bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Science and the candidates
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

In early July, AGU sent letters to the major presidential candidates. These letters described AGU and its membership and posed several Questions: 1. What do you expect the role of the science advisor to be in your administration?
Water quality drained by drought
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Water quality is fast gaining on water quantity as a problem in drought‐stricken areas. Donald Goolsby, a hydrologist at the U.S. Interior Department, outlined some water quality problems in a recent ‘Water in the News’ article. Mentioning that concentrations of dissolved solids and minerals have reached record or near‐record high levels in some streams in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, and western Colorado, Goolsby added: Groundwater quality is also being affected by the drought.

‘For example, declines in groundwater levels caused by the drought and heavy pumping have allowed salt water to invade some coastal wells in California. Concentrations and residues of wastes from upstream users could conceivably build to the point where the reduced flows available downstream would just become unusable.’
Spectroscopy reveals extremely strong magnetic fields
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Optical spectra from white dwarfs with very strong magnetic fields have features unknown in any normal stars, according to Roger Angel at the University of Arizona. His recent observations suggest that the electronic structure of atoms in the white dwarfs has been substantially altered, by the magnetic field. Magnetic fields of about 100 million G have been measured.

‘Another effect of the magnetic field is to polarize the light coming from the star.’ Angel says, ‘Free electrons in the surface of the new star are forced to move in spirals by the field, and they radiate circularly polarized light that can be readily measured.’ This also occurs when magnetic white dwarfs are found in binary systems where the companion star is trying to expand and matter is spilling over onto the white dwarf. The hot gas leaving the companion is immediately influenced by the magnetic field, and its motion follows the magnetic field lines.
Soviet researchers build Antarctic airfield
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Twenty‐Third Soviet Summer Expedition has started construction of an airfield near the Soviet Molodyozhnaya Observatory. It will be the first airport to operate year round in Antarctica receiving heavy transport wheeled planes. The airfield will also improve transportation between various stations, observatories, and field groups. To build a strong and durable runway, the engineers have designed a machine which presses the snow and fuses it with ice with injections of hot air. The cover produced this way is expected to have the strength of concrete.
Nation's water supply remarkably constant
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1970s have produced both the wettest and the driest years in the U.S. since the 1930s, but despite the sharp contrasts of the past five years, on the average the nation's overall water supply has remained remarkably constant. This analysis by Walter Langbein, USGS National Center, Reston, Virginia, is based on a comparison of the charts of annual streamflow published by the USGS covering the past 57 water years. ‘The 1977 water year (October 1, 1976, to September 30, 1977) averaged 28% below normal and was actually one of the driest since 1954,’ Langbein said. ‘Only the 1931 and 1934 water years were drier, in terms of average streamflow.… In fact, 1973 averaged almost 40% above normal and was the wettest water year since at least 1927,’ he said. ‘This means that the nation's average streamflow dropped by roughly half, about 600 billion gallons per day, in the five years from 1973 to 1977’.
RGSP appoints new associate editors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics has appointed four new associate editors for three‐year terms. The policy of Reviews is to have one associate editor to represent each section of AGU. An associate editor's main responsibility is to assist the editor in maintaining a coverage of topics that is representative of AGU's wide field of interests. Although most of the articles appearing in Reviews are solicited, scientists interested in writing a review are warmly encouraged to talk with their section representative to explore the matter.
Ancient climates and solar evolution
Authors: Sagan Carl , Newkirk Gordon
Published: October 2011

A recent EOS news item summarizing an invited review paper did not intend to imply that the work reviewed was the work of a single scientist.

In view of the possibility that the reading audience may have interpreted the article in that way, we are publishing the following two letters to set the record straight.
The Chapman conference on magnetospheric substorms
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory was the site of the AGU Chapman Conference on Magnetospheric Substorms, held October 9–13,1978, and convened by S.‐I. Akasofu.

John Winckler led a group of the attendees in a climb to the ceremonial cave of a prehistoric Indian ruin at Bandelier National Monument. There they danced as the former dwellers of the pueblo had, perhaps as an impromptu evocation of a magnetospheric event. Other attendees enjoyed walking along trails among the aspen trees with full fall color under a crystal blue sky and a bright New Mexico sun. It was one of the afternoons that we had put aside for relaxation during a conference that was scheduled from 8:30 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. each day.
Fewer earthquakes in 1979
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The world was ‘considerably quieter’ in significant earthquake activity during the first half of 1979 compared to last year, according to a scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey.

