bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Try “SPA”
Authors: Horwitz J. S.
Published: October 2006

We at the University of Alabama at Huntsville went through a similar discussion of names about two and a half years ago, when we were in the process of forming a research center. After rejecting possibilities involving “Space Physics” and “Solar‐Terrestrial,” we settled on the name “Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research” (CSPAR). It seems to be a comfortable but not broad umbrella to fit the various disciplines here at our institution.

Hence, I suggest that the replacement for SPR could be Space Plasma and Aeronomy SPA). This is very close to one of the titles Tsurutani mentioned in his letter. I don't agree with the objection that “aeronomy” is not in the dictionary; the word is used commonly enough in the field. And the new title really isn't so long, especially since the acronym SPA would be used in most communications.
Aeronomy: The word
Authors: Chamberlain Joseph W.
Published: October 2006

In his eloquent plea for a more appropriate name for the AGU Solar‐Planetary Relationships Section (“SPR: The Right Name?” Eos, August 1, p. 747), Bruce T. Tsurutani, SPR President‐Elect, suggests that “aeronomy” might have a place in the name but for two objections: One, it is not acceptable to some aeronomers and, two, it has not been adopted by dictionaries. Regarding the first objection, I have nothing to offer: As Bernard Shaw's Devil points out in Man and Superman, “There is no accounting for tastes.” As for the dictionaries, there isn't a problem, as I shall show.

Tsurutani is essentially correct and certainly quotes conventional wisdom when he notes that “aeronomy” was coined by Sydney Chapman. However, Chapman's wife Katharine was a classics scholar and must be regarded as an “unindicted co‐conspirator” for introducing “ aeronomy” as well as for extending in 1950 the then current terminology for atmospheric regions (troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere) to all heights. Chapman (or the Chapmans) defined aeronomy (which literally, from the Greek, is the science of air) as “the science of that part of the upper atmosphere where dissociation and ionization are important.”
Remote sensing of volcanos and volcanic terrains
Authors: Mouginis‐Mark Peter J. , Pieri David C. , Francis Peter W. , Wilson Lionel , Self Stephen , Rose William I. , Wood Charles A.
Published: October 2006

In recent years, much progress has been made in the use of both satellite and aircraft remote sensing techniques to collect data on the dynamics of volcanic eruptions and on the interactions between volcanos and the atmosphere and ecosphere. Measurements made in the ultraviolet provide estimates of the mass of SO2 released, while the hemispheric dispersal of eruption plumes can be tracked via weather satellites. Infrared images can be processed to produce temperature maps of lava flows and volcanic craters, and volumes of volcanic flows and cones can be measured via radar interferometry. Because the study of volcanos crosses many interdisciplinary boundaries, from geology and geophysics to atmospheric chemistry, climatology and ecology, the global perspective provided by satellite remote sensing techniques will become another valuable tool in the analysis of volcanos and their deposits.
Future Missions Strategy‐Implementation Study
Authors: Fox Kenneth , Siscoe George L.
Published: October 2006

The Space Physics Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Office of Space Science and Applications will sponsor a study in 1990 to develop strategies and their implementation for future missions into the first decade of the 21st century. This Strategy‐Implementation Study has been chartered by the Space Physics Subcommittee of the Space Science and Applications Advisory Committee. The chairs for this study and this subcommittee are, respectively, Kenneth Fox and George L. Siscoe.

The study includes two Division‐wide workshops preceded by several disciplinary workshops (Cosmic Ray/Heliospheric, Ionospheric‐/Mesospheric/Thermospheric, Magnetospheric, and Solar). The first Division‐wide workshop will be held in Baltimore, Md. during the week of January 24–26, 1990. The second workshop is also planned for the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area during June 18–22, 1990. The entire space physics scientific community may participate in these and related activities. However, to assign responsibility and guarantee continuity, there will be 65 designated attendees distributed uniformly among the disciplines of the Space Physics Division. The space physics community is therefore encouraged to bring forward its concepts and suggestions to this Workshop through these appropriate Panel members. The ultimate purpose of this Study and its Workshops and other deliberations is to deliver a plan for future missions to the Space Physics Subcommittee and the Space Science and Applications Advisory Committee.
Is it safe?
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

How much chance is there that nuclear waste will leak out of its proposed resting place at Yucca Mountain in Nevada over the next 100 centuries? According to the Department of Energy, about as much chance as a volcano erupting through the site.

