bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reply [to ”Comment on “Investigating environmental tectonics in northern alpine foreland of Europe’”]
Authors: Cloetingh Sierd , Ziegler Peter , Cornu Tristan ,   ENTEC Working Group
Published: October 2006

In our recent contribution to Eos [Cloetingh et al., 2003], we have reported on the scope, objectives, and initial results of a multidisciplinary research program probing the connection between lithosphere processes and surface processes in the Alpine foreland of northwestern Europe.

In his comment on this article, Hinzen has zoomed in on the seismicity in the Lower Rhine Embayment, bringing to the attention of the Eos reader unpublished work [e.g., Meidow, 1995] and recent work carried out by Hinzen and associates [e.g., Reamer and Hinzen, 2004] on the German section of the Lower Rhine Embayment, published after the appearance of our Eos contribution.
Focusing on improving automated meteorological observations from ships
Authors: Smith Shawn R.
Published: October 2006

The High‐Resolution Marine Meteorology (HRMM) community is working to improve the quality of, and access to, surface marine meteorological and oceanographic data collected in situ by automated instrumentation on ships and moored platforms. The purpose of the Second High‐Resolution Marine Meteorology Workshop, hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Climate Observation (OCO), last April, was to discuss implementation of the recommendations from the Workshop on High‐Resolution Marine Meteorology held in Tallahassee, Florida, on 3–5 March 2003 (for details, see http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/RVSMDC/marine_workshop/ Workshop.html).

Shipboard automated meteorological and oceanographic systems (SAMOSs) are an essential component of a sustained ocean observing system. SAMOSs provide platform navigation, surface meteorology, and near‐surface ocean data that are ideal benchmarks for new satellite sensors (e.g., WindSat, future National Polar‐orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) sensors) and global ocean‐atmosphere models. SAMOS sampling is adequate to provide accurate estimates of the variability on scales (from subdiurnal) needed for satellite calibration and validation. Sampling rates also are ideal for estimating turbulent air‐sea heat, momentum, and moisture fluxes that are critical for climate research and can be used to help understand sources of bias and uncertainty in global model flux fields. SAMOS observations from oceanographic research vessels (R/Vs) are of particular importance since these vessels frequently operate in areas far outside the normal merchant shipping lanes.
Seismic, acoustic, and thermal network monitors the 2003 eruption of Stromboli Volcano
Authors: Ripepe M. , Marchetti E. , Poggi P. , Harris A. J. L. , Fiaschi A. , Ulivieri G.
Published: October 2006

The date 28 December 2002, heralded the onset of a 7‐month‐long effusive eruption at Stromboli volcano in Italy. The onset was accompanied on 30 December by a large landslide (Figure 1). This landslide produced a tsunami that damaged the villages on Stromboli and affected coastal zones around the southern Tyrrhenian Sea [Pino et al., 2004]. Following the landslide, the eruption was mostly characterized by effusive activity with lava flows extending from vents between 500 and 650 m above sea level. Simultaneously, Stromboli's typical explosive activity died out, with no explosions from the summit craters during the initial months of the eruption. However, a major explosive event on 5 April 2003 caused considerable alarm.
Discussing the future of U.S. western mountains, climate change, and ecosystems
Authors: Diaz Henry F. , Millar Constance I.
Published: October 2006

Mountain regions are uniquely sensitive to changes in climate, and are especially vulnerable to climate effects acting on many biotic systems and the physical settings. Because mountain regions serve as sources of needed natural resources (e.g., water, forests) and as foundations for desired human activities (e.g., tourism, places to live), changes in mountain systems cascade into issues of regional and national concern. Mountains also comprise highly sensitive systems that may act as “canaries in the coal mine” to provide early signals of significant climate‐driven changes in many of our valued resources.
The Tectonic and Climatic Evolution of the Arabian Sea Region
Authors: Bosence Dan
Published: October 2006

This multi‐authored volume provides a sampling of current research into the geology of the Arabian Sea region. The editors emphasize the importance of this area as the Earth's best natural laboratory for studying relations between climate and the growth and erosion of an orogenic belt.

Uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau is now believed to have altered global climate during the Cenozoic, and also to have affected the development of the region's monsoonal climate. The geological features of the region that make it a good area to study such processes include the excellent rock outcrops in the surrounding arid Arabian and Asian landmasses, the locally high rates of sedimentation which provide high‐resolution sedimentological and geochemical information, and the monsoon itself, that imparts an annual time beat in some sedimentary successions. However, the region is very large and access is not always easy. Also, many areas are still poorly known geologically such that this volume contains some papers on basic survey geology.
Passive teleseismic experiment explores the deep subsurface of southern Ireland
Authors: Landes Michael , Ritter J. R. R. , Do V. C. , Readman P. W. , O'Reilly B. M.
Published: October 2006

