bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geosat GM data reveal new details of ocean floor
Authors: Marks K. M. , McAdoo D. C. , Sandwell D. T.
Published: October 2006

Between 1985 and 1990, the U.S. Navy's Geosat radar altimeter made direct observations of sea‐surface topography. Since the sea surface is nearly an equipotential surface of the Earth's gravity field, variations in sea surface topography reveal variations in marine gravity. At short wavelengths (<200 km), the topography of the sea surface mimics the seafloor or basement topography. Observations from Geosat have been used to map the marine geoid with unprecedented accuracy and resolution (see Figure 1). This mapping of the marine geoid—or gravity field—can revolutionize marine geophysics and geodesy, especially in the southern ocean basins where shipboard coverage is sparse.
Congress emphatic on DOE peer review
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

“What research priorities has the Department of Energy set?” “Does an adequate peer‐review process exist?” These questions were asked by James H. Scheuer (D‐NY), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Environment of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to witnesses at a Fiscal Year 1992 budget hearing for the Department of Energy's Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program on March 21.

The hearing was held, Scheuer said, “as part of a larger effort to work with DOE to ensure that the nation receives the best research for every dollar invested.” He is very interested in evaluating the adequacy of peer review at DOE as “an essential ingredient to cost‐effective research.”
What is AGU's proper role in society?
Authors: Kaula William M. , Anderson Don L.
Published: October 2006

A series of articles that appeared in Eos (“Planet Earth Report,” December 11–25, 1990) concerning our terrestrial environment, ranging from the Earth's interior to the magnetosphere were generated by a concern that a more comprehensive understanding of our Earth is needed, requiring a “Mission to Planet Earth” that includes substantial efforts in surface and sub‐oceanic measurements, as well as spaceborne. Our question is whether AGU should undertake further action on public issues raised by these educative articles, since almost any action involves judgments based on more than geophysical expertise.

Guidelines on public issues were stated by the AGU Council in May 1982: “As a scientific society, AGU should not take or advocate public positions on judgmental issues that extend beyond the range of available geophysical data or recognized norms of legitimate scientific debate.”
The problem with IGRF commercialization
Authors: Taylor Patrick
Published: October 2006

I wish to comment on the news item, “Geomagnetic Reference Field: To License or Not to License?,” by Stuart and others, which appeared in the February 19 issue of Eos. It is important to recall some of the history of establishing an International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) and the conditions that prevailed before the field was standardized. Before the IGRF most magnetic total field data were reduced to anomalies by many different procedures, sometimes known only to the author. A true “Tower of Babel” existed. To correct this situation, international researchers conducted a great deal of work (see World Magnetic Survey, IAGA Bulletin No. 28, edited by Alfred J. Zmuda, 1971), which culminated in the IAGA Symposium on the Description of the Earth's Magnetic Field, held in October, 1968 in Washington, D.C. This meeting established the IGRF and subsequently the reference field was adopted by the international community of geomagneticians. At last when magnetic anomaly fields were published the author would state that the IGRF 1965.0 was removed; and the reader would know precisely what was removed from the total field measurements. Later, larger regional magnetic anomaly maps could be made more easily from smaller surveys, since the reference level removed was known. Unfortunately, there have been problems with accurate secular variation terms, which has necessitated a DGRF and other variations. The main success of the IGRF, however, has been that when data are reduced with this known field model, others are aware of precisely what was removed from the total intensity field to produce the anomaly map. Therefore, it is essential that an international standard reference field be maintained.
NOAA should embrace Landsat
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

“If only NOAA would embrace the Landsat satellite system, rather than trying to abandon it, then NOAA would be taking a giant step toward establishing its proper leadership role in global environmental science.” This statement was made by James H. Scheuer (D‐N.Y.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research and Environment at a hearing on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fiscal Year 1992 budget, on April 11.

Responding to a report by the Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES), which stated that Landsat data is critical to the understanding of global warming, Scheuer is perplexed that NOAA would not want to fund Landsat 7 and that NOAA can have towering leadership and support of global climate research but tepid support of the Landsat part of the program. NOAA requested a 66% increase in funding for FY92 for the Global Climate Change Research program ($31 million total). Operational costs of Landsat 4 and 5, currently in orbit, and Landsat 6, scheduled for launch in May 1992, are part of NOAA's FY92 budget. Total cost, said NOAA comptroller, Rodney Weiher, will be almost $19 million, of which $9.15 million will come out of the NOAA budget and the remaining $9 million from other agencies.
Super‐deep, continental drilling in Germany
Authors: Emmermann R. , Duba A. , Lauterjung J.
Published: October 2006

