bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sunflower transmitting data
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Data from the Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) Himawari (Sunflower) are to be delivered routinely to the Meteorological Satellite Center and are available directly or through the World Data Center C‐2 for Rockets and Satellites.

GMS is part of the Global Atmospheric Research Program and is primarily a meteorological satellite. However, its payload also includes a 16‐channel solar energetic particle monitor. Its data formats are expected to be similar to the SMS/Goes format for the same type of information. At least hourly mean values of each channel will be published monthly.
Sea grant tackles beach problems
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

In the first effort of its type, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched a longrange research project into the national problem of shoreline preservation.

The team of researchers on Sea Grant funds will investigate sand movement along selected coastal areas in the first multidisciplinary effort to carry out coordinated research over a 4‐ to 5‐year period. With a better understanding of the mechanics and physics of sediment entrainment and transport along with specially developed engineering data, the Sea Grant researchers hope to correct some of the problems of shoreline preservation. They also expect to create engineering models for predicting sediment transfer along a straight coastline where significant financial losses have been suffered.
Acoustic tracking system
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A new acoustic tracking system recently completed a week‐long sea trial with a tethered submersible vehicle. The vehicle made increasingly deeper dives, reaching a maximum of 500 ft, while the SS400TS Acoustic Tracking System tracked its position relative to the operating ship. In an unscheduled test the tracking system also monitored the location of a wellhead inadvertently dropped to the muddy bottom before its position could be buoy marked. The submersible was successfully navigated to the transponder on the wellhead with the range and bearing information from the SS400TS. The tracking system is manufactured by Western Marine Electronics of Seattle.
Groundwater and the western drought
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A panel of experts will discuss Groundwater and the Western Drought during the week of December 5, 1977, in association with the AGU fall meeting in San Francisco. This half‐day timely session will highlight the more significant drought effects, covering short‐ and long‐term effects of low recharge and increased pumping on groundwater and groundwater basins, and discuss the role of groundwater in stabilizing a highly variable surface supply.
Computer simulation call for papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1978 Summer Computer Simulation Conference (SCSC) will be held at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel, California, July 24–26, 1978. The conference is sponsored by the Society for Computer Simulation (Simulation Councils, Inc.), Instrument Society of America, American Meteorological Society, and SHARE (IBM Users Group). With ‘Simulation Today’ as its theme, it will deal with such topical areas as energy, managerial and social sciences, biological systems, environmental sciences, physical sciences, and simulation methodology.
Helen J. Peters: A vignette
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Helen J. Peters was born and raised in Sacramento, California, and attended local schools through junior college, completing her education at the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in civil engineering with an irrigation and drainage option in 1951. Her interest in water started early, since her family activities centered around camping, swimming, and other athletics. Swimming and badminton were her major sports in college; she was a member of the Conference Champion badminton and swimming teams at junior college and swam the mile for Berkeley in meets with local colleges.

At Berkeley, she served as secretary and vice‐president of the Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and was awarded the Woman's Badge in Tau Beta Pi. Her interest in hydrology led to specialization in groundwater and geology through selection of optional research units.
Comment [on “Prediction of the Haicheng Earthquake”]
Authors: Huebsch Ian O.
Published: October 2011

The article, ‘Prediction of the Haicheng Earthquake,’ in the May EOS (pp. 236–272), by members of the American seismological delegation to China, displays an uncritical and naive attitude toward the alleged accomplishments of Chinese Communist seismology under the guidance of Chairman Mao. The reports of successful prediction would be more convincing had they been noted before, rather than after, the event, and had they been made by visitors fully free to travel and able to converse in the language of the country. The Americans may have received a Potemkin village tour of a type often provided foreign visitors to totalitarian countries.

Conspicuously omitted from the article is any mention of the disastrous Tangshan earthquake of July 28, 1976. One would have expected Maoist seismology to have foreseen this event. But we now learn (see California Geology, June 1977) that the evil ‘Gang of Four’ obstructed the prediction of this earthquake.
Carbon dioxide on the rise
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The longest, most nearly continuous record of measured atmospheric carbon dioxide taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at Mauna Loa Observatory shows a small persistent rise in global carbon dioxide concentrations.

There are also minuscule, hard‐to‐explain fluctuations in the rate at which this increase is occurring, according to Kirby Hanson, director of NOAA's Geophysical Monitoring for Climatic Changes program. He said that understanding these fluctuations is necessary for us to adequately discriminate between the human and natural factors causing the carbon dioxide increase. Such accurate assessment is also needed to predict future concentrations of carbon dioxide that may result from differing scenarios for burning fossil fuels, Hanson says.
USGS reports now available by mail
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Copies of most U.S. Geological Survey reports may now be purchased by mail from a single centrally located facility at Denver, Colorado. Previously, copies of USGS open file reports were made available for public inspection only, or copies could be obtained at purchaser's expense, not by mail, only at designated Survey libraries, public inquiries offices, or other facilities.

