bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new geomagnetic observatory network?
Authors: Heirtzler J. R.
Published: October 2006

Input and comments are solicited for a study of the network of geomagnetic observatories. Although there are some 200 geomagnetic observatories around the world recording the intensity and direction of the geomagnetic field, they were established over the last 2 centuries without any overall plan and do not satisfy many of today's scientific and technical needs.

As a follow‐on to the National Geomagnetic Initiative Report currently being prepared, a small task group has been established with the encouragement of the U.S. Geodynamics Committee of the National Research Council's Board on Earth Sciences and Resources. The group consists of J. Heirtzler, chair, coordination, agency contacts; J. Booker, portable magnetometer arrays; A. Chave, seafloor observatories; A. W. Green, rapid data archiving; R. Langel and N. Peddle, optimum station distribution.
Waiting for Parkfield to quake
Authors: Wuethrich Bernice
Published: October 2006

After dark on November 16, a media van collided with a cow while driving through earthquake country near Parkfield, Calif. That may have been the most damaging incident to occur during the 72‐hour earthquake alert issued, on November 14, by the state's Office of Emergency Services (OES).

Officials issued the Level A alert—meaning there was a one in three chance of a magnitude‐6 quake within 3 days—following a 4.8‐magnitude quake in the town of Parkfield, on the San Andreas fault. The probability of a bigger quake dies off rapidly with time. And, although the anticipated tremor never came, seismologists wrote another chapter in earthquake analysis and prediction in this seismically perilous state.
Congressional Science Fellowships
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

AGU members have more than one opportunity to become Congressional Science Fellows (see Eos, October 12, 1993, for a report by the last AGU Congressional Fellow). Because AGU is a member society of the American Institute of Physics, AGU members may also apply for the American Physical Society/AIP Congressional Science Fellowship Programs, which are currently accepting applications.

Fellows serve one year on the staff of a senator, representative, or congressional committee for the purpose of contributing scientific and technical expertise to public policy issues by exploring science policy from the lawmakers' perspective and learning the legislative process.
Bylaw change proposed
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

At its Spring Meeting on May 27, the AGU Council approved the elimination of Bylaw 7, which reads “7. Upon the specific request of married couples where both are members of the Union, one partner may enjoy the privileges of membership at reduced rates to be established by the Council, except that all Union mailings and publications sent to the general membership shall be withheld. The other partner pays full dues and receives all Union mailings and publications sent to the general membership. Both partners are eligible to subscribe to Union journals and purchase Union publications at member rates.”
Lost members
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Occasionally, mail sent to an AGU member is returned because the member has moved and we are unable to locate a forwarding address. Listed below are members that we have “lost” recently. The list includes the year they joined AGU, the abbreviation of their section, and their last known city and country. If you have information about any of them, please contact AGU Customer Services, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; tel. 800‐966‐AGU1 (in the Washington, D.C, area tel. 202‐462‐6900). Thanks for your help.
Panel calls for “new culture” of federal science education programs
Authors: Mockler Susan Bucci
Published: October 2006

After a year of study, an expert panel released its report evaluating the federal investment in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) education programs on December 1.

Titled The Federal Investment in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education: Where Now? What Next?, the panel's report to the Committee on Education and Human Resources (CEHR) of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) calls for “a new culture of interaction, communication, and coordination within and among all the agencies.”
Travel awards for lecture series
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Phillips Petroleum Company has awarded $15,000 over 3 years to the Association of Women Geoscientists to support travel and operating expenses for the AWG Speakers Bureau. Over 190 women geoscientists are available to speak on a wide range of topics in the geosciences, including plate tectonics, paleoclimatology, seafloor magnetization, tsunamis, seismic imaging, science and public policy, lunar volcanology, karst aquifers, and island arc volcanos.

Not‐for‐profit, non‐government institutions are invited to apply for travel grants to host a Phillips‐AWG Distinguished Lecture. The awards will reimburse up to $300 in travel expenses for a woman geoscientist listed with the AWG Speakers Bureau.
Correction to AGU Ballot
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The AGU Ballot now in circulation contains an error in the candidates for the secretary of the VGP section.
Hubble repair mission improves NASA's image
Authors: Mockler Susan Bucci
Published: October 2006

The recent spacewalk repair mission of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) appears to have been a success, but NASA will have to wait several months for the first fully corrected images to be returned before it can assess how well the optics work.