On September 8, 1990, Dr. Heinz Riesenhuber, the German Minister for Research and Technology, officially started the drilling of the super‐deep borehole (Hauptbohrung) of the Federal Republic of Germany, known as the Konitinentales Tiefbohrprogramm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (KTB). The borehole, situated in the Bavarian Oberpfalz near the village of Windischeschenbach, is expected to reach 10,000 m by the end of 1994. The eventual depth will depend on many variables, including cost; however, the hole may be extended even deeper if bottom‐ hole temperatures are less than 300°C. The Hauptbohrung was preceded by a pilot borehole (Vorbohrung), sited 200 m to the west, which was completed to a depth of slightly more than 4,000 m in April, 1989. The German government has allocated about 498 million DM (1 DM =˜US $0.67) for this project, of which slightly more than 25% has been spent on site preparation and the Vorbohrung. This report summarizes the KTB results and plans, in the context of the announcement by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Geological Survey [Eos, 1990] that U.S. scientists may submit proposals for collaborative research in the KTB by June 1, 1991.
NASA budget, EOS face cuts
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

The hefty FY 1992 increase for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration proposed by President George Bush has begun to attract Congressional budget‐cutting axes, as predicted. The first cuts, however, have come from an unexpected ax‐wielder—the space subcommittee of the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology—normally a cheerleader for NASA in recent years.

The subcommittee trimmed $488 million from NASA's budget request of $15.8 billion on April 11, according to a staff member of the space subcommittee. Notably, the panel did not touch the allotment for Space Station Freedom. The subcommittee has submitted the NASA authorization bill to the full committee, which is slated to act on it by the end of April, according to the Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report.
Hydrology of disasters
Authors: Jackson Thomas J.
Published: October 2006

Natural and man‐induced disasters include a wide range of events: floods, droughts, episodic pollution, structure failure, earthquakes, avalanches, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Each type of event is unique in terms of its cause, our ability to forecast it, the degree of prevention possible, the economic consequences, and the social impact. This book, which is a compendium of papers presented at a World Meteorological Organization conference, attempts to cover all possible types of disasters related to hydrology. As might be expected with a proceedings volume, each author deals with each topic in a different manner, making categorization of this book difficult.
Hydrothermal activity in the Lau Basin: First results from the NAUTILAU Cruise
Authors:   The NAUTILAU Group
Published: October 2006

The Lau Basin, a back arc spreading center, is one of the most active hydrothermal areas in the ocean. A scientific team from France, Germany, and Tonga investigated the southern Lau Basin near Tonga in 1989 to study the processes of seafloor ore‐mineral formation associated with hydrothermal circulation along the volcanic Valu Fa ridge (Ride de Valu Fa in Figure 1), which lies in back of the Tonga‐Kermadec trench.

Between April 17 and May 10 scientists on the R/V Nadir used the submersible Nautile to make 22 dives in the southern Lau Basin. The cruise was called NAUTILAU, for Nautile in Lau Basin. In addition to the standard equipment of the submersible (video and photo cameras, and temperature probe), a CTD (conductivity‐temperature‐depth) instrument was integrated with a “mini rosette” water sampling device used for the first time on the Nautile to obtain correlations between the geological observations and the physical and chemical anomalies measured in the seawater.
Drought management proceedings available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Proceedings of the Drought Management and Planning Seminar and Workshop, held May 30–June 1, 1990, in Denver, Colo., are now available. Organized by the International Drought Information Center of the University of Nebraska, the program was designed to network public agencies and private organizations in the United States with drought‐related responsibilities (monitoring, impact assessment, mitigation, and planning) at the state, regional, and national levels.

Improved intergovernmental coordination was viewed as an important first step toward reducing societal vulnerability to drought. At the time of the meeting, public and private institutions were struggling with these issues in anticipation of continued drought in 1990 and beyond.
Origin of Archean granitoids and continental evolution
Authors: Rapp R. P.
Published: October 2006

The origin of a stable, permanent crust is inextricably linked to granitoid genesis. The oldest terranes on Earth contain abundant granitoids, presumably representing the low density material that buoyed the crust and prevented its recycling into the mantle. The question of the origin of these rocks is thus fundamental to understanding Earth history: What was their source material, and what processes caused it to melt? Analogies with modern felsic magma genesis are tempting but not necessarily applicable, first because there are obvious reasons to doubt that present conditions characterized the early Archean (modern geotherms, well‐established subduction zones, massive stable continental crust, and others), and also because early granitoids differed in detail from most of their modern counterparts.

In this article, R.P. Rapp, who has done extensive experiments on the moderate‐to‐high‐pressure melting behavior of mafic rocks, presents a decidedly non‐uniformitarian view of the origin of the tonalite‐trondhjemite‐granodiorite suite that characterizes the early Archean crust.—Calvin Miller, “Friends of Granite” editor, Vanderbilt University
Downhole images: Electrical scanning reveals the nature of subsurface oceanic crust
Authors: Pezard Philippe , Lovell Mike
Published: October 2006

High‐resolution electrical images of oceanic sediments exposed by drilling are permitting scientists to make detailed evaluation of the record preserved in the rocks, particularly in intervals where little core was recovered. The images are generated from measurements taken with a slimhole Formation Micro‐Scanner (FMS), developed by Schlumberger specifically for the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). The new measurement technique was used in May 1989 on ODP Leg 126 in two holes drilled in the Izu‐Bonin intra‐oceanic volcanic arc (Figure 1), which extends south of Honshu to Iwo Jima, Japan.
Rock Deformation Meeting
Authors: Green Harry
Published: October 2006

The Third Rock Deformation Colloquium was held December 4, 1989, at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Steve Kirby of the U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif., reported on actions taken by the rock deformation steering committee. Brian Wernicke of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., talked on the structural geology of the Great Basin.