The number of significant earthquakes was down sharply, with only 20 in 1979 through June 30 compared to 36 in the first half of 1978 and 62 for all of last year. Significant earthquakes are defined as those registering 6.5 or more on the Richter scale or smaller ones that cause casualties or considerable damage.
OCS orders
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The effective date for final orders regulating the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas on all leased areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) has been extended to October 1, 1979, the U.S. Geological Survey announced. Details about the extension have been published in the June 29,1979, issue of the Federal Register.

Previously, the effective date for the orders had been announced for July 1,1979; however, an extension was considered necessary to allow lease operators time to prepare written detailed comments on the orders, to determine the impacts of the orders, and to develop procedures for their implementation.
James B. Macelwane Award: Citation and Acceptance of Michael Kelley
Authors: Farley Donald T. , Kintner Paul M. , Kelley Michael
Published: October 2011

Measuring the weak electric field in the earth's upper atmosphere with an in situ probe, whether on a balloon, rocket, or satellite, is an experiment that is fraught with difficulties. Mike Kelley has been one of the pioneers in this important field and has a well‐deserved reputation for getting reliable results. Because of this, he has been involved in numerous large national and international cooperative programs. Not only does he produce payloads that work, he gets the data analyzed and the results interpreted and written up. He is an excellent theorist as well as experimentalist and his publications have had an impact in a number of different research areas.
Information wanted on water resource models
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), an advisory arm to the U.S. Congress, is seeking information from water resource professionals for the study ‘Freshwater Resources Management, Planning and Policy: An Assessment of Models and Predictive Methods.’ There is a critical need for the Congress to be informed of the use and worth of models that are increasingly relied upon as a basis for major water resource planning, management, and policy decisions involving billions of dollars annually.

The objective of the assessment is to determine the best available analysis procedures and the assumptions and limitations of these tools. Other objectives include identification of water resource models currently being used or developed and the purposes for which they are intended; future water resource model research and development needs, if any (including concerns such as quality control and technology transfer as well as research and development in specific subject areas); critical problem areas associated with the use of water resource models; legal and institutional barriers to implementation; and possible federal government roles.
IUGG and Associations Officers
Authors: Greathouse Lee
Published: October 2011

The newly elected president of IUGG is George D. Garland of the Geophysics Laboratory, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 54‐year‐old Garland will serve as head of the bureau for the period 1980–1983. He has held three other IUGG offices, including assistant secretary general, secretary general, and vice‐president.

Garland describes his field of interest as solid earth geophysics, with a past emphasis on gravity interpretation, isostasy, and terrestrial heat flow, and a present interest in electromagnetic induction in the earth and study of the earth's electric conductivity.
NOAA ship sails on trans‐Pacific research voyage: Will visit China
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

Government and university scientists aboard the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Oceanographer have begun a 20,000‐mile research odyssey that will culminate in June in a unique cooperative marine environmental study with China.

The 303‐foot, 3800‐ton vessel will be the first United States ship in more than 30 years to work in Chinese waters and to visit the Peoples' Republic of China.
NOAA postdoctoral research awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

NOAA has announced plans to award up to six postdoctoral grants to persons engaged in research in atmospheric, fisheries, and ocean sciences, and related fields. Candidates must be U.S. citizens who have received their Ph.D.'s between January 1, 1978, and June 10, 1980.

A stipend of $20,000 for 12 months, with applicable fringe benefits, is offered. The grant application will allow a request for equipment, supplies, travel, and publication. Funds up to $35,000 per year are estimated to be available, depending on the nature of the proposal.
Preliminary report on the HEAO hole in the ionosphere
Authors: Mendillo Michael , Rote Donald , Bernhardt Paul A.
Published: October 2011

The launch of NASA's third High‐Energy Astrophysical Observatory (HEAO‐C) at 0528 UT on September 20, 1979, by an Atlas‐Centaur rocket produced an extraordinary opportunity to monitor a large‐scale, artificially induced depletion of the earth's ionosphere [Mendillo et al., 1979]. The resultant plasma hole, an effect caused by rapid chemical processes between the rocket's exhaust plume of H2O and H2 and the ionospheric constituents (O+ and e−), was detected by an extensive network of temporary observatories set up specifically for the event. The purpose of this report is to provide a brief summary of the initial results obtained, as described at the recent workshop/symposium ‘Preliminary Evaluation of the Ionospheric Disturbances Associated with the HEAO‐C Launch, With Applications to the SPS Environmental Assessment’ held at Boston University's Osgood Hill Conference Center, November 11–13, 1979.
Bathymetric map of oil and gas lease area available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A bathymetric map of oil and gas lease sale area 55 is available from the U.S. Geological Survey. The map, U.S.G.S. Open File Report 80‐649, ‘Bathymetric Map of the Outer Continental Shelf between Yakutat Bay and Dry Bay, Eastern Gulf of Alaska,’ is by Glenn P. Thrasher and Bruce W. Turner. The 1:250,000‐scale map was constructed from high‐resolution seismic reflection data from a U.S.G.S. contract survey conducted in 1979.
Renaming a mountain
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

‘What's in a name?’ Shakespeare asked. Mount McKinley by any other name would still be the highest mountain in North America, but there's an ongoing debate to rename it.

