bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mind Over Magma: The Story of Igneous Petrology
Authors: Snyder Don
Published: October 2006

In the centuries that inquiring minds have studied and theorized about igneous rocks, much progress has been made, both in accumulating observations and in developing theories. Yet, writing a history of this progress is a daunting undertaking. The volume of the literature is vast and in multiple languages; the various lines of inquiry are diverse and complex; and the nomenclature is sometimes abstruse. On top of these challenges, many of its principal issues have yet to find a definitive consensus. With the exception of a few topical studies, historians of science have virtually avoided the subject.
Explorations of Mariana Arc volcanoes reveal new hydrothermal systems
Authors: Embley R. W. , Baker E. T. , Chadwick W. W. , Lupton J. E. , Resing J. A. , Massoth G. J. , Nakamura K.
Published: October 2006

Some 20,000 km of volcanic arcs, roughly one‐third the length of the global mid‐ocean ridge (MOR) system, rim the western Pacific Ocean. Compared to 25 years of hydrothermal investigations along MORs, exploration of similar activity on the estimated ∼600 submarine arc volcanoes is only beginning [Ishibashi and Urabe, 1995; De Ronde et al, 2003] . To help alleviate this under‐sampling, the R/V T G Thompson in early 2003 (9 February to 5 March) conducted the first complete survey of hydrothermal activity along 1200 km of the Mariana intra‐oceanic volcanic arc. This region includes both the Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Entering the “Anthropocene” era
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The Earth has entered the “Anthropocene” era,a geological era “in which humans are a significant and sometimes dominating environmental force.” That according to several key scientists and a policy‐maker who, on 21 January launched the publication of the book, The Earth System: A Planet Under Pressure by the International Geosphere‐Biosphere Program.

Records from the geological past indicate that never before has the Earth experienced the current suite of simultaneous changes: “We are sailing into planetary terra incognita,” noted a joint statement by the authors. The authors are IGBP executive director Will Steffen, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change founding chair Bert Bolin, atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen, and European Commissioner for the Environment Margot Wallstrøm.
Comparative studies to be a theme for the Joint Assembly in Montreal
Authors: Mendillo Michael , Schubert Gerald , Alexander Joan , Strangeway Robert
Published: October 2006

To have a truly global view of geophysical systems, it helps to have a few globes to view.

Our solar system offers a rich set of case studies on how environmental systems form and evolve. The temperature structures of atmospheres, their circulation patterns, and their optical emissions are governed by the same basic laws of physics and photochemistry, but with constituents and solar flux input values that vary dramatically over the span of the planets. The escape of gases from the Earth and those planets and moons with dense atmospheres involve processes rather different from those associated with sputtered gases from the far more abundant regoliths of rock and ice. The origins and dynamics of plasmas and magnetic fields, their interactions with the flowing solar wind and/or rapidly rotating planetary fields, and episodic “space weather” events provide additional areas of common science in remarkably different settings.The Earth and its companions thus comprise the only known set of experiments in planetary formation for which there is actual data to validate and to challenge theory and computer models. While observations are abundant for Earth, and beyond the “discovery mode” set for many of the planets and moons, there remain crucial gaps in our understanding and formidable problems to solve at each of these worlds. Coupling processes, perhaps most of all, from regions below and above the environmental systems being studied are at the forefront of current work, drawing attention to the need for advanced observational capabilities and breakthroughs in computer simulation techniques.
Discussion of challenges facing water management in the 21st century
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Managing water for sustainable use is a complex balancing act that requires significant scientific advice on policy issues, according to experts at a conference, “Water for a Sustainable and Secure Future,” held in Washington, D.C. on 29–30 January.

Several speakers called for the need to correct water distribution problems—particularly in developing countries and other regions where many people lack access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation systems—and to re‐balance the allocation of water between various human uses, as well as ecosystem needs.
Petit receives 2003 David Perlman award for excellence in science journalism—News
Authors: Perlman David
Published: October 2006

Charles W. Petit received the Perlman Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 10 December 2003, in San Francisco, California. The award honors “a single article or radio/television report that makes geophysical material accessible and interesting to the general public.”
Focusing on proto‐seismogenic zone of erosional convergent margin
Authors: von Huene Roland , Ranero Cesar R. , Vannucchi Paola , Saito Saneatsu
Published: October 2006

Great earthquakes in subduction zones occur after stable slip in the proto‐seismogenic zone transitions to the unstable slip that characterizes seismogenic zones. Subducted material input to seismogenic zones affects this transition. Material structure, lithology and physical properties change progressively during subduction, and according to current hypotheses, specific material transformations trigger the stable to unstable slip transition.Where accretion dominates a convergent margin, material input is trench sediment that is easily drill‐sampled.