The steering committee voted for “Committee on Deformation of Earth Materials” as the name for the AGU technical committee on rock deformation, Kirby said. Considerable discussion has occurred in the steering committee over our relationship to the AGU Mineral Physics Committee. Indeed, Kirby will become chairman of that committee in 1990, underlining the overlap of the two groups. It was agreed that we will pursue closer association with Mineral Physics.
The national energy strategy
Authors: Payne Jeff
Published: October 2006

The National Energy Strategy (NES) is the presidential blueprint for energy security. The keystone of the strategy is continuing a policy of reliance on market forces rather than government intervention to meet energy objectives. Some energy analysts speculate that the market preference for cheap fossil fuels will seriously delay the transition to a sustainable energy future. In fact, even the threat of global climate change and the reality of a war for oil have done little to persuade markets to invest in renewable energy technologies. What does the NES propose for our energy future?
[Comment on ““AGU advocacy for science” by H. Frank Eden” and “Fencing Position” by G. Shaw, et al.] Ambivalence
Authors: Murphy Hugh
Published: October 2006

The April 10, 1990, issue of Eos illustrated the ethical ambivalence of our times. The article on AGU advocacy for science laments that scientists are being “out‐lobbied” and urges AGU scientists to “become familiar with the interests of your local representatives, your senators and their staff… pay close attention to critical points in the fast changing budget process… and recommend specific actions to your congressional delegation … ”

A few pages later, the article on AGU's fencing position cautions us that Congress should continue to make its funding decisions “on scientific, not political considerations”, and scientists should “not be divisive by urging Congress to protect their parts of agency budgets.”
New trends in GPS
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

New developments in the fast moving field of global positioning were discussed in several sessions at the AGU Spring Meeting. The Global Positioning System satellite network will soon be used for the first largescale gravimetric survey—a comprehensive study of Greenland by aircraft. This is possible because GPS can now be used to fix the locations of moving vehicles, including airplanes, to within a few decimeters. “We're seeing the maturing of the ability to use GPS to precisely position moving vehicles with after‐the‐fact processing,” commented the National Geodetic Survey's Bill Strange, the geodesy program chairman. “This will give very accurate gravity values.”.
Moored time series measurements
Authors: McPhaden M. J.
Published: October 2006

Temperature and velocity data have been collected from surface moorings at 0°, 110°W for over 10 years as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Equatorial Pacific Ocean Climate Studies (EPOCS) program. These are the longest continuous moored time series records in the world ocean. Contour plots of gridded temperature and zonal velocity from this data set for the decade of the 1980s are shown on the cover. Measurements were originally recorded at 15‐min intervals and have been smoothed with a 51‐day Hanning filter to approximately monthly averages for this presentation. White blanking indicates a data gap, except that velocity was not measured above 10 m at any time or below 200 m after late 1987. Positive (negative) zonal velocities indicated eastward (westward) flow.
Shaping AGU's contributions to policy debate
Authors: Morgan M. Granger , Patwardhan Anand
Published: October 2006

In their Forum piece in the April 9 issue of Eos, Kaula and Anderson paint an unrealistically stark choice for the roles AGU might play in policy debates that substantially involve geophysical science. On the one hand is the antiseptic model of AGU‐above‐the‐policy‐fray: the aloof provider of geophysical facts from the literature. On the other hand is the model of AGU‐as‐policy‐advocate: blending geophysical knowledge with value judgements in order to argue for specific policy actions in the political trenches.

The problem with the first model is that the form assumed by most geophysical facts in the literature is rather distant from the needs of policy makers. Thus, the facts are easily overlooked in the face of pressing short‐term political agendas. The problem with the second model is that AGU is a professional society comprised of scientists who hold many different value orientations. Any particular set of values adopted in a piece of political advocacy is likely to be at odds with many AGU members.
Boosting the U.S. economy with basic research
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

How healthy is U.S. basic research, and how can research improve the country's position in the global marketplace? Such questions were explored at a hearing held on June 20 by the House Science Committtee's subcommittee on science. Much of the outside witnesses' testimony called for better links between government, industry, and universities to improve the research enterprise.

