bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Origins of planetary magnetism
Authors: Srnka L. J.
Published: October 2011

The magnetic fields of the terrestrial planets are not only interesting in their own right, but are of general geological interest because among other reasons their existence may place important constraints on planetary thermal states and hence evolution. It is now generally accepted that planetary magnetic fields are generated by dynamo action resulting from convection in a rotating, electrically conducting fluid core. However, major uncertainties still exist in our understanding of such processes some 30 years after the core dynamo concept was introduced by E. C. Bullard, W. M. Elsasser, and others. The surprising discovery of lunar magnetism as a result of the Apollo program and the growing body of data which show high paleofield values in meteorites have raised the possibility that some planetary magnetic fields may be due primarily to permanent magnetization acquired early in the body's development. The need for an objective assessment of all the contending sources of planetary magnetism and the need for communication among the highly specialized and diverse groups working in this area resulted in the organization of a topical conference entitled ‘Origins of Planetary Magnetism,’ held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas, on November 8–11, 1978. Seventy‐four participants from the U.S. and five foreign countries met for 3½ days to promote the assimilation and comparison of the data available on planetary magnetic fields and to examine these data in the light of our knowledge of the earth's field, recent advances in dynamo and other theories, and our knowledge of planetary interiors and their thermal and chemical evolution.
White House views
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

On March 27 the President of the United States sent to Congress a message on science and technology which is a comprehensive statement of the administration's perspectives and policies.

The message describes how the Administration is marshaling science and technology in terms of six domestic objectives.
TV science series
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Carl Sagan has announced that he will be writing and hosting a 13‐part television series devoted to astronomy and space exploration. The series, called ‘Cosmos,’ is to be filmed at more than 40 locations around the world this year and will be seen on American public television and throughout the world in 1980.

Cosmos will roam from Hindu cosmology through many areas, including cosmic catastrophes, Martian canals, the evolution of life, continental drift, sailing‐ship voyages of exploration, contact with other civilizations in space, the future of the earth, and the deepest questions concerning the origin and fate of the universe.
Jovian planets' luminosity
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Similarities and differences in the heat flow from the Jovian planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—can all be understood with one model. The atmosphere of those four giant planets primarily controls the amount of heat that they radiate, said William B. Hubbard in remarks prepared for the American Physical Society meeting in Chicago, March 23. Hubbard is professor and head of the department of planetary sciences and director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona.
2000 Florida Avenue, N.W.
Authors: Cox Allan
Published: October 2011

AGU's new address represents the culmination of the work of several committees over almost a decade. The Union has leased the entire building and one‐fourth acre of adjacent ground at the corner of Florida Avenue and 20th Street and plans to exercise its option to purchase this property in early 1980. The AGU headquarters has moved 5 times in the last 22 years. We do not expect to move again in this century.
Letter from AGU President Allan Cox
Authors: Cox Allan
Published: October 2011

President Carter will soon submit to Congress a plan to merge parts of the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture with the present Department of the Interior to form a new Department of Natural Resources. A staff working proposal for this merger was published on April 6 by the President's Reorganization Project and is reprinted in this issue of EOS. Public comment and discussion of the proposal is now in order.
Page charges
Authors: Spilhaus A. F.
Published: October 2011

Some authors cannot or will not submitto journals that assess page charges. Even if funds are available, page charges divert monies from research. If page charges can harm the quality of the journal by discouraging submission of good papers, and if they limit the amount of research possible, why do page charges exist? More importantly, why are page charges an integral part of the income strategy for AGU publications?

Page charges help keep subscription rates down; in particular, they permit the circulation of large amounts of material to individuals at very low rates. Additionally, page charges reduce to some extent the dependence of the number of pages published on the subscription revenues. Furthermore, page charges will provide a financial base for experimentation with and adaptation to future information dissemination technologies.
President addresses national academy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Beforehand, the program titled ‘Earth Science and Earth Resources–A Centenary Salute to the USGS’ was announced as only an afternoon session at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington. Many scientists in attendance had hoped to gain insight about the government's plans for the national support of scientific research from geophysicist Frank Press (Science and Technology Advisor to the President). Instead, the audience was treated to a speech by Jimmy Carter himself, in a rare Presidential visit to the Academy.
U.S. planetary exploration program
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Geoffrey A. Briggs, who is the Deputy Director of NASA's Planetary Division, Office of Space Science, recently described in a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter what he considers is a less bright future for U.S. planetary exploration. This disheartening view may come as news to many scientists who are aware of the enormous achievements of the space program in recent years. Within the last four months, Briggs notes, there has been the continuing success of the Pioneer Venus mission, followed by Voyager I's encounter with Jupiter (articles on the Jupiter mission will appear in a Juneissue of Science).
Lab sensors applied to volcanic eruption prediction tests
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The theory is that local hydrogen gas concentrations at volcanoes should change significantly and detectably before an eruption. To test the concept, a pair of sensitive hydrogen gas probes was placed at the Icelandic volcano, Krafla, where intermittent activity in recent years has produced eruptions and earthquakes. Data will be transmitted for continuous analysis by Motoaki Sato and his colleagues who developed the probes (see Figure 1).

