bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence suggests slab melting in arc magmas
Authors: Defant Marc J. , Kepezhinskas Pavel
Published: October 2006

Most recent geology textbooks state that subduction‐related volcanism is due to the melting of the down‐going lithosphere. However, for the last 30 years, few in the field have seriously believed that the subducting slab is the source of arc basalts. The accepted hypothesis involves melting of the mantle wedge above the slab via hydrous fluids produced during the transition of the subducting basalt from amphibolite to eclogite. The parental basalts differentiate primarily through crystal fractionation, magma mixing, and differentiation at the Mohorovicic discontinuity into andesites and dacites as they ascend; the basalts are too dense to rise through the lower continental crust. This explains the relative abundance of differentiated rocks in arcs.
Dead Sea gives life to a unique seismic calibration experiment
Authors: Gitterman Yefim , Shapira Avi
Published: October 2006

An unusual seismic and hydro‐acoustic experiment involving large underwater chemical explosions has been conducted in the Dead Sea. The purpose of this creative, cost‐efficient venture was to improve monitoring and verification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in the Middle East.

The goals of the experiment were to calibrate the regional travel times of the seismic waves from the explosions; to provide data for source characterization; and to improve detection, location, and discrimination capabilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS) stations. From a seismologist's point of view, the experiment's main 5‐ton explosion exceeded expectations. The blast was recorded at 8 IMS stations (including PDYAR in Russia, more than 5000 km away), with the estimated location only 2.3 km from ground truth, and an event magnitude of mb=3.9 [Center for Monitoring Research, 1999]. These results compare to the predicted local magnitude of about 4 and the maximal observable range of about 2600 km [Gitterman, 1998]. A lack of a detectable signal on some nearer stations will likely reveal important path effects.
Radiogenic isotopes: New tools help reconstruct paleocean circulation and erosional input
Authors: Frank M. , Davies G. R. , Claude‐Ivanaj C. , Hofmann A. W.
Published: October 2006

Ocean and atmosphere circulation and continental weathering regimes have undergone great changes over thousands of years as well as tens of millions of years. During the glacial stages of the Pleistocene, ocean circulation was generally more sluggish and deep water circulation in the Atlantic had a shallower flow. At the same time, weathering on the continents was enhanced by glacial erosion, particularly in high northern latitudes, which increased the input of erosional detritus into the ocean. In addition, atmospheric pressure gradients were larger, leading to higher wind speeds and increased supply of aeolian dust to the ocean. Prior to the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation and pronounced glacial/interglacial cyclicity at ∼3 m.ya., global climate was warmer than at present. There is also evidence for a more vigorous thermohaline circulation during the early Pliocene.
“Edifice Rex” Sulfide Recovery Project: Analysis of submarine hydrothermal, microbial habitat
Authors: Delaney John R. , Kelley Deborah S. , Mathez Edmond A. , Yoerger Dana R. , Baross John , Schrenk Matt O. , Tivey Margaret K. , Kaye Jonathan , Robigou Veronique
Published: October 2006

Recent scientific developments place inquiries about submarine volcanic systems in a broad planetary context. Among these is the discovery that submarine eruptions are intimately linked with massive effusions of microbes and their products from below the sea floor [Holden et al., 1998]. This material includes microbes that only grow at temperatures tens of degrees higher than the temperatures of the vent fluids from which they were sampled. Such results lend support for the existence of a potentially extensive, but currently unexplored sub‐sea floor microbial biosphere associated with active submarine volcanoes [Deming and Baross, 1993; Delaney et al., 1998; Summit and Baross, 1998].
Visualizing Laurentian Great Lakes ice cycles
Authors: Assel Raymond A. , Norton David C.
Published: October 2006

In 1994, under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Earth System and Data Information Management (ESDIM) Program, a project was initiated to update a 20‐winter digital ice concentration database and ice concentration climatology (see Internet at http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Task_rpts/ccassell l‐2.html). The data reduction phase of that project is now complete. The National Ice Center (NIC) and the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) contributed the historic ice charts used in this project. The first analysis product from the updated database is a set of computer animations of the seasonal progression of ice cover extent and concentration for 23 individual winter seasons.
Climate implications of changing Arctic sea ice
Authors: Miller Gifford H. , Geirsdottir Áslaug , Koerner Roy M.
Published: October 2006

Straddling the mid‐Atlantic ridge, Iceland may be best known to the world for its fiery volcanic history, violent earthquakes, and massive jökulhlaups—episodic outbursts of sub‐glacial lakes melted by underlying magma. But this poem, written by Matthias Jochumsson in 1888 and titled simply “The Sea Ice” [Jochumsson, 1915] illustrates why the most insidious disruption to the Icelandic people is the havoc wrought by the quiet approach of sea ice. No other natural disaster has brought such cruelty famine, and death. From Jochumsson: “Where is the ocean, where is the bright, free, silvery ocean?… When you [sea ice] appear, the nation and its history are extinguished; then is death, and deep, dark night…”
NEAR spacecraft makes first‐ever landing on an asteroid
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Robert Farquhar had a little extra reason to feel optimistic on February 12.