Erich Bloch, former director of the National Science Foundation and currently a Council on Competitiveness fellow, testified that the United States is slipping as a technological leader not because it lags in science and basic research, but because “we are trailing badly in our ability to translate basic research results and insights into commercial products.”
Evidence of Tectonism from 3He and residence time of helium in the Black Sea
Authors: Top Zafer , Izdar Erol , Ergü Mustafa , Konuk Tosun
Published: October 2006

The presence of 3He in excess of its saturation in the deep ocean is an unmistakable sign for exchange between water and material of magmatic origin. For example, in locations such as the Galapagos Spreading Center or the Red Sea, substantial excesses of this isotope bear witness to present and past hydrothermal activity at the seafloor [Jenkins 1978; Lupton et al., 1977]. Our measurements of 3He in the Black Sea in 1988 show that there is about 13% excess of this isotope in the water column of the southern half of the basin with indications that its injection may be occurring along the southern coast. This must be related to tectonic activity, also observed to be happening along the south coast.
Hole 504B reclaimed for future drilling
Authors:   Leg 137 Scientific Drilling Party
Published: October 2006

Hole 504B, perhaps the most important in situ reference section for the structure and composition of the oceanic crust, has been reopened for future drilling and downhole measurements after remedial operations during Leg 137 of the Ocean Drilling Program. By far the deepest penetration into oceanic crust, Hole 504B had been feared lost when a large diamond bit and assorted hardware (“junk”) broke off in the bottom of the hole at the end of ODP Leg 111 in 1986. Since then ODP's drill ship,JOIDES Resolution, has circumnavigated the globe, with no opportunity to redress this situation. But the objective of deep penetration into the oceanic crust and the hole itself are considered so important by marine Earth scientists that remedial measures in Hole 504B were undertaken as soon as the drill ship returned to the eastern Pacific. These measures succeeded better than had been hoped. Hole 504B was reopened after less than a week of cleaning operations, which included grappling for the lost junk with tools to pull it from the hole (called “fishing”) and grinding or milling the junk away.
Pyroclastic flows of the 1883 Krakatau eruption
Authors: Sigurdsson Haraldur , Carey Steven , Mandeville Charles , Bronto Sutikno
Published: October 2006

The nature of the submarine deposits produced by the 1883 Krakatau eruption in Indonesia has remained controversial for more than a century. Knowledge of their character, however, is critical to understanding the origin of the devastating tsunamis generated during the event, which claimed about 36,000 lives. Results of a 1990 marine geological investigation reported here demonstrate that the deposits are largely of pyroclastic flow origin. Pyroclastic flows are partially fluidized mixtures of particles and gases that travel up to 150 m/s and have internal temperatures as high as 600°C. They are denser than the atmosphere but are likely to be comparable to seawater in density. What happens when such a flow encounters the sea along the coast of an active volcano has been the subject of much speculation [Cas and Wright, 1987] but little research [Sparks et al., 1980a, 1980b]. One well‐known effect is the generation of tsunamis [Kienle et al., 1987] and indeed, 20% of all volcanogenic tsunamis have been attributed to the entrance of pyroclastic flows into the sea [Latter, 1981]. The most devastating of these occurred during the 1883 eruption of Krakatau volcano.
The Solid Earth: An Introduction to Global Geophysics
Authors: Stein Carol A.
Published: October 2006

The most difficult aspect of teaching an introductory geophysics course is deciding how to best combine the necessary mathematics and theory with their applications to the Earth. Some texts present a classical approach emphasizing the mathematics (especially potential theory), which often gives little insight into its application to understanding the Earth. Others offer good descriptions of the applications but lack adequate explanations of the basic principles, causing students to acquire an insufficient background for future research. Choosing between the two types of texts is made more difficult because many students in a geophysics class are not geophysics majors and feel uncomfortable even with first year calculus.
Panel calls for smaller EOS, caution on data system
Authors: Simarksi Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

A review panel has apparently dealt the decisive blow to the use of massive platforms for NASA's Earth Observing System. The engineering review panel, chaired by Edward Frieman, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, also urged NASA to cooperate with the Departments of Defense and Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to get EOS off the ground as quickly as possible. The panel also expressed considerable skepticism about EOSDIS, the system's vast information system.

Frieman discussed the panel's findings on September 26 before the House science committee's subcommittee on space. The panel, charged by the president in March 1991 with reviewing the platform configuration and launch sequence of EOS, released its report on September 23.
Free software helps map and display data
Authors: Wessel Paul , Smith Walter H. F.
Published: October 2006

When creating camera‐ready figures, most scientists are familiar with the sequence of raw data → processing → final illustration and with the spending of large sums of money to finalize papers for submission to scientific journals, prepare proposals, and create overheads and slides for various presentations. This process can be tedious and is often done manually, since available commercial or in‐house software usually can do only part of the job.