The Krafla volcano is almost ideally suited for this test study. Similar to Hawaiian volcanoes in its history of ground deformation with inflation or swelling before and deflation occurring after eruption, Krafla may serve as a model for future applications. Robert Tilling, chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program, stated enthusiastically, ‘If the tests are successful, the hydrogen probe could become an important tool in predicting volcanic eruptions around the world.’
NASA administration changes
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Noel W. Hinners, the NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science, has accepted appointment as Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, effective in April.

Hinners joined NASA in 1972 as the Deputy Director and Chief Scientist, Apollo Lunar Exploration, Office of Manned Space Flight. He was named to his current position June 26,1974. He was awarded NASA's highest honors, the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1971, and the Distinguished Service Medal in 1977.
U.S. earthquake station catalog
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The first comprehensive modern catalog of the nearly 1500 seismograph stations in the United States has been published by the National Earthquake Information Service of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

The new 389‐page USGS report presents useful information about U.S. seismograph stations, such as who runs them, where they are, and what instruments each uses. In addition to stations located in the 50 states, information current to June 1977 is also presented on U.S. trust territories, Panama, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
NASA program proposal deadline
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

NASA has a continuing program of extramural research in areas related to its Geodynamics and Non‐Renewable Natural Resources programs. Program elements include study of global earth structure and dynamics; polar motion and earth rotation; regional crustal deformation modeling; geopotential field modeling; the relationship between earthquake occurrence and crustal movements; exploration, assessment, development, and management of mineral and energy resources; and engineering and environmental geology. Unsolicited proposals are welcomed at any time. Proposals received by mid‐July 1979 will be evaluated and considered for funding in fiscal year 1980.
May Council Meeting
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Council met at AGU headquarters on May 27, 1979. Twenty of the twenty‐six Council members were present. As usual, the meeting was open to general members, and about twenty attended. This report gives highlights of the most important actions of the Council; a copy of the minutes of the meeting is available to any interested member on request.

The Council urged the United States National Committee for the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) to invite IUGG to hold its 1983 or 1987 assembly in the U.S. and offered to organize the meeting on their behalf. The last IUGG General Assembly in North America was held in Berkeley, California in 1963. This action involves a substantial staff commitment but the Council contemplates covering these and all other costs through grants and registration fees.
Central Illinois Weather and Rainfall Study
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Central Illinois will be a laboratory this summer for four major studies of weather and rainfall.

Stanley A. Changnon, Jr., of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois said that facilities of the survey and university are bringing together scientists from New York, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, and California. The scientists will study what happens when winds converge over the flatlands of Illinois.
New exploratory drilling
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A permit to conduct direct exploratory drilling on a lease off the southern United States on the outer continental shelf (OCS) has been approved by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

The exploratory well, to be drilled by Tenneco Oil Company, marks the first such drilling on leases in this area of the OCS, although other companies (Getty, Transco, and Exxon) have submitted plans to the USGS to drill on leases there.
Geophysical Atlas published by NASA
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A Geophysical Atlas for Interpretation of Satellite‐Derived Data, edited by P.D. Lowman, Jr., and H.V. Frey (NASA Technical Memorandum 79722), has recently been made available in a preliminary version, published in reduced size. A version in folio size will be available shortly.

The atlas contains the first compilation of satellite‐derived plots of gravity and plots of magnetic anomalies measured by Pogo (Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory). There are, in addition, global seismicity maps, a recent volcano activity map, tectonic boundary maps, global tectonic and volcanic activity maps, and a set of seismic P wave velocity anomaly maps that can be used for interpretation of the gravity maps.
Contract to analyze cloud systems
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $1.1 million contract to Colorado State University (CSU) to analyze cloud systems by satellite in support of weather modification research, Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus announced recently. ‘The use of satellite imagery holds great promise in helping us understand the processes that produce water from the atmosphere,’ Secretary Andrus said.