Pending congressional action, the 20,300‐ft (6187.5‐m) mountain's name could be changed to its original Tanana Indian name, ‘Denali’ (not ‘Mount Denali’). Simultaneously, the U.S. Board of Geopgrahic Names is gathering public comment on the proposed change. Although the board does not take action on geographic names when congressional action on the issue is pending, Congress could relegate responsibility for the name change to the board, according to Donald J. Orth. Orth is a geographic names specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey and executive secretary of the board's Domestic Name Committee.
Frank Press moving to NAS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Frank Press, the 1980 Bowie medalist, will not return to Massachusetts Institute of Technology from his present post as presidential science advisor, at least not before serving one or two 6‐year terms as president of the National Academy of Sciences, succeeding Philip Handler. As reported in Science (Oct. 3, p. 24), Frank Press is the NAS nominee, and will become president, pending approval of the full NAS membership.

The move from White House science advisor to the academy is an apolitical one for Press; he accepted the job with President Carter for one term only. There are, however, a few minor, but nagging concerns that involve the connection between the two posts. Press' image has been that of an effective and urbane advisor to the president. He has not issued the vociferous and shrill cries of the liberal college professor who has a cause to promote or a social injustice to correct. Instead he has supported the president and, in thus serving, has represented the science community well. For those who would rather see the presidential science advisor as an advocate or as a respondent to congressional demands, Press may have appeared low‐key. His effectiveness as president of the Academy may have the same basis; he may not have the outspoken controversial posture of his predecessor.
Big science victim of budget game
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

In an apparent effort to make certain that the newly proposed cuts in the federal budget reach all factions, except of course those that involve the military‐industrial complex, David Stockman, the key player of the ‘budget game,’ has leaked to the press some of his plans that could virtually eliminate many parts of big science over the next decade. Two agencies that are important in this respect, and important to a large proportion of the geophysical community, are NASA and NOAA. There are portions of the budgets of both of these agencies that because of military significance will go unscathed. Unfortunately the ‘across‐the‐board’ cuts proposed by OMB Director Stockman will have to be concentrated on the rest that are relatively indefensible from a military standpoint and that turn out to be the most science intensive.
Deep seabed mining regulations
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The first step toward implementing national seabed mining legislation has been taken by publishing proposed deep seabed mining regulations. Under the 1980 Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, which encourages continued development of American seabed mining technology, the proposed regulations were due by March, with final regulations being due by September. In addition to developing rules for American seabed miners, the act authorized recognition of licenses issued by other seabed mining nations and encourages entry into force of an acceptable law of the sea treaty.

Provisions of the act consistent with a law of the sea treaty will remain in effect if such a treaty comes into force for the United States. Implementation of the act, including establishing reciprocal arrangements with other nations that enact ocean mining legislation, will provide a more stable investment climate for the seabed mining industry and will encourage early exploitation of manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper from deep seabed manganese nodules. The U.S. imports virtually all of its manganese, cobalt, and nickel. Seabed mining could make the U.S. self‐sufficient in these metals.
Shuttle upper stage for Galileo
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

NASA has awarded four letter contracts totaling $7,483,000 for design of a modified Centaur launch vehicle and related components for use as an upper stage with the space shuttle. The modified Centaur will be an adaptation of the vehicle that has flown as an upper stage for both the Atlas and Titan boosters over the past 15 years.

All of the contracts are in support of the Galileo mission to Jupiter scheduled for launch in 1985 and the International Solar Polar Mission in 1986.
Keyworth reflects Reagan Policy
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

George Keyworth, new presidential science advisor, revealed what may be the elements of a new approach to the support of scientific research in the United States. Keyworth gave his first major address at the recent Research and Development Policy Seminar held in Washington under the sponsorship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The United States must be prepared to relinquish its leadership position in some areas of scientific research, he stated. The U.S. will focus its science toward assuring that the country is second to none in military might.
Senate confirms Peck appointment
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

The U.S. Senate confirmed on September 18 the appointment of Dallas L. Peck as director of the U.S. Geological Survey. Peck, chief geologist at the USGS since 1977, is a Fellow of AGU and a recent past president of AGU's Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology section.
Future of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet
Authors: Langseth Marcus G.
Published: October 2011