The newspaper horoscope for Virgo for that day had indicated that his lucky number is five. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute, we have five burns today’” said Farquhar, mission director for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's (APL) NEAR Shoemaker mission.
Investigating groundwater systems at regional and national scales
Authors: Bradbury K. R. , Logan W. S.
Published: October 2006

There is an acute need for assessment of the groundwater resources of the United States at regional and national scales. This is the principal finding of a National Research Council (NRC) report titled “Investigating Groundwater Systems on Regional and National Scales” published in December 2000.

While groundwater knows no political boundaries, groundwater studies, unfortunately do. In the United States, most regional‐scale groundwater studies are conducted either by state geological surveys or by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Most groundwater studies conducted by the USGS, with the exception of those of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, are done under the Federal‐State Cooperative Water (Co‐op) Program. Co‐op studies only occasionally cross county lines, much less state lines. This is because they must be funded at least 50% by a local partner.
Seki receives 2001 F. L. Scarf award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Kanako Seki was awarded the E.L. Scarf Award for her thesis entitled “On the Origin and Dynamics of Lobe/Mantle Plasmas in the Earth's Magnetosphere.” She will be formally presented the award during the AGU 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, May 29–June 2. The award is given annually to a recent Ph.D. recipient for outstanding dissertation research that contributes directly to solar‐planetary science.
Making Waves: Stories From My Life
Authors: Benson Robert F.
Published: October 2006

Yakov Alpert, a scientist internationally respected for his research on the ionosphere and magnetosphere, selected an apt title for his most recent book. Scientists familiar with Alpert's pioneering papers and books in radio‐wave physics over many decades will immediately recognize the significance of the first part of the title, Making Waves.

It is unlikely however, that many could imagine the challenges faced by Alpert in the former Soviet system to produce these achievements and present them to the outside world. The second part of the title, “Stories from my Life,” relates to these episodes, which are vividly described in the book. It is also strongly tied to the first part of the title, because to survive as a productive scientist, Alpert had to make waves within the established bureaucracy in addition to making them within the ionosphere. He did so with a high degree of integrity as illustrated in the book's epilogue. Here, Alpert states,“…I have always found it difficult, even impossible, to behave in such a way as to be in contradiction with myself, to be at odds with my own conscience. I am aware that such a stance can lead to conflict with others…It helped to save my self‐respect… What I say here can also be an answer to those in the West who have asked me,‘How did you save yourself? What is your secret?’”
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Geomagnetism & Paleomagnetism (GP) Section presented four outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
Outstanding student paper award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Geodesy Section presented an outstanding student paper award at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
Continental margin sedimentation to be studied in New Zealand
Authors: Gomez Basil , Fulthorpe Craig , Carter Lionel , Berryman Kelvin , Browne Greg , Green Mal , Hicks Murray , Trustrum Noel
Published: October 2006

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) MARGINS research program examines the processes governing continental margin evolution through four science initiatives. By promoting research strategies that redirect traditional approaches, these initiatives will help to stimulate coordinated, interdisciplinary research in a few focus areas over the next decade. For the MARGINS Source‐to‐Sink science initiative, New Zealand and New Guinea have been selected as the two primary focus areas (http://www.ldeo.columbiaedu/margins/SedStrat.html).
Further emissions cuts needed for speedier acid rain recovery
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Some people may have thought that the problem of acid deposition, commonly referred to as acid rain, had been solved in the United States with the passage of the Acid Deposition Control Program under Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA).