The 5‐year study will support two Bureau of Reclamation research projects: the High Plains Cooperative Program (Hiplex) in growing season rainfall management and the Sierra Cooperative Pilot Project in winter snowfall enhancement.
A Chapman Conference on the Quantitative Modeling of Magnetospheric Processes
Authors: Olson W. P.
Published: October 2011

There is some confusion concerning what is meant by a quantitative model. This is caused primarily by the existence of a wide variety of model users. Quantitative models may be purely empirical (based solely on data sets), semiempirical (relying on physics whenever appropriate and available but the ‘gaps’ being filled in with data as necessary), or physical (based on the physics of the processes). Most quantitative modeling efforts at this point in time are semiempirical, which is partly because the physics of the magnetosphere is not yet entirely understood. At the same time, however, there is a large user community that needs models which can accurately describe magnetospheric features. The preponderance of semiempirical models results from the fact that current data sets describing various magnetospheric features and processes are limited.
1978–1979 Antarctic Search for Meteorites
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The third U.S.‐Japan joint search for antarctic meteorites was carried out during the 1978–1979 austral summer. Participants from the United States were W. A. Cassidy and D. A. Clauter (University of Pittsburgh), J. O. Annexstad (Johnson Space Center), and U. B. Marvin (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory). Japanese participants were F. Nishio, M. Funaki, and K. Shiraishi (National Institute of Polar Research). The goals for this season were to search in the Darwin Glacier and Allan Hills areas for meteorites and to establish a glaciological network near the Allan Hills to investigate the mechanism of meteorite concentration.
The National Academies of Sciences and Engineering elect 13 AGU members
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

National Academy of Sciences

Keiiti Aki, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Harmon Craig, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Heinrich D. Holland, Harvard University. John W. Miles, University of California, San Diego
Earth Science, Mapping Exhibit at National Archives
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

An exhibit reflecting the history of exploration and mapping of the United States from the early surveys of he western frontier to examples of modern space age mapping will be on public display from June 20 to October 15,1979, in the National Archives building, Pennsylvania Avenue and Eighth Street, N. W., Washington, D.C.

The exhibit, consisting of panels, photographs, original documents, paintings, and maps, is a cooperative effort by the National Archives and the U.S. Geological Survey in recognition of the Survey's centennial year.
Final environmental impact statement on southern Utah coal
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A final statement assessing the broad regional environmental impacts of proposed and possible mining of federal coal and of related coal development activities and projects in southern Utah has been released by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The statement also describes local environmental impacts from the operating of seven proposed underground mines and one proposed strip mine on federal lands and the cumulative impact of the Allen‐Warner Valley Energy System, a 2500‐megawatt electric power generation project.
Southern California “bulge” still a geological puzzle
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Three years after its discovery and completion of a massive measurement project, the huge land uplift, or ‘bulge,’ astride a section of California's San Andreas fault continues to present a geological puzzle, according to scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

The bulge extends from near Point Arguello eastward to the Arizona border, a distance of about 360 miles, and is about 90 miles wide between Bakersfield and Los Angeles (see Figure 1). Thus the total uplift area is about 32,400 square miles. The center of the uplift is in the western part of the Mojave Desert about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. The bulge has undergone unexplained episodes of uplift and collapse, some portions having risen as high as 18 inches.
Applications of Geodesy to Geodynamics: 5. Vertical Crustal Movements (Terrestrial Techniques)
Authors: Vanicek P.
Published: October 2011

Five terrestrial techniques, i.e., sea level variations, repeated gravity surveys, tilt variations, repeated airborne terrain profiling, and repeated levelings appear to have sufficient accuracy to give useful information for detection of crustal movements of the order of a few centimeters. They are either being used already or have a clear potential of becoming useful, which cannot now be said of other available techniques, such as trigonometric heighting, barometric heighting, or photogrammetry.