However, where erosion dominates a margin, material input is unknown because it originates along the base of the upper plate and alters differently. The depth at which material is eroded lies beyond the sampling capabilities of past scientific ocean drilling, so the protoseismogenic zone transformed material has never been drill‐sampled; nor does geophysics resolve its structure, lithology, and physical properties. The Japanese riser drill ship Chikyu in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) overcomes this difficulty. Preparing a site for deep drilling is a much greater task than preparing the shallower sites of past programs, so this is accomplished during workshops.
Stress and deformation of solids: A plea for help
Authors: Koenemann Falk
Published: October 2006

Early in my life I became fascinated by mylonites and their structural properties, especially S‐C fabrics. Given my undergraduate physics education, it dawned on me how little I really knew, so I began to study continuum mechanics, thermodynamics, and mathematics. After 6 years, I looked back. Too many aspects in deformation theory had been thrust down my throat by grade pressure, but they were not self‐evident for me. From the first day on, I missed any mention of thermodynamic principles in the stress theory. Isn't elastic deformation a change of state, be it volume change or just change of shape?
Comment on “Abandoned mines, mountain sports, and climate variability: Implications for the Colorado tourism economy”
Authors: Weaver Robert M. , Belanger Laura
Published: October 2006

An article in Eos (23 September 2003) focused on the Snake River Basin in Summit County, Colorado, and relied extensively on a water quality study conducted by Hydrosphere Resource Consultants at Keystone Resort. As the authors of this study, we wish to correct and clarify several points regarding the results of our investigations, as well as comment on the articles overall findings regarding Colorado's ski industry.

The article's overall premise is that climate variability, combined with the legacy of acid rock drainage (ARD), has created a complex environment in which Colorado's tourism economy must operate. Colorado's ski industry and the Snake River Basin serve as case studies. While we generally agree with the premise that the Colorado tourism industry's operating environment is complex, we differ with the authors' theories regarding the environmental factors driving snow‐making expansion and four‐season resort development. The authors make presumptions about the ski industry and Keystone that are inaccurate. In fact, the ski industry may not be the most appropriate tourism sector for illustrating the impacts of climatic variations.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following members in the Biogeosciences and Hydrology Sections received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2003 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. (Winners in other sections will be announced in subsequent issues of Eos.)
Numerical Simulations of Reactive Flow in Hot Aquifers
Authors: Smith Leslie
Published: October 2006

In recent years, there has been a significant expansion in our ability to model systems that involve the interaction of fluid flow, mass transport, heat transfer, and geochemical reaction in porous media. Such scenarios arise in studies of both fundamental science, such as the effects of thermohaline flow and heat transfer in rift basins, and in the solution of applied problems, such as the response of a geothermal reservoir to the re‐injection of cool water. Numerical Simulation of Reactive Flow in Hot Aquifers presents the simulation tools that were developed by a team of researchers based in Germany.

This group has a long history in analyzing geothermal systems, but the methods presented can be applied far beyond the study of geothermal reservoirs. The heart of the book is a description of the model SHEMAT. The executable code and a graphical user interface are included with the book.
Polar Seas Oceanography: An Integrated Case Study of the Kara Sea
Authors: Harms Ingo
Published: October 2006

What strikes first when browsing through this book is that the main title is misleading. Polar Seas Oceanography is, first of all, a book on “an integrated case study of the Kara Sea,” as the subtitle says. For readers who are interested more generally in polar oceanography, the book is probably the wrong choice.

The Kara Sea is a rather shallow shelf sea within the Arctic Ocean, located between the Barents Sea to the west and the Laptev Sea to the east. The importance of the Kara Sea is manifold: climate change issues like ice formation and freshwater runoff, environmental problems from dumping of radioactive waste or oil exploitation, and finally, the Northern Sea route, which crosses large parts of the Kara Sea, underline the economical and ecological relevance of that region. In spite of severe climate conditions, the Kara Sea is relatively well investigated. This was achieved through intense oceanographic expeditions, aircraft surveys, and polar drift stations. Russian scientists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) carried out a major part of this outstanding work during the second half of the last century.
Water: Science, Management and Policy
Authors: Lifland Jonathan
Published: October 2006

A new AGU book, Water: Science, Management and Policy, edited by Richard Law ford, Denise Fort, Holly Hartmann, and Susanna Eden, explores the scientific and political issues behind water use and sustainability worldwide. The book investigates critical issues facing water managers, policy makers, and scientists in the 21st century, examining specific examples of water planning and decision‐making. Among the topics discussed by the authors are the current state of water engineering, sharing resources across state and international borders, and the best methods for managing the resource with the future impact of climate change and additional pollution. In this issue, Eos talks with lead editor Richard G. Lawford. Lawford is currently the Director of the International Global Energy and Water Cycle (GEWEX) Project Office in Silver Spring, Maryland. During the time this book was in preparation he worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Global Programs in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Geosciences Forum introduces students to wide variety of options
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

When Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupted in May 1980, Susan Sakimoto, then a seventh grade student in northern Idaho, rowed with her brother about one kilometer out onto Lake Pend Oreille for a better view of the oncoming volcanic cloud. Soon, “a black wall” coming from the western horizon started to rain mostly ash, though with some rocks. “Look, the whole mountain is coming down on top of us. Isn't this cool!” she told her concerned brother.