USGS open file reports may be ordered from the Open‐File Services Section, Branch of Distribution, U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25425, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 (phone: 303‐234‐5888).
Seismic soundings enhanced
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Jon F. Claerbout at Stanford University has developed a way to enhance seismic soundings to gain a remarkably clear picture of underground strata and geologic formations.

Claerbout uses a wave equation migration technique in a computer model to reconstruct confused seismic data. In effect, this technique makes it seem as though the explosive charges and seismic receivers were buried in the earth rather than placed on the surface. The computer‐enhanced seismograms show the geologic structure down to 10 km, a depth more than twice that of usual interest to petroleum prospectors.
A revised reconstruction of the southern continents
Authors: Barron E. J. , Harrison C. G. A. , Hay W. W.
Published: October 2011

A variety of different reconstructions of the southern continents have been proposed. This is largely a result of the lack of sufficient geologic and geophysical data to constrain their palaeopositions. Specifically, oceanic magnetic anomalies prior to the Late Cretaceous are of generally poor quality, and there is a lack of exposed geological section on Antarctica. A revised reconstruction of the southern continents, based on the 2000‐m contour, is proposed which includes the salient features of previous reconstructions but also considers data from several critical areas. The Falkland Plateau is included as defined by the 3000‐m contour. To prevent overlap and satisfy geologic constraints, the Antarctic Peninsula is placed to the western side of South America adjoining the Andean province and with Antarctica as a single unit. On the basis of geologic evidence, Madagascar is placed in a southerly position adjacent to Mozambique. The Seychelles are included as a continental fragment. Australia is shifted 250 km to the west with respect to Antarctica to produce a better geologic fit. A palinspastically reconstructed India is adjacent to western Australia and is fitted to a morphologically similar section of Antarctica. The Lord Howe Rise and Campbell Plateau are considered as two separate continental fragments. Although our revised reconstruction is controversial in some respects, it does remove many of the geologic inconsistencies present in earlier models.
Wide Field Camera Team for space telescope named by NASA
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A scientific team led by James Westphal of the California Institute of Technology is designing the Wide Field Camera for the Space Telescope. Designed to detect a wide spectrum of light from ultraviolet to infrared, the camera will use charge‐coupled devices (CCD's) as its fundamental light‐gathering units.

Four square arrays of CCD's, each 800 units by 800 units in size, will receive the image from the telescope and beam it to earth as a string of radio impulses. The other camera aboard the space telescope will be the Faint Object Camera, which will have a higher resolution but a smaller field of view.
Very rare carbon‐bearing meteorites found in Antarctica
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Two specimens of meteorites found last December in the Transantarctic Mountains may be the first carbonaceous chrondrites ever found under conditions of minimum terrestrial contamination.

Only 25 of the world's supply of some 2000 meteorites are carbonaceous chrondrites, representative of a celestial mix very much like that from which the planets must have been formed. Collected by a U.S.‐Japanese team under National Science Foundation sponsorship, the meteorites arrived in the United States for study sealed in uncontaminated stainless steel lunar canisters locked in lunar transfer cases.
New water quality manuals available from USQS/GPO
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Two new manuals describing standard techniques for water quality analysis work ‘reflect the nation's growing concern over our many manmade pollutants and their effects on both aquatic life and man himself,’ according to R. J. Pickering of USGS. The manuals reflect the changing needs in water quality analysis, covering such subjects as sampling and measuring radioactive substances and aquatic life in surface and underground water and sediments.

The latest in the 34‐volume series Techniques of Water Resources Investigations, the two volumes are the first in a new loose‐leaf format designed for speedy updating. Because of the new format and the automatic distribution of future supplements and revisions, the two new manuals are available only from the Superintendent of Documents.
Nitrogen levels in ice and solar activity reported linked
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Four antarctic researchers have reported finding a correlation between the amount of ‘fixed’ nitrogen in various levels of ice at the south pole and the 11‐year cycle of sunspots, auroral activity, and cosmic ray intensity. The researchers suggested that their finding could provide a new technique to help scientists determine the relationship of past solar activity to global climate.