The HST was designed to surpass the capabilities of ground‐based optical telescopes for many types of research. Launched on April 24, 1990, the telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency.
Improved resolution ice sheet mapping with satellite radar altimeters
Authors: Rapley C. G. , Morley J. G. , Wingham D. J.
Published: October 2006

The surface topography of ice sheets at scales of less than 50 km is intimately related to the rheology and dynamics of the ice and the topography of the bedrock. Satellite radar altimeters can provide surface topography, but current processing techniques limit the horizontal resolution to 5 km, while a proportion of dynamically related topography lies at scales smaller than this. However, the methods of seismic wavefield migration are applicable to radar altimeter echoes, and theory indicates that resolutions of the order of 500 m should be possible. Here we describe a comparison between a sequence of altimeter echoes recorded by the ERS‐1 altimeter over Antarctica and the surface that results from the application of wavefield migration methods.
Future course of scientific ocean drilling
Authors: Kappel E.
Published: October 2006

Outlining important U.S. scientific problems that, to be properly addressed, must be investigated with a drilling ship was the objective of the U.S. COMmittee on POST‐1998 Ocean Drilling (COMPOST), which met in Seattle October 14–15. Members of COMPOST were chosen specifically by the Joint Oceanographic Institutions‐U.S. Science Advisory (JOI‐USSAC) as representatives of major ongoing ocean sciences initiatives in the United States.

The scientific rationale for drilling was examined and COMPOST summarized what the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) has done and can do for the following initiatives: Marine Aspects of Earth System History (MESH)
Investigating the marginal ice zone on the Newfoundland Shelf
Authors: Smith Peter C. , Tang C. L. , MacPherson J. Ian , McKenna Richard F.
Published: October 2006

From the ice and current data collected over the Newfoundland Shelf by the second Canadian Atlantic Storms Program (CASP II), it is evident that ice motion is affected by wind‐generated ocean current. This points to the importance of coupled ice‐ocean response to wind forcing in the study of shortterm ice motion and operational ice forecasting. The mutual influence of ice and the ocean can also be seen in the water properties.

To study the mature stages of explosive cyclogenesis in east coast winter storms and to investigate their influence on the circulation and sea ice properties on the Newfoundland continental shelf and Grand Banks, CASP II was conducted by scientists from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO), the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES), the National Research Council (NRC), and many universities, private companies, and other government agencies.
Evaluating climate change impacts in snowmelt basins
Authors: Gleick Peter H. , Rango Albert , Cooley Keith
Published: October 2006

The implications of global climate change for hydrology and water resources are likely to be complex, widespread, and significant for both natural ecosystems and society. Yet our understanding of these implications remains rudimentary despite considerable effort and research over the last decade. One of the most difficult hydrologic problems in this area is evaluating the impacts of climate change in hydrologic basins affected by snowfall and snowmelt, especially high‐latitude and high‐altitude watersheds. Many of these watersheds are the headwaters for major rivers and they often provide substantial amounts of water for human and ecosystem use. Evaluating the impacts of climate change in these basins will help us better understand how to improve the management and protection of our water resources systems. In April 1993, a roundtable workshop was held in Santa Fe, N. Mex., to discuss hydrologic models for evaluating the impacts of climate change in snowmelt basins.
Antarctic climate and tectonic history: The Cape Roberts Project
Authors:   Cape Roberts Project International Steering Committee
Published: October 2006

Scientists and logistics experts from Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States met from September 21 to 23, 1993, near Washington, D.C., to discuss management, logistics, and science objectives of a proposed international stratigraphic drilling project.