The Irish Seismological Lithospheric Experiment (ISLE 2002) has been designed to investigate the deep lithospheric and asthenospheric structure across the late‐Caledonian Iapetus Suture Zone in southern Ireland. The project is a collaboration between the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), Ireland, and the Geophysical Institute (GPI) of the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. This is the first passive teleseismic experiment conducted in Ireland, building upon a large body of earlier work on the crustal structure offshore and onshore Ireland, based on controlled source seismics and potential field studies.
What is the International Heliophysical Year?
Authors: Crooker N. U.
Published: October 2006

More than a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY), the International Heliophysical Year (IHY) planned for 2007 will be a program of coordinated research in the tradition of a long succession of international programs, of which the IGY is arguably the most famous. One might justifiably ask, “Yet another coordinated research program? Given all the others, what will IHY have to offer? Will it lead to better science or just more science?” To address these and other questions, nearly 60 scientists participated in the U.S. Planning Workshop for the IHY last April at the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico.The workshop, organized into four working groups on the Sun, the heliosphere, magnetospheres and ionospheres, and atmospheres and climate, took up the challenge posed by these critical questions.
Outstanding student paper awards: Ocean sciences; space physics and aeronomy; volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following members received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2004 AGU/CGU Joint Assembly in Montreal, Canada. (Winners in other sections and focus groups will be announced in subsequent issues of Eos.)
Outstanding student paper awards: Volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology; nonlinear geophysics
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following members received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2003 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. Eos regrets the delay in publishing this list of winners.
The EPICA challenge to the Earth system modeling community
Authors: Wolff Erick W. , Chappella Jerome , Fischer Hubertus , Kull Christoph , Miller Heinz , Stocker Thomas F. , Watson Andrew J.
Published: October 2006

One of our major aims as Earth systems scientists is to predict how the Earth will behave in the future, particularly in the face of changes imposed upon it as a result of human activities. These predictions are made using models and concepts that are in part derived from observation of how the system has behaved in the past. However, these observations, which come from paleo‐records, are also one important tool for validating the models. The imminent appearance of a new ice core data set presents a unique opportunity for a test of our understanding, particularly of the climate/carbon system.
Drilling the central crater of the Chesapeake Bay Impact Structure: A first look
Authors: Sanford Ward E. , Gohn Gregory S. , Powars David S. , Horton J. Wright , Edwards Lucy E. , Self‐Trail Jean M. , Morin Roger H.
Published: October 2006

The late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure is a well‐preserved example of one of Earth's largest impact craters, and its continental‐shelf setting and relatively shallow burial make it an excellent target for study. Since the discovery of the structure over a decade ago [Edwards et al., 2004; Poag et al., 2004], test drilling by U.S. federal and state agencies has been limited to the structure's annular trough (Figure 1). In May 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drilled the first scientific test hole into the central crater of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure in Cape Charies,Virginia (Figure 1). This partially cored test hole, the deepest to date, penetrated postimpact sediments and impact breccias to a total depth of 823 m.
Assessing hydrological extreme events with geospatial data and models
Authors: Vivoni Enrique R. , Grimaldi Salvatore , Nardi Fernando , Ivanov Valeriy Y. , Castelli Fabio , Bras Rafael L. , Ubertini Lucio , Ubertini Lucio
Published: October 2006

Prediction of river basin hydrological response to extreme meteorological events is a primary concern in areas with frequent flooding, landslides, and debris flows. Natural hydrogeological disasters in many regions lead to extensive property damage, impact on societal activities, and loss of life. Hydrologists have a long history of assessing and predicting hydrologic hazards through the combined use of field observations, monitoring networks, remote sensing, and numerical modeling. Nevertheless, the integration of field data and computer models has yet to result in prediction systems that capture space‐time interactions among meteorological forcing, land surface characteristics, and the internal hydrological response in river basins.
A 1‐Myr record of paleoclimates from Lake Khubsugul, Mongolia
Authors: Fedotov Andrey , Kazansky Aleksey Y. , Tomurhuu Dondovyn , Matasova Galina , Ziborova Galina , Zheleznyakova Tatyana , Vorobyova Svetlana , Phedorin Michael , Goldberg Evgeny , Oyunchimeg Tserendash , Narantsetseg Tserendash , Vologina Elena , Yuldashev Alexander , Kalugin Ivan , Tomurtogoo Onongyn , Grachev Michael
Published: October 2006

The ancient Lake Khubsugul in North Mongolia is situated at the far reach of moisture from the North Atlantic into continental Asia [Kuznetsova, 1978]. It is remote from the Pacific Ocean and shielded from the China Sea and the Indian Ocean by high mountains. Information on the paleoclimates in this territory is scarce and sometimes controversial.