The findings are based on the fact that increased solar activity causes a corresponding increase in auroral activity, which in turn increases nitrate production. The fixed nitrogen levels measured by the antarctic researchers were in the form of nitrates and ammonium. Bruce C. Parker of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI) and Edward J. Zeller of the University of Kansas reported these results in the Antarctic Journal of the United States. The researchers, assisted by Lawrence E. Heiskell and William J. Thompson, graduate students at VPI, obtained their data by analyzing a firn core—snow accumulations that have not yet been compacted into ice—collected near the geographic south pole in November 1974.
American Geophysical Union Committee on Geomagnetic Reference Fields
Authors: Regan Robert D.
Published: October 2011

In the March 1976 issue of EOS we reported on the formation of the A GU Committee on Geomagnetic Reference Fields and on our efforts to influence the decision concerning the 1975 revision of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) by the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) . Working once again with the Society of Exploration Geophysicists committee on the IGRF, we participated in the 1977 IAGA meeting on the revision of the IGRF. It was fortunate that at the same meeting, views similar to ours were presented by S. P. Srivastava of Canada and R. Whitworth of Australia. The resulting discussion and committee decision on the revision of the IGRF were indeed encouraging.
Oceanic fronts: A summary of a Chapman Conference
Authors: Mooers Christopher N. K.
Published: October 2011

Oceanic fronts occur at the boundaries between water masses with one or more differing properties, such as temperature, salinity, density, color (turbidity), nutrients, and velocity. Atmospheric fronts are common to mankind's experience; their oceanic analogs are similar but less familiar. The most familiar oceanic fronts exist at the sea surface, but fronts also exist at all depths within the ocean. Fronts are ubiquitous and occur on virtually all space and time scales.
President's Page: AGU officers 1978”1980
Authors: Cox Allan V.
Published: October 2011

On this page and the next two are presented to you the members of AGU who will serve the Union as officers during the next two years. The president and presidentelect of each section together with the Union officers and the immediate past president make up the council, which is legally the board of directors of our corporation. I have charged all of the officers with the responsibility of keeping in touch with the needs and interests of their constituencies.
No “Ice Age” in Earth's history
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The sun is brighter now than it was at the birth of the solar system 4.7 billion years ago, according to theories of stellar evolution. Furthermore, the solar flux then was only about 70% of the present‐day solar flux.

If the climate of the earth is as sensitive to solar change as the latest models propose, the earth of 4.7 billion years ago would have been covered with ice. However, there is much geological evidence to suggest that the earth never has been covered by ice and that in fact the climate has remained relatively stable.
Measurement of ocean wave heights with a satellite radar altimeter
Authors: Barrick Donald E. , Fedor Leonard S.
Published: October 2011

The launch of Geos 3 on April 9, 1975, by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) represented the first step toward the goal of ocean surface remote sensing from space. Microwave radars and radiometers orbiting aboard a network of unmanned satellites are expected ultimately to offer an all‐weather capability for routinely monitoring sea state, ocean surface topography, temperature, currents, and (indirectly) surface winds on a global scale. The availability of such data in real time should produce a quantum increase in the quality of long‐term weather forecasts, as well as provide needed information for the efficient and safe conduct of burgeoning maritime operations.

Geos 3 is the first unmanned satellite to carry a radar system for observations of the sea. In particular, it carries a microwave short‐pulse altimeter capable of measuring rms ocean wave height along its nadir track. Although the instrument can measure other quantities of geodetic and oceanographic interest (such as the instantaneous mean sea level from which currents and geoidal features can be extracted), we consider here only the measurement of sea wave height; this is without a doubt the most important single parameter characterizing that general but often used term, ‘sea state.’ The mathematical model and physical principles describing the sea echo have been understood for years. This paper, however, presents some of the first wave height plots made from a spacecraft radar. These wave height plots are shown versus distance along the satellite track; they agree reasonably well with ocean wave hindcasts and laser profilometer measurements of wave height, the errors being consistent with system resolution and internal and tracking loop noise.
Guy Bomford Prize for geodetic research
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

To mark the contributions to geodesy by Brigadier G. Bomford, formerly head of the Department of Surveying and Geodesy of the University of Oxford, chairman of the Geodesy Subcommittee of the Royal Society's British National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics, and President of the International Association of Geodesy from 1963 to 1967, the IAG has agreed to the inauguration of a Guy Bomford Prize for distinguished contributions to geodesy. The prize is awarded at intervals of four years on the occasion of the Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy during the General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.

The Guy Bomford Prize is awarded to a young scientist (defined as being under 40 years of age on December 31 of the year preceding the Assembly at which the award is made) for outstanding individual contributions to geodetic studies, particularly in the four‐year period preceding the General Assembly at which the award is made. Exceptionally, the prize may be shared between two or more young scientists who have been jointly responsible for a particular geodetic study.
1978”1979 Congressional Science Fellow
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

J. Christopher Bernabo has been selected as the 1978–1979 AGU Congressional Science Fellow. He will serve one year on Capitol Hill beginning in September. The AGU is one of ten societies that support Fellows under the auspices of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow Program. The program is designed to involve the Fellow in the making of public policy within Congress by working either on the staff of a member of Congress, for a congressional committee, or in some other area of Congress. Dr. Bernabo has spent the past year investigating climatic change while serving as a National Research Council Resident Research Associate at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Proposed change in the AGU Bylaws
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

On April 16, 1978, the AGU Council approved a change in bylaw 21 which will stabilize the number of Fellows that can be elected each year.