The project plans to core 1500 m of strata beneath the western Ross Sea off Cape Roberts, where shipboard geophysical surveys indicate that dipping sedimentary strata occur close to the seafloor beneath a thin blanket of much younger sediments (Figure 1). These sediments include the oldest sedimentary sequences in the Ross Sea and are interpreted to be from 30‐ to more than 100‐m.y. old. No rocks of this age are known to crop out in the Ross Sea‐Transantarctic Mountains region or other parts of east Antarctica.
Studying oceanic plate motions with magnetic data
Authors: Acton Gary D. , Petronotis Katerina E.
Published: October 2006

The geocentric axial dipole hypothesis states that the geomagnetic field, when averaged over tens to hundreds of thousands of years, corresponds to that of a dipole located at Earth's center and aligned with Earth's rotation axis. Accordingly, paleomagnetic poles, which are estimates of the position of the ancient dipole axis, give past positions of the Earth's rotation axis relative to a sample locality from which the paleolatitude of the sample can be derived. Using this hypothesis, paleomagnetists have established detailed paleogeographies for the continents that span several hundreds of million years. Such information is essential for understanding plate and terrane motions, mantle convection, paleoclimates, and geomagnetism, as well as many other subjects.
Program probes the magnetosphere
Authors: Lyons L. R. , de la Beaujardiére O.
Published: October 2006

This article, the second in a series of three on the GEM program to appear in Eos, reports on the GEM observing campaign and data/model comparisons. The first article by William Lotko provided an overview of the program organization and current scientific activities. The third article by George Siscoe will report on GGCM development.

The Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) program is a National Science Foundation program designed to produce a comprehensive understanding of the interactions of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. It is also structured to help develop the first quantitative global circulation model of the magnetosphere and ionosphere that focuses on the dynamic response to the changing solar wind energy and particle inputs. The concept of a GEM program was conceived at workshop in 1987, and NSF has provided modest funding over the past 2 years.
Modeling and testing coupled hydrological processes
Authors: Torgersen Thomas
Published: October 2006

Over the past several years, the Earth sciences community has developed an acute awareness of the important role of fluid interactions in the Earth and the complex, coupled, nonlinear dynamics of fluid‐driven mass transport. In addition to its scientific importance, coupled fluid mass transport has more pragmatic applications. Our ability to extract minerals and energy from the Earth rests on our knowledge of the controls, coupling, and timing of this fluid‐driven mass transport, and the current debate on environmental issues rests on our understanding of hydrogeologic mass transport and the prediction of contaminant fates in the environment. We not only have incomplete information on the specific parameters of these hydrogeologic processes but also on specific processes and the exact nature of the chemical, mechanical, hydrologic, and thermal coupling.
Mars Observer findings released
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

A fixed‐price contract, poor management, and faulty design of the Mars Observer's propulsion system were most likely at fault for the spacecraft's August 21 failure, according to the Mars Observer Mission Failure Investigation Board. Timothy Coffey, chairman of the investigation board and director of research, Naval Research Laboratory, presented the review board's findings in a January 5 press conference in Washington, D.C.

After developing and assessing sixty scenarios, the board concluded that the loss of contact with the spacecraft was probably caused by a massive failure of the pressurization side of the craft's propulsion system. Wesley Huntress, Jr., associate administrator, Office of Space Science, NASA, said that an internal NASA review board, created to prevent the likelihood of future spacecraft failures, has reached the same conclusion.
Effort to improve Latin American science launched
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Leaders of major scientific associations from eleven Latin American countries recently released a report calling for a dramatic course of action to address the problems of scientific development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Noting that the region suffers from a shortage of highly‐trained scientists and a weak infrastructure for research and training, the report of the Western Hemisphere Science Collaboration Initiative, “Science and Technology in the Americas: Perspectives on Pan American Collaboration,” recommends that scientists help science policy makers in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report also urges creation of a scientific grant‐making foundation to support science and technology and encourage regional collaboration.
Eaton nominated to head USGS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

President Clinton nominated Gordon P. Eaton to be the new director of the U.S. Geological Survey on January 5. According to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, “Dr. Eaton is the ideal candidate to lead the nation's premier water and Earth science information agency at a time when we are facing many critical decisions on the environment.”

Eaton is currently director of the Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory and was formerly employed by the USGS for 16 years. In addition, he served as president of Iowa State University in Ames, and provost vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also an AGU member.
Washington, D.C., schools to improve science education
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Carnegie Institution of Washington received a 5‐year, $3.7‐million grant from the National Science Foundation for the Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE). CASE is designed to help classroom teachers in the District of Columbia and improve the quality of science teaching in the city's elementary schools.