Although that legislation has helped to dramatically limit emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide—gases that can react in the atmosphere and form acidic compounds, including fine particles of sulfates and nitrates— much steeper cuts are needed for a quicker recovery from acid rain in the north‐eastern United States, according to a new scientific appraisal of the effectiveness of measures called for in that law. The appraisal was issued on March 26 and is entitled “Acidic Deposition in the Northeastern United States: Sources and Inputs, Ecosystem Effects, and Management Strategies.”
Drawing the lines
Authors: Memmi John M.
Published: October 2006

In the United States, along with the decennial census comes the once‐per‐decade task of redistricting. Redistricting is the drawing of legislative district boundaries in response to changes in state population totals, with the goal of assuring as near‐equal representation of each person as is practicable. Or, as I heard one expert describe it, redistricting is an “under the radar” activity that has a profound impact on all legislative levels, and yields the blueprint for public policy—including science policy—for years to come. Though this may not be obvious, legislators set the policy pace and allocate funds to support that policy.
Holton receives 2000 Roger Revelle Medal
Authors: Anderson James G. , Holton James R.
Published: October 2006

James R. Holton was awarded the Roger Revelle Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on December 17, 2000, in San Francisco, California. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions toward an understanding of the Earth's atmospheric processes, including its dynamics, chemistry, and radiationsemi; the roles of atmosphere, atmosphere‐ocean coupling or atmosphere‐land coupling in determining the climate, biogeochemical cycles, or other key elements of the integrated climate system.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Earth Processes, Tectonophysics/Seismology Section presented eleven outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California last December.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Biogeosciences Section presented eleven outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California last December.
New U.S. climate change policy draws questions about its scientific basis
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Statements in March by U.S. President George W. Bush' administration opposing the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC), without yet suggesting any alternative to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, have prompted a number of scientists and policy analysts to question whether the administration—which has emphasized the importance of relying on sound science—based this decision on sound science.
[Comment on “Teaching evolution, the Kansas School Board of Education, and the democratization of science”] The causes of anti‐science views
Authors: White R. Stephen
Published: October 2006

Johnny Wei‐Bing Lin recently suggested (Eos, August 2, 2000) that the action of the Kansas State Board of Education to exclude questions about evolution by natural selection and “Big Bang” cosmology from required state tests, was driven primarily by the populism of science—the belief that the judgment of everyday men and women in matters deemed scientific is better than that of the trained scientists. In his view, inadequate public science education is only a secondary reason.

Lin and Baylor University theologian Barry Harvey [2000] have argued that science is now under siege by populism, and that the ruling of the Kansas Board is but one example. To combat this populism, he urges a wider dialogue between scientists and historians, philosophers and theologians, so that we understand better the limits of our work and discover ways of being more precise and logical. Such discussions may be necessary, but they are not sufficient.
Conference focuses attention on Sun‐Earth System
Authors: Baker Daniel N. , Allen Joseph H. , Kamide Y. , Matsumoto H.
Published: October 2006

The International Council for Scientific Unions' (ICSU) Scientific Committee on Solar‐Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) has organized several scientific programs in the area of solar‐terrestrial physics. One such program is the STEP‐Results, Applications, and Modeling Phase (S‐RAMP). Scheduled to run from 1998 through 2002, it is capitalizing on the vast data sets and powerful modeling techniques that were developed under STEP its predecessor.

S‐RAMP has three main goals: to enable detailed understanding of Sun‐Earth coupling mechanisms; to facilitate effective information transfer between experimentalists, theoreticians, and modelers; and to demonstrate the successful benefits of the STEP endeavor to funding agencies, the media, and the general public. For more information about S‐RAMP, see the program's Web site (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/SRAMP/sramp.html).
Hill receives the 2000 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Writing
Authors: Martin Victoria J. , Hill Richard L.
Published: October 2006

Richard L. Hill was awarded the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Writing at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on December 17, 2000, in San Francisco, California.
U.S. budget would increase R&D, but cut many science programs
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The $1.96‐trillion fiscal year 2002 federal budget proposed by the Bush administration on April 9 holds overall discretionary funding to a 4% increase in an effort to meet the funding requirements of non‐discretionary needs, a 10‐year tax cut, and big increases in defense, education, and medical research.

The budget also takes what one White House official called a “pause” from the 8% “spending spree” under the Clinton administration during FY2001, as deliberations proceed on future funding priorities following the drawn‐out presidential election and the short budget preparation period.
Geophysicists
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Space Physics and Aeronomy Section presented fourteen outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
Ocean drilling program's research intensifies as end nears
Authors: Hay William W. , Becker Keir
Published: October 2006

The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), an international partnership of scientists and research institutions organized to explore the Earth's evolution and structure, provides researchers around the world access to a vast repository of geological and environmental information recorded far below the ocean surface in sea floor sediments and rocks. The Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc. manages ODP under contract with the National Science Foundation. Like all good things, however, even the ODP—widely hailed as one of the best examples of international cooperation in all of geosciences—must come to an end.
Historical satellite data used to map Pan‐Amazon forest cover
Authors: Kalluri Satya , Desch Arthur , Curry Troy , Altstatt Alice , Devers Didier , Townshend John , Tucker Compton
Published: October 2006