In accordance with article 12b of the statutes, which requires proposed amendments to the bylaws to be published in an AGU publication of general circulation no less than 30 days prior to action at a succeeding council meeting, bylaw 21 is shown below as it currently reads and as it will read if the proposed amendment is adopted.
University of Oklahoma and NOAA Establish New Cooperative Institute
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

For the next several years the newly created Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies will pursue research efforts targeted on the evolution of convective storms from their mesoscale environment. Of particular interest will be the broader, longer range questions of the economic and social consequences of severe storms and the potential control of these effects.
Amateur earthquake predictions
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Despite some newspaper claims to the contrary, amateurs are not very good at predicting earthquakes.

According to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project at the National Earthquake Information Service in Denver, Colorado, only 1 of 92 amateur predictors exceeded a 0.01 probability level—the level that 1 of 100 might exceed by chance.
Geologic hazard map of Cotopaxi is test of such assessments
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Evaluating hazards in advance of a potentially dangerous situation is of continuing interest to geological researchers. Robert I. Tilling described a recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador that should help prove the value of such hazards assessments.

Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times in the last 250 years. In November 1975, when the volcano began emitting heat and steam, Ecuadorian officials requested assistance in assessing the nature of the potential hazards posed by the 5897‐m‐high volcano located 56 km south‐southeast of the capital city of Quito.
SEAN Report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Fernandina (Isla Fernandina, Galapagos Islands) began to erupt during the late morning of August 8, 1978. Observers first noticed an eruption cloud about 1 hour after an earthquake (mb = 4.5) occurred near the volcano. The cloud rose to an estimated altitude of 4500–6000 m and had a maximum lateral dimension of 55 km, measured from August 8 NOAA weather satellite images. A large cloud remained over Fernandina on August 9. Between August 10 and 13, scientists on the caldera rim observed intermittent lava fountaining from a 1‐km‐long fissure on the northwest bench, feeding a lava flow that traveled 2 km to the caldera lake. Activity had declined when they left on August 13, but a second group of scientists saw glow over Fernandina on August 16 and 100‐m‐high fountains emerging from new vents (400 m from the August 10–13 fissure) when they reached the caldera rim on August 18. Lava again flowed to the steaming lake. Activity declined on August 19, resumed briefly on August 24 and 26, and then declined again and remained quiescent through early September.
RISP/RIGGS symposium
Authors: Bentley C. R.
Published: October 2011

I read with interest the report in the October 1978 issue of EOS on the RISP/RIGGS Symposium held as part of the annual Spring Meeting ofthe AGU in Miami last April. Unfortunately, despite the title, the report reviews only six papers on the RISP drilling projects at station J9 and omits all mention ofthe equal number of papers related specifically to RIGGS. This highly successful project has, after four seasons of field work, produced extensive information across nearly the entire ice shelf on velocities, strain rates, and thicknesses of the ice shelf; on the submarine topography, submarine geology, and tides beneath the shelf; and on the physical and chemical characteristics of the ice itself. Thus although the project may not be as dramatic as the successful completion of an access hole to the previously unexplored waters beneath the ice shelf, the scientific accomplishments are, in my (admittedly prejudiced) view, at least as great, and as deserving of review in E0S.
Recent changes in the Chinese intellectual community and oceanographic exchanges
Authors: Chew Frank L. , Chew Katherine L.
Published: October 2011

We are Americans of Chinese ancestry who visited the South China Sea Institute of Oceanography in Tsingtao during a 30‐day trip throughout China in May and June. We also visisted other research and teaching institutions in China. Based on conversations with many teachers and scientists, we will describe some recent changes in the Chinese intellectual community as well as aspects of the organization, facilities, and work being accomplished at the two oceanographic centers.

To gain a proper perspective on China's recent rejuvenation of scientific research, one must delve a bit into the role of intellectuals in Chinese history. Chinese intellectuals, such as teachers, scholars, and scientists, have always filled large and special roles. Teachers, such as Confucius, have enjoyed a respect unequaled in anyother culture. Yet despite their prestige and power, intellectuals have, from time to time, been feared and detested. In a head long drive to unify China, the founder of the Ch'in Dynasty (221‐209 B.C.) buried dissident scholars alive.
Geysers Field Trip
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Geology and Geophysics of the Geysers Geothermal Area Field Trip on Sunday preceding the 1978 Fall Meeting was full. The bus trip to the area 70 miles north of San Francisco featured detailed discussion of the geology of the area, glimpses of differing strata in road cuts, and a useful summary/handout on the Geysers area.