To expedite this process, we introduce the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT), which is a free, public domain software package that can be used to manipulate columns of tabular data, time series, and gridded data sets and to display these data in a variety of forms ranging from simple x‐y plots to maps and color, perspective, and shaded‐relief illustrations. GMT uses the PostScript page description language, which can create arbitrarily complex images in gray tones or 24‐bit true color by superimposing multiple plot files. Line drawings, bitmapped images, and text can be easily combined in one illustration. PostScript plot files are device‐independent, meaning the same file can be printed at 300 dots per inch (dpi) on an ordinary laserwriter or at 2470 dpi on a phototypesetter when ultimate quality is needed. GMT software is written as a set of UNIX tools and is totally self contained and fully documented. The system is offered free of charge to federal agencies and nonprofit educational organizations worldwide and is distributed over the computer network Internet.
Publishing productivity in the Earth sciences
Authors: Levin Sharon G. , Stephan Paula E.
Published: October 2006

In recent years, the American scientific community has aged significantly. In the physical sciences, for example, the proportion of employed doctorates under the age of 35 declined between 1975 and 1985 from 25% to 15%, while the proportion over 55 increased from 14% to 21% [National Science Foundation, 1988, p. 44]. The geosciences have not escaped this phenomenon. Gillmor's analyses [1985, 1987] suggest that a similar aging has occurred in the geophysics community from 1963 to 1986.
Water policy bill debated
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

“Federal water‐related policy is extremely fragmented and haphazard and prevents us from dealing with our water problems in an expeditious and coordinated fashion,” said Mark O. Hatfield (R‐Oreg.), member of the Senate committee on Energy and Natural Resources and sponsor of the Western Water Policy Review Act.

At a September 19 hearing on the proposed legislation, Hatfield pointed out that there are currently at least 13 congressional committees, 8 Cabinet‐level departments, 6 independent agencies, and 2 White House offices with some form of responsibility relating to national water management policy. As a result of this fragmentation, coordinating solutions to water problems remains difficult. Jurisdiction disputes between federal and state governments and between states must be resolved, Hatfield believes.
Capping university overhead rates
Authors: Jones Richard
Published: October 2006

On October 3 the Office of Management and Budget released final regulations on college and university administrative costs that can be charged against federal grants and contracts. A number of expenses were disallowed and all administrative costs were capped at 26%.

Earlier this year Richard Darman, director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced his intention to “stop the abuse” in university reimbursements. Almost 300 replies were received in response to the earlier set of proposals on the matter.
Shocked minerals and the K/T controversy
Authors: Grieve R. A. F. , Sharpton V. L. , Stöffler D.
Published: October 2006

The initial discoveries of elevated Ir and other siderophile element concentrations at the K/T boundary by Alvarez et al. [1980] and Ganapathy [1980] and their interpretation as the signature of a major impact event on Earth has prompted vigorous debate over the nature and cause of the K/T mass extinction event. The wide spectrum of scientists interested in this fundamental problem of Earth‐evolution gathered at the conference, Global Catastrophes in Earth History, held in late October 1988 at Snowbird, Utah. Cosponsors were the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Tex., and the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D. C.
A model of river basin evolution
Authors: Willgoose Garry , Bras Rafael L. , Rodriguez‐Iturbe Ignacio
Published: October 2006

Branched networks are common in nature; examples are the forms assumed by blood distribution systems, leaf veins, plant roots and branches, lightning, crystal growth, and river basins. This somewhat peculiar solution to the transport of mass and energy is prevalent in such a variety of phenomena that it may point to a commonality of controlling principles. The search for these principles, which has occupied hydrologists and geomorphologists for a long time, has centered on such questions as: Why do river channels branch?
Geomagnetic Sudden impulses and storm sudden commencements: A note on terminology
Authors: Joselyn J. A. , Tsurutani B. T.
Published: October 2006

The geomagnetic field occasionally exhibits abrupt, worldwide variations that have a morphology similar to that shown in Figure 1. Known as sudden impulses (SIs) or storm sudden commencements (SSCs), these signatures have been successfully explained as a compression of the magnetosphere caused by the passage of a shock or tangential discontinuity in the solar wind [e.g., Nishida, 1978]. Shocks propagate through the solar wind (outward from the Sun for fast forward shocks and inward for reverse shocks, in the solar wind frame of reference) and tangential discontinuities are simply carried with the solar wind. The purpose of this note is to examine the definitions of and distinctions between SSCs and SIs; to modernize present definitions of SIs and SSCs, in which SSCs are a subset of SIs depending on subsequent observed values of Dst or alternate geomagnetic indices; and to recommend quantitative definitions of the two terms for open discussion.
Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences
Authors: Back William
Published: October 2006

Hydrologists can take heart that our profession has matured to the point of having its respectable reputation recognized by the National Academy of Sciences. Opportunities in Hydrology follows the publication of Opportunities in Biology and Opportunities in Chemistry, and was prepared by a committee composed of prestigious water‐oriented scientists. I am writing this review because the book is extremely important, and its basic premise—that there is such a thing as a single “discipline” of hydrologic sciences—is contrary to the thinking of many hydrogeologists.