In recent years, the U.S. oceanographic community has suffered a significant reduction in the size of its research fleet; if funding for the research fleet does not increase, the academic community may lose one or two more of its larger ships during the next 5 years. Federal agencies that sponsor research at sea, primarily the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), are deeply concerned about the diminishing U.S. oceanographic capability, and they have requested a special study of the problem by the Ocean Science Board of the National Academy of Sciences. This study, under the direction of Michael Mullin of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, is nearing completion, and a report is expected soon. In the following, I try to identify some of the reasons for this reduction, although the primary reason is not hard to anticipate (operating costs have been rising much faster than operating funds over the past 10 years).
Deep sea cores available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists aboard the Glomar Challenger collected a 235‐m core of marine sediment specifically for geochemical study. This core, obtained with the hydraulic piston corer from site 532 (leg 75) in the South Atlantic, was frozen immediately upon its retrieval to preserve its organic geochemical properties. Samples from this core are now available to researchers.

Site 532 is a reoccupation of deep‐sea drilling (DSDP) site 362 of leg 40. The organic carbon content in this bioturbated core ranges between 1 and 6% and appears to fluctuate markedly on a time scale of 20,000–50,000 years. The lowest values occur in deeper sediments, and they generally are higher in younger sediments, reflecting an intensification of upwelling conditions at this location. An organic carbon maximum in upper Pliocene sediments records stronger upwelling conditions during that time.
Comet collides with Sun
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) report what they say is the first positive evidence of a celestial body colliding with the sun. Recent analysis of data from NRL's SOLWIND experiment shows that on August 30, 1979, a comet apparently collided with the sun, scattering cometary debris in a halo that rose millions of kilometers above the solar surface.

SOLWIND, in earth orbit aboard the Department of Defense's P78‐1 satellite, includes a coronograph designed to measure activity in the sun's outer corona. One of the instrument's features is an occulting disk, which simulates a total solar eclipse.
Quasi‐periodic climatic changes on Mars and Earth
Authors: Cutts James A. , Pollack James B. , Howard Alan D. , Toon Owen B.
Published: October 2011

Observations by the Mariner 9 and Viking Orbiter spacecraft have yielded intriguing evidence that a geologic record of cyclical climate change exists in the polar regions of Mars. Cyclical climate changes are readily explained theoretically because the surface and atmosphere of Mars experience quasi‐periodic variations in the amount and distribution of solar heating because of major perturbations in orbital and axial elements. However, the effect of these perturbations on climate are poorly understood, the mechanisms for establishing geologic records of climate are not well defined, and no definitive correlation of orbital/axial perturbations and polar stratigraphy has ever been demonstrated.
Earth Dynamics Study
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

The 56 investigators in NASA's Crustal Dynamics Project met in September at the Goddard Space Flight Center to review the project, which will study the earth's tectonic plate movements, crustal deformation, and rotational dynamics. European investigators convened October 30. Using precise geodetic data obtained with such space techniques as laser ranging and radio interferometry, investigators will study regional crustal deformation in California, Alaska, and other regions of high earthquake activity; the current‐day relative motion between the earth's major tectonic plates; the internal stability of the North American and Pacific plates; and variations in the Earth's rotation rate and position of its polar axis. The project will extend through 1986.
Technion offers new water degree
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A three‐semester program will begin this October at Technion‐lsrael Institute of Technology that will lead to a master of science degree in engineering and management of water resources. The program supersedes six 3‐month nondegree courses and two 15‐month degree programs that were partially sponsored by the Israeli government and were geared primarily for students from developing countries. The new program is aimed at a wider audience than were the previous ones and will be conducted without government support, according to Jacob Bear, the program's coordinator. Technion is a private institute which, like most universities, receives government funds for some of its programs.
Nimbus‐7 coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) data
Authors: Hovis Warren A.
Published: October 2011

The Nimbus‐7 spacecraft was launched in October 1978 with a Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) devoted principally to measurements of ocean color. It has six spectral bands; four chiefly for ocean color, each of 20 nanometer spectral bandwidth and centered at 443, 520, 550, and 670 nanometers. Another channel senses reflected solar radiance, but has a 700–800 nanometer spectral bandwidth and a dynamic range more suited for land. A channel operates in the 10.5–12.5 micrometer region and senses thermal radiance for derivation of equivalent blackbody temperature. This channel operated from October 1978 until November 1979 and from April to October 1980. The sensor swathwidth is approximately 1600 km with a spatial resolution at the nadir of 800 m. The sensor has a tilt mechanism to avoid glint, where the angle of scan can be tilted in 2° increments up to 20° either ahead or behind the spacecraft line of flight. The angle of tilt is, again, determined by solar elevation angle. More detail is available in papers by Hovis et al. (Nimbus‐7 coastal zone color scanner: System description and initial imagery, Science, 210, 60, 1980) and Gordon et al. (Phytoplankton pigments from the Nimbus‐7 coastal zone color scanner: Comparisons with surface measurements, Science, 210, 63, 1980).
Surface Mining: Soil, Coal, and Society
Authors: Singer S. Fred
Published: October 2011