The AGU bus was met by two representatives of the Union Oil Company, which operates numerous generating plants on the geothermal steam. The Union representatives provided everyone with copies of a July 31, 1978, Fortune article detailing Union's continuing geothermal development plans. Currently drilling the Imperial Valley and the Los Alamos area, Union is western states.
Geophysical tools find wide application
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Instances of application of geophysical tools to societal problems are growing. In one recent example, a three‐agency scientific team successfully integrated Landsat satellite information, data from a global meteorological network, and a computer model to estimate future crop yields. Dubbed LACIE for Large‐Area Crop Inventory Experiment, the project is being conducted jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Jerry D. Hill, of NOAA, explains that satellite imagery permits estimation of the proportion of cropland in a country devoted to growing wheat, while weather data are used to estimate crop growth state, vigor, and potential yield. A computer model developed to estimate wheat yield projected total wheat production for the Soviet Union in 1977 at approximately 91.4 million metric tons. This compares very well with USSR reports of 92 million metric tons, released at the end of that year.
Fulbright opportunities
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars will accept applications from eligible U.S. scholars for the following awards until an adequate panel of nominees i s secured. Unless otherwise stated, openings are for university teaching. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible. Only one application may be submitted, but alternate country interests may be noted.
Ice studies: Visit to the Radio Physics Laboratory of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in Leningrad
Authors: Bentley Charles R.
Published: October 2011

In June 1977 I spent nearly a month in discussions on the application of electromagnetic methods to the study of ice with V. V. Bogorodskii and his associates at the Radio Physics Laboratory (RPL) of the Soviet Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. This exchange was a clear instance of Soviet/American exchange in which the preponderance of benefit was on the American side. Bogorodskii and his associates were very generous with their time and knowledge—over 90% of the discussions concerned their work, much of it not yet published. Many of the types of experiments that are currently being considered for present and future development of radio glaciological systems in the United States have already been carried out by the Soviet investigators with the production of some interesting and important results. Furthermore, there are related investigations of interest, such as direct measurement of ice motion by laser interferometry, microwave surveys of the Arctic Ocean, and sounding of permafrost and dry sand.
Advanced Research Fellowships in India
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Twelve long‐term (6–10 months) and nine short‐term (2–3 months) research awards, without restriction as to field, are offered for 1980–1981 by the Indo‐U.S. Subcommission on Education and Culture. Applicants must be U.S. citizens at the postdoctoral or equivalent professional level. The fellowship program seeks to open new channels of communication between academic and professional groups in the United States and India and to encourage a wider range of research activity between the two countries than has previously existed. Therefore scholars and professionals who have limited or no experience in India are especially encouraged to apply.
Oaxaca earthquake
Authors: Ohtake M.
Published: October 2011

Our paper entitled ‘Seismicity Gap Near Oaxaca, Southern Mexico as a Probable Precursor to a Large Earthquake,’ published in Pure and Applied Geophysics (volume 115, 1977), predicted the large Mexico earthquake that occurred on November 29. I quote in part from the summary: ‘An area of significant seismic quiescence is found near Oaxaca, southern Mexico. The anomalous area may be the site of a future large earthquake as many cases so far reported were… The most probable estimates are: 7½ ± ¼ for the magnitude and ϕ = 16.5° ± 0.5 North, λ = 96.5° ± 0.5 West for the epicenter location. A firm prediction of the occurrence time is not attempted…' According to the Preliminary Determination of Earthquakes from the U.S. Geological Survey, the parameters of the Oaxaca earthquake are Ms = 7.8, ϕ = 16.072°N and λ = 96.487°W.
Future Global Atmospheric Chemistry Program
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A group made up of university and government researchers has recently been formed to explore actively the possibility of redirecting the ongoing project Gametag (Global Atmospheric Measurements Experiment on Tropospheric Aerosols and Gases). This new program, involving a highly expanded format, would be labeled ‘Gametag phase II.’