The committee proposes that students can obtain adequate training and be prepared to develop a career in “hydrologic sciences.” Such an approach may be suitable for many aspects of hydrology, but it does not represent the interests, needs, goals, history, or future of “hydrogeology,” a clearly recognized subdiscipline of hydrology. The various aspects of hydrology are so wide ranging that, from my personal viewpoint and the viewpoints of many of my colleagues, it takes a person of extremely narrow focus to see hydrology as a single discipline.
GRSFE data available on PDS node
Authors: Dale‐Bannister Mary A. , Arvidson Raymond E.
Published: October 2006

The Geosciences Node of the Planetary Data System (PDS) has released Archive Version 1.0 of the Geologic Remote Sensing Field Experiment (GRSFE) to the community. The archive occupies a set of nine CDROMs, written in the ISO 9660 Standard, that contains all of the data and documentation for the archive.

GRSFE was co‐sponsored by the NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program and the NASA Geology Program. Approximately 50 scientists from eight universities and three NASA centers participated in the experiment. The experiment included an airborne and a field campaign in which data were acquired in 1989 for geologic targets in the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, Nev., and the Mojave Desert, Calif.
Glacier mass‐balance standards
Authors: Fountain A. , Trabant D. , Brugman M. M. , Ommanney C. S. L. , Monroe S.
Published: October 2006

Deep‐sea cores and ice cores from the late Cenozoic show that the Earth's climate changes significantly. Glacier fluctuations are but one indication of this change. Glaciers are both an active component of the environmental system, regulating mountain streamflow, and a passive one, responding to climatic change. Thus, an understanding of the link between climate and glaciers is needed in order to assess the potential effect of glacier variations on the water resources of glacierized regions.

To define the basic data collection program needed to achieve this goal, the Workshop on Glacier Mass‐Balance Standards was held November 28–29, 1990, in Seattle, Wash. Convened by the North American Committee on Climate and Glaciers, which was established in June 1990 at a meeting of the National Research Council of Canada's Subcommittee on Glaciers, the workshop was held to re‐examine current glacier climate and hydrology programs in Canada and the United States.
Iron fertilization with volcanic ash?
Authors: Spirakis Charles S.
Published: October 2006

Martin [1990] suggests that intentional iron fertilization of nutrient‐rich but iron‐starved areas such as the southern oceans and equatorial Pacific might be used to stimulate organic productivity and thereby remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Martin further proposes that low concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide during glacial times were partly the result of increased oceanic productivity stimulated by iron‐bearing dust falling into oceans. Martin's work is very controversial both because the effectiveness of iron fertilization of the iron‐starved parts of the oceans has been questioned [Peng and Broecker, 1991] and because proposed pilot‐scale experiments to test the effects of iron addition on ocean ecology have met resistance from those who fear unanticipated and possibly harmful side effects. Of particular concern are possible long‐term effects that would not necessarily be observed in proposed experiments. In this article, it is proposed that periodic additions of iron‐bearing volcanic ash to the oceans represent natural iron‐fertilization experiments that could be evaluated for their effects on ocean productivity.
The Pu'u ‘O’o‐Kupaianaha Eruption of Kilauea
Authors: Heliker Christina , Wright Thomas L.
Published: October 2006

Kilauea is nearing the 10th year of its most voluminous rift zone eruption in the last 2 centuries. Lava flows have covered 75 km2 to depths as great as 25 m and have added almost 1.2 km2 of new land to the island. These flows have devastated downslope communities and have provided a painful tutorial for local government in planning for and living with volcanic hazards [Heliker and Wright, 1991]. At the same time, the accessibility and longevity of this eruption have provided a unique opportunity for quantitative studies requiring long‐term observations. This article briefly summarizes these studies, which are directed at a better understanding of eruption mechanics, lava‐flow field emplacement, and the plumbing system of Kilauea.
Tectonics‐climate interaction studied
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

A growing number of Earth scientists are studying tectonic‐climate interaction, which is reflected in a constantly evolving mountain landscape. Robert S. Anderson, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Michael A. Ellis, Center for Earthquake Research and Information, Memphis State University, describe the field as “one of the most exciting interdisciplinary fields of Earth science.” By studying the landscape, researchers are gaining new insight into the kinematics and dynamics of crustal deformation.

Several important feedbacks may exist at the large time and length scales involved in building mountains. Tectonic uplift produces mountains that influence both regional and global climate. At the same time, the evolution of mountain belts is influenced by climatically driven erosion, which transfers crustal mass away from the mountain belt. The distribution and intensity of the erosional process is strongly affected by the uplift, and the transfer of mass affects the stress system in the crust and mantle. It has also been suggested that large regions of uplift (plateaus) may trigger global climate changes through increased weathering rates at high elevations,
A new path to magnetic reversals?
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

When the Earth's magnetic field undergoes periodic reversals, does it retain the dipolar (north‐south) character of its stable periods, or does it develop a more complex magnetic character? And during the transition from normal to reverse polarity, or the opposite, does the field show a mysterious “preference” for certain paths to its new state? Fresh evidence gathered from paleomagnetic fossils across the globe, to be aired in sessions at AGU's 1991 Fall Meeting, suggests a possible “yes” to both questions.