Sakimoto, now an associate research scientist in the geodynamics branch of the NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recalled that experience of witnessing a geological activity close up as an early career turning point that helped to convince her to enter the geosciences.
Agreement signed for NSF participation in IODP
Authors: Jacobs Judy
Published: October 2006

The U.S. National Science Foundation on 30 March signed a cooperative agreement with the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI) in Washington, D.C., to lead U.S. participation in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).

U.S. participation will be accomplished through the U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP), an entity created by NSF specifically to support U.S. scientists' activities in the IODP; the USSSP will be managed directly by JOI.
Plotting and analyzing data trends in ternary diagrams made easy
Authors: John Cédric M.
Published: October 2006

Ternary plots are used in many fields of science to characterize a system based on three components. Triangular plotting is thus useful to a broad audience in the Earth sciences and beyond. Unfortunately it is typically the most expensive commercial software packages that offer the option to plot data in ternary diagrams. However, they lack features that are paramount to the geosciences, such as the ability to plot data directly into a standardized diagram and the possibility to analyze temporal and stratigraphic trends within this diagram.
A code of ethics for referees?
Authors: Sturrock Peter A.
Published: October 2006

I have read with interest the many letters commenting on the pros and cons of anonymity for referees. While I sympathize with writers who have suffered from referees who are incompetent or uncivil, I also sympathize with those who argue that one would simply exchange one set of problems for another if journals were to require that all referees waive anonymity.

Perhaps there is a more direct way to address the issue. It may help if guidelines for referees were to include a code of ethics.
Revised White House peer review guidelines draw generally favorable response
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

A new bulletin from the White House Office of Management and Budget outlines minimum standards for peer review of scientific information that includes findings representing an official position of a department or agency of the federal government.

The OMB Revised Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review, released on 15 April, substantially modifies a previous draft issued on 15 September 2003, which some had criticized as restrictive and imbalanced.
Panel established to write position statement on U.S. Oceans Commission report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

President Robert Dickinson has appointed a panel to write a position statement on what the U.S. Oceans Commission report recommends about ocean science research, education, and other topics that affect and involve the broader AGU community Michael McPhaden of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and President of the Ocean Sciences Section, chairs the panel. Other panel members include: Kenneth H. Brink, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Antonio J. Busalacchi, University of Maryland
Earth Observing System missions benefit atmospheric research
Authors: Schoeberl M. R. , Douglass A. R. , Hilsenrath E. , Bhartia P. K. , Barnett J. , Gille J. , Beer R. , Gunson M. , Waters J. , Levelt P. F. , DeCola P.
Published: October 2006

The Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite mission is scheduled to launch in June 2004. The Aura mission wall make significantly improved measurements of atmospheric constituents.

Aura is designed to tackle three science questions: Is the ozone layer recovering as expected? What are the sources and processes that control tropospheric pollutants? And, what is the quantitative impact of constituents on climate change? Aura will answer these questions by globally measuring a comprehensive set of trace gases and aerosols (Table 1) at high vertical and horizontal resolution. Figure 1 shows the Aura spacecraft and its four instruments.
U.S. oceans and human health centers funded
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have designated for start‐up four non‐federal Centers for Oceans and Human Health, which they plan to fund at a total of $5 million annually for 5 years, the agencies announced on 22 April.

Don Rice, director of the chemical oceanography program at NSR said the centers will link up experts in oceanographic and biomedical sciences. The centers will help to bridge “a decades‐long artificial disciplinary division that exists in the scientific research community [and which] is reflected in the federal funding community,” he said. Rice added that from the pool of grant applications, the agencies selected those that offered the biggest advances in science that would most quickly benefit human health.
Drilling to investigate extreme environmental changes
Authors: Giosan Liviu , Flood Roger
Published: October 2006

Marginal basins are effective amplifiers and sensitive recorders of paleo‐environmental events of global significance. All ocean basins go through a marginal basin phase as part of their evolution, and there are a number of marginal basins in the modern world ocean. In response to sea level changes, the link between a marginal basin and the ocean can be episodically restricted or even severed.