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is well documented and the contributions of Brazilian deforestation to global change have been extensively discussed in both scientific and popular literature [e.g., Skole and Tucker, 1993]. However, deforestation within the non‐Brazilian tropics of South America has received much less attention. The Pan‐Amazon region covering Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia comprises ˜2 million km2 of tropical forest that is under increasing pressure from logging and development. Wall‐to‐wall high‐resolution forest cover maps are needed to properly document the complex distribution patterns of deforestation in the Pan‐Amazon [Tucker and Townshend, 2000]. The Deforestation Mapping Group at the University of Marylands Global Land Cover Facility is using Landsat data to generate tropical forest cover maps in this region (Figure l). The study shows that while rates of forest loss are generally lower than those in Brazil, there are hot spots where deforestation rates run as high as 2,200 km2 yr1.
Lights, camera, action: Space physics at the movies
Authors: Rees M. H.
Published: October 2006

One of the most spectacular events at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco was certainly the showing of the IMAX film, “SolarMax.” The film, co‐produced by long‐time AGU member Bob Eather, was shown at the Sony Metreon Theater near the Moscone Center. The 40‐minute film features stunning images of solar coronal mass ejections that place the viewing audience directly in their path toward the Earth. The images, which were acquired by imagers on the SOHO spacecraft, dominate the solar sequences and show the structured, dynamic properties of the star. Nevertheless, for those of us who prefer a more traditional view of the Sun, “SolarMax” also includes beautiful terrestrial sunrise and sunset scenes.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Ocean Sciences Section presented eighteen outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
Access to the scientific literature
Authors: Albarède Francis
Published: October 2006

The Public Library of Science Open Letter (http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org) is a very generous initiative, but, as most similar initiatives since the advent of electronic publishing, it misses the critical aspects of electronic publishing.

Ten years ago, a Publisher would be in charge of running a system called a “scientific journal.” In such a system, the presence of an Editor and peer Reviewers secures the strength of the science and the rigor of writing; the Publisher guarantees the professional quality of printing, efficient dissemination, and long‐term archiving. Publishing used to be in everyone's best interest, or nearly everyone. The Publisher, because he/she is financially motivated, ensures widespread dissemination of the journal amongst libraries and individual subscribers. The interest of the Author is that the system guarantees a broad potential readership. The interest of the Reader is that a line is drawn between professionally edited literature, presumably of better quality, and gray literature or home publishing, so that he/she does not waste time going through ‘low yield’ ungraded information. The Publisher could either be a private company, an academic institution, or a scholarly society. My experience is that, when page charges and subscription rates are compounded, journals published by scholarly societies are not necessarily cheaper. The difference between these cases is not the cost of running an office with rents, wages, printing, postage, advertisement, and archiving, but that a private Publisher pays shareholders. Shareholders have the bad habit of minding their own business and, therefore, they may interfere negatively with scientific publishing. Nevertheless, while the stranglehold imposed by private Publishers on our libraries over the last 10 years by increasing subscription rates may in part be due to shareholders' greed, this is true only in part. The increases are also a consequence of the booming number of pages being printed.
USGS PAH contaminants studies could be among budget cut victims
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Traffic congestion, smog, and loss of open space and wildlife habitat are among the unwelcome effects of sprawl development in many urban areas in the United States. However, another problem that the typical commuter may not be as aware of is the increases in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that degrade air and water quality and that may be linked to urban sprawl and traffic on the roadways.
Generating probabilities in support of societal decision‐making
Authors: Pfaff Alexander S. P. , Peteet Dorothy M.
Published: October 2006

Earth science predictions of natural phenomena are increasingly seen as valuable aids for improving societal decision‐making. Pielke et al. [1999] argued presuasively that good predictions alone won't achieve better societal decisions. These authors call for change in the decision‐making environments in which scientific predictions are used, though that may be more than those of scientists. We see a role also for changing the information that scientists could better serve socisty by generating not only possible scenarios, but also probabilities, even for decisions that are to be made in the future.
Renne begins term as editor
Authors: Grant Shermonta L.
Published: October 2006

Earlier this year, Paul R. Renne, a geochronologist at the Berkeley Geochronology Center and an adjunct professor of geology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley began his 3‐year term as Eos editor with special responsibilities in the areas of geochemistry petrology and volcanology Renne became fascinated with geochronology because of the fundamental importance of time in the geophysical sciences. His attraction to the 40Ar/39Ar dating technique, in particular, stems from his broad interests in processes spanning the history of our solar system, from planetary studies to human evolution. One of his long‐lived interests is the time scale and origins of large igneous provinces.
Students explore history of the Göttingen Institute of Geophysics
Authors: Ritter Joachim R. R.
Published: October 2006