It is now anticipated that a ‘selected’ global field sampling operation involving both aircraft and oceanographic sampling platforms will be utilized in phase II. The operational philosophy of making simultaneous measurements involving as many as 70 chemical and meteorological variables will again receive maximum attention in the program. The ultimate objective of this effort will be that of providing answers to numerous scientific questions related to global atmospheric chemical sources and sinks, chemical transformations, and global atmospheric chemical distributions. In this context, both in situ concentration measurements as well as flux measurements will be emphasized. Tentative planning by the steering committee would call for the submission of a well‐integrated proposal to the National Science Foundation by the end of August 1979.
1979 Spring Meeting Program Themes
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Superthermal Particles. The processes by which particles in cosmic plasmas are elevated in energy out of the ‘thermal’ regime and accelerated to very high relativistic energies has been a challenge to understand for decades. The Solar‐Planetary‐Relationship Section has organized a series of sessions around this theme, beginning with the upper atmosphere at the fringes of space and extending into the auroral regions, the effects of substorms, acceleration to high energy in the earth's radiation belts, and studies of the powerful effects of acceleration at Jupiter. Finally, sessions devoted to the high‐energy particles in the solar wind, including cosmic rays, complete the span of energies in the ultrarelativistic region.
The International Workshop on selected topics of magnetospheric physics
Authors: Russell C. T.
Published: October 2011

The International Magnetospheric Survey (IMS) is an international cooperative venture to study the magnetosphere. It is coordinated by the Scientific Committee for Solar‐Terrestrial Physics (Scostep) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The program consists of many separate efforts by scientific groups and individual scientists to study simultaneously the diverse phenomena of the magnetosphere and then compare their results. This procedure has permitted scientists the freedom to pursue their individual programs and has also stimulated creativity, yet at the same time it has provided coordinated observations and studies of individual events from a wide variety of instrumentation.
Summer monsoon investigation
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Two hundred and twenty scientists and technicians from 36 nations will be involved in the 4‐month‐long summer Monsoon Experiment (Monex). This part of an international study of the atmosphere's most massive weather phenomenon is being undertaken with two objectives, according to J. P. Kuettner, director of the U.S. Monex Project Office. The first is to understand the mechanism of the monsoons so that they can be modeled mathematically for prediction purposes. The second objective is to determine the interactions of the monsoons with the global atmospheric circulation system.
The 1979 award of the Walter H. Bucher medal (for original contributions to the basic knowledge of the Earth's crust)
Authors: Cox Allan , Irving Edward
Published: October 2011

The theory of plate tectonics and its forerunner, the theory of continental drift, have been aptly described by President‐elect J. Tuzo Wilson as comprising a scientific revolution. No field has contributed more to this revolution than paleomagnetism, and no scientist has contributed more to this field than has Edward Irving.

In a seminal 1956 paper, Irving determined the paleolatitudes of North America, Europe, and Australia from paleomagnetic data and compared these with the geological records on these continents of paleocli‐mates. He demonstrated that, except possibly for the Precambrian, the two data sets were in remarkably good agreement: coral reefs and rocks formed in ancient deserts lay at low paleomagnetic latitudes whereas ancient glacial deposits lay at high paleomagnetic latitudes. Using paleomagnetic data, Irving calculated pole paths for North America and Europe and noted that the path for North America lay to the west of the path for Europe. He concluded in his 1956 paper that during the Mesozoic and Paleozoic North America lay closer to Europe and that India, Australia, North America, and Europe had all undergone continental drift.
Symposium on satellite Doppler positioning
Authors: Leroy Caroline F.
Published: October 2011

The Second International Geodetic Symposium on Satellite Doppler Positioning was held in Austin, Texas, from January 22 to January 26,1979. The symposium was sponsored by the Defense Mapping Agency and the National Ocean Survey, hosted by the Applied Research Laboratories of the University of Texas at Austin, and sanctioned by the International Association of Geodesy, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. The symposium was attended by 282 scientists from 32 countries, representing a broad spectrum of users of Doppler satellite positioning techniques.

A major accomplishment of the symposium was the interaction between the many users, from those positioning oil platforms to those determining plate tectonic motion. Discussions centered on hardware and software refinements and accuracies, both theoretical and demonstrated, of the results from use of the Navy Navigation Satellite System. On the fifth day, the papers dealt with the Global Positioning System and its capability to meet geodetic requirements of the future.
Questions and answers about “seismic gaps”
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

At a time when the field of earthquake prediction is still very much in its infancy, and also a time when recent earthquake disasters have stimulated considerable awareness, the U.S. Geological Survey's Office of Earthquake Studies has reported what it considers significant progress in identifying areas of high seismic potential, i.e., they are deemed likely to produce large earthquakes in the next few decades. Recently the USGS prepared the following questions and answers about these so‐called ‘seismic gaps.’