Soil is a resource that is for all practical purposes nonrenewable. Natural soils have been formed over periods of thousands of years, although with intensive management and with inputs of nutrients and conditioners this time could be reduced.

Coal is another precious resource, of critical importance as an interim fuel for perhaps the next hundred years or so, until renewable energy resources based on nuclear fusion or solar energy can become economic and widespread. Surface mining is the most efficient method for obtaining coal at lowest cost. But it disturbs the soil and takes it out of agricultural production for many years or decades, and sometimes forever, unless the land is properly restored at considerable cost.
Exploration of the Polar Upper Atmosphere
Authors: Greenwald R. A.
Published: October 2011

Exploration of the Polar Upper Atmosphere is primarily a compilation of tutorial lectures on the many aspects of geophysics that comprise research of the high latitude atmosphere and its extension into space. The topics covered range from the stratosphere to the solar wind, touching on neutral and plasma dynamics as well as atmospheric chemistry. On reading this volume one will probably be impressed with the breadth of the field and with the breadth of knowledge that is required for understanding. This impression is undoubtedly enhanced by the fact that the NATO Advanced Study at which these lectures were given was broader in scope than were previous advanced studies on similar topics.
Survey of applications of passive microwave remote sensing for soil moisture in the U.S.S.R.
Authors: Jackson Thomas J.
Published: October 2011

The U.S.S.R. has conducted several investigations to evaluate passive microwave remote sensing in selected agricultural and hydrologic problems. These include irrigation scheduling and management, floodplain delineation, and drainage basin analysis. Since many of these results are scattered through translations of limited distribution, this survey was conducted to summarize the results.
The Inaccessible Earth
Authors: Kaula William M.
Published: October 2011

This book is certainly the best of half a dozen or so texts on earth and planetary interiors I have reviewed. The authors have significantly different backgrounds, Geoff Brown being a geochemist interested in the origin of granite, while Alan Mussett is a geophysicist working on paleomagnetism and rock dating. The book reads as though it were the happy consequence of each collaborator insisting that the other write in a manner easily understood by his coauthor.

The Inaccessible Earth can be confidently recommended for undergraduate physical science majors, as well as being useful to graduate students and researchers wanting guides to the solid earth outside their own specialties.
AGU
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

On July 1, newly elected section and union officers will assume their roles as members of the Council. Each new section president elect will serve 2 years in that capacity, then 2 years as section president.

These are the Council members who will serve through June 30, 1984
Mt. St. Helens update
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Mt. St. Helens Volcano, Cascade Range, Southern Washington, USA (46.20°N, 122.18°W). All times are local (GMT−7 h). Lava extrusion that began early August 18 added a new lobe to the composite dome at Mt. St. Helens. Seismicity and increasing deformation of the dome and the surrounding crater floor preceded the eruption, which included about a day of strong endogenous dome growth before lava appeared at the surface.

Distances and vertical angles were measured between five sites on the crater floor and targets (five to six per station) on the dome. Slow outward movement of dome targets began in mid‐June, about a month after the end of the May extrusion episode. The rate of expansion remained a few millimeters per day until the end of July, when it increased to a few centimeters per day. Rapid acceleration of dome deformation started about August 6, but was strongly asymmetrical and concentrated on the west side. Some targets on the west side of the dome were moving outward at 30 cm/d by August 15, but distances between crater floor and points on the east and north sides of the dome shortened by no more than 4 and 5 cm/d, respectively, and no movement occurred there until a week before the eruption.
Kentucky map
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A wall‐sized geological map of Kentucky, the product of 18 years of work, has just been released. Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) at the University of Kentucky, the map is unique, according to state geologist Donald Haney, because it is the first and only state map ever produced in detailed form from geologic quadrangle maps already available from the KGS.