Continued concerns about the geologic suitability of the site are behind DOE's decision to concentrate on looking for features that would disqualify it; the search will prevent the facility from receiving waste until at least 2010.
Arctic research gains new support
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States is a new group of 15 universities and other institutions with direct interests in arctic research and education. The consortium was planned last January and formalized by representatives from 31 organizations in October in Fairbanks at the 1988 Arctic Science Conference. ARCUS president is Luis Proenza of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

ARCUS aims to provide agencies and policy makers with information about arctic problems, improve educational opportunities in arctic science, and develop partnerships in research. “We're working on our first proposals,” said executive director Chris Shepherd at ARCUS headquarters at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He said the executive committee was also considering how ARCUS could work on arctic components of the International Geosphere‐Biosphere Program, based on recommendations in Arctic Interactions (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo., September 1988).
John H. Wolfe
Authors: Smith E. J. , Sonnett C. P. , Intriligator D. , Billingham J.
Published: October 2006

His many friends and colleagues were shocked to learn of the untimely death of John H. Wolfe on February 27, 1989. He had been a Senior Resident Research Associate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California for the past year.

John was well known as one of the pioneers of solar wind research, and was part of the “first wave” of scientists to be involved in the scintillating scientific opportunites that characterized what many now see as the golden age of space research. In addition to being principal investigator of numerous space experiments, John was deeply involved in the planning and execution of space missions.
Iron fertilization enriches controversy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The marine biology community is being shaken up by a controversial theory that promises to help put the brakes on global warming by reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases. Iron fertilization adds iron to the ocean to activate the biological pump process, taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and bringing it to rest in the deep ocean. The biological pump is a complex phytoplankton‐based ecosystem that is driven by sunlight and fueled by the supply of inorganic nutrients from the deep ocean. Deep ocean waters are about 200% supersaturated with CO2 compared to surface waters, which are in contact with the atmosphere.
Charting the boreal forest's role in global change
Authors:   BOREAS Science Steering Committee
Published: October 2006

A new study lasting from 1990–1996 will focus on the interactions between the boreal forest biome and the atmosphere, to clarify their roles in global change. The Boreal Eco‐system‐Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) centers on a cooperative field experiment integrating land surface climatology, tropospheric chemistry, and terrestrial ecology; remote sensing will play a strong integrating role. A major field effort will take place on the study's two 20×20 km sites in the boreal forest of North America, located near the biome's northern and southern limits.

Studies at the two sites will explore the roles of various environmental factors such as temperature and soil moisture in controlling the extent and character of the biome. Observations of the sites from the surface, from the air, and from space aim to improve understanding of the biological and physical processes and states that govern the exchanges of energy, water, heat, carbon, and trace gases between boreal forest ecosystems and the atmosphere, with particular reference to those processes and states that may be sensitive to global change. The study will also seek to develop remote sensing techniques so that understanding of the exchange processes can be extended from local to regional scales.
New marine science organization formed
Authors: Wooster Warren S.
Published: October 2006

A new international organization, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) will be established to promote and coordinate marine scientific research in the northern North Pacific Ocean and the Berlin Sea. This was decided in Ottawa on December 12, 1990, when a draft convention was approved by representatives of Canada, China, Japan, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

PICES will focus on research on the ocean environment and its interactions with land and atmosphere, its role and response to global weather and climate change, its flora, fauna and ecosystems, its uses and resources, and impacts upon it from human activities. Such studies relate not only to the effects of fishing and environmental change on fish stocks but also to such issues as the impacts of oil spills and other forms of pollution and the eventual consequences of climate change for uses of the ocean and its resources.
Macelwane medal to Gorelick
Authors: Gorelick Steven M.
Published: October 2006

Steven M. Gorelick received the 1990 James B. Macelwane Medal, given in recognition of significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability, at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
Chapman Conference: Magnetospheric Substorms
Authors: Iijima Takesi , Kokubun Susumu , Kan Joseph R. , Potemra T. A.
Published: October 2006

Magnetospheric substorms are characterized by fascinating auroral displays in the ionosphere and by complex plasma dynamics in the magnetotail. The complicated plasma processes associated with substorms fascinated space researchers even before the space age, when observations were limited to the Earth's surface. These processes are believed to be fundamentally important to plasma physics, and also to apply to solar flares and other cosmic phenomena. Substorms have been the focus of intense study and controversy within space science for several decades.
Gulf of Mexico Oceanography Atlas available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The second full‐color volume of the Atlas Oceanogáfico del Golfo de México has recently been published by the Grupo de Estudios Oceanográficos of the Instituto de Investigaciones Eléctricas of México (GEO‐IIE) (see Eos, Feb. 20, 1990, for announcement of volume 1). This second of an eight‐volume series describes the hydrography, baroclinic flows and transports, water masses distributions, and the kinematic properties of anticyclonic‐cyclonic ring pairs (modons) of the central and western Gulf of Mexico (26°−20°40′N, 97°40′−93°W). The data presented and analyzed in this volume were collected during the Argos 86‐1 oceanographic cruise conducted by the GEO‐IIE aboard the R/V Justo Sierra during October and November 1986. Authors of the volume are Víctor M. V. Vidal, Francisco V. Vidal, and Abel Hernández. It has 16 chapters in 715 pages, including 248 full‐page color plates and 35 tables.
Earth science public information
Authors: Heming R. F. , Bass M. N. , Heidrick T. L.
Published: October 2006

