyman Thomas H. , Titus Timothy N.
Published: October 2006

The northern and southern seasonal polar caps of Mars are formed in the polar night, during their respective autumn and winter seasons, by the condensation of atmospheric CO2 directly to the solid phase as ice, snow, and possibly frost. During spring and summer, the seasonal ice sublimes, returning CO2 to the atmosphere. The caps advance and recede in response to seasonal variations in solar insolation, extending as far as 40° from the poles, and have been noted by telescopic observers since the 17th century Roughly 25% of the atmosphere, which is 95% CO2 by volume, is cycled into and out of the seasonal caps. The CO2 cycle dominates atmospheric circulation on Mars, and must be thoroughly understood in order to answer fundamental questions about climate history and the global distribution of near‐surface water.