The Black Sea is a present‐day example of a marginal basin where the connection changes dramatically with sea level. Extreme changes in environmental conditions are typical of this kind of threshold‐regulated behavior; most of these changes occur abruptly and responses have dramatic consequences on the basin's hydrologic, sedimentary, geochemical, and ecological systems. For example, temporal variations in water column density structure related to changes in circulation could influence the oxygenation of a marginal basin, drastically affecting the geochemistry of the water column and sediments.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Robert J. Adams, 88, 5 December 2003, Magnetospheric Physics, 1961.

Walter E. Carr, Jr., 68, March 2004, Ocean Sciences, 1990.
French research
Authors: Carton Xavier
Published: October 2006

The article “Review of French Research Enterprise Underway in Light of Mass Resignations” (6 April, pp. 134–135) calls for a clarification.

It stated “]Sauvons la Recherche’ called… for a ‘significant increase’ in the number of full‐time, permanent positions available to young researchers in the 2004 recruiting season.
Global topography and bathymetry grid improves research efforts
Authors: Lindquist Kent G. , Engle Kevin , Stahlke Dan , Price Evelyn
Published: October 2006

Gridded data of topography and bathymetry of the Earth's surface have become widely available via the Internet, thanks to the efforts of multiple research groups, including, for example, the U.S. Geological Survey (http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/landdaac/gtopo30/gtopo30.html), Smith and Sandwell [1997], and Jakobsson et al. [2000]. These data are of continually growing importance both for monitoring operations and for scientific research, as they are critical for the clear presentation of final results to end‐users.

Nevertheless, in general, for a given region of the world, there is a final step in assembling all the necessary sub‐regions into a continuous grid that represents the area of interest. Also, one must account for the varying resolutions of the component data sets. These issues are surmountable, though painstaking.Three publicly available gridded data sets of topography and bathymetry have been combined to produce a single, integrated data set with no loss in resolution.The 3 data sets are the GTOPO30 data from the U.S. Geological Survey the Global Bathymetry data set from Smith and Sandwell [1997],and version 1.0 of the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) data set [Jakobsson et al., 2000]. Results are provided as eight GMT grid files covering −180° to +180° longitude and −90° to 90° latitude. To facilitate ease of use without loss of resolution, all data have been sampled and merged into identically registered 30‐s grids. The actual resolutions of the topography and bathymetry data are roughly 30 arc s (0.66 km at 45° latitude) and 2 arc min (2.6 km at 45° latitude), respectively Results are made available free of charge via internet through the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA). The Web address for this server is http://www.gina.alaska.edu/page.xml?group=data&page=griddata.
Interdisciplinary discussions of hydrology and river linking take place in India
Authors: Singh Vijay P.
Published: October 2006

Considerable investment has been made in the development, construction, and management of water resources projects in the past 150 years. Many of these projects have caused deleterious environmental consequences, such as erosion and sedimentation of reservoirs, water logging, and alkalinization and salinization of irrigated lands. With the rising demand worldwide for quality water, the increasing call for preservation of environmental quality and sustenance of biodiversity, and the simultaneous and growing acceptance that the water use and management strategies of the past have often been unsustainable, there is an urgent need for wide‐ranging discussions of past water resources policies and practices.

Scientists, engineers, planners, managers, administrators, and policy makers recently met in Bhopal, India, to discuss problems and exchange ideas pertaining to water, water use, and the environment in arid, semi‐arid, subhumid, humid, and tropical regions. More than 400 participants representing 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Germany, France, Italy the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others attended Water and Environment (WE)‐2003.
Exploring Mercury: The Iron Planet
Authors: Stevenson David J.
Published: October 2006

Planet Mercury is both difficult to observe and difficult to reach by spacecraft. Just one spacecraft, Mariner 10, flew by the planet 30 years ago. An upcoming NASA mission, MESSENGER, will be launched this year and will go into orbit around Mercury at the end of this decade. A European mission is planned for the following decade. It's worth going there because Mercury is a strange body and the history of planetary exploration has taught us that strangeness gives us insight into planetary origin and evolution.

Mercury is intrinsically the densest of the planets and it must be iron‐rich. Perhaps not coincidentally it has a significant magnetic field, which may mean that it can generate a field, much as Earth generates a field. Yet Mercury is small; it has an old, heavily cratered surface, and very little atmosphere. It also has unusual spectroscopic and radar characteristics. We understand it far less well than any other planet inward of Uranus.
Present and future water scarcity challenges Middle East governments
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Governments in the Middle East's Jordan River Basin have managed to maintain some level of cooperation in dealing with regional water supply issues, despite the current intifada and other tensions in the arid to semi‐arid region.