The Institute of Geophysics at the University of Gottingen, Germany has a long tradition that began long before its official founding in January 1898. Its history goes back to at least 1756, to the work on geophysical problems by Tobias Meyer, Carl‐Friedrich GauS, and Wilhelm Weber. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first director of the institute, Emil Wiechert, established a seismological working group that was a worldwide leader in this type of research for the next 10 to 12 years. In those golden years of seismology at Gottingen, famous students and co‐workers of Wiechert such as G. H. Angenheister, L. Geiger, B. Gutenberg, L. Mintrop, and K. Zoeppritz made fundamental discoveries.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Atmospheric Sciences Section presented six outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
The Freshwater Budget of the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Syvitski James P.M.
Published: October 2006

Compared to our other oceans that are dominated by wind‐driven circulation derived from planetary motion and heating, the Arctic Ocean is the only one that receives enough of a freshwater input to determine its properties and circulation. In essence, the Arctic Ocean is unique—in this, as it is in so many other ways.The new U.S. multi‐agency SEARCH report (http://psc.apl.washington.edu/search_plan/Science_Plan_9.html) warns us that “it is alarmingly clear that a complex suite of significant, interrelated atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial changes has occurred in the Arctic in recent decades.” These changes may be the first large‐scale early warning of greenhouse warming.
Earthquakes' impact on hydrothermal systems may be far‐reaching
Authors: Johnson H. Paul , Dziak Robert P. , Fisher Charles R. , Fox Christopher G. , Pruis Matthew J.
Published: October 2006

Recent work has linked earthquake activity with changes in flow and temperature due to hydrothermal venting at mid‐ocean ridges. These intriguing relationships are important motivation for modeling marine hydrothermal systems. However, a re‐examination of some earlier vent monitoring data from the Juan de Fuca Ridge, combined with analysis of recently reprocessed SOSUS (SOund Surveillance System) hydrophone data (Figure 1), suggest that such activity may be linked over considerable distances of greater than 200 km and reaction intervals of over a month.

The available observational data are sparse, so the direct association between earthquakes and changes in crustal fluid circulation are difficult to verify. However, the response times and distance scales are consistent with other observations, including earthquakes in land‐based settings [Hill et al., 1993] and modeling of flow in porous media [Pruis et al., 2000]. If true, these associations imply that marine hydrothermal systems are extremely complex and may be sensitive to very subtle environmental changes.
Study of volcano/ice interactions gains momentum
Authors: Chapman Mary G. , Smellie John L. , Gudmundsson Magnus T. , Gulick Virginia C. , Jakobsson Sveinn P. , Skilling Ian P.
Published: October 2006

Observations of recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland and detailed studies of sub‐glacially erupted deposits and the interaction of lava and pyroclastic flows with snow and ice have provided important new data that should lead to significant advances in the understanding of volcano/ice interaction on Earth and Mars. A conference on this subject, the first of its kind, recently brought together geologists, geophysicists, glaciologists, and planetary scientists studying various aspects of volcano‐ice interaction.
Mission allows magnetospheric physicists to “See” the Invisible
Authors: Burch James L. , Green James L. , Fuselier Stephen A.
Published: October 2006

Since the launch of Explorer 1 in 1958, magnetospheric physicists have studied regions they could not “see” but could visualize only with the aid of conceptual models that rely on the statistical analysis of measurements made at single points in space at different points in time. Such measurements yielded “pixels” of information that were painstakingly and methodically developed into the mental pictures that reveal the structure and dynamics of our geospace environment. However, with the launch of the Imager for Magnetopause‐to‐Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) spacecraft on March 25, 2000, the magnetospheric physics community has at long last acquired the ability—possessed for many years by the solar physics and astrophysics communities— to see the objects of its inquiry: the plasmas that populate the inner magnetosphere.
Ice sheets and sea level of the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Clark Peter U. , Mix Alan C. , Bard Edouard
Published: October 2006

What was the extent and volume of glaciers and ice sheets during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) centered on 21,000 calendar years ago? How much lower was global sea level as a result of growth of LGM ice sheets? What was the isostatic response to the global redistribution of mass (ice and water) during the LGM? What influence did LGM ice sheets have on global climate?
Well Logging for Physical Properties: A Handbook for Geophysicists, Geologists, and Engineers, 2nd Edition
Authors: Goldberg David
Published: October 2006