At a scale of 1:250,000, the map shows the surface distribution of various types of rock throughout the state, as well as geologic structure, faults, and surface coal beds. Numerous geologic sections, stratigraphic diagrams, correlation charts, and structure sections accompany the map. Compiled by R. C. McDowell and S. L. Moore of the USGS and by G. J . Grabowski of the KGS, the map was made by photoreducing and generalizing the detailed geologic quadrangle maps.
Field studies courses open
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Fourteen month‐long courses combining applied academics with training in field research methodology are being offered this summer by the School for Field Studies. The courses, held in eight countries during May, June, July, and August, provide unique opportunities for participants to work as a team under primitive conditions.

‘Our courses bind together the academic challenge of the research problem, the physical challenge of the site itself, and the interpersonal challenge of the expedition team in a dynamic way so that both cognitive and affective learning are accelerated,’ according to Jim Elder, the school's director.
Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations in Science and Engineering
Authors: Wang Herbert F.
Published: October 2011

The book by Lapidus and Pinder is a very comprehensive, even exhaustive, survey of the subject. The dust jacket accurately labels the book as a reference/text. In the first three chapters a brief introduction is given to the terminology of partial differential equations followed by a very good description of the basic concepts of finite difference and finite element techniques. The final three chapters deal individually with parabolic, elliptic, and hyperbolic equations. The book is unique in that it covers equally finite difference and finite element methods. Smaller coverage is given to collocation and boundary element methods.
Igneous Rocks of the British Isles
Authors: Currie K. L.
Published: October 2011

Much of the foundation of petrology was laid on the igneous rocks of the British Isles—one need only recall the Tertiary igneous rocks of northern Scotland. However, the relations between various occurrences of these igneous rocks (and in some cases even their locations) have remained obscure for many of us familiar with the British Isles only through the voluminous literature. This weighty and densely written tome will serve as a most useful guide and reference for all those interested in British igneous rocks. The volume specifically aims to continue that grand classic of observational geology, Ancient Volcanoes of Great Britain by Archibald Geikie. It does not achieve quite that level but will surely remain an indispensable general reference for many years if only because of its extensive bibliography.
Data from DMSP spacecraft
Authors: Shapley A. H.
Published: October 2011

Imagery data and in situ measurements of interest for solar‐terrestrial physics and meteorological and snow and ice research are available from a new Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite launched December 20, 1982. The images are both visual and infrared with a spatial resolution of 2.8 km. The in situ data are precipitating electrons and protons, topside ionospheric plasma, and bremsstrahlung X rays. Through the cooperation of the U.S. Air Force, the data are available from the Boulder data centers—the National Geophysical Data Center operated by NOAA and the collaborating National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Is space for ordinary people?
Authors: Bell Peter M.
Published: October 2011

A blue ribbon Advisory Council to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently reported the results of its 1‐year study on whether to send private citizens on space shuttle missions. The answer from this panel, which was made up of an astronaut, a physician, several major space industry executives, and the author James A. Michener, was yes. If this result is acted upon, private citizens may fly on a shuttle mission in this decade.

The NASA Advisory Council claimed at the outset that the concept is not to be misconstrued as a self‐serving public relations program. The main objective, it would appear, is for laymen to provide real functions in space missions; they could add a valuable dimension to the missions, if only by communicating first‐hand space experiences to the general public. But, in addition to the widespread public interest in space, ordinary citizens are needed now and in the future: Inspace technological manufacturing plants appear to be a good bet in a decade or so, and civilians can contribute to readiness programs as they work with highly specialized astronaut pilots.
TV series on geophysics
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

A seven‐part public television series on earth sciences, dubbed “Terra Nova,” is expected to begin filming this fall. The series, slated for prime time, is also designed as an introductory course in geophysics for college students who are not science majors. Completion of filming is expected in 1985; no air date has been scheduled.

Public television station WQED, Pittsburgh, in association with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), is producing “Terra Nova.” WQED and NAS collaborated on the production of the Planet Earth series, which originally aired some 25 years ago. The Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Project has provided a $3 million grant for “Terra Nova.” Two years ago AGU gave $10,000 for NAS to develop basic scientific plans for the geophysics series.
Satellites of Jupiter
Authors: Stevenson D. J.
Published: October 2011

Future historians of science will look back on the arrivals of the Voyager spacecraft at the Jupiter system in 1979 as very significant events, primarily because of the remarkable diversity of new phenomena discovered on the Galilean satellites. In a short time period, there was almost a doubling of the number of solid “planetary” bodies for which substantial scientific analysis is possible. Scientists were introduced to the novelties of tidally heated bodies and of ice tectonics. From a more fundamental point of view, there is much to be learned about the origin and evolution of planets and their environments from analysis of the satellite systems. Any doubts about the importance of studying planetary satellites must have been dispelled by the Voyager missions.
Rock mechanics research awards
Authors: Wagner John E.
Published: October 2011

The U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics, at its June 1983 annual meeting, adopted three actions to enhance the competition and public awareness of its annual awards program for rock mechanics papers. It will issue a call for nominations of outstanding papers; it will request participating societies to announce the names of award winners and the titles of papers, and it will publish an abstract of the winning papers in the proceedings of the annual U.S. Rock Mechanics Symposium in the year following the awards.