The techniques generally adopted for analyzing the complex ocean signal are numerical filtering and regression analysis. The aim of such an analysis is to eliminate those components of the signal which can be interpreted as caused by tides, barometric pressure changes, wind stress, steric topography, and other phenomena associated with marine dynamics, thus leaving the remaining variations, both secular and episodic, available for study. In spite of the limited understanding of ocean processes a certain measure of success has been achieved in this field, so that given good quality data, at least the secular trend can be identified. The work of the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level in its current task of publishing mean sea level data in a new format should provide assistance in evaluating the eustatic contribution in the secular trend.
In defense of the Pascal
Authors: Bushnell Robert H.
Published: October 2011

S. A. Morse (EOS Trans. AGU, 60, April 10, 1979) would rather fight than switch, but the rest of us tend to be more rational. We prefer the pascal to the bar. The pascal is coherent with all the rest of the SI units, while the bar is not. His defense of the bar fails because it does not (and cannot) show this fundamental Quality. He is wrong when he says ‘no such purpose is achieved by the choice of pascal over bars within the SI,’ referring to simplicity. Pascal is simpler than bar because it is defined the way all Sl derived units are defined, that is, with no multiplying constant.
Improved hydrogen maser clock
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

With hydrogen maser clocks now routinely performing near the theoretical limit set by thermal noise, the devices have become the most accurate frequency standard available to science. At room temperature this performance corresponds to a stability of 6 parts in 1016 measured over one‐hour averaging intervals. Such masers are currently being developed and built at the Harvard‐Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for very long base line interferometry and satellite‐tracking applications.

The prospects for further stability have been enhanced as a result of recent experimental tests with a cryogenic atomic hydrogen maser. Successful oscillation at temperatures down to 25°K was attained recently. This was made possible by the introduction of carbon tetrafluoride into the supercooled maser cavity, where it froze on the cavity walls to form a surface similar to that of the Teflon walls used in room temperature masers. This coating successfully preserved the phase of the oscillating hydrogen atoms as they collided with the cavity walls. At a temperature of 300°K the available stability of oscillation was calculated to be below 1 part in 1016, a factor of 6 better than the hydrogen masers currently in use.
Trench mapping documents 15,000 years of California earthquakes
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

‘Inch‐by‐inch’ mapping of the wall of a trench across the Garlock fault in southern California has revealed repeated deformations of soil layers caused by faulting and earthquakes during the past 15,000 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS said that the data provide some of the best clues yet collected to the likely frequency and magnitude of earthquake hazards in the area near the fault.

The evidence was gathered by a team of scientists working in a trench in the dry bed of Koehn Lake near the old mining town of Garlock in southeastern Kern County. The work was conducted as part of a program on earthquake hazard reduction.
Evaluation of coal resources
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A $188,000 grant for a coal resource drilling and evaluation project in the area just east of Denver, Colorado, has been awarded to the Colorado Geological Survey by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The coal evaluation study is part of a nationwide program by the USGS to assess the quantity and quality of the nation's coal resources, as authorized by the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1975.
The Fleming medal: Citation and acceptance
Authors: Anderson Don L. , Akasofu Syun‐Ichi
Published: October 2011

It would be difficult to find a more worthy candidate for the Fleming Medal than Syun‐lchi Akasofu. Currently professor of geophysics at the University of Alaska, a post he has held since 1964, he typifies the physics of the aurora to the space science community. Syun was born in Nagano‐ken, Japan, on December 4, 1930. He received his B.S. degree in geophysics from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan in 1953 and his M.S. in 1957 from the same university. He came to the University of Alaska and was appointed research assis tant in 1958 where he became a long‐term associate of Professor Sydney Chapman. He received his Ph.D. in 1961 at Alaska.
Metrication in water resources
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The second meeting of the Joint Committee of National Societies for Metrication in Water Resources was held recently in Washington, D.C. This voluntary membership joint committee was formed in order to improve the coordination and communication between all organizations and individuals interested in metrication in the broad field of water resources. The committee advises and informs the affiliated societies on progress in metrication and explores the impacts of metric conversion on the societies' professional areas involving water resources. The committee hopes that all water resources groups can agree to use the same metric units and is working actively in the direction of developing a water resources metric practice guide.
Chronicle of 1886 earthquake reprinted
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The most comprehensive account ever published of the Charleston, South Carolina earthquake of August 31, 1886, originally published in 1890, has been reprinted and made available to the public by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The 528‐page chronicle, written by Clarence Edward Dutton, Captain of Ordnance, U.S. Army, documents the nature and effects of one of the largest earthquakes in eastern North America and by far the largest earthquake in the southeastern United States.
James B. Macelwane Award: Citation and Acceptance of Ralph J. Cierone
Authors: Nagy Andrew F. , Cicerone Ralph J.
Published: October 2011