What is a seismic gap? According to the theory of plate tectonics, the earth's outer shell, including the crust and upper mantle, is composed of a number of large semirigid plates that are in constant slow motion. Most of the world's earthquakes occur where the plates slide against each other along vertical ‘transform faults,’ or where one slides over another along a dipping ‘subduction zone.’ The term ‘seismic gap’ refers to regions along these active plate boundaries where (1) large earthquakes have occurred in the past, but not within the past 30 years; and (2) nearby parts of plate boundaries either have experienced strain‐releasing major earthquakes within the past 30 years or have no history of past great earthquakes (suggesting that strain has been released by aseismic creep or by small to moderate earthquakes). A seismic gap might be considered as a quiet zone where strain, that must eventually be released, has been building up in an area that has a history of releasing such strain through large earthquakes.
Determinism and randomness in fluvial geomorphology
Authors: Smart J. Samuel
Published: October 2011

During the past 20 years, a controversy, or at least a difference of opinion, has developed over the relative merits of deterministic and random models in fluvial geomorphology. A survey of the literature indicates that there are actually two distinct approaches that make use of stochastic concepts. As all three groups draw upon physical principles to a considerable extent, the origin and development of deterministic and stochastic disciplines in physics are reviewed and illustrated with some simple examples. The information obtained is then used to examine the scientific content of the claims put forward by the three groups and to make some judgment of their validity.

Fluvial geomorphology involves the study of several complex and interrelated processes, such as chemical weathering, erosion, soil creep, sediment transport and deposition, development and maintenance of stream networks, and channel hydraulics. It is clearly very difficult to obtain detailed quantitative explanations of such processes. Consequently, a number of authors, beginning with Leopold and Langbein [1962], have proposed that stochastic methods could be used to advantage in many instances. During the past 20 years, a controversy, or at least a difference of opinion, has developed over the relative merits of deterministic and stochastic models in fluvial geomorphology.
New map and chart information system
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

A new computerized National Map and Chart Information System (MCIS) that will provide greatly expanded and quicker service to map users has been developed and put into operation by the U.S. Geological Survey.

MCIS currently can provide coverage on about 160,000 maps and charts. Coverage is expected to expand to about a million maps by 1985.
Geophysical events
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Io, a moon of Jupiter. The Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Jupiter and its moons in early July, about 4 months after the Voyager 1 encounter. Voyager 1 imagery showed active volcanism on lo, the first extraterrestrial body on which volcanic eruptions have been observed.

Voyager 2's cameras viewed lo intermittently for 5 days, including continuous imaging for about 7 hours around the closest encounter on July 9. Resolutions ranged from about 100 km to about 20 km. Of the eight plumes seen on Voyager 1 imagery, six were still active, one (the largest seen by Voyager 1, 280 km high) was definitely quiescent, and the state of activity of another could not be determined. Most of the plumes seemed to be about the same size as they were on Voyager 1 imagery, but the largest currently active plume had grown to roughly 150 km from its approximately 100 km height of 4 months earlier. No new eruption sites were discovered, but preliminary analysis indicates that some fairly large‐scale changes in surface morphology (visible at resolutions of 40‐50 km) have taken place in the past 4 months, both around active vents and in other areas.
Low‐grade thermal energy conversion engine
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Abundant, undeveloped, and essentially ‘free’ thermal energy exists in the form of low‐temperature water from sources such as geothermal hot water, oceanic and fresh water thermal gradients, and industrial waste heat. Recovery of useful mechanical and electrical energy from these vast and inexpensive resources has been hampered by lack of effective and economical thermal energy conversion systems (heat engines). A research team at McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company (MDAC) is developing low‐temperature heat engines which use Joule effect solid state materials as the working media. These materials, when heated, contract with substantially greater force than is required to stretch them at lower temperatures, and the force difference is translated into work. Heat engines built by using one of these materials, Nitinol—a nickel titanium alloy—have operated successfully at temperature differences as low as 5°C.
Coast Guard icebreaker makes historic first in polar ice cap
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

On August 29,1979, the Coast Guard icebreaker Westwindpenetrated further into the arctic ice cap than any other American icebreaker in history, coming within 375 miles of the North Pole.

Westwind is conducting an intensive 7‐week oceanographic study of the icebound waters off the northern coast of eastern Greenland between 76° and 81° north latitude, an area known as a major outlet for frigid arctic currents and vast ice floes.
The International Solar‐Terrestrial Predictions Workshop
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Predictions of solar activity and its terrestrial effects have been made at several forecast centers around the world for more than three decades. Most forecast centers provide monitoring measurements, warnings of solar‐terrestrial disturbances, and short‐ and long‐term predictions. Forecasts were first made as a service to long‐distance HF radio communicators. Solar‐terrestrial predictions are now also routinely made to forecast satellite lifetime and radiation hazards for astronauts, sensitive satellite instruments, and highaltitude, high‐latitude airplane flights. Geomagnetic disturbances are predicted to provide warnings to longline electric power networks a t middle and high latitudes and to geomagnetic survey organizations. In the last two decades, significant improvements have been made in satellite‐monitoring measurements and in disturbance detection and warning services. However, the advances in solar‐terrestrial predictions have been relatively minor. There was a great need for a coordinated attempt to improve prediction techniques.
Impact off technology on geophysics
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