In winter of 2003, due to a joint project (Khubsugul Drilling Project or KDP) of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia, a 53‐m drilling core (KDP‐1) of sediments of Lake Khubsugul was obtained. This article describes the first results of paleomagnetic and geochemical studies of this core, which was found to span the time interval of the last 1.05 Myr. The data suggest that global climate oscillations manifested themselves in repeated desiccation and filling of the lake due to changes in humidity.
Methane hydrate research focus
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Reauthorization of the US. federal Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 (Public Law 106‐193, Section 3b) should emphasize that the overriding focus of the Department of Energy's methane hydrate research and development program “should be on the potential importance of hydrate as a future energy resource for the nation and the world.”

This, according to a 16 September report, “Charting the Future of Methane Hydrate Research in the United States,” issued by a committee of the US. National Research Council.
Multifacility, multidisciplinary earthquake science and engineering
Authors:   The IRIS/NEES/USGS Workshop and GARNER Valley Experiment Participants
Published: October 2006

A workshop held last spring in Austin,Texas, launched a new era in earthquake science and engineering. Discussions at the workshop, sponsored by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) are leading to the collaborative use of multiple major research facilities to solve challenging scientific and engineering problems related to Earth science and seismic hazards. These facilities included those of IRIS and the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES),both supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Earthquake Program (NEP).

The collaborations discussed at the workshop have already turned into reality With the added participation of the NSF‐supported Mid‐America Earthquake Center (MAEC),Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), Center for Embedded Network Sensing (CENS),High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN),and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), a pilot field experiment was conducted to demonstrate (successfully!) the potential of such collaborative science.
CapTimiris Canyon: A newly discovered channel system offshore of Mauritania
Authors: Krastel S. , Hanebuth T. J. J. , Antobreh A. A. , Henrich R. , Holz C. , Kölling M. , Schulz H. D. , Wien K. , Wynn R. B.
Published: October 2006

Intensive research over the past decades has greatly improved our understanding of processes operating in the deep ocean. There has been a particular focus on continental margins, as sediments deposited in these areas can provide a high‐resolution record of past climatic changes, as well as serve to host some of the world's major hydrocarbon reservoirs. However, the exploration and understanding of the deep ocean remains one of the great challenges of the 21st century [Stow and Mayall, 2000], and many fascinating features still wait to be found.

The potential for new deep‐water discoveries was recently highlighted during Meteor cruise M58/1 (depart Dakar, Senegal, 21 April 2003, return Las Palmas, Spain, 12 May 2003) of the Research Center Ocean Margins at the Universität Bremen in Germany. A spectacular 400‐km‐long submarine meandering channel system was discovered off Mauritania. In this article, the system is called the Cap Timiris Canyon (Figure 1). Although a series of incisional gullies at the shelf break and uppermost slope have been described before [e.g., Rust and Wienecke, 1973], the enormous size and complex morphology of this submarine channel system were previously unknown.
Earth science and applications from space: A community assessment and strategy for the future
Authors: Anthes Richard A. , Moore Berrien , Charo Arthur
Published: October 2006

The Space Studies Board, in consultation with other units of the U.S. National Research Council (NRC), has begun a study to generate prioritized recommendations from the Earth and environmental science and applications community regarding a systems approach to the space‐based and complimentary observations that encompasses the research programs of NASA and the related operational programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The study which will be carried out over a 2‐year period and is organized in a manner similar to other NRC “decadal surveys,” will seek to establish individual plans and priorities within the subdisciplines of the Earth sciences, as well as an integrated vision and plan for the Earth sciences as a whole. It will also consider Earth observations requirements for research and for a range of applications with direct links to societal objectives. Richard Anthes and Berrien Moore have been appointed by the NRC as study cochairs.
Satellites to address ocean and land hydrology
Authors: Lagerloef Gary
Published: October 2006

Three new exploratory Earth remote sensing satellites are being developed for launch later in the decade to measure ocean salinity and terrestrial soil moisture and thus advance the scientific understanding of the global water cycle and its interactions with ocean circulation, climate, weather, and hydrology. The Aquarius/Satellite Aplicaciones Cientificas SAC‐D). Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS), and Hydrosphere State (HYDROS) missions come at an important time for climate research. There is an imperative to develop comprehensive plans to integrate global satellite measurements effectively with surface‐based climate observations, such as the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX), and other programs, to yield the highest‐quality, calibrated, synoptic data fields.

Recognizing the mutual benefits to optimizing the scientific gain from these programs and to reduce technical risks, the science teams from the Aquarius/SAC‐D, SMOS, and HYDROS missions held a joint workshop in Miami, Florida, last spring to discuss their common science objectives and technical issues. This was designed to foster continuing mutual exchange and planning among the missions and with the ground‐based climate observing systems. The meeting was hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory More than 130 scientists, engineers, and program managers representing 11 different countries attended the meeting.
Forensic studies of infrasound from massive hypersonic sources
Authors: Garces M. , Bass H. , Drop Douglas , Hetzer Claus , Hedlin M. , Le Pichon A. , Lindquist K. , North R. , Olson J.
Published: October 2006

The rumble of hypersonic objects tearing through the atmosphere can be routinely detected by sensitive infrasound sensors [Brown et al., 2002]. Meteors and reentering spacecraft are the most common hypersonic sources, although supersonic aircraft generate comparable signatures. This article concentrates on two exceptionally energetic events: the tragic Columbia reentry of 1 February 2003 (STS‐107) and the 23 April 2001 superbolide explosion.