Ralph J. Cicerone came to work for us at The Univer sity of Michigan in the fall of 1970 after completing his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and physics at Th e University of Illinois under Professor S. A. Bowhill. Those of you who know him for his work in atmospheric chemistry might not know that his undergraduate education (B. S. from MIT, 1965) was also in electrical engineering. He tells me that he went to MIT intending to major in chemistry, but that electrical engineering was very exciting and alluring to mid‐60's undergradu ates at MIT and the emphasis on basic sciences left him fairly well prepared to branch out later in his career. His Ph.D. research and his subsequent work with us at Michigan in ionospheric physics involved both theoreti cal calculations and experimental work with high power radars. Ralph, along with Sid Bowhill, was one of the first to adapt the Monte Carlo techniques to ionospheric computations. He worked with Dr. John V. Evans, of MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, and later with me, to develop radar data‐taking and analysis methods for ionospheric photoelectron measurements.
Significant mineral potential in Nevada and Oregon
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

An 834‐square‐mile wilderness study area in southern Oregon and northern Nevada has areas with significant mineral potential, according to a joint U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Mines report.

The Charles Sheldon Wilderness Study Area is located in Humboldt and Washoe counties in Nevada and Lake and Harney counties in Oregon, about 165 miles (264 km) north of Reno.
Polonium halos and geochronology
Authors: York Derek
Published: October 2011

Pleochroic halos had been known for about a quarter of a century before the geologist, J. Joly, explained that they owed their origin to the newly discovered phenomenon of radioactivity [Joly, 1907]. With the aid of a microscope, such halos are usually seen as small darkened circular spots surrounded by dark or colored rings. Joly proposed that the tiny mineral inclusions frequently seen at the centers of the halos were radioactive and that the passage of a particles from the inclusion through the host crystal produced the discoloration seen. Uranium was known to decay through a whole series of radioactive daughters, a number of which also ejected α particles. The energies of these α particles were characteristic of each emitter, and so each α‐emitting radioactive element in the decay chain ejected α's with a characteristic range in a given medium. Thus, said Joly, the various rings in a halo corresponded to the ranges in the mineral of the α particles from particular members of the uranium decay chain. Herein was a beautiful, almost photographic, record of the radioactive process, as it had gone on for hundreds of millions of years. Joly's explanation was soon accepted, and during the next 30 or so years, a number of investigators, including Joly, examined halos in some detail [Holmes, 1931]. The hope that they might be useful for the measurement of the ages of rocks was a strong motivation. The idea was that laboratory‐induced discoloration of minerals by known a doses could be compared with the natural discoloration in halos, thereby indicating the natural dose involved in the generation of the halos. This natural dose could then easily be converted into an age, if the uranium content of the radioactive inclusion at the center of the halo were known. The hopes of using pleochroic halos foundered, however, on the great difficulty of quantitatively measuring the degree of discoloration of a mineral. As a time piece, the pleochroic halo was an even bigger disappointment than its contemporary, U‐He dating. The classical era for the study of halos came to an end with the outbreak of the Second World War. It was also marked by the appearance in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London of two striking papers [Henderson, 1939; Henderson and Sparks, 1939] by G. H. Henderson of Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. These papers form the basis of the remainder of our discussion.
1977 Tropospheric and Stratospheric Exchange Study published
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

During July 1977, NASA Ames Research Center, together with a group of university and government research scientists, conducted a field program to study the mechanisms and scales of tropospheric‐stratospheric exchange. The program was conducted in the Panama Canal Zone during the passage of the Intertropical Convergence. Two aircraft, operating from Howard Air Force Base, carried instruments to measure ozone, nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, halocarbons, methane water vapor, aerosols, temperature, and pressure. A Learjet was used for tropospheric measurements, and a U‐2 was used for measurements through the trop‐opause and into the stratosphere to an altitude of 21.3 km. Special ozone and rawinsondes were flown four times daily from Fort Sherman during the 16‐day experiment, and meteorological rock soundings were made daily during the month of July. Special satellite cloud photographs were also taken during the experiment.
Comments on “Why do i not accept plate tectonics”
Authors: Tatsch J. H.
Published: October 2011

In his rebuttal to the recent discussion and comments on this topic among colleagues from the U.S. and U.S.S.R. published in EOS (June 12,1979), Von Herzen stated, in part, as follows:

‘Combined with quantitative estimates of heat loss based on plate tectonics models…'
Reply to Tatsch
Authors: Von Herzen R. P.
Published: October 2011

Tatsch's brief comment touches on the problem of what constitutes ‘proof’ of a scientific hypothesis, about which many volumes have been written [e.g., Ravetz, 1971]. Where many physical variables are relevant over a broad range of time and space scales, as for most earth science hypotheses, formal ‘proof’ becomes difficult or impossible. The validity of an hypothesis then becomes a subjective judgment, either individually or by many persons, and is frequently dependent on the way the original hypothesis is framed.