Not sure what your well logs really measure? In Well Logging for Physical Properties, Joe Hearst, Phil Nelson, and Fred Paillett appropriately urge that a fundamental “understanding” of the physics behind these measurements is needed for useful geological interpretations. They aim to provide the basic underlying principles, evaluate the benefits, and highlight potential pitfalls of conventional logging tools. Given that these authors have each published extensively on specific methods, they easily bank enough expertise in the aggregate to do this effectively.
Cowen receives Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism
Authors: Spilhaus A. F. , Cowen Robert C.
Published: October 2006

Cowen Receives Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism Science Journalism at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held May 31, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts. The award honors lifetime achievement in science journalism
Efforts afoot to stem the flow of invasive species from ballast water
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

With the U.S. National Invasive Species Act of 1996, or NISA, due for reauthorization next year by Congress, interest groups already are staking out their positions about how to protect the nation's waters from aquatic nuisance species that arrive in ballast water, and that can cause significant ecological and economic harm.

At a Capitol Hill briefing on July 9, representatives of the U.S. shipping industry called for mandatory ballast management and a ballast water management standard. They also called for certification of ballast water management technologies and practices, which they noted still require much research; and for federal preemption of state regulations that they said present shippers with a confusing patchwork of rules.
Deep sea vibracoring system improves ROV sampling capability
Authors: Paull Charles , Stratton Stuart , Conway Mike , Brekke Knuete , Dawe T. Craig , Maher Norm , Ussler William
Published: October 2006

A vibracoring system developed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) for use off remotely‐operated vehicles (ROVs) is capable of obtaining 7.7‐cm‐diameter sediment cores that are up to 2.5 m in length. The ability to collect long core samples, even in coarse‐grained materials, from precisely‐located sites vastly expands the geologic sampling capabilities of ROVs.

Obtaining sea floor samples from topographically complicated deep‐sea environments where sediment is coarse‐grained has been challenging. Sub‐sea floor sediment sampling traditionally depends on wire‐line gravity or piston coring systems. However, wire‐line samplers are ineffective at penetrating into sand or gravel, do not provide visualization of the sea floor sample site, and are difficult to precisely locate.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Geomagnetism & Paleomagnetism Section presented three outstanding student paper awards at the 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June
Elevating EPA
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Raising the stature of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appears to be a popular bipartisan measure.

U.S. President George W. Bush, as well as former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, have provided the EPA administrator with a seat at cabinet meetings, and have supported legislation to make the agency a full department. Yet, several legislative initiatives have failed to gain approval because the bills have been weighed down with side issues.
Borovsky's plans as Eos SPA Editor
Authors: Grant Shermonta L.
Published: October 2006

Earlier this year, Joe Borovsky began his 3‐year term as the Eos section editor for space physics and aeronomy (SPA). Borovsky has worked at the (U.S.) Los Alamos National Laboratory since 1982. As a LANL member of the Eos team, one of Borovsky's goals is to reach out to non‐SPA readers. He said that he will “work hard to come up with a series of articles about SPA research that either overlap with research in other sections, or that are interesting enough in themselves such that readers from other disciplines are attracted to them.”
Montserrat's Andesite Volcano
Authors: Luhr James F.
Published: October 2006

In the last quarter of the 20th century films and videos of volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, floods, and other extreme natural phenomena became relatively common and widely disseminated for the first time. The widespread availability of video cameras, the proliferation of news camera crews across the globe, and the dedication of a small number of professional cinematographers to these subject matters have spurred the proliferation of these films. Textbooks and still photographs had previously been the main sources of descriptive information about volcanic processes, although a few notable exceptions existed, such as the dramatic film about the Kilauea Iki eruption of 1959–1960. This was in wide circulation on U.S. college and university campuses by the mid‐1960s.
Vintage GeoFizz
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following article appeared in the Louisville Kentucky Times on September 6, 1886, a week after the M‐7.3 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake. In keeping with the spirit of the era, the article appeared in other newspapers as well, with neither its author nor its original source ever cited. One can, however, hazard a wild guess that the author was a newspaperman who had heard more than a few earthquake tales that week. The article is transcribed verbatim, which is to say, if you see something that doesn't make sense, don't ask us—we don't understand it either!
Marking Time:The Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar
Authors: Staid Matthew
Published: October 2006

The arrival of the new millennium has renewed interest in the evolution of our modern calendar. Unraveling the story of this evolution requires extensive knowledge of science, history, and religion. Most of us have little understanding of how the date of Easter is determined, or why we celebrate the New Year on January 1st. In Marking Time: The Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar, Duncan Steel takes readers on a revealing, meandering trip from several millennia B.C. to the present. As the author states, “By the time you finish reading this tome…it will be clear that the calendar has had much greater effect upon human destiny than you may have fondly imagined. It's not just about numbering the days: it's about the rises and falls of empires and religions…about controlling the masses and subverting your rivals. The calendar story is one of human strife and aspirations.” And so Steel reveals how our calendar is based as much on religion and politics as it is on physical science.
Remote sensing reveals shrinking Greenland ice sheet
Authors: Thomas Robert H.
Published: October 2006