The Earth's magnetic field has regularly flip‐flopped from normal to reverse polarity and back again throughout the planet's history. The switches, which take a few thousand years to occur, are abundantly recorded in the fossil magnetism of rocks, both sedimentary and volcanic, formed during the times of reversal.
Can the climate be engineered?
Authors: Blue Charles
Published: October 2006

As climate research increases our understanding of the atmosphere's chemistry, serious theories are emerging that address the problems associated with engineering climate. New proposals suggest that it may be possible to reverse the trend in global warming and to replenish the diminishing ozone layer.

A special Union session titled Global Environmental Engineering, to be held at the Fall AGU Meeting in San Francisco, will bring researchers together to discuss the science and problems associated with engineering climate change. According to Ralph Cicerone, one of the session co‐conveners, “It is not our intention to propose solutions to the problems facing our climate, nor to suggest methods for altering the environment. Rather, we recognize that many people would like to see them critically reviewed to see if some of the concepts in climate engineering have merit.”
Continental crustal evolution observations
Authors: Mooney Walter D. , Meissner Rolf
Published: October 2006

How has the continental crust evolved? What are the primary processes responsible for its composition, structure, and mode of deformation? What role do fluids play in deep crustal processes? In the last dozen years, geophysicists have obtained images of the deep continental crust that can be used to examine these questions and refine geologic models of crustal evolution. In this report we summarize recent progress in geophysical studies of the deep continental crust and highlight some of the more important implications of deep crustal processes.
Bay Area Seismic Imaging Experiment
Authors:   BASIX Working Group
Published: October 2006

BASIX, the Bay Area Seismic Imaging eXperiment, conducted in September 1991, was designed to use a combination of verticalincidence and wide‐angle seismic data to image the San Andreas and associated faults. The results of this experiment will provide, for the first time, a detailed image of the plate boundary between the Pacific and North American plates.

Basic to our understanding of the earthquake cycle in the San Francisco Bay area is detailed knowledge of the structure and evolution of the complex boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. This boundary is a broad, complex zone in which slip is distributed over the San Andreas, Hayward, Rodgers Creek, Calaveras, Green Valley, and Antioch faults. The San Andreas accounts for approximately 40–60% of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates—the rest is distributed across these other faults located in the East Bay.
Present‐day CO2 emissions from volcanos
Authors: Gerlach Terrence M.
Published: October 2006

In an effort to better understand processes that control sources of CO2 in the carbon cycle, the U.S. Global Change Research Program [CEES, 1990] identifies imbonate deposition, and burial of organic matter would deplete the CO2 content of the atmosphere in 10,000 years and the atmosphere‐ocean system in 500,000 years [Holland, 1978; Berner et al., 1983]. The CO2 content of the atmosphere‐ocean system has varied in the past, but not at the rate expected if CO2 were removed and not replenished. It is assumed, therefore, that CO2 de gassing from the Earth's interior restores the deficit from surficial processes and balances the atmospheric CO2 budget on a time scale of 104–106yr. Earlier atmospheric balancing calculations imply present‐day (pre‐industrial) CO2 degassing rates of 6–7×1012 mol yr−1 [Holland, 1978; Berner et al., 1983]; recent calculations suggest degassing rates may be as high as 11×1012 mol yr−1 [Berner, 1990].
Fennoscandia Paleomagnetics Meeting
Authors: Pesonen Lauri J. , Rob Van Der Voo
Published: October 2006

In a repeat of a 1986 meeting of paleomagnetists from Scandinavia (Eos, October 27, 1987), a second meeting was held October 26 to November 2, 1990, in Luleå, Sweden, to discuss recent developments in the Precambrian.data base for Fennoscandia and other continents of interest, such as the Ukraine Block and the Gbndwana continents.

The meeting was essentially a 9‐day workshop: participants compiled, computed, and plotted, with 1 day reserved for formal presentations. In addition to host Sten Ake Elming of Luleå, the following scientists attended: L. J . Pesonen, S. Mertanen, M. Leino, J . Marmo (Finland); N. Abrahamsen (Denmark); G. Bylund, R. Gorbatschev, G. Vidal (Sweden); E. Halvorsen, M. Smethurst, T. Torsvik (Norway); A. N. Khramov, A. Krasnova, N. P. Michailova (U.S.S.R.); T. Onstott (U.S.); and R. Van der Voo (U.S./Spain).
Forensic geology exhumed
Authors: Martinez Joseph Didier
Published: October 2006