CASE will offer 6‐week teacher training workshops at Carnegie's headquarters in Washington. The first session will take place this summer, and fifty teachers from five elementary schools will be selected to participate. Three of these schools already participate in Carnegie Institution's First Light Program, where third through sixth graders in the area attend “hands‐on” science school at Carnegie on Saturdays during the year. Two of the schools also participated in a pilot teacher‐training venture with Carnegie in 1992.
Shapiro receives Bowie medal
Authors: Carter William E.
Published: October 2006

The 1993 William Bowie Medal, given by AGU for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research, was presented to Irwin I. Shapiro at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 8, 1993, in San Francisco, Calif. The award citation and Shapiro's response are given here.
JGR‐Solid Earth moves toward electronic communication
Authors: Gray Deborah
Published: October 2006

The AGU Council and the Publications Committee have given a high priority to fostering improved AGU communications by electronic transmission. As a result, the Journal of Geophysical Research‐Solid Earth has taken several initial steps to implement electronic communication. These include electronic data supplements to journal articles. For large numeric data sets, the author will be responsible for depositing the data with an appropriate, approved data center. In the case of small data sets that will fit onto a single 3.5 disk and are inappropriate for a data center, AGU will serve as a storage/distribution facility as it currently does for microfiche. In addition, templates of editorial review forms for referees and associate editors are now available on Kosmos through Internet. Use of these electronic forms will expedite the manuscript review process. The forms can be used with conventional word processing programs and the reviews can be transmitted via e‐mail.
Geophysical science in the 1995 U.S. Budget
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

On February 7, President Clinton released his fiscal year 1995 budget of $1.52 trillion. At $16.9 billion, the overall budget for science and space will be 2% lower in 1995. Since science is “discretionary” funding—spending for programs other than entitlements and payments on the national debt—it is among the first to be cut. But considering other budget areas, science is faring relatively well. Agriculture's budget is being cut by a hefty 24%, energy is being cut by 8%, and defense is down 3%.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Authors: Mockler Susan Bucci
Published: October 2006

Although slightly reduced from the 1994 funding level of $2 billion, James Baker, under secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere at NOAA, said they are “pleased with the numbers.” The total request for 1995 of $1.96 billion includes some new programmatic funds, and the decrease from fiscal 1994 reflects, in part, some one‐time projects in last year's budget, Baker said.

NOAA's budget request for 1995 is driven by its strategic plan, which was established in 1993 to unify the agency, identify coherent objectives that capitalize on available resources across NOAA's program elements, and develop implementation measures to maximize cost‐effectiveness. The strategic plan organizes NOAA's program responsibilities into two broad “portfolios”—Environmental Stewardship and Environmental Assessment and Prediction, and two other priorities—Cross‐Cut Programs and Infrastructure.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

NASA has requested a $14.3 billion budget for fiscal year 1995, which is $250 million below the $14.5 billion it received in fiscal 1994. NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin said the budget conveys the president's commitment to a strong and vital aeronautics and space program while reflecting today's very real fiscal constraints. No major programs were canceled.

“The president's budget plan for NASA is a sound one, with reductions that still preserve a meaningful space program, but this is it. We can't get any closer to the bone,” Goldin warned. In real terms, this 5‐year fiscal 1995 budget represents a 30% cut in the last 2 years. “We must hold the line at this level and will work closely with Congress to do so,” Goldin said.
Department of Energy
Authors: White CatherineM. Catherine
Published: October 2006

DOE's budget for 1995 is “lean,” in the words of Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary. The total request is $18.5 billion, a decrease of $5 million from 1994.

“We realize that our mission and focus as an agency has changed,” said O'Leary, adding that “we must ensure that our budget request is completely aligned with our newly defined mission and goals.”
1994 Geophysical images contest entries sought
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

As part of AGU's 75th Anniversary year, entries are sought for the 1994 Geophysical Images Contest. Over ninety photographs, computer graphics, posters, maps, slides, and videos were submitted in 1993. The winning images were displayed at the AGU Spring Meeting in Baltimore, and again at the Fall Meeting in San Francisco, along with the other images submitted.