Since sea level rise over the past century can be only partially explained by ocean warming and melting of non‐polar ice, we can safely assume that the volume of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets probably is decreasing. However, many decades of glaciological observations have yet to yield even a good estimate of the collective mass balance of these two ice sheets. Until recently this uncertainty applied equally to both ice sheets. Then NASA's Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA) researched the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet by measuring changes in icesheet volume through different approaches, by analyzing satellite and aircraft data to investigate various characteristics of the ice sheet, and by conducting in situ measurements aimed at understanding observed changes.
USGS introduces water data Web site
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been collecting data about the nation's water for more than a century.

Now, the survey's new National Water Information System, or NWISWeb, provides online users—including scientists, water managers, emergency managers, and recreational water users—with access to hundreds of millions of pieces of archival and real‐time data.
Reply to “Comment on “Tracing the origins of the Lamont Observatory”rdquo; An added perspective on the development of the “B.T.”
Authors: Worzel J. Lamar
Published: October 2006

Columbus Iselin indeed was the first person convinced that the temperature must have an effect on sound propagation that would have military implications. He had organized experiments for a number of intensity range runs made in the Caribbean between U.S.S. Semmes and Atlantis in 1938 under many conditions. He also had temperature‐depth‐salinity measurements recorded simultaneously at each location. The interpretation of the results was unclear.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Atmospheric Sciences Section presented six outstanding student paper awards at the 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Tectonophysics section presented three outstanding student paper awards at the 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June.
Garnet peridotite found in the Greater Antilles
Authors: Abbott Richard N. , Draper Grenville , Keshav Shantanu
Published: October 2006

Although Alpine peridotites are relatively common in collisional orogenic zones, garnet‐bearing peridotites are rare and only associated with high pressure/ultra‐high pressure or temperature (HP/UHP or T) terranes [Brueckner and Medaris, 2000; Medaris, 1999]. Until recently all reported occurrences of Alpine‐type garnet peridotites and HP/UHP terranes were in Eurasia and Africa, with one occurrence in the Seward Peninsula, Alaska [Till, 1981;Lieberman and Till, 1987]. Now a new Alpine‐type garnet peridotite locality has been discovered in the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. This discovery is the second of its kind in the Americas.
Research station to aid multidisciplinary study of Upper Mississippi River
Authors: Nakato Tatsuaki
Published: October 2006

IIHR‐Hydroscience and Engineering (formerly Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research) of the University of Iowa's College of Engineering is establishing a Mississippi Riverside Environmental Research Station (MRERS) to provide opportunities for researchers and educators around the world to study river ecosystems in a multidisciplinary setting. MRERS will provide state‐of‐the‐art facilities to study diverse facets of the upper Mississippi River to better understand river ecosystems and their response to natural events and human activities. It will also provide students at all levels with hands‐on experience as well as opportunities for public education. In light of recent flooding in the region last spring, establishment of MRERS is timely MRERS will bring a truly multidisciplinary approach to understanding and planning for one of the country's most important natural resources: the mighty Mississippi.
John M. Edmond (1943–2001)
Authors: Boyle Edward , Molnar Peter
Published: October 2006

On April 6, 2001, John Marmion Edmond died suddenly in his apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, apparently of a stroke. He had been a member of AGU since 1977 (Ocean Sciences).

Following a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Glasgow in 1965, John obtained his Ph.D. in geochemistry at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1970 and joined the faculty of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at MIT, where he pioneered developments in low temperature geochemistry of the oceans and rivers until his death.
2001 Fellows Citations
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Mario H. Acuna—For seminal roles as scientist, engineer, and manager in the experimental study of solar system magnetic fields.