On 23 April 2001, a large meteor exploded at a height of ˜28.5 km between Hawaii and California. With an estimated explosive energy of ˜10 k of TNT, this event catalyzed the U.S. infrasound community to work with other sectors of government, academia, and industry to provide rapid analyses of any available infrasound, seismic, hydroacoustic, and satellite data that would help identify the explosion source and determine its location.
Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change
Authors: Wofsy Steven C.
Published: October 2006

Kirill Kondratyev and his colleagues present an unusual look at global change issues, with particular emphasis on quantitative models that can capture diverse aspects of the complete Earth system—vegetation, atmosphere, oceans, and human beings. The focus is on the global carbon cycle as a prime indicator of global environmental stresses. It includes some remarkably sharp, and insightful critical analysis of the Kyoto Protocol and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change activity, and provides citations to a large sampling of Russian‐language papers mostly unknown elsewhere.

The critique of current policy trends is, in many respects, the most interesting part of the book. The authors are skeptical of claims about attribution of recent climate trends to human intervention, but devastating in their demolition of the “skeptics” views that nothing is seriously wrong in the global environmental system. They convincingly bring to bear the most telling observations and facts to make these arguments compelling and clarifying.
Ophiolites in Earth History
Authors: Selverstone Jane
Published: October 2006

I began my undergraduate studies in geology in 1974, shortly after the release of the now famous “Anonymous” report on the first Penrose Conference on Ophiolites (Geotimes, 1972). My early geology courses were filled with information on the nature of the seafloor, with details supplied largely from on‐land studies of ophiolites. Pillow basalts and sheeted dike complexes, gabbros, peridotites, and cherts—all of these caught my attention and seemed so elegantly explained by formation at oceanic spreading centers.

Over the next couple of decades, I simply assumed that ophiolites were direct analogues for material produced at mid‐ocean ridges, and I missed the nuances of the ongoing debate about whether or not ophiolites really are representative of this tectonic setting.
Locating a radioactive waste repository in the ring of fire
Authors: Apted Mick , Berryman Kelvin , Chapman Neil , Cloos Mark , Connor Chuck , Kitayama Kazumi , Sparks Steve , Tsuchi Hiroyuki
Published: October 2006

The scientific, technical, and sociopolitical challenges of finding a secure site for a geological repository for radioactive wastes have created a long and stony path for many countries. Japan carried out many years of research and development before taking its first steps in site selection.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO) began looking for a high‐level waste repository site (HLW, vitrified residue from reprocessing power reactor fuel) 2 years ago. Over the next 10–20 years, NUMO hopes to find a site to dispose of ∼20,000 tons of HLW in a robustly engineered repository constructed at a depth of several hundred meters.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

William Bandeen, 77, 2004, AGU Fellow, Atmospheric Sciences, 1961.

Raymond A. Lewandowski, 82, September 2004, Volcanology Geochemistry and Petrology, 1965.
Changing Sea Levels: Effects of Tides, Weather and Climate
Authors: Austin Jay
Published: October 2006

Variability in sea level is one of the most readily observable dynamic features of the coastal ocean, obvious to the most casual beachgoer, and of concern to a rapidly growing portion of the world population.

Sea level varies on an astoundingly large variety of scales, from surface waves and seiches, tides, and storm surge, to longer‐term variability both man‐made and natural. All of these sources of variability are not only of scientific interest but also of great societal importance, due to the ever‐increasing percentage of the human population living in coastal regions. David Pugh's clearly written and cleanly presented new book, Changing Sea Levels: Effects of Tides, Weather and Climate, covers these topics at a level of sophistication appropriate for an undergraduate science course. The book is rich in the history, lore, and culture of tides and other sea level phenomena, and discusses the ecological and societal impacts of sea level change across the spectrum of phenomena.
Early Earthquakes of the Americas
Authors: Ni James F.
Published: October 2006

Robert Kovach's second book looks at the interplay of earthquake and volcanic events, archeology and history in the Americas. Throughout history, major earthquakes have caused the deaths of millions of people and have damaged countless cities. Earthquakes undoubtedly damaged prehistoric cities in the Americas, and evidence of these events could be preserved in archeological records.