However, these governments, as well as nations and nongovernmental organizations outside of the region, need to increase their efforts in order to keep up with population and development pressures, and to reverse health and environmental problems associated with water degradation, experts stated at a U.S. House of Representatives' hearing on 5 May.
Global Change in the Holocene
Authors: Alverson Keith
Published: October 2006

Many people, even perhaps the occasional Eos reader, associate the term “global change” with warming caused by mankind's recent addiction to fossil fuels. Some may also be well aware of enormous global changes in the distant past uninfluenced by humans; for example, Pleistocene ice ages. But was there any “global change” between the end of the last ice age and the onset of industrialization? The answer to this question is addressed early— in the title, even—in the new book Global Change in the Holocene. I don't suggest anyone stop reading after the title, though; the rest of the book is both highly informative and a real pleasure to read.

The opening chapter tells us that the Holocene is certainly not, as sometimes charged, a “bland, pastoral coda to the contrasted movements of a stirring Pleistocene symphony” Rather, it is a “period of continuous change.” Melodious language aside, the combination of sustained and high‐amplitude climatic variability and a wealth of well‐preserved, precisely datable paleoclimate archives make the Holocene unique. Only by studying the Holocene can we hope to unravel the low‐frequency workings of the Earth system and the degree to which humans have changed our world. This book sets out to teach the reader how to obtain the relevant data and how to use it to do much more than showing static analogues of possible future climate states. It challenges researchers to discern in their data the effects of the dynamic processes underlying coupled variability in the Earth's climate and ecosystems. These processes continue to act today and it is through providing an understanding of these system dynamics in the Holocene that paleoenvironmental studies can make the greatest contribution to future‐oriented concerns.
Assessing “global warming” with surface heat content
Authors: Pielke Roger A. , Davey Christopher , Morgan Jack
Published: October 2006

Although climate change and variability involves all aspects of the climate system [Pielke, 1998],the assessment of anthropogenically‐forced climate change has focused on surface temperature as the primary metric [Mann and Jones, 2003; Soon et al., 2004]. Our contribution only addresses this very specific (and limited) metric of the climate system. The term “global warming” has been used to describe the observed surface air temperature increase in the 20th century. However, this concept of “global warming” requires assessments of units of heat (that is, Joules). Temperature, by itself, is an incomplete characterization of surface air heat content.
Magnetic properties data base
Authors: Jacobs Judy
Published: October 2006

NASA and the USGS are teaming up to create one of the most complete data bases of magnetic properties of Earth's lithosphere ever assembled.

Satellite data of Earth's magnetic field held by NASA will be combined with rock magnetic data collected from field‐based campaigns.
PAGES: Always bottom up
Authors: Bradley Raymond
Published: October 2006

In a recent article titled “Back to the Future” (Eos, 16 March, p. 107), L. C. Witton lays out the goals of IGBP‐PAGES for the next few years, noting that, “PAGES is aiming to become a truly bottom‐up organization that is driven by the insights of individual scientists…”

In fact, PAGES has always been a truly bottom‐up organization, and this statement unfortunately fosters the view that it has been otherwise. Those who promote such a view choose to overlook the countless workshops that PAGES has organized, largely at the suggestion of those “at the bottom,” and the numerous publications that have resulted from these meetings. These include reports and recommendations on inter alia: IDEAL—An International Decade for the East African Lakes, the PAGES/CLIVAR Intersection, High Resolution Records of Past Climate from Monsoon Asia, Paleomonsoons in Africa, IMAGES—International Marine Global Change Study, PANASH‐Paleoclimates of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, GNIP—Global Network for Isotopes in Precipitation, Continental Drilling for Paleoclimate Records, Climate Impact of Explosive Volcanism, International Trans‐Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE), ARTS—Annual Records of Tropical Systems and the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) (see http://www.pages.unibe.ch).
Groundwaters of New Zealand
Authors: Lowry Thomas S.
Published: October 2006

Groundwaters of New Zealand attempts to bring together in one volume a complete reference guide to groundwater research and resources in New Zealand. It was written to provide a “state‐of‐the‐art” snapshot of groundwater research, ideas and developments, and current and historical references that encompass the entire country. To this end, this well written, illustrated, and documented book is a grand achievement. However, given its size, the book could do a better service by providing a perspective of New Zealand groundwater research and management in relation to practices outside of its borders.
The Mass Balance of the Cryosphere: Observations and Modelling of Contemporary and Future Changes
Authors: Clarke Garry K. C.
Published: October 2006