Forensic geology binds applied geology to the world of legal controversy and action. However, the term “forensic” is often misconstrued. Although even some attorneys apply it only to the marshalling of evidence in criminal cases, it has a much broader definition. One dictionary defines it as “pertaining to, connected with, or used in courts of law or public discussion and debate.” The American Geological Institute's Glossary of Geology defines forensic geology as “the application of the Earth sciences to the law.” The cited reference to Murray and Tedrow [1975], however, deals mostly if not exclusively with the gathering and use of evidence in criminal cases, despite the widespread involvement of geologists in more general legal matters. It seems appropriate to “exhume” geology's wider application to the law, which is encompassed by forensic geology.
Last interglacial in Arctic and Subarctic
Authors: Matthews John
Published: October 2006

An international group of 30 Quaternary scientists studying the last interglacial in the Arctic met recently to share regional information and to begin the compilation of paleoclimatic information on a hemispheric scale. The NATO Advanced Studies Workshop was held in Hanstholm, Denmark.

The last interglacial (s.s.) has been identified at sites across the Arctic, as have other discrete intervals later in stage 5. The development of hemispheric data sets requires international programs that foster the exchange of field‐based paleoclimate data and increased communication between field researchers and the modeling community. Toward that goal, LIGA (The Working Group on the Last Interglacial in the Arctic and Subarctic) was formed to foster the development of a global‐scale data base and to serve as an interface between field‐based Quaternary scientists and ongoing regional programs addressing the field record of the last interglacial (for example, PONAM, CELIA, SOVPEC, PALE), and the climate‐modeling community.
Sensitivity of the global climate system to initial conditions
Authors: Tsonis Anastasios A.
Published: October 2006

It is widely known that the concentration of greenhouse gases, particularly CO2, has increased steadily over the past quarter‐century. Despite the fact that the radiative properties of such gases are rather well‐understood, a clear consensus has yet to emerge among scientists as to the overall direction that global climate is evolving toward. Over the past decade, our understanding of the global climate system has advanced considerably with the development and application of increasingly sophisticated general circulation models (GCMs). In these models the dynamics, thermodynamics, radiative processes, and chemistry of the global climate system are represented to the maximum extent possible, given limitations in our understanding and computational capability.
Evaluation of Proposed Earthquake Precursors
Authors: Wyss Max
Published: October 2006

AGU's Evaluation of Proposed Earthquake Precursors presents the first results of a project carried out by the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI) to evaluate claims about precursors to earthquakes. Only three of 28 nominations were accepted for the Preliminary List of Significant Precursors that IASPEI is compiling for the International Decade for Natural Hazards Reduction. The project's purpose is to build a consensus among the scientific community as to which phenomena may be real precursors and useful for earthquake prediction studies. Because the spectrum of opinion on significant precursors is so broad, evaluation is crucial; some researchers believe that hundreds of significant precursor case histories exist, while others reject all that have been presented.
Weston observatory resumes operation
Authors: Regan Robert D.
Published: October 2006

Weston Observatory, the geophysical research facility of Boston College, announces that it has resumed operation of its geomagnetic observatory. A three‐component fluxgate magnetometer produced by the University of California, Los Angeles, has been installed in the geomagnetic observatory building. The data are sampled at 10‐s intervals and averaged over 1‐min periods. The microcomputer controlling data acquisition is linked into Boston College's Geoscience Computing Network, an internet node. Data will be submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geophysical Data Center under the reference code “B.”
Ocean bottom tiltmeter developed for submarine volcano monitoring
Authors: Staudigel H. , Wyatt F. K. , Orcutt J. O.
Published: October 2006

Most of the oceanic crust is formed by intrusive processes, yet these processes at mid‐ocean ridges are poorly understood when compared to on‐land volcanos that are well monitored with respect to their surface deformation and seismic activity. This limited knowledge of tectonic processes at mid‐ocean ridges stems from an absence of direct observations and inhibits our understanding of their magmatic segmentation, and many first‐order magmatic processes, including fractionation and mixing. As a means to improve this situation, we have installed tiltmeters in the Scripps Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBS) and begun initial performance testing in sediment and hard rock environments. These tests indicate that the TILT‐OBS is now ready for realistic, designated testing on submarine volcanos. Such tests may be in the form of a rapid response monitoring of recently discovered submarine volcanic activity, or as the first trial measurements of strain in more stable, mid‐ocean ridge volcanos.
First issue of JGR‐Planets published
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A new section of the Journal of Geophysical Research dedicated to planetary studies was sent to subscribers this week. The first issue of JGR‐Planets covers such topics as the convection of the mantle of Venus, detecting carbonates on Mars, and meteorite finds in Antarctica.

JGR‐Planets is intended to serve the entire planetary science community. The scope of the journal includes the geology, geophysics, and geochemistry of planets, satellites, and small bodies (including meteorites), as well as planetary atmospheres and planetary space physics. Papers that would have been previously published in other sections of JGR will be published in JGR‐Planets when they focus on solar system bodies other than the Earth, broad issues in planetary science, and/or when the articles address the interdisciplinary community of planetary scientists.