Kovach asks, Did indigenous native cultures—Indians of the Pacific Northwest, Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas—document their natural history? Some events have been explicitly documented, for example, in Mayan codices, but many may have been recorded as myth and legend. Kovach's discussions of how early cultures dealt with fearful events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are colorful, informative, and entertaining, and include, for example, a depiction of how the Maya would talk to maize plants in their fields during earthquakes to reassure them.
NASA EOS sensors demonstrate potential for multiparameter studies of Arctic sea ice
Authors: Meier Walter N. , Marquis Melinda , Kaminski Marilyn , Weaver Ron
Published: October 2006

Remote sensing of sea ice is a difficult task due to the discontinuous, complex surface (ice, water, snow) and the frequent presence of clouds. Only through combinations of data from a variety of sensor types can a thorough and complete characterization of sea ice be obtained.

The sensors on the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua,Terra, and ICESat satellites represent a substantial step forward in the ability to observe sea ice.The sensors are a significant advancement over their predecessors in terms of spatial and radiometric resolution. The increased variety of geophysical data products from the sensors provides a wealth of new information about sea ice. Combinations of products from the different sensors have the potential to provide additional insights.
New web site launched for online air trajectory calculation
Authors: Zeng Jiye , Fujinuma Yasimi
Published: October 2006

The Center for Global Environmental Research (CGER) of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan, announces a new Web site for online air trajectory calculation (http://cgermetex.nies.go.jp/). The Web server uses the reanalysis meteorological data set of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

Air trajectories are frequently used by researchers to investigate the airflow pattern and its relation to results of atmospheric monitoring. As an application example, Figure 1 shows the 1998 dust storm event that originated in China and the forward trajectories in the same period initialized at 3000 m in the source region of the dust storm. The airflow indicated by trajectories coincides well with the aerosol index, which shows that dust from China's Gobi desert was transported across the Pacific to the western United States.
An array of ice‐based observatories for Arctic studies
Authors: Proshutinsky Andrey , Plueddemann Albert , Toole John , Ashjian Carin , Krishfield Richard , Carmack Eddy , Dethloff Klaus , Fahrbach Eberhard , Gascard Jean‐Claude , Perovich Don , Pyramikov Sergei
Published: October 2006

The Arctic Ocean's role in global climate—while now widely appreciated—remains poorly understood. Lack of information about key processes within the oceanic, cryospheric, biologic, atmospheric, and geologic disciplines will continue to impede physical understanding, model validation, and climate prediction until a practical observing system is designed and implemented.

A review of recently observed changes in the physical and biological state of the Arctic and a justification for future Arctic observations are contained in the supporting document of the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) “Study of Environmental Arctic Change” program (SEARCH, http://psc.apl.washington.edu/search/). Comparable Arctic study programs have been conceived as an international contribution to the proposed International Polar Year 2007–2008 (http://www.aosb.org/ipyhtml). Future directions in instrument development for Arctic studies were also considered at a workshop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in October 2002 (http://www.mbari.org/rd/ArcticInstrumentationWorkshop).
Fick's insights on liquid diffusion
Authors: Narasimhan T. N.
Published: October 2006

In 1855, Adolph Fick published “On liquid diffusion,” mathematically treating salt movement in liquids as a diffusion process, analogous to heat diffusion. Less recognized is the fact that Fick also provided a detailed account of the implications of salt diffusion to transport through membranes.

A careful look at Fick [1855] shows that his conceptualization of molecular diffusion was more comprehensive than could be captured with the mathematical methods available to him, and therefore his expression, referred to as Fick's law, dealt only with salt flux. He viewed salt diffusion in liquids as a binary process, with salt moving in one way and water moving in the other. Fick's analysis of the consequences of such a binary process operating in a hydrophilic pore in a membrane offers insights that are relevant to Earth systems. This article draws attention to Fick's rationale and its implications for hydrogeological systems.
Genesis capsule yields solar wind samples
Authors: Wiens Roger C. , Burnett Donald S. , McNamara Karen M. , Stansbery Eileen K.
Published: October 2006

NASA's Genesis capsule, carrying the first samples ever returned from beyond the Moon, took a hard landing in the western Utah desert on 8 September after its parachutes failed to deploy Despite the impact, estimated at 310 km per hour, some valuable solar wind collector materials have been recovered. With these samples, the Genesis team members are hopeful that nearly all of the primary science goals may be met.

The Genesis spacecraft was launched in August 2001 to collect and return samples of solar wind for precise isotopic and elemental analysis. The spacecraft orbited the Earth‐Sun Lagrangian point (LI), ˜1.5 million km sunward of Earth, for 2.3 years. It exposed ultrapure materials—including wafers of silicon, silicon carbide, germanium, chemically deposited diamond, gold, aluminum, and metallic glass— to solar wind ions, which become embedded within the substrates' top 100 nm of these materials.
Bement appointed to Head NSF
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Arden L. Bement, Jr., who has served as acting director of the U.S. National Science Foundation since 22 February 2004, was officially appointed as director by President George W Bush on 24 November. As acting director he also had served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology within the U.S. Commerce Department. His 6‐year appointment to head NSF coincides with his resignation as director of NIST.
2004 Horton (Hydrology) Research Grant recipients
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The 2004 Horton (Hydrology) Research Grant Committee selected two recipients this year, Stephen Sebestyen and Elowyn Yager.