“Vanishing sea ice!” “Disintegrating ice shelves!” “Rising sea level!” Such proclamations illustrate the widening gap between the kind of glaciology that makes newspaper headlines and the kind of glaciology which is reinforced in standard scientific texts. It is as if there were two kinds of ice: a benign form such as that studied by Victorian gentlefolk and a new rogue form, of concern to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In truth, the difference is one of perspective: ice as a feature of the local land‐ or seascape versus ice as an active component of the Earth system. From the global perspective, the two most important attributes of Earth system ice, a.k.a. the cryosphere, are its high albedo (leading to a positive climate feedback) and the large mass of stored freshwater—roughly 70 m of sea‐level equivalent. These aspects are addressed in several chapters of the IPCC's Third Assessment Report, Climate Change 2001. J. Bamber and T. Payne's ambitious book provides the backstory in the form of a coherent treatise.
Cassini‐Huygens nears Saturn orbit insertion
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

After nearly 7 years and a 3.5‐billion‐km, circuitous journey from Earth, the $3‐billion Cassini‐Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan—an international effort by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency—now is just days away from its critical Saturn orbit insertion. Scheduled for 30 June, this will begin the 4‐year part of the mission to study the Saturnian system.

At a 3 June briefing at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., Robert Mitchell, the Cassini program manager with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said that scientists involved with the program are feeling excited, relieved, and also a bit anxious as the Cassini‐Huygens spacecraft draws near to the ringed planet and its system.
Reply [to “Comment on ‘Communicating with uncertainty: A critical issue with probabilistic seismic hazard analysis’” by R. M. W. Musson]
Authors: Wang Zhenming , Shi Baoping , Keifer John D. , Woolery Edward W.
Published: October 2006

Musson's comments on our article are an example of myths and misunderstandings. We did not say that probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is a bad method, but we did say that it has some limitations that have significant implications. Our response to these comments follows.
Carbonaceous aerosols in the industrial era
Authors: Hansen James , Bond Tami , Cairns Brain , Gaeggler Heinz , Liepert Beate , Novakov Tica , Schichtel Bret
Published: October 2006

Carbonaceous aerosols are increasingly recognized as an important atmospheric constituent. These small atmospheric particles are predominately soot produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and outdoor biomass that generally form through condensation of vaporized organic matter “Chylek et al., 2003”. However, biogenic emissions from trees, other vegetation, and animals are also sources of carbonaceous aerosols. Elemental carbon, in the form of graphite, is the main cause of the blackness of soot; it absorbs sunlight strongly and almost uniformly across the solar spectrum. However, the graphite seldom is pure carbon, instead involving varying proportions of other atoms. Furthermore, the carbonaceous aerosols include an enormous variety of organic compounds of carbon.
Chair of U.S. Oceano Policy Commission urges Law of the Sea ratification
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The chair of the Congressionally‐mandated US. Commission on Ocean Policy has urged the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea this year. Speaking at the Capitol Hill Oceans Week 2004 conference in Washington, D.C. on 10 June, James Watkins told the audience to help “break the hold that a couple of senators have on that bill.”

Ratification of the treaty is among the key recommendations of the commission's interim report, which was issued on 20 April. The commission has referred to the convention as a “constitution” for the oceans.
Cicerone tapped as next President of NAS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Ralph J. Cicerone, who served as AGU president from 1992 to 1994, has been nominated as the next president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, it was announced on 15 June.

Cicerone's nomination, which was unanimously approved by the NAS Council, precedes an election in late 2004.
Lightning paths in sky share similarities with channel networks on Earth
Authors: Jain Sharad K. , Singh Vijay P.
Published: October 2006

Lightning in the atmosphere is a transient, high current carrying electric discharge. It occurs when some region of the atmosphere reaches an electric charge sufficiently large so that the electric fields associated with the charge cause an electrical breakdown in the air. Lightning is produced in the cumulonimbus clouds; however, it can also occur in snowstorms and sandstorms.

The analysis presented in this article demonstrates that there are many similarities between the celestial networks that are formed during a lightning event and the terrestrial channel networks associated with flowing surface waters in drainage basins. It begins with a preliminary analysis of the paths followed by the cloud‐to‐ground discharge of electric currents generated in the atmosphere during thunderstorms.
Commission fleshes out Bush Administration's space exploration agenda for NASA
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

A commission appointed by President George W. Bush has unanimously endorsed his plan to dramatically re‐orient NASA to focus on space exploration and manned and robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations.