As stated in my previous comments in EOS (June 12, 1979), I would be among the first to admit that our present knowledge of the distribution of heat flow through the earth's surface, in itself, hardly constitutes ‘proof’ for the plate tectonics hypothesis. Hopefully, it is not irrelevant to point out that this distribution cannot be used to disprove the hypothesis, but rather, with some reasonable assumptions, may be used quantitatively to support it. The value of such quantitative estimates lies in their stimulation for further interaction between hypotheses and observations on which scientific progress depends, particularly in broad‐ranging disciplines like earth sciences.
Coastal oceanography off the Sinai
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

With the advent of peace in the Sinai Peninsula and the withdrawal of Israeli forces last spring the first research cruise since the 1967 war devoted to coastal oceanographic problems was conducted in May and June of this year. Personnel from the Coastal Studies Institute of Louisiana State University worked with Egyptian oceanographers of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, and Mohamed El‐Ghamry of the Suez Canal Research Center to study the coastal currents, suspended sediment flux, and bottom sediment characteristics in the waters 10‐20 km east of the Suez Canal.

Utilizing the Egyptian Institute's 17‐meter research vessel Shawatti, the group deployed eight moored current meters in a transect of the coastal boundary current extending 25 km offshore. A tide gauge and anemometer mounted on a sea buoy stranded in 2 meters of water directly on the transect line will allow them to determine the details of the wind‐driven and tide‐driven responses.
Satellite monitoring systems
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A circular describing satellite telemetry systems that can collect and transmit environmental data from remote regions of the world to regional resource information centers has been published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The 21‐page circular attempts to answer the most common questions asked about various satellite data collection systems and discusses three major U.S. government satellite data collection systems presently available for use in North and South America, Landsat, Nimbus F, and the synchronous Meteorological Satellite/Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (SMS/Goes) series, describing their features and limitations and providing suggestions on how to employ them. An extensive bibliography is also provided. The circular notes that rainfall, snowfall, floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and ashfalls, earthquakes, seismic sea waves (tsunami), and iceberg drifts are but a few of the active earth processes that affect man's environment. While satellites provide global imagery of many of these phenomena, the circular says, there is a need for current in situ data (data from environmental sensors on the earth's surface). This current information is critical to the design of regional, national, or even global information systems that are timely and accurate to facilitate modeling and predicting for the future.
The Maurice Ewing medal
Authors: Takahashi Taro , Broecker Wallace
Published: October 2011

The fourth presentation of the Maurice Ewing Medal by the American Geophysical Union and the U.S. Navy goes to Wallace S. Broecker for his leadership and scientific contributions in marine geochemistry.

Tonight we are honoring Wallace Smith Broecker with the Maurice Ewing Medal for his exceptional leadership and creative scientific contributions in the field of marine geochemistry. Wally is one of the most productive, creative, and dynamic marine geochemists of our time, and he has made fundamental contributions to a broad spectrum of the earth sciences, including the chemistry and history of the oceans and ocean sediments, the circulation of ocean water, air‐sea gas exchange, climatology, and quaternary geology. His work is epitomized by his ability to seek out the critical questions and design simple experiments at sea or in the laboratory to solve them. Furthermore, in recent years he has organized and physically and intellectually led several large oceanographic projects to success and thus has demonstrated a truly exceptional leadership in the U.S. oceanographic community.
NRC committee on geodesy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Committee on Geodesy NRC/NAS, under the chairmanship of Ivan Mueller, Ohio State University, having completed a report, entitled ‘Geodesy: Trends and Prospects,’ that considers the many current applications of geodetic data and techniques, has undertaken a number of detailed studies in specific areas by panels of specialists. These include a panel on Crustal Movement Measurements, under the chairmanship of Adam Dziewonski, Harvard University; a panel on the Gravity Field and Sea Level, under the chairmanship of John C. Harrison, CIRES, University of Colorado; a panel on a Multipurpose National Cadastre, under the chairmanship of George E. Jones, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.; a panel on the Global Positioning System, under the chairmanship of Daniel B. DeBra, Stanford University; a panel to review the geodetic research and development programs of the National Ocean Survey, under the chairmanship of William M. Kaula, University of California, Los Angeles; and a panel to review the I973 Federal Mapping Task Force Report on Mapping, Charting, Geodesy, and Surveying, under the chairmanship of Charles A. Whitten, NOAA, retired. A panel on the Economic Benefits of Geodesy is being formed.
Oceanography section
Authors: Mooers Chris
Published: October 2011