The research grant, which is separate from the Horton Award, supports projects in hydrology and water resources by doctoral candidates at institutions of higher learning. The grant's objective is to foster graduate student research leading to the completion of doctoral dissertations. Both recipients will be formally awarded on 14 December at the 2004 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California.
O'Keefe to leave NASA
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Sean O'Keefe, who became NASA administrator in December 2001, submitted his resignation on 13 December 2004. O'Keefes departure comes after the agency has begun to implement its new Vision for Space Exploration. He leaves NASA on good fiscal footing, with a fiscal year 2005 budget of $16.2 billion.

However, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon (D‐Tenn.), the ranking member of the House of Representatives Science Committee, said the next administrator must deal with “reconciling the agency's goals with the constrained budgets it is likely to be facing in the years ahead.”
Geographic Information Science and Mountain Geomorphology
Authors: Scuderi Louis A.
Published: October 2006

Mountain areas are among the most threatened environments worldwide.These sensitive systems suffer from human encroachment, resource extraction, and subsequent environmental degradation. Mountain ecosystems are also extremely sensitive to climate variability with impacts on snow and ice cover, hydrologic response, and sediment yield. From this perspective, mountain environments can be viewed as one of the “canaries in the coal mine” for the entire global environmental system.
Did the 26 December 2004 Sumatra, Indonesia, Earthquake disrupt the Earth's rotation as the mass media have said?
Authors: Chao B. F. , Gross R. S.
Published: October 2006

The answer to this question is a definite yes. But then again, the same is true of any earthquake, large or small, or for that matter of any worldly event that involves mass transport, from atmospheric and ocean seasonality, to melting of glaciers and tropical storms, to a bus driving around town. All one needs to convince oneself of this is to invoke the conservation of angular momentum and apply it to the Earth system.

The real question should be, Did this particular earthquake disrupt the Earth's rotation to a level large enough to be noticeable, or, technically observable? The answer is a sobering hardly, but at the same time very exciting in scientific implications.
A record year for extreme weather losses
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The year 2004 likely will be the most expensive for the insurance industry worldwide, due to weather related natural disasters, according to figures released on 15 December by the United Nations Environment Program.

Between January–October 2004, natural disasters have cost the insurance industry more than $35 billion, compared to $16 billion in all of 2003, according to the preliminary figures that were compiled by Munich Re, a global re‐insurance company.
A research park for studying processes in unsaturated fractured media
Authors: Baker Kristine , McLing Travis , Street Leah , Schafer Annette , Ansley Shannon , Hull Larry , Holt Robert , Roback Robert , Jones Catherine
Published: October 2006

A field research site has been developed to explore the combined use of physical experiments and mathematical modeling to analyze large‐scale infiltration and chemical transport through the unsaturated media overlying the Snake River Plain Aquifer in southeastern Idaho. This site offers opportunities to observe water and contaminant migration influenced by fluid dynamics and microbial activity through heterogeneous‐porous and fractured media.

At many waste disposal facilities, the presence of toxic or radioactive wastes between the land surface and underlying aquifers poses a serious and ongoing threat to public health and safety.To reduce the risk associated with these industrial and Cold War by‐products, a combination of remediation and long‐term monitoring will be required.
The Asian tsunami in Sri Lanka: A personal experience
Authors: Chapman Chris
Published: October 2006

AGU Fellow Chris Chapman experienced the devastating Asian tsunami firsthand in Sri Lanka. The following is his account, written in the immediate aftermath of the disaster; the footnotes were added later. Chapman is a scientific advisor at Schlumberger Cambridge Research and a specialist in theoretical seismology.
Waves and operational oceanography: Toward a coherent description of the upper ocean
Authors: Ardhuin Fabrice , Jenkins Alastair D. , Hauser Daniéle , Reniers Ad , Chapron Bertrand
Published: October 2006

The availability of new operational services for ocean circulation modeling presents a unique opportunity to rethink the operational forecasting of ocean waves and how circulation and waves may be combined to provide a better understanding of the upper ocean and enhanced services to society. The largescale oil spill caused by the wreck of the tanker Prestige off the Spanish coast in November 2002, and uncertainties on the fate of that pollution, illustrated the gaps in means of observations and knowledge of relevant processes.