The Loma Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989, was a great opportunity for the Earth science community: an opportunity to explain to a huge TV audience what happened, clearly and simply, to explain what faults are, what seismologists know and do not know about them, and why.
Methods evolve for snowmelt runoff analysis
Authors: Day Gerald , Dozier Jeff , Lettenmaier Dennis
Published: October 2006

This special session held at the 1989 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco on December 7, 1989, focused on recent advances in the measurement and protection of snowmelt and related processes. It included a mix of papers ranging from descriptions of fairly detailed models of snowmelt processes applicable at a point or over small areas, to basinscale snowmelt simulation and forecasting models. The session included three invited papers by Jeff Dozier (University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif.), Rick Kattelman (University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif.), and Art Crook (Consulting Hydrologist, Beaverton, Oreg.).
1989 James B. Macelwane Medals
Authors: Coe Robert S. , Wood Bernard J.
Published: October 2006

AGU is proud to recognize the recipients of this medal, a maximum of three of which are given each year in recognition of significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by young scientists.
Satellite sensor calibration
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Concern about causes of global climate change has spurred demand for stable and accurate radiance observations from space platforms. The demand is particularly great for radiance measurements in an near the visible spectrum, which contains much of the information available on planetary albedo, cloudiness and surface conditions.
Institute for Rock Magnetism established
Authors: Banerjee Subir K.
Published: October 2006

There is a new focal point for cooperative research in advanced rock magnetism. The University of Minnesota in Minneapolis has established an Institute for Rock Magnetism (IRM) that will provide free access to modern equipment and encourage visiting fellows to focus on important topics in rock magnetism and related interdisciplinary research. Funding for the first three years has been secured from the National Science Foundation, the W.M. Keck Foundation, and the University of Minnesota.

In the fall of 1986, the Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism (GP) section of the AGU held a workshop at Asilomar, Calif., to pinpoint important and emerging research areas in paleomagnetism and rock magnetism, and the means by which to achieve them. In a report of this workshop published by the AGU in September 1987, two urgent needs were set forth. The first was for interdisciplinary research involving rock magnetism, and mineralogy, petrology, sedimentology, and the like. The second need was to ease the access of rock magnetists and paleomagnetists around the country to the latest equipment in modern magnetics technology, such as magneto‐optics or electronoptics. Three years after the publication of the report, we announced the opening of these facilities at the GP section of the AGU Fall 1990 Meeting. A classified advertisement inviting applications for visiting fellowships was published in the January 22, 1991, issue of Eos.
Hydrologic processes in global climate change
Authors: Lettenmaier Dennis
Published: October 2006

Popular concerns over global resource issues have focused attention on the description of the dynamics of hydrologic processes at scales much larger than the traditional river basin. Improved, remotely sensed land surface data on a global scale and improved large‐scale global circulation models (GCMs) have fueled the need to better integrate hydrologic processes with land surface features and atmospheric dynamics. Until recently, however, the interaction between climate modelers and hydrologists has been weak.

Given a prescribed geographic distribution of sea surface temperature, GCM models can approximately simulate long‐term, large area mean precipitation, runoff, and other hydrologic variables. Runoff is the amount of precipitation leaving an area in surface drainage in contrast to that which infiltrates into the subsurface. Some hydrologists have been involved in so‐called “effects” modeling, in which they attempt to use GCM output to assess the sensitivity of hydrologic systems to global warming. These efforts have made hydrologists painfully aware of the incompatibility of temporal and spatial scales between the GCMs and basin‐scale hydrologic models in common use. GCM model simulations with and without mountains have been used to demonstrate the role of the mountains in controlling soil wetness in the North American mid‐continent “Manabe, 1990”. Improvements in spatial resolution of the land surface does affect model performance, particularly in the influence of orographic processes and the scale‐dependence of the representation of mountain‐induced gravity wave drag. Simulation of runoff at the river basin scale using a GCM “pot model” (a lumped representation of hydrologic processes) has been compared with simple nonlinear soil moisture models. The results suggest that runoff predicted by the GCM has statistical characteristics much more similar to the rainfall input of the model itself than it does to actual observed runoff. Incorporation of a relatively simple representation of the soil moisture dependence of infiltration, along with a simple representation of base flow, leads to much better agreement with the statistical character of simulated runoff. Hydrologic characterization of large areas will improve as spatially distributed soil moisture modeling continues to evolve and remotely sensed data becomes available from the Earth Observing System [Wood, 1990].
A new JGR for planetary science
Authors: McCord T. A. , Russell C. T.
Published: October 2006