First place winner in the computer graphics section was “Western Mediterranean Sea Salinity Field,” submitted by Jacques Haus. Honorable Mentions went to Wei‐jia Su for “A View of Whole Mantle Heterogeneity” and Toshiro Tanimoto, Paul Morin, David Yuen, and Yu‐Shen Zhang for “Visualization of the Earth's Upper Mantle.”
Bryan receives Ewing Medal
Authors: Semtner Albert J. , Bryan Kirk
Published: October 2006

The Maurice Ewing Medal, given by AGU and the U.S. Navy for significant original contributions to understanding physical, geophysical, and geological processes in the ocean; and/or significant to scientific ocean engineering, technology, and instrumentation; and/or outstanding service to marine sciences, was presented to Kirk Bryan at the 1993 AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 8, 1993, in San Francisco, Calif. The award citation and Bryan's response are given here.
Record drilling depth struck in Greenland
Authors: Mayewski P. A. , Twickler M. S. , Dibb J. E. , Wumkes M. , Klinck J. , Putscher J. S. , Taylor K. C. , Gow A. J. , Meese D. A. , Waddington E. D. , Alley R. B. , Grootes P. M. , Ram M. , Wahlen M. , Wilson A. T.
Published: October 2006

On July 1, 1993, after 5 years of drilling, the Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISP2) penetrated several meters of silty ice and reached bedrock at a depth of 3053.4 m. It then penetrated 1.5 m into the bedrock, producing the deepest ice core ever recovered (Figure 1).

In July 1992, a nearby European ice coring effort, the Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP), reached an ice depth of 3028.8 m, providing more than 250,000 years of record. Comparisons between these ice core records have already demonstrated the remarkable reproducibility of the upper ∼90% of the records unparalleled view of climatic and environmental change.
Eaton to be sworn in as USGS Director
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

On the eve of the U.S. Geological Survey's 115th anniversary, Gordon P. Eaton was confirmed as the survey's 12th director by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate. His swearing‐in ceremony is tentatively scheduled for March 14.

Eaton, 64, is a distinguished Earth scientist, administrator, and former employee of USGS. His most recent post was director of the Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. He has been an AGU member since 1963. Eaton follows in the footsteps of Dallas Peck, who held the post from 1981 to 1993, and interim director Robert M. Hirsch, who followed Peck.
Exploring the eastern Arctic Ocean margins
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A joint German‐Russian oceanographic expedition was made in August and September 1993 to the Eurasian continental margin of the Barents and Laptev seas, a region of high scientific interest that until recently was inaccessible to western oceanographers. The expedition addressed a range of scientific problems spanning geology, oceanography, biology, and sea‐ice research, and it marks a major breakthrough in Arctic Ocean research cooperation among Russian and western scientists.

The program grew out of discussions between ocean researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, the GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences and the Institute for Polar Ecology (IPO) in Kiel, Germany, the Arctic and Antarctic Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, Russia, and several institutes involved in ecological research within the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). It was coordinated by the AWI and AARI.
Anomalous attenuation of seismic waves in the Ionian Islands, Greece
Authors: Stiros S. C.
Published: October 2006

The Ionian islands (Figure 1) are one of the most seismically active parts of the planet. The islands' seismic record for the last 500 years is detailed, with data available on the damage toll, style of constructions, etc. This rich historical seismicity record and information from recent earthquakes permits study of a paradox in the distribution of seismic intensities. Many of the large (Ms≥6.0) earthquakes destroyed wide areas but caused minor damage a few kilometers away (intensities VI‐IV, or less).
Successful educational geophysics field program expands
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE), a program that gives students an opportunity to apply a variety of modern geophysical methods in a challenging geologic environment, has expanded.

A 2‐year grant awarded in 1993 by the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduate's (REU) initiative allowed the program to include fourteen U.S. undergraduate students last summer.
Clouds: Their beauty and challenge
Authors: Hobbs Peter V.
Published: October 2006

This is, an abbreviated version of an invited talk given by Peter V. Hobbs at the Atmospheric Sciences Luncheon at the AGU 1993 Fall Meeting in San Francisco.
Workshop held on natural disasters
Authors: Rundle John , Klein W. , Turcotte D.
Published: October 2006

Natural hazards such as earthquakes and floods are a menace to the population worldwide. The United Nations focused attention on this global problem by declaring the 1990s the Decade of Natural Hazard Reduction. In addition to threatening human life, natural hazards can cause severe economic hardship locally and, in an ever more complex and interactive world economy, dislocations that are felt in areas far beyond the site of a disaster.