The idea of a coupled atmosphere‐wavesocean model was proposed by Klaus Hasselmann [Hasselmann, 1991], in the context of climate modeling. As waves are the “gearbox” between the atmosphere and the ocean, a detailed understanding of waves can significantly improve the parameterization of air‐sea fluxes and surface processes. Besides, Earth observation systems rely extensively on satellite remote sensing techniques for surface winds, temperature, sea level, ocean color, and sea ice, all affected by surface waves. Hasselmann viewed the future of wave modeling as the development of this central gearbox of a general Earth observation and monitoring system, providing fluxes between ocean and atmosphere in a way consistent with satellite observations. This vision, though slow to materialize, is highly relevant for short‐term forecasting in the coastal ocean.
Huygens provides insights about Titan
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Following the Huygens probe's successful 14 January soft landing on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, scientists at a 21 January European Space Agency (ESA) news briefing announced that the moon has Earth‐like meteorology and geology and that there is evidence for liquid methane.

Martin Tomasko, principal investigator for the Huygens Descent Imager‐Spectral Radiometer, said, “Geological evidence for precipitation, erosion, mechanical abrasion and other fluvial activity says that the physical processes shaping Titan are much the same as those shaping Earth.”
Comparison between probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and flood frequency analysis
Authors: Wang Zhenming , Ormsbee Lindell
Published: October 2006

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) was originally developed from the analogous flood or wind problem and was used for risk analysis in a similar way PSHA was extended later to directly incorporate the uncertainty of ground motion. Such direct incorporation of uncertainty has no clear physical basis and makes it difficult to understand, explain, and use PSHA.

These difficulties may result in overly conservative seismic design for safeguarding structures such as buildings, bridges, and nuclear power plants against seismic risk. For example, ground motions with a risk level of 2% probability of exceedance (PE) in 50 years, developed from PSHA [Frankel et al., 1996, 2002],are the basis for national seismic safety regulations and design standards such as the 2000 International Building Code (IBC‐2000).
Mesoscale resolving simulations of the global atmosphere and ocean on the Earth simulator
Authors: Ohfuchi Wataru , Sasaki Hideharu , Masumoto Yukio , Nakamura Hisashi
Published: October 2006

Understanding multiscale interactions within the complex hierarchy of various phenomena on wide ranges of temporal and spatial scales is an essential part of the study of the atmosphere and ocean circulation systems. Despite significant progress, the complex interactions have not yet been fully understood, due mainly to the lack of continuous, mesoscale resolving observations of the global three‐dimensional circulations, whose realization is difficult, especially for the ocean.

However, computer simulations with ultra‐high resolution, if possible, would be a powerful tool to tackle this difficult issue. Such simulations are now under way on the Earth Simulator (ES), a Japanese gigantic vectorparallel computer that has been in operation since March 2002 and was the world's fastest general‐purpose supercomputer until early fall 2004. Even though the ES is now the third‐fastest supercomputer by both peak performance and UNPACK test, which is a benchmark test by liner algebra computations, our 10‐km mesh atmospheric general circulation simulation remains the fastest real‐world computation on a general‐purpose supercomputer even after two and half years.
Hemispheres apart: The Martian Crustal Dichotomy
Authors: Watters Thomas R. , McGovern Patrick J.
Published: October 2006

Mars is a world divided—divided into ancient, heavily cratered highlands in the southern hemisphere and relatively featureless lowland plains in the northern hemisphere (Figure 1). This hemispheric dichotomy is manifested not only in the topography, but also in the geology, the tectonics, the cratering record, the gravity and magnetic field, and the crustal structure. The contrast between hemispheres has been brought into sharp focus by the unprecedented amount of new data returned by the fleet of operational spacecraft in Mars orbit (Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Express) and on the surface (Mars Exploration Rovers).

However, the origin of perhaps the most fundamental feature of the crust of Mars remains uncertain. The formation of the crustal dichotomy may have set the course for most of the subsequent geologic evolution of Mars, including the Tharsis volcanic and tectonic province.
New AGU fellows
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Fellows of AGU are members who have attained acknowledged eminence in the Earth and space sciences.

The Fellows Committee on 15 January 2005 elected 43 members to join the ranks of AGU Fellows. Candidates for Fellow are nominated by colleagues and then vetted by the relevant Sections, who forward the top nominees to the Fellows Committee. The Fellows Committee, which consists of 11 Fellows, receives about twice the number of nominations as can be elected: no more than 0.1% of the AGU membership can be elected each year. The committee meets to review the forwarded nominations and decides who will be elected for the year.
Sposito receives 2004 Robert E. Horton medal
Authors: Parlange Marc B. , Sposito Garrison
Published: October 2006

Garrison Sposito received the Horton Medal at the 2004 Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on 15 December, in San Francisco, California. The medal is given for outstanding contributions to hydrology.
Hall receives 2004 Waldo E. Smith Medal
Authors: Clark William C. , Hall J. Michael
Published: October 2006

J. Michael Hall received the Smith Medal at the 2004 Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on 15 December, in San Francisco, California. The medal is given for extraordinary service to geophysics.
Salt marsh geomorphology: Physical and ecological effects on landform
Authors: Fagherazzi Sergio , Torres Raymond , Hopkinson Charles , Van Proosdij Danika
Published: October 2006

Salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet, producing more organic matter per unit area than forests, grasslands, and cultivated fields. Marsh landscapes typically fringe low‐energy coastal environments, but in places they may extend inland tens to hundreds of kilometers.