The Gulf Coast province provides an array of scientific dilemmas ranging from the origin of the gulf itself to the causes and effects of long‐lasting circulation of hot, deep waters throughout the thick sedimentary section. The nature of the underlying crust and superjacent sediments and their contained waters; the precise timing of rifting; depositional history and diagenesis of the sedimentary sequence; fluid dynamics; geochemistry; hydrocarbon generation and migration; thermal history, including unusually high thermal gradient; and the fluid pressure regime in the deep sedimentary section are too poorly understood to permit quantitative analysis of processes that are of enormous scientific and practical importance. The area centered on DeWitt and Victoria counties, Texas, on the southeastern extension of the San Marcos arch, is probably the best location for a deep borehole to investigate these important phenomena and problems. The arch extends southeastward from exposed Grenville‐age basement rocks of the Llano uplift and separates the deep South Texas and Houston embayment salt basins. Seaward of the Llano uplift, highly deformed and slightly metamorphosed rocks of the Ouachita‐Marathon orogen have been intersected beneath Cretaceous sediments. The inferred edge of continental crust underlies an extensive Lower Cretaceous reef trend southeast of known Ouachita orogen rocks. Rapid thickening of Tertiary and possibly of Cretaceous sediments southeast of the shelf edge, together with geophysical indications of a relatively shallow Moho, suggests that “transitional continental crust” underlies sediments basinward of the inferred edge of continental crust. This transitional crust, the ultimate objective for a proposed deep well, could be rifted Grenville basement, buried rocks of the Ouachita trend, an island arc related to the Ouachita trend, or exotic continental basement related to a proto‐South American continent. To achieve optimum results to guarantee adequate basement penetration, a borehole should be designed to penetrate a relatively thin succession of lower Mesozoic synrift, graben‐fill sediments seaward of the shelf edge. Because of expected high temperatures and pressures, new technologies will need to be developed to successfully drill and test the well.
OEDIPUS‐A: Space research with a new tether
Authors: James H. G. , Whalen B. A.
Published: October 2006

The launch of the tethered payload OEDIPUS‐A on January 30, 1989 established a new record for the maximum length (958 m) of a space tether. The flight achieved a number of novel objectives in ionospheric plasma physics and tether technology. This report outlines the OEDIPUS experiment (defined as Observations of Electric‐field Distributions in the Ionospheric Plasma—a Unique Strategy) and gives some of its preliminary scientific results.

In the 1970s, the word “tether” took on new meaning as space scientists began to plan pairs of spacecraft wired together to co‐orbit. Much of the work on tethers in space centers on the idea of flying the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Shuttle with a tethered subsatellite. This will materialize in 1992 when NASA and the Italian Space Agency collaborate on the Shuttle experiment Tethered Satellite System [Bonifazi, 1987]. The first version of this experiment uses a conducting tether to draw current from the ionospheric plasma, thereby inducing a variety of electrodynamic phenomena. In addition to providing an experimental facility for plasma electrodynamics, the tethered system is a large flexible structure, and hence an interesting subject for space mechanics research in its own right.
Topographic stress in the oceans
Authors: Holloway Greg , Müller Peter
Published: October 2006

The influence of seafloor topography on ocean circulation has long been a subject of research and speculation. Recent attention to this topic has shown that the interaction with currents is both more complicated and (possibly) more influential than may have been supposed.

An important question is whether inadequate representation of topographic effects in numerical ocean models may be a significant source of model infidelity. On the other side, direct observation of momentum exchange between the ocean and variations of seafloor elevation remains a daunting challenge. To focus on these and related issues and to consider possible avenues for future research, the workshop Topographic Stress was held January 23–25, 1989, at Keahou Bay, Kona, Hawaii, drawing on numerical modelers, oceanic observers, theorists, atmospheric scientists and laboratory modelers.
Mineral physics and mineral chemistry in Canada
Authors: McCammon Catherine
Published: October 2006

A number of different groups in Canada carry out research on the physics and chemistry of minerals. The majority of the research is conducted within universities, with the remainder occurring at government laboratories. Research groups span a wide range of disciplines, which include physics, chemistry, and materials science, as well as geology.