The competition is open to papers, by U.S residents or students in a U.S. school, published in an English language publication normally available in the United States. The following authors and papers are the 1983 award winners:
Nature and Origin of Cretaceous Carbon‐rich Facies
Authors: Force Eric
Published: October 2011

Nature and Origin of Cretaceous Carbon‐rich Facies is a symposium volume and shows the weaknesses endemic to its genre. One could ignore the book and its shortcomings if the topic were less promising. But the book attempts to cover an advance in the science of geology as intriguing as any since plate tectonics. After seven years since the “ocean anoxic event” concept was broached, it is time for a comprehensive volume on the subject. The niche is still open; this volume doesn't fill it.
The Comparative Study of the Planets
Authors: Sonett C. P.
Published: October 2011

Whoa, another entry in the unending sequence o f symposium proceedings? Well, yes, but so what! Does it provide an up‐to‐date review of the field? Or does it provide a cluster of new results unavailable elsewhere in a convenient form? Is the scientific quality high? And for the bottom line, does a positive answer to these questions imply that the value is consistent with the cost either personally or for local (departmental) acquisition?
Water Resources Research editor
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The leading journal in the water sciences is seeking candidates and nominations to succeed Stephen J. Burges, whose term as editor ends December 1984.

To respond to the increasing number of high‐quality submissions, Water Resources Research (WRR) will be published monthly beginning January 1984. The successful candidate will handle original contributions on the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of water research.
Future natural gas supplies
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Despite recent optimism about the outlook for the future supply of domestic conventional natural gas, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) finds insufficient evidence to clearly justify either an optimistic or a pessimistic view. In a technical memorandum entitled “U.S. Natural Gas Availability: Conventional Gas Supply Through the Year 2000,” released recently by Rep. Philip R. Sharp (D‐Ind,), chairman of the Subcommittee on Fossil and Synthetic Fuels of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, OTA concluded that substantial technical uncertainties prevented a reliable estimation of the likely natural gas production rates for later in this century. Even ignoring the potential for significant changes in gas prices and technology, OTA estimated that conventional gas production by the lower 48 states in the year 2000 could range from 9 to 19 trillion cubic feet (TCF) (0.25 to 0.53 trillion cubic meters), compared to 1982 production of 17.5 TCF. Similarly, production in the year 1990 could range from 13 to 20 TCF.
Water in silicate melts
Authors: McMillan Paul , Stolper Edward
Published: October 2011

Water is one of the more important volatile species in magmas, both in terms of its abundance and its influence on the properties of a given magma. Many workers in the geological sciences have measured, modeled, and speculated on the interaction of water with silicate melts as a function of pressure. At the same time, glass and materials scientists have collected a considerable body of data on the effect of water on the properties of liquid and glassy silicates at 1 atmosphere (1.01325×105 N m−2) and below. A special session on “Solubility and Transport Properties of Water in Silicate Melts” was held during the 1983 AGU Spring Meeting, May 30–June 3, in Baltimore. The session had three main objectives: (1) review the present data base and discuss the status of current models in order to identify areas where further work is needed; (2) introduce interested geologists to the large body of work being carried out in the glass and materials sciences; and (3) consider static properties, such as thermodynamic relations, structure of hydrous melts, and dynamic properties including diffusion and viscosity. This report summarizes the major topics discussed. More detailed information may be found in the published abstracts (Eos, May 3, 1983, pp. 338–343).
Molecular computers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Computer circuits consisting of organic molecules could offer a solution to problems foreseen in future processor designs. Geophysicists and astronomers are among those needing huge, ultrafast computational facilities. It takes the ultimate in computing power to track fluid How in petroleum reservoirs, to analyze data from 3‐dimensional instrument arrays, and to conduct imaging measurements of planetary surfaces in real time.