As a consequence of their high productivity and interactions with the coastal ocean, salt marshes provide numerous benefits to society. For example, salt marshes are critical habitats for commercially harvested marine and estuarine biota; they filter nutrients and sediment from the water column; and they provide recreational opportunities. In addition, salt marshes help dissipate erosive tide and wave energy and they have intrinsic aesthetic values. All of these societal benefits have a quantifiable economic value, and salt marsh impairment and degradation have associated costs.
Thatcher receives 2004 Charles A. Whitten medal
Authors: Stein Ross , Thatcher Wayne
Published: October 2006

Wayne Thatcher received the Whitten Medal at the 2004 Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on 15 December, in San Francisco, California. The medal is given for outstanding achievement in research on the form and dynamics of the Earth and planets.
Outstanding student paper awards: Atmospheric sciences, geodesy, planetary sciences
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following members received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2004 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. (Winners in other sections and focus groups will be announced in subsequent issues of Eos).

Jennifer Murphy, University of California, Berkeley Analysis of the weekend effect in ozone in central California using speciated NO, and VOC measurements.
The Indian Ocean disaster: Tsunami physics and early warning dilemmas
Authors: Lomnitz Cinna , Nilsen‐Hofseth Sara
Published: October 2006

Understanding the physics of tsunamis may save lives, especially near the epicenter of a large earthquake where the danger is highest and early warning is least likely to be effective.

Normal modes of Earth are standing waves of the Love (toroidal) or the Rayleigh (spheroidal) variety. The Indian Ocean tsunami may have been partly or wholly caused by low‐order spheroidal modes of the Earth such as 0S2, 0S3, and 0S4, that may have excited a waveguide—a layer that confines and guides a propagating wave—in the ocean.
Nicolas receives 2004 Harry H. Hess medal
Authors: Alle`gre Claude J. , Nicolas Adolphe
Published: October 2006

Adolphe Nicolas received the Hess Medal at the 2004 Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on 15 December, in San Francisco, California. The medal is given for outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and other planets.
Fung receives 2004 Roger Revelle Medal
Authors: Holland Elisabeth A. , Doney Scott A. , Fung Inez
Published: October 2006

Inez Fung received the Revelle Medal at the 2004 Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on 15 December, in San Francisco, California. The medal is given for outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere‐ocean coupling, atmosphere‐land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate, or related aspects of the Earth system.
Environmental processes of East Eurasia: Past, present, and future
Authors: Bradley Raymond S. , Zhisheng An
Published: October 2006

The thick loess deposits of China have provided rich and detailed insights into past environmental conditions in East Asia, enabling links to be made between climatic changes in continental Asia and marine sedimentary records through the Quaternary period. Until recently these eolian deposits were the primary paleoenvironmental archives from the region, but in the last decade or so great strides have been made in broadening the basis of paleoenvironmental reconstruction in the region. This has involved new analytical approaches to the study of loess, as well as an explosion of research into other natural archives—lake sediments, peat, ice, speleothems, and tree rings.

To review these developments, and to identify new opportunities for future research, a recent symposium on Environmental Processes of East Eurasia: Past, Present and Future brought together over 50 participants from eight countries.
First International Workshop on Active Monitoring in Solid Earth Geophysics
Authors: Fujii Naoyuki , Korneev Valeri , Kasahara Junzo , Higashihara Hiromichi , Goldin Sergey , Chichinin Innokentty , Unger Rudolf , Zhdanov Michael , Seleznev Viktor , Seleznev Viktor
Published: October 2006

Active geophysical monitoring involves detection and interpretation of subsurface changes in waves periodically excited by repeated controlled sources. There is little doubt that active monitoring of time‐evolving structures and states in the technically active lithosphere of the Earth is very important. However, no systematic analysis of continuous geophysical monitoring has been done up to now, because no reliable technology systems have been developed other than those generating impulsive signals (e.g., chemical explosives, airguns, and seismic vibrators).

Extensive technological and theoretical effort has been expended over the last few decades on developing continuously running sources (e.g., using electromagnetically controlled sources), but these efforts have generally not received much international attention.
AGU establishes Development Board
Authors: Austin James A. , Killeen Timothy L. , Spilhaus Fred
Published: October 2006

The 21st century has already brought rapid change. Your scientific society AGU, and society‐at‐large face new challenges. These challenges range from opening up access to scientific publications to the potential impact of international terrorism on attendance at scientific meetings around the world.

Such challenges and their implications for AGU's mission require strengthening the Union's financial resources. The establishment of a Development Board is the first step on this path.
Outstanding student paper awards: Nonlinear geophysics, space physics and aeronomy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following members received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2004 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. (Winners in other sections and focus groups will be announced in subsequent issues of Eos).