Mineral physics research in Canada differs somewhat from the research that is carried out south of the border, and the difference can be attributed to several factors. With a population of one‐tenth that of its southern neighbor, Canada has significantly fewer scientists working on mineral physics problems. The smaller number of scientists combined with the vast area over which Canadian research institutions are distributed means that there are fewer scientists per institution that are working on mineral physics problems. The result is that many research groups focus not on mineral physics alone, but on problems such as magnetic properties of materials, with studies of minerals being but one component of the research.
Ambient noise beneath the seafloor
Authors: Stephen Ralph A.
Published: October 2006

Simultaneous measurements of ambient noise were first made at several depths in the seafloor in August/September 1989, in a borehole off the Florida coast. Ambient noise levels decreased by a factor of three in amplitude (10 dB) between 10–100 m downhole (see figure) in the frequency range 2–50 Hz. As distance increased between the detector and the seafloor, the ambient noise levels decreased.

Why do we care about ambient noise in the seafloor? One reason is that ambient noise levels limit the magnitude of earthquakes that can be detected. On land, earthquake monitoring stations are frequently placed in boreholes where better observations can be obtained. The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology consortium has identified the need for borehole seismic installations on the seafloor to improve the resolution of earthquake locations and of the source mechanisms of oceanic earthquakes. However, the study of ambient noise can be a fascinating subject in its own right. We do not yet completely understand how weather generates noise in the ocean, nor how the noise propagates and is distributed within the ocean and seafloor.
New study assesses federal research support
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

The Office of Technology Assessment's (OTA) new study on research funding began to spark controversy even before being released in its entirety. Science magazine called the report “heresy” for violating reigning beliefs on the state of U.S. science.

“Given the exceptional history, strength, and character of U.S. research, there will always be more opportunities than can be funded, more deserving researchers competing than can be sustained, and more institutions seeking to expand than the prime sponsor—the federal government—can fund,” said the report's summary. “The objective for government, then, is to ensure continued funding for a full portfolio of first‐rate research and a high‐caliber research work force to assure long‐term scientific progress.”
Space‐based surface wind vectors to aid understanding of air‐sea interactions
Authors: Atlas R. , Bloom S. C. , Hoffman R. N. , Ardizzone J. V. , Brin G.
Published: October 2006

Our understanding and prediction of the large‐scale air‐sea interactions that are thought to significantly influence both the atmosphere and ocean can be improved by consistent oceanic surface wind data of high quality and high temporal and spatial resolution. Surface wind stress provides the most important forcing of the ocean circulation and the fluxes of heat, moisture, and momentum across the air‐sea boundary are important factors in theories of El Nñio‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the 50‐day oscillation. Unfortunately, an adequate observational data base to perform such studies has been lacking.

In this paper, we describe a new and unique ocean surface wind data set derived by combining the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) data with other conventional data, presenting both the methodology and some examples of the results. We are currently using these data in several studies, as discussed in the conclusion, and are preparing a more detailed description of the development and testing of our algorithms. These data are available through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ocean Data System (NODS).
AGU's stand on FY92 budget
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

For the second year in a row, AGU has formally added its voice to the debate in Congress on President George Bush's federal budget request. The position statement, approved by a vote of the AGU Council, addresses general policy issues affecting geophysical research and offers specific comments on the budgets of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of Energy.

At the recommendation of AGU's Public Affairs Committee, AGU President Brent Dalrymple approved the formation of a panel, headed by Frank Eden, to draft the Union's position statement. The final version of the position was approved by the AGU Council on May 1.
Growth reverse faults in China: Their characteristics and evolution
Authors: Song Ting‐guang , Ding Wenlong
Published: October 2006

A notable kind of growth (or synsedimentary) fault—a growth reverse fault—has been investigated in oil‐bearing basins in western China. In contractile and transpressive basins, growth reverse faults are thoroughly different in structural style and deforming process from growth normal faults, which occur in extensional or transtensional basins, although both are synsedimentary and have hydrocarbon potential.
NSF budget clears Senate hurdle
Authors: Jones Richard
Published: October 2006

At one of the two most important hearings on the National Science Foundation's budget request for FY 1992, held April 24, there was little to suggest that the Senate VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies subcommittee—chaired by Barbara Mikulski (D‐Md.)—will make any dramatic changes in the agency's allotment.

NSF director Walter Massey reviewed the foundation's budget request, up 17.5% over this year's, but he provoked little discussion about the portions for research and related activities. Mikulski was particularly interested in indirect cost rates and in facility modernization, especially at smaller colleges.
Margins: A new conceptual approach to continental margin research
Authors: Mutter John
Published: October 2006

The geology of continents is to a large degree the geology of continental margins. The margins mark the site where materials that form major components of the continental crust are distilled from Earth's mantle and where continents grow through plate interactions that progressively incorporate these margins into the continental mass.