Recent catastrophic earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and fires have called into question the ability of private insurers to cover economic losses. Unlimited liability is a necessity for confidence in insurance coverage, but these events have stretched the resources of even the largest insurers.
SkyFix network expands
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Three new SkyFix reference stations have been opened as part of the continued expansion of the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) network.

The SkyFix reference stations feed GPS data to a Radcal control center, where it is then uplinked with other reference data to the four INMARSAT ocean region communications satellites. The SkyFix correction signals, with those from the navigation satellites by the vessel's GPS unit, enable its precise position to be calculated by the onboard computer.
Mission offers a new look at the Moon and a near‐Earth asteroid
Authors: Nozette Stewart , Garrett Henry B.
Published: October 2006

Although the Clementine mission (Figure 1) was not designed primarily for planetary exploration, it points the way to a new and better approach to solar system exploration. The mission will yield significant information about the rocks that make up the lunar crust, high resolution images of the Moon's surface features, and topographic information about its surface. Its encounter with the near‐Earth asteroid Geographos will permit the first close view of this type of asteroid.

The number of images of the lunar surface—well over one million—to be transmitted during the 2‐month mission is larger than that obtained during the first Magellan mapping cycle of Venus. At Geographos, over 2000 images will be recorded with a resolution approaching 5 m. Finally, Clementine will acquire observational data on the Earth, the impact of Comet Shoemaker‐Levy with Jupiter, and in situ measurements of the radiation environment.
River diversion could change climate in delta ecosystems
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

When humans divert excessive amounts of water from their natural courses, ensuing impacts on regional and global climate may threaten the fragile ecosystems around the mouths of rivers.

David Smith, a geographer at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., is researching this problem by concentrating on river deltas, which are recognized for their fertile soils and abundance of water. As a result, river deltas are also sites of intense agricultural production and high population density.
Interdisciplinary group investigates snow ecology
Authors: Jones H. G. , Pomeroy J. W. , Walker A. A. , Wharton R. A.
Published: October 2006

Snow plays a key role in the ecology of much of Earth's surface, especially in circumpolar and high‐altitude regions where ecosystems are under increasing stress from global changes in climate and human development.

Until recently, our knowledge of snow has been restricted to areas of study associated with specific physical, chemical, and biological disciplines. Although this research has significantly increased our understanding of snowpack dynamics, the results of these studies have not been integrated to further our knowledge of snow as a life‐support system and as a component of larger terrestrial ecosystems.
Shale may hamper spread of toxic contaminants
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Adding finely ground shale to barrier or “slurry” walls appears to be an inexpensive and effective way to retard the spread of toxic contaminants from landfills and hazardous waste sites, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.

“Natural shale could prove to be an ideal material for use in slurry walls and clay landfill liners,” said Richard Gullick, a University of Michigan graduate student in civil and environmental engineering.
Project Skippy explores lithosphere and mantle beneath Australia
Authors: van der Hilst Rob , Kennett Brian , Christie Doug , Grant John
Published: October 2006

A new project is probing the seismic structure of the lithosphere and mantle beneath Australia. The Skippy Project, named after the bush kangaroo, exploits Australia's regional seismicity and makes use of recent advances in digital recording technology to collect three‐component broadband seismic data from over 60 sites across the continent (Figure 1).

The main goal of the Skippy Project, which is run by Australian National University's Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES), is to delineate the three‐dimensional seismic structure of the lithosphere and mantle beneath the continent.
From the archives
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The following is excerpted from “Some Observations of the Peruvian Coastal Current” by Milton J. Lobell, which appeared in Transactions, American Geophysical Union in 1942. The excerpt gives an early account of the El Nino phenomenon.

There is mention made of variations in oceanography.
Oscar Buneman, a personal remembrance
Authors: Nishikawa Ken‐Ichi
Published: October 2006

Oscar Buneman, professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University and significant contributor to the fields of numerical analysis, plasma electrodynamics, and fundamental electromagnetic theory, died in his sleep on January 24, 1993. Numerous tributes to his memory have been published; however, I would like to concentrate on my own marvelous experiences with him.