In a sense, silicon and germanium integrated computer circuit designs are running out of the time‐space dimensions to fill the need. Organic molecular circuits, some of which will contain no metallic conduction elements as normally conceived, may be able to be produced with appropriately small time delays and physical dimensions between electronic elements. Because of limitations of conventional integrated circuits, the number of transistors that can be fabricated onto a single chip may never exceed 0.6‐1×109. This number may have no relevance to molecular computer circuits, in which logically based entities provide intelligent switches much like those of living systems.
Actions at Hamburg International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interiors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

President: Ziro Suzuki (Japan); First Vice‐President: St. Müller (Switzerland); Second Vice‐President: A. V. Nikolaev (USSR); Secretary‐General/Treasurer: R. D. Adams (UK)

B. A. Bolt (USA); E. R. Engdahl (USA); C. Froidevaux (France); E. G. Kausel (Chile); Xu Shao‐xic (China)
New infrared detectors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists at General Electric's Research and Development Center in Schenectady, N.Y., have developed a new process for manufacturing indium antimonide detectors that will allow them to be used in infrared space satellites for the first time. The process reduces impurities in the detectors and so decreases their “noise” level.

In order to make sensitive infrared observations, detectors using conventional indium antimonide must be operated at temperatures below −184°C, which require liquid nitrogen or liquid helium for cooling. The new detectors will operate effectively at temperatures as high as −151°C, however, and can be maintained indefinitely by satellite refrigeration systems powered by onboard solar cells.
Recent Ph.D.'s
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Eos periodically lists information on recently accepted doctoral dissertations in the disciplines of geophysics. Faculty members are invited to submit the following information, on institution letterhead, above the signature of the faculty advisor or department chairman
AGU membership applications
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Applications for membership have been received from the following individuals. The letter after the name denotes the proposed primary section affiliation.
Magnetic reconnection
Authors: Hones Edward W.
Published: October 2011

A Chapman Conference on Magnetic Reconnection was held at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, October 3–7, 1983. More than 125 scientists, from more than a dozen countries, participated in the meeting, where 62 scientific papers were presented and discussed. This report briefly reviews material presented at the conference after first giving some background information on magnetic reconnection.

In many interesting systems of magnetized plasmas, magnetic field lines can be divided into several classes on the basis of their topological properties. One such system is sketched in Figure 1. This represents earth's magnetosphere, enveloped in the flowing solar wind which is threaded by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). In this system four classes of field lines are identified: (1) “closed” field lines connected to earth at both ends, (2) “interplanetary” field lines that do not connect to earth at all, (3) “open” field lines connected to earth at one end and to the interplanetary field at the other, and (4) “magnetic loops” that connect neither to earth nor to the interplanetary field. Surfaces called separatrices (heavy lines in Figure 1) separate the regions of different topology (i.e., 2 from 3, 1 from 3, and 1 from 4), and these intersect or close upon themselves along lines called X lines (indicated at A, B, and C in Figure 1).
Rating the winter weather forecast
Authors: Richman Barbara T.
Published: October 2011

For the second year in a row, the National Weather Service (NWS) winter forecast fell disappointingly short of the mark because of an unforseen atmospheric event that shaped an entire season of weather. This winter it was a mass of bitter cold arctic air that caused December's record‐breaking low temperatures and established the character of January and February weather patterns, according to Donald L. Gilman, chief of the NWS longrange predictions branch. As a result, says Gilman, the weather prediction issued in November (Eos, December 20, 1983, p. 985) was “not a good forecast.” Once the model makers started seeing the cold temperatures in December, however, they were able to update their figures for a new 3‐month forecast extending through March that turned out to be quite accurate.

NWS issues a 3‐month forecast each month. The most publicized forecast, according to Gilman, is the November one that covers the entire winter season. At the end of each prediction period, the forecast is given a numerical accuracy score. A rating of zero would mean that the forecast was no better than what might be predicted from general climatological data. Above zero, though, means that the forecast is “skilled,” and a score of 100 would mean 100% accuracy. (Scores generally range between +10 and −15.) Using this method of figuring probability scores, the November forecast earned a low score of −5, ranking it 13th among the 18 predictions issued by NWS since these forecasts began a couple of years ago. Last winter's forecast, sabotaged by a surprisingly strong El Niño, ranked 14th.
Acid rain report focuses on forests
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Recent research on acid precipitation yields “increasing general concern about possible effects on forests,” according to the second annual report of the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP). Prepared by the Interagency Task Force on Acid Precipitation, the report outlines the accomplishments of the national program during fiscal 1983, summarizes the current state of scientific knowledge (including a change in the baseline acidity of precipitation), and describes the outlook for current progress by federally funded acid precipitation research. Chris Bernabo is the program's executive director.

NAPAP's annual report agrees with the finding of a National Research Council (NRC) committee that a linear relationship exists between sulfur dioxide emissions and wet deposition of sulfate (Eos, July 26, 1983, p. 475). NRC's Committee on Atmospheric Transport and Chemical Transformation in Acid Precipitation, which issued its report last year, was chaired by Jack G. Calvert of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.