The AGU Oceanography Section held a business meeting on May 30,1979, with James J . O'Brien (president‐elect) presiding. About 10 members attended. O'Brien reported that the oceanography section was 19 AGU Fellows below ‘quota’ in comparison to the average for AGU. Clearly, there is an opportunity for the oceanography section to take more initiative in this aspect of the AGU Honors Program. The president‐elect is considering forming a special Oceanography Fellows Committee to aid in the nomination of fellows.

Thanks to the efforts of Dana Kester, Spring Program Chairman, and the cooperation of the AGU Meetings staff, the oceanography section had improved room allocations for the Spring Meeting. Overall, the program ran rather well; this was especially true for those topical sessions in which there was an active chairman/convenor. Also, the poster sessions were very well received, both by the presenters and viewers. This reflects the growing experience in preparing and viewing posters and the satisfactory space‐time assignments for posters. Considerable interest was expressed in more posters and fewer talks, later start and earlier stops times, and avoidance of sessions on Monday mornings and Friday evenings. A thorny problem was that of numerous conflicts in oceanography section sessions with those of the meteorology, geochemistry, and geodesy sections, and perhaps others. Chris Mooers (physicist) helped Dana Kester (chemist) this spring, but the need for a geologist was felt. There will be a continued attempt to have a physicist, chemist, and geologist help assemble meeting programs. It has been suggested that a ‘Guide to the AGU Meeting for Oceanographers’ be prepared which would describe the scheduling of sessions for physical, chemical, and geological oceanography. This guide could also clarify deadlines and procedures for arranging special sessions. The section secretary will work on this and will solicit assistance from the program chairmen.
A response to Wasson's views on cutting the Old Woman Meteorite
Authors: Clarke Roy S.
Published: October 2011

Wasson has recently expressed his views about ways to ‘optimize both the scientific and exhibit value’ of the Old Woman meteorite (Eos, 60 (28), July 10, 1979). This is a question that we at the Smithsonian Institution have had under active consideration for many months. I would like to answer his criticism of our plan by briefly describing the decision‐making process and outlining a little of the scientific and curatorial thinking behind it.

The meteorite was found by two prospectors in 1976 in the Old Woman Mountains of Southern California. It was accessioned into the collections of the National Museum of Natural History in December of 1976 and arrived in Washington in March of 1978. Before and after its arrival, the meteorite was the subject of protracted litigation in the federal courts—which continues to this day—and of substantial political controversy abundantly discussed through the press. In late September of 1978, the way seemed clear to proceed with the study of the meteorite. Opinions were solicited by letter from members of the scientific and museum communities on the best approach to its study. Among those individuals with a history of productive research and creative curation of iron meteorites, whom I considered to be particularly well qualified to make a judgment, there was a strong consensus calling for a major cut through the meteorite to reveal as large a surface area as possible.
Science faculty development
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The objective of the Science Faculty Professional Development Program announced by the National Science Foundation is to improve undergraduate science teaching in 2‐ and 4‐year colleges and universities in the United States and, thereby, to improve the capabilities of their students in meeting current employment requirements. To accomplish this, the NSF will offer awards to experienced college and university professors to pursue 3 to 12 months of research or study for the purpose of enhancing their instruction of undergraduate students at their home institutions.

Approximately 80 Science Faculty Professional Development grants are anticipated this year. These will be announced in April 1980. Stipends are intended to allow the grantee to undertake a full‐time activities program during the tenure period and are calculated on a salary‐matching basis. The maximum allowable stipend contribution from the foundation is $2,250/month, but an awardee will be permitted to accept supplementation from other sources to bring the total income up to the calculated stipend. There will be a travel allowance. There will also be an activities support allowance, at the rate of $150/month, that will be made available to the institution of affiliation on behalf of the grantee, to assist the institution in defraying the costs of the grantees's activities program.
NRC programs for postdoctoral research
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Research Council announces its 1980 Research Associateship Programs, which provide postdoctoral opportunities for scientists and engineers in the fields of atmospheric and earth sciences, chemistry, engineering, environmental sciences, life sciences, mathematics, physics, and space sciences.