If asked about the impact of technology on geophysics during the past decade or so, most workers in the field would answer that the impact has been great, possibly enormous. At first glance one would think of the issue as being one of assessing geophysical concepts that had been gained from the impact, but a recent National Academy report on studies in geophysics titled as such, i.e., ‘Impact of Technology on Geophysics’, is directed more toward the technology than the result. The report is a study made at the request of the Academy's Geophysics Research Board, started over five years ago. This was a period during which technology was having perhaps the greatest impact ever.
Violent storms: A case for study
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Although not an outstanding exception, this year has been a year of violent storms in many parts of the world. The occurrences, by date and location, showed no absences from the normal hurricane season, and yet a number of intense cyclonic disturbances with winds of hurricane strength well outside of the statistical envelope were reported this year. Perhaps one of the reasons that the violent storms of 1979 have appeared to be an unusual trend is that the methods of information gathering have improved, in part by the use of satellites, and because in a few instances, storms this year have been described by victims in unusual circumstances for observation (for example, this summer when a storm of short duration but of hurricane strength crossed the path of competitors in the traditional Fastnet Sailing Race in the Irish Sea, causing 23 deaths and the loss of 15 ocean‐racing sailing vessels, it became the worst sailing disaster in history). Articles in recent federal government publications, based on information provided by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, focus on the problems of hurricanes, with titles such as ‘Another Galveston?’ (NOAA Magazine, July 1979) and ‘Hurricane Alley’ (Mariners Weather Log, September 1979).
Low‐temperature geothermal resources in the eastern United States
Authors: Costain J. K. , Glover L. , Sinha A. K.
Published: October 2011

Optimum sites for low‐temperature (<150 °C) geothermal resource development in the technically stable eastern United States will probably be associated with crustal igneous rocks containing relatively high concentrations of radiogenic heat‐producing elements concealed beneath insulating blankets of sediments. Granitic rocks crop out over a large area of the central and southern Appalachian Piedmont and Blue Ridge and presumably extend eastward beneath the sedimentary cover of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Choice of a site in the Atlantic Coastal Plain with a high geothermal resource potential depends on favorable (1) concentration of radiogenic elements in granitic rocks beneath a sedimentary insulator, (2) thermal conductivity of the sedimentary insulator, (3) thickness of the sedimentary insulator, and (4) reservoir conditions in the sedimentary rocks overlying the radioactive heat source. Values of heat generation for granitic rocks in the Piedmont are known to be at least as high as 17 HGU (1 heat generation unit = 10‐13 cal/cm3 sec. Using the linear relationship between heat flow and heat generation observed for the southeastern United States, a heat generation of 14 HGU in granitic rocks beneath sediments with an average thermal conductivity of 4.2 x 10−3 cal/sec‐cm‐ °C and a thickness of 2 km would yield a temperature of nearly 100°C at the base of the sedimentary section and a gradient of about 40°C/km in the sediments. We have logged approximately 250 wells in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with temperature gradients in the range 15–45°C/km. Preliminary results suggest that the higher gradients are associated with negative Bouguer gravity anomalies and therefore probably with concealed granitic plutons.
Energy and environmental responsibility—An alternate view
Authors: Dunn James R.
Published: October 2011

Earth scientists working throughout the world must be dismayed by the obviously destructive impact of land use practices in virtually all of the less developed countries (LDCs). Their landscapes show the negative imprint of the human hand of both ancient and contemporary civilizations. It is apparent to many that even a short extrapolation of current environmental trends would show that their continuation could take a deadly toll in terms of human misery and in terms of the flora and fauna of the world.

Seeing such problems through the practiced eyes of the geologic observer is relatively simple. Not nearly so easy is understanding the cause of the destructive land use practices of the poorer nations. Although the roots of the causes are cultural and ancient, the recent enormous acceleration of environmental degradation in the LDCs is complexly related to world politics and economics. Thus, although it has long been known that the civilizations of the world are economically and sociologically interrelated, it can also be shown that the world's environments are interdependent and cross‐culturally influenced. In a real sense, an attitude in the United States can influence the erosion rate of an area in Bolivia or have an impact on an elephant in Africa.
More statements of candidates for section president elect
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Statements by all candidates for the office of section president‐elect have now been published. They appear in various December and January Issues.