Much of the continents consists of the remnants of ancient margins that offer an extensive and detailed record of continental evolution over time and space. Knowledge of this record is essential for understanding processes of global change, their diversity, and long‐term history. Unraveling this record is one of the major challenges in modern Earth sciences.
Tackling science's distress
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

If arguments for limiting support for science continue to dominate the public discourse about science, “we will be talking our way into scientific decline,” said Frank Press, president of the National Academy of Sciences, to the academy's annual meeting on April 30. Press is the latest in a number of prominent figures on the Washington science scene, from George E. Brown, Jr. (D‐Calif.), chairman of the House Science Committee, to Mary L. Good, head of the National Science Board, to take stock of the U.S. science enterprise.

Press lauded President Bush's current budget request for science, calling it the best one in recent years. The new federal budget caps, however, provide a counterweight by creating a “fixed pie” for spending. Added to this, the university science community is in severe distress, Press said, suffering from outmoded laboratories, rising costs, budget cuts, and new and expensive government regulations, among other burdens. The budget caps also force federally funded laboratories and universities to compete with each other for support.
Senate handles NASA gently—So far
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

“When we ask these tough questions today, know that they're so we can really argue the case of NASA,” Senator Barbara Mikulski (D‐Md.) told Richard Truly, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, on May 8 as she opened a succinct and generally friendly hearing on NASA's budget. The gentle tone of Mikulski and most of the subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies that she chairs was in striking contrast to the contentious reception Truly and Space Station Freedom got the previous week from a House committee.

Evidently prepared for another possible confrontation, the NASA head brought along enough of his top staff to fill the first two rows of the hearing room, but he faced mostly supportive senators. Mikulski pledged to be “a very strong advocate for the NASA core.” Ranking minority member Jake Garn (R‐Utah) was also positive about NASA, while calling upon President Bush to lobby personally for his generous NASA request.
Hydrology of Ice Caps in Volcanic Regions
Authors: Fountain Andrew
Published: October 2006

Hydrology of Ice Caps in Volcanic Regions actually concerns itself with the hydrology of two ice caps in Iceland rather than the global topic the title implies. However, the unique condition in Iceland—an ice cap resting between two diverging plates of the Earth's crust—provides an excellent location to study ice‐volcano and ice‐geothermal interactions.

An important motivation for this work, as for any of the glaciological studies in Iceland, is to understand the mechanics of glacier outburst floods (Jökulhlaups) that result from the release of large volumes of water stored at the base of the ice caps. Although outburst floods may be common to all glaciers, the magnitudes of the floods from Icelandic ice caps dwarf the historic outburst floods from other glaciers and are the largest glacier outburst floods in historic times, usually exceeding 1 km3 and occasionally exceeding 5 km3! The peak water discharge during these events can reach 40,000 m3/s, which exceeds the average flow of the Mississippi River. Considering that these floods occur every 2'10 years and cause havoc to transportation routes (the Icelanders will not live in flood plains), an understanding of how these floods develop is extremely important.
EOS Panel begins review
Authors: Cole Stephen
Published: October 2006

Charged with “assessing alternatives for the implementation of the Earth Observing System,” a NASA‐appointed panel of scientists and engineers began their investigation of the multibillion dollar program last month with a meeting at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Earth Observing System (EOS) Engineering Review Advisory Committee, chaired by Edward A. Frieman, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, heard from Administration officials, NASA managers, and EOS project personnel on May 30–31.

The committee was created at the request of the Bush administration to evaluate NASA's current plans for the series of satellites, EOS‐A and EOS‐B, scheduled to begin operation in 1998. The committee's primary emphasis is to review the engineering aspects of the program, including platform size, instrument configuration, and launch options. A final report is expected by September 30.
Mediterranean seabed in digital shaded relief
Authors: Mark Robert K. , Pike Richard J. , Bortoluzzi Giovanni , Ligi Marco
Published: October 2006

Relief‐shaded images made from a large digital depth model (DDM) provide a fresh view of regional tectonism and submarine geomorphology in the central Mediterranean. The 1‐km spatial resolution is better than that afforded by the 5‐arc‐minute worldwide digital bathymetry (DBDB5). These computer pictures enable information on seafloor morphology to be visualized and communicated in much the same way that relief maps made from digital elevation models are used to interpret subaerial topography. The images shown here (partially joined along 19°E) were taken from a new shaded‐relief map of the entire Mediterranean seafloor and parts of the Bay of Biscay and Black Sea between latitude 307deg;–46°N and longitude 6°W–37°E [Mark et al., 1990].
UNAVCO and UCAR join forces
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The University Navstar Consortium, an Earth sciences research group using satellites for scientific surveying and positioning applications, will join the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research on October 1, 1991.