The 16 June report of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy finds that the new space agenda announced by Bush on 14 January will help the U.S. economy security and technological leadership, and provide educational opportunities.The report presents a series of recommendations for implementing the plan.
Manduca receives 2004 Excellence in Geophysical Education Award
Authors: Mogk David , MacDonald Heather , Manduca Cathryn A.
Published: October 2006

Cathryn A. Manduca received the Excellence in Geophysical Education Award at the AGU Joint Assembly Honors Ceremony, which was held on 19 May 2004 in Montreal, Canada. The award honors “a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individual, or group”
Comment on “Mesoplates: Resolving a decades‐old controversy”
Authors: Liu Han‐Shou , Kolenkiewicz R.
Published: October 2006

Plate tectonics is primarily a geokinematic theory Additional new concepts or components are needed to provide insights and constraints for geodynamic modeling. Recently, in Eos (23 December 2003), Pilger has developed a new concept regarding the kinematics of the lithospheric plates and the underlying mesosphere. He proposed that three mesoplates under the lithosphere can provide a framework for resolving a decades‐old controversy on hot spots and mantle plumes.

Geodynamic modelers are forced to establish the existence of these three mesoplates. We have attempted to verify the mesoplate hypothesis using satellite gravity signals for remote sensing the stresses in the mesosphere [Liu et al., 2003]. Our stress patterns of the mesosphere at 100 km depth as inferred from satellite gravity signals show that global stress concentrations are mainly restricted to the boundaries of the Hawaiian, Tristan, and Icelandic Mesoplate as defined by Pilger. From a mechanical perspective, mesoplates are more likely to behave plastically at the pressure and temperature at which they exist because they are subjected to sufficient mantle convection‐generated stresses. Therefore, the boundaries of the three mesoplates have also provided a framework to explain the stress concentrations as the origin of historically large earthquakes. Furthermore, we have found that the mantle convection‐generated stress concentrations also occur within the interior of the mesoplates. This finding could be applied to resolving another decades‐old controversy on intraplate seismicity.
Reply [to “Comment on ‘Mesoplates: Resolving a decades‐old controversy’” by Han‐Shou Liu and R. Kolenkiewicz]
Authors: Pilger Rex H.
Published: October 2006

In the ongoing debate concerning the origin of hot spots, and more generally, the nature of mantle convection and its relation to plate tectonics, it is important to recognize that viable models need to satisfy “all” of the data. Much of the recent literature has emphasized one or two subsets of geoscientific data (typically geochemical/petrological, tomographic, or local or whole mantle convection), almost to the exclusion of other data types.

In their comment on this page, and in other contributions [Liu, 2003; Liu et al., 2003], Liu, Kolenkiewicz, and their colleagues provide important reminders of this need, as they explore the implications of global gravity for convection model
New officers assume leadership
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The 2004–2006 AGU officers assumed their leadership roles on 1 July. To prepare for their roles, new Council members and committee chairmen participated in a Leadership Conference on 14–16 May in Montreal, Canada.

The theme of this year's conference, “Strategic Alignment,” emphasized the importance of leaders working toward common strategic goals as outlined by AGU's Strategic Plan. Participants had an opportunity to obtain information and context to help them meet their responsibilities as leaders of AGU, to build common understandings with other Council members and Focus Group and committee chairs, and to contemplate the future directions of the Union and its needs.
New European training network to improve young scientists' capabilities in computational wave propagation
Authors: Igel Heiner
Published: October 2006

The European Commission recently funded a Marie‐Curie Research Training Network (MCRTN) in the field of computational seismology within the 6th Framework Program. SPICE (Seismic wave Propagation and Imaging in Complex media: a European network) is coordinated by the computational seismology group of the Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universitat in Munich, linking 14 European research institutions in total.

The 4‐year project will provide funding for 14 Ph.D. students (3‐year projects) and 14 postdoctoral positions (2‐year projects) within the various fields of computational seismology. These positions have been advertised and are currently being filled.
Comment on “Communicating with uncertainty: A critical issue with probabilistic seismic hazard analysis”
Authors: Cramer Chris H.
Published: October 2006

Wang et al. (Eos, 18 November 2003, pp. 501, 506, 508) provide an interesting introduction to the heart of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). However, the criticisms of PSHA recited in the second half of the article do not tell the whole story.

In particular, the limitations listed by Wang et al. apply equally to deterministic seismic hazard analysis, the only real alternative to PSHA. Deterministic and probabilistic seismic hazard analyses employ earthquake hazard information in a somewhat different manner to estimate earthquake ground motion (shaking) hazard at a site [Reiter, 1990]. Both approaches model in the same manner the distribution of earthquake sources and the decay (attenuation) of earthquake ground motion with increasing distance from an earthquake. In a deterministic analysis, a particular damaging earthquake is chosen from among the possible damaging earthquakes that can affect a site (usually the earthquake expected to be the most damaging). Then the distribution of probable ground motions, represented as a median ground motion and its lognormal standard deviation, from one or several attenuation relations is used to select a ground motion hazard at the site.
Geophysicists
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A new AGU book, Solar Variability and Its Effects on Climate, edited by Judit M. Pap and Peter Fox, presents a description of the most recent results on solar variability and its possible influence on the Earth's climate and atmosphere. The book explores the challenges facing researchers studying solar‐terrestrial physics in their interdisciplinary work to understand and predict the global effects from the Sun's influence. Sections in the monograph focus on the energy transport from the Sun's interior to Earth's atmosphere, the influences that can lead to varying solar signals and how they affect long‐term global climate change, and a summary of strategies and requirements for future research.