Richard A. Anthes—For innovative research in understanding and modeling tropical cyclones and for strong leadership in the Earth sciences.
Conference focuses on European permafrost research
Authors: Harris Charles
Published: October 2006

The First European Permafrost Conference was convened to discuss European permafrost research in general and the results of the European Union's fourth framework project, Permafrost and Climate in Europe (PACE), in particular. The conference, which was held at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Rome, also helped promote future collaborative research initiatives. A major theme was the potential impact of global climate change on permafrost regions of the world and the importance of permafrost monitoring for detecting climate change within the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) of the World Meteorological Organisation.
Breakthroughs in field‐scale bacterial transport
Authors: Balkwill David , Chen Jinsong , DeFlaun Mary , Dobbs Fred , Dong Hailiang , Fredrickson James , Fuller Mark , Green Maria , Ginn Tim , Griffin Tim , Holben William , Hubbard Susan , Johnson William , Long Philip , Mailloux Brian , Majer Ernest , McInerney Michael , Murray Chris , Onstott Tullis , Phelps Thomas , Scheibe Tim , Swift Donald , White David , Wobber Frank
Published: October 2006

Microbial transport in the subsurface environment has been of interest for decades due to concerns about contamination of water supplies by pathogenic bacteria or viruses. More recently, research has demonstrated that many bacteria can beneficially serve to degrade or immobilize other environmental contaminants. A research program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently investigating the potential for enhancing and targeting bacterial transport to improve bioremediation efforts. Of particular interest to DOE is the potential for bioremediation of metals and radionuclides that are common to many of their former nuclear materials processing facility sites.
Chandra Observatory enters third year of providing insights into X‐ray universe
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Martin Weisskopf said he is not a “wavelength chauvinist.” But, as program scientist for NASA's Chandra X‐Ray Observatory—a project he has seen through to fruition over the past quarter of a century—Weisskopf could not help but react favorably to the fairly incredible discoveries being made with the help of this tool.

Just as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Compton Gamma‐ray Observatory have dramatically opened up other wave lengths to science, Chandra is allowing a clearer understanding of the high‐energy aspects of the universe that can be observed with X‐ray‐detecting telescopes.
Interchange, quasi‐interchange, ballooning modes: What is their exact definition?
Authors: Ferrière Katia
Published: October 2006

Some confusion appears to remain among those in the magnetospheric community regarding the concepts of interchange, quasi‐interchange, and ballooning. By placing these different kinds of motions in the broader framework of a unified, comprehensive formalism on ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes and by making the link with the disparate results of several famous and often‐quoted studies in the field, we can clarify this situation.
Terminology for ejecta in the solar wind
Authors: Burlaga L. F.
Published: October 2006

Scientific words are used to communicate, think, and reason, as well as to organize, store, and retrieve information. As knowledge grows, new words are introduced and some words are abandoned. What should one call the interplanetary objects that are ejected from the Sun, travel from the Sun to Earth in 2 to 4 days, and take about a day to sweep past Earth? The existence of these objects was postulated to explain a class of geomagnetic storms. Lindemann [1919] hypothesized that a “cloud” of neutral hydrogen is accelerated away from the Sun and gradually becomes ionized to form a “plasma cloud.” The plasma cloud produces the geomagnetic storm by transferring energy and momentum from the Sun to Earth. Lindemann's plasma clouds did not contain magnetic fields.
The global paleomagnetic database: Current status
Authors: McElhinny Michael W. , Smethurst Mark A.
Published: October 2006

The Global Paleomagnetic Database (GPMDB) is a data base for paleomagnetic directions and pole positions. It was first compiled by Lock and McElhinny [1991] and made use of the PC version of the Oracle Database Management System, which at the time was the only PC system available that used SQL, the internationally recognized language for use with database management systems. Subsequently, the Oracle PC system became far too large and complex for the GPMDB, so the data base was transferred to Microsoft Access, which had just become available and also used SQL [McElhinny and Lock, 1996].
Workshop addresses crustal carbon and its effect on electrical conductivity
Authors: Duba A. G. , Mathez E. A.
Published: October 2006

As part of the long‐term carbon cycle, carbonaceous vapor is generated by metamorphism of carbonate rocks and organic‐rich sediments during burial in the crust, and by partial melting associated with subduction in the mantle. This vapor percolates through fracture systems in the crust, leaves traces in microfractures, and sometimes concentrates as graphite in fault zones. To explore the many‐faceted problem of carbon distribution and detection in rocks and its influence on electrical conductivity, 40 petrologists and geophysicists from Europe and North America recently convened for an interdisciplinary workshop. The program featured prepared lectures and informal presentations, but was kept fluid and emphasized extended discussion.
The Oceans
Authors: Karlsten Jill
Published: October 2006

For many practitioners of the marine sciences, including myself, one of the most alluring aspects of investigating the oceans is the need to marry the scientific disciplines. The complex linkages among geological, chemical, physical, and biological processes that govern the behavior and evolution of nearly 60% of the Earth's surface are fascinating and often surprising. Making progress in decoding this planetary fugue requires investigative strategies that fly squarely in the face of the increasing specialization that characterizes most modern scientific research. The successful oceanographer must endeavor to see the forest as well as the trees, or perhaps more fittingly, the kelp.