UNAVCO has 32 members, both U.S. and foreign university and research institutions, who are interested in or engaged in using the Navstar Global Positioning System satellites for scientific research. UNAVCO's goal is to encourage and support the optimum productivity of scientific research using GPS. The UNAVCO facility offers a complete support program for investigators including assistance in planning, training, equipment, shipping, insurance, customs, field operations, technical troubleshooting, data management, analysis, and archiving. UNAVCO also serves as an advocate for the academic research community in dealings with government and industry regarding the scientific use of GPS. UNAVCO is sponsored principally by the National Science Foundation's Earth Sciences Division.
Pinatubo cloud measured
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Satellite observations of the aerosol cloud produced by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines on June 15 indicate that, in terms of sulfur dioxide emissions, the eruption may be as much as two times larger than the El Chichon eruption in Mexico in April 1982, making Pinatubo possibly the largest eruption of the century. Ten days after the initial eruption, the aerosol cloud formed a nearly continuous band that stretched 11,000 km from Indonesia to Central Africa. Timely evacuations saved many lives on Luzon Island, but the combined effects of the eruption and a typhoon killed more than 300 people.

The following report on the eruption and its atmospheric effects was provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Network. All times are local (= UT + 8 hours).
Maurice Ewing sails
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The new 239‐foot research vessel, Maurice Ewing, owned by Columbia University's Lamont‐Doherty Geological Observatory, Palisades, N.Y., sailed July 6 on its first mission, a marine geological and geophysical study to explore midocean ridges in the Greenland/Norwegian Sea. Later this year, the ship will move to the South Atlantic and then to the Antarctic peninsula area for multichannel seismic and other geophysical studies. With capacity for 30 scientists and generous laboratory space, the ship will be able to operate for extensive periods at sea in remote and polar regions.

Planned missions of the Ewing will include investigating in detail the oceanic processes of the formation and spreading of ocean floor crust from volcanic ridge centers; the circulation of water, heat and chemicals throughout the world's oceans; the absorption of greenhouse and radioactive gases by the oceans; and the biological cycles of phytoplankton populations that bloom and die.
USGS volcano hazards program saved lives
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

Rapid response to potentially disastrous volcanic eruptions at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines was one of the major recent accomplishments of the U.S. Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program. Although about 300 lives were lost, early alert systems can be credited with saving the lives of about 200,000 residents who were successfully evacuated.

Coordinated by Peter W. Lipman of USGS, Menlo Park, Calif., the goal of the Volcano Hazards Program is to reduce the loss of life, property, and natural resources that can result from volcanic eruptions, the threat of eruptions, and related geologic and hydrologic events.
Magellan data to be released soon
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

Data from the Magellan spacecraft's radar imaging of Venus should begin flowing to “very thirsty” planetary researchers soon, according to a number of scientists inside and outside NASA. Some researchers have criticized the slow pace of data release, which project officials attribute to technical glitches in the data handling.

“The firehose is now open” for data release, according to Joe Boyce, NASA program scientist for Magellan. “It's just a fantastic data set.” Data from the “first cycle primary mission”—the first global mapping results—should all be released over the next four to five months, he said.
Committee on seismology meets
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Earthquake ground motion was a focus of discussion at the semi‐annual meeting of the Committee on Seismology, a standing committee of the National Research Council's Board on Earth Sciences and Resources. At the April 18–19 meeting, held in Washington, D.C., plans were made for a workshop on the U.S. Strong‐Motion Program. The workshop will be a joint project of the Committee on Earthquake Engineering and the Committee on Seismology, and will be a first step in implementing a 1987 recommendation of the NRC suggested by a panel chaired by the late Otto Nuttli. That panel's report, “Recommendations for the Strong‐Motion Program in the United States,” often referred to as the “Nuttli Report,” made specific recommendations for a national strong‐motion program. These recommendations, together with additional topics of recent concern, are possible subjects for the workshop.
Global Change Fellowships awarded
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

After a detailed review process, 60 individuals were chosen to receive NASA Graduate Student Fellowships in Global Change Research for the 1991–92 academic year. The recipients represent 37 academic institutions from 23 states and 12 countries. The research topics of the new fellows fall into five basic categories: biogeochemical dynamics, climate and hydrological systems, ecological system and dynamics, and solid Earth processes.