In this issue, Eos talks with lead editor Judit M. Pap. Pap is senior research scientist at the Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center at the University of Maryland‐Baltimore County and NASA Goddard Space Science Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Solar Variability and Its Effects on Climate
Authors: Lifland Jonathan
Published: October 2006

A new AGU book, Solar Variability and Its Effects on Climate, edited by Judit M. Pap and Peter Fox, presents a description of the most recent results on solar variability and its possible influence on the Earth's climate and atmosphere. The book explores the challenges facing researchers studying solar‐terrestrial physics in their interdisciplinary work to understand and predict the global effects from the Sun's influence. Sections in the monograph focus on the energy transport from the Sun's interior to Earth's atmosphere, the influences that can lead to varying solar signals and how they affect long‐term global climate change, and a summary of strategies and requirements for future research.

In this issue, Eos talks with lead editor Judit M. Pap. Pap is senior research scientist at the Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center at the University of Maryland‐Baltimore County and NASA Goddard Space Science Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Thermal processes in the context of EarthScope
Authors: Harris Robert N. , Chapman David S. , Furlong Kevin P. , Saffer Demian M.
Published: October 2006

The EarthScope project is designed to elucidate the dynamics and evolution of the North American continent. To reach that goal, focused studies of the continental seismic structure, the strength of the lithosphere and modes of deformation, the patterns of stresses and strain, and the manner in which the lithosphere responds to excitation during earthquakes are all a high priority.

The common factor linking these EarthScope centric issues is the thermal state of the lithosphere. Although not an explicit component of EarthScope in the sense of US Array, PBO or SAFOD, an understanding of the thermal structure and associated thermal processes plays a key role in interpreting the observations generated by the EarthScope infrastructure. In order to help guide EarthScope science to exploit most effectively the links among these observations, a workshop was held to bring together practitioners from the fields of seismology geodesy thermochronology and crustal deformation with researchers who focus on thermal processes. The goal was to define the high priority issues to be addressed through integration of thermal geophysics with Earth‐Scope science.
Reply [to Comment on “Moving beyond the IGY: The Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) concept’”]
Authors: Baker Daniel , Barton Charles , Rodger Alan , Fraser Brian , Thompson Barbara , Papitashvili Vladimir
Published: October 2006

Robert Benson raises interesting points regarding the eGY and the role of world data centers. We share the belief that the WDC system was one of the great achievements of the IGY. We have also supported the many and varied activities of data centers over the years. The eGY is not intended to replace data centers, but rather to enhance them.
EarthScope exhibit on Capitol Hill
Authors: Folger Peter
Published: October 2006

Politicians got a chance to see why funding the National Science Foundation is crucial to the nation's scientific enterprise during an annual exhibit and reception showcasing NSF‐sponsored research, held on 22 June in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. AGU teamed with the American Geological Institute and the Geological Society of America to co‐sponsor a display about EarthScope that outlined the NSF‐supported multi‐year investigation into the structure and evolution of the North American continent and the physical processes controlling earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Over 370 people attended the event, including six members of Congress, dozens of congressional staff members, Science Advisor to the President John Marburger, Acting NSF Director Arden Bement, NSF Assistant Director Joseph Bordogna, and several representatives from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Synoptic monitoring of water's return to Mesopotamian marshlands
Authors: Mertes Leal A. K.
Published: October 2006

The Mesopotamian Marshlands are a recorded element of Sumerian culture since 5000 B.C. [Thesiger, 1964],and have withstood multiple impacts over the centuries until the twentieth century development of dams on the Tigris‐Euphrates systems and greater water demand in Turkey Syria, and Iraq [Gruen,2000] increased their vulnerability to human impact. Devastation of >90% of ∼20,000 km2 of the marshlands [Partow, 2001] occurred over a remarkably short period of time near the end of the twentieth century, when the majority of the area was drained beginning in 1991.

The late twentieth century barren landscape showed little hope of a return to its aquatic character until a 2003 military strategy, implemented March through May resulted in return of water to areas that had not been inundated for >10 years. Ali Shaheen, chief of the Iraqi Irrigation Department in Nasiriyah, reported that the tactic of flooding the marshes was designed to interfere with military advances from the south [Axon, 2003].