NRC Research Associates will conduct research on problems largely of their own choice in selected federal research laboratories at various geographic locations in the United States. The programs are open to recent recipients of the doctorate and, in many cases, to senior investigators also. Some programs are open to non‐United States nationals.
ONR Earth physics program '79
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Office of Naval Research, Department of the Navy, has provided financial support for research in the earth sciences for many years, mainly by means of a granting program to academic institutions. This was almost the only funding available in the earth sciences when the program began shortly after WW II. The direction of the program became considerably more focused after the National Science Foundation started its granting program. The basic objective of the ONR program has been to support research ‘… both theoretical and empirical, of the physical processes and properties of the solid earth which have potential for significant benefits to future Navy and Marine Corps operations.’
Applications of Geodesy to Geodynamics: 8. Earth Tides and Geodesy
Authors: Harrison J. C.
Published: October 2011

Earth tides, though small, affect a large variety of geodetic phenomena; they also provide the only case where the earth's response to a precisely known driving force may be observed. Twenty years ago it was hoped to study global properties by means of the amplitudes of the earth tides and dissipation of tidal energy through the phase lags. However, ocean load effects and advances in seismology have combined to render these objectives obsolete. Progress in the use of earth tides for global studies awaits better knowledge of the ocean tide, and in fact, earth tides are being used to improve ocean tide models. However, they are being used to study local structure, both through the use of nearby known ocean loads to study the loading Green's functions and through the effects of local inhomogeneities in elastic properties in modifying the large‐scale tidal strain and tilt fields.
American Institute of Physics journals
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

It has been, and still is, the policy of the American Institute of Physics to offer reduced rate subscriptions for its own journals to members of the AGU as one of its affiliated societies. Following is a list of AIP journals and rates.
Substorm warnings: An ISEE‐3 real time data system
Authors: Tsurutani Bruce , Baker Daniel
Published: October 2011

It will be of considerable benefit to the scientific community to be able to predict the onsets of magnetospheric substorms and geomagnetic storms. For example, rocket and balloon launches can be keyed to these advance warnings, and satellite experiment mode changes, spacecraft pointing changes, etc., can be implemented to optimize the scientific payoff. Furthermore, warning of ionospheric disturbances that affect high‐frequency communications or various radar systems will be available when such a prediction program is implemented. There are also commercial benefits to substorm or storm predictive abilities; these could include, for example, the adjustment of the exploratory activities of oil companies that use magnetometer techniques and satellite communication systems, both of which are adversely affected by geomagnetic storms and substorms.
Quads, geopressures, and U.S. geothermal resources
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Of the many areas of energy research being done by the geophysical community, perhaps none is so fundamental, so intellectually attractive and otherwise popular, and perhaps so distant from realization than the work to develop geothermal resources in the United States. Total geothermal funding by the Department of Energy (DOE) for geothermal resource research and evaluation to industry, the National Laboratories, and the academic community is approximately $160 million for fiscal year 1979. This funding will probably continue, although at a somewhat different rate, for the indefinite future.
Postdoctoral fellowships for minorities
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Research Council plans to award approximately 25 postdoctoral fellowships for minorities in a n ew program designed to provide opportunities for continued education and experience in research to black Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and native Americans. Fellowship recipients will be selected from among scientists, engineers, and humanities scholars who show greatest promise of future achievement in academic research and scholarship in higher education.

In this national competition supported by the Ford Foundation, citizens of the United States who are members of one of the designated minority groups, who are engaged in college or university teaching, and who hold doctoral degrees may apply for a one‐year fellowship award. New doctoral recipients who intend to pursue careers as college or university faculty members will also be considered.
Contributions to geophysics: Cecil H. Green
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

At the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences on April 23, 1979, Cecil and Ida Green were honored in a way that is unique in the history of the Academy: as a husband and wife team they were jointly awarded the Academy's Public Welfare Medal. Several months earlier at its annual meeting, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists awarded to Cecil Green the first Maurice Ewing Medal, which was recently created as a major medal of the SEG ‘to be awarded from time to time to a person who is deserving of special recognition through having made major contributions to the advancement of science and profession of Exploration Geophysics.’ The citation accompanying the presentation of the Ewing Medal to Cecil Green concludes, ‘He has done more to advance the profession of exploration geophysics than any other living person.’