The Global Change Fellowship program was created to provide financial support for graduate students to pursue advanced degrees in the Earth sciences. The program trains a pool of scientists to help analyze and interpret the wealth of data generated during the Earth Observing System era. Initiated in 1990, the fellowship program was originally envisioned to scale up to fund 150 graduate students prior to the launch of the first EOS program, and to remain at that level during the life of the EOS mission. Due to the overwhelming response over its first two years, the program has already achieved 65% of this commitment.
Will new rules hinder federal scientists?
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

Proposed new ethics rules would circumscribe the participation of government employees in scientific societies such as AGU, although it is not yet clear to what extent (see Eos, Aug. 13, 1991).

The rules, entitled “Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” aim to establish uniform ethics guidelines for all executive agencies. Current regulations vary slightly from one agency to the next. The new rules have been proposed by the Office of Government Ethics, a small, independent agency that was part of the Office of Personnel Management until recently. The ethics office also interprets conflict of interest statutes and reviews the financial statements of presidential appointees.
Major eruption reported in Chile
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Hudson, a volcano in southern Chile (45.90°S, 72.96°W), erupted on August 12 after four days of lesser explosive activity. Tephra was ejected to 16–18 km height, falling up to 1,000 km away on the Falkland Islands, and with estimates of more than 1 km3 deposited in Argentina. Ash leacheate analyses showed unusually high levels of fluorine. The SO2‐rich plume produced bythe eruption was rapidly transported around the world, returning to Chile within seven days.

Hudson last erupted in 1971, producing an ash cloud 7‐km high and extruding lava that melted glacial ice, triggering a large mudflow down the Huemules River valley. Following the 1971 eruption ice melt from continued fumarolic activity accumulated within the caldera until January 1973, when it abruptly flowed down the Huemules River valley, killing 11 people.
Coastal America Program going forward
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

Coastal America, a new multiagency initiative developed by the Bush administration to address coastal resource problems, seems to be ignoring the fact that Congress did not fund it for FY92. Although $23 million was requested by Bush for four agencies for FY92, Congress zeroed the funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of the Interior. The appropriations bill that covers the Environmental Protection Agency has not been voted on by its joint conference committee. Until they are federally funded, Coastal America will use money from the agencies that has already been authorized in specific areas, such as dredging for the Corps of Engineers. They will also rely on state and private support.
Real‐time earthquake data feasible
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

Scientists agree that early warning devices and monitoring of both Hurricane Hugo and the Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption saved thousands of lives. What would it take to develop this sort of early warning and monitoring system for earthquake activity?

Not all that much, claims a panel assigned to study the feasibility, costs, and technology needed to establish a real‐time earthquake monitoring (RTEM) system. The panel, drafted by the National Academy of Science's Committee on Seismology, has presented its findings in Real‐Time Earthquake Monitoring. The recently released report states that “present technology is entirely capable of recording and processing data so as to provide real‐time information, enabling people to mitigate somewhat the earthquake disaster.” RTEM systems would consist of two parts—an early warning system that would give a few seconds warning before severe shaking, and immediate postquake information within minutes of the quake that would give actual measurements of the magnitude. At this time, however, this type of warning system has not been addressed at the national level for the United States and is not included in the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, according to the report.
Measurements of ozone in the U.S.— An historical note
Authors: Spilhaus Athelstan
Published: October 2006

In 1938, while at New York University, I applied for a grant from the Research Corporation to purchase a Dobson Ozone Spectrophotometer from England to start routine measurements of ozone in the upper atmosphere in the United States.

Dr. G.M.B. Dobson of Oxford personally supervised and calibrated the instrument prior to shipment. A New York newspaper of that time erroneously stated, “Professor Athelstan Spilhaus, of New York University, has invented a device for measuring ozone of the atmosphere. In Britain, Professor G.M.B. Dobson also has developed such instruments.”
NRC names Arctic research priorities
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

The National Research Council's recently published report, “Opportunities and Priorities in Arctic Geoscience,” calls for solid Earth geoscience research in the region to focus on the Arctic Ocean basin, which is poorly understood compared to the land surrounding it. New technological and political events—the end of the Cold War and the possibility of using submarines and icebreakers as research platforms–are combining to permit a good look at the ocean for the first time.

“Aspects of Arctic solid‐Earth geoscience with important implications for science and society beyond the Arctic include tectonic evolution, resource potential, paleoceanographic and climatic history, and geologic processes,” the report states. The plate tectonics of the Northern Hemisphere cannot be understood until the tectonics of the Arctic are unraveled, the report explains.
Role of polar regions in global change
Authors: Weller Gunter
Published: October 2006

Definition and summary of the state of knowledge of the role the polar regions play in global change was the aim of the International Conference on the Role of the Polar Regions in Global Change held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, June 11–15, 1990. Cosponsors included AGU, American Meteorological Society, Arctic Institute of North America, Arctic Research Commission of the U.S., Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, International Glaciological Society, Oceanography Society, and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research of the International Council of Scientific Unions.