I knew Oscar Buneman through his interesting lectures at the International School for Space Simulation (ISSS) II, held in Kauai, Hawaii, in 1985. Later during ISSS III, held in France in 1987, Oscar was my instructor for the practical courses. I enjoyed his experienced guidance on the 1‐D electrostatic code and developed a close relationship with him. After this course, I presented a poster on a 3‐D magnetostatic simulation of whistler waves driven by an electron beam a a symposium in Beaulieu‐sur‐Mer, France. A friend told me that Oscar Buneman had attended my poster session and had said that he had also done a similar model. After the 1987 Fall AGU Meeting in San Francisco, I met Oscar Buneman at Stanford University. He was interested in my 3‐D magnetostatic simulation of Whistler waves.
Deviatoric stressitis: A virus infecting the Earth science community
Authors: Engelder Terry
Published: October 2006

This note serves as a warning that a recently mutated virus, deviatoric stressitis, has infected many in the Earth science community. The good news is that this virus, nicknamed deveitis (dee vee' i‐tis), is not lethal and its victims can hope for a complete recovery. The bad news is that deveitis has spread like wildfire and leads to great confusion about Earth stress in papers, abstracts, and discussions by any of its victims.

Deveitis is easy to recognize. The most common symptom is the use of the term, deviatoric stress, in papers, abstracts, and discussions.
DOE National Lab Bill passed
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

HR1432, the Department of Energy Laboratory Technology Act, was approved by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on April 20. The bill redefines the role the laboratories play in meeting the needs of the nation during the next century.

The bill establishes well‐defined missions for the national labs including dealing with national defense, energy security, environmental quality, and science. It also establishes the appropriate role of technology transfer, streamlines the process of technology transfer from the labs to the private sector, establishes a mechanism to evaluate laboratory performance, requires a plan for future use of DOE laboratories, and coordinates activities across the DOE lab system.
Tool available to estuarine scientists on Internet
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

MAGIC Elbe PC is a tool for the visualization, animation, and geographically aided retrieval of gridded data on IBM‐compatible PCs. The version offered on the Internet is fed by the results of a three‐dimensional, high‐resolution baroclinic model of the Elbe estuary, Germany. The package is available to anyone with access to the Internet.

MAGIC Elbe PC, which was developed at the Institut für Meereskunde/Universität Hamburg, visualizes maps of tidally integrated data and animates full tidal cycles of vertically resolved and integrated current, salinity, and water level fields. It also allows the user to extract time series and cross‐sectional data onto an ASCII file for individual use in a specific research topic simply by selecting a grid point with the mouse.
Pack rats' pine needles indicate ice age shifts in atmospheric CO2
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Pine needles gathered by pack rats 30,000 years ago indicate that plant physiology changed in response to increasing CO2 at the end of the last Ice Age.

Measurements from nearly 1200 Limber pine needles preserved in pack rat middens from Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona show that the number of stomata on leaf surfaces decreased as CO2 increased during the last deglaciation. Stomata are leaf pores through which carbon is taken in for photosynthesis and water is lost in evapotranspiration; a plant's water‐use efficiency is the ratio of C gained to water lost through the stomata.
Sea‐level and slope processes reflected off New Jersey
Authors:   Leg 150 Shipboard Scientific Party
Published: October 2006

After a 10‐year hiatus, scientific drilling returned to offshore New Jersey in June and July 1993 to measure the effects of global sea‐level change and slope processes on the clastic sediments of a passive continental margin. Advances and retreats of the shoreline exert enormous effects on ecosystems, material and chemical balances of the ocean, and links within the earth‐ocean‐atmosphere system that determine global climate. The geologic record of these changes is recorded in passive margin sediments such as those offshore New Jersey.

The Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) began drilling into this margin during Legs 11, 93, and 95; the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) is now in the process of completing a carefully designed drill hole transect that extends from the continental rise to boreholes drilled on land.
Calendar reform for the year 2000
Authors: Emiliani Cesare
Published: October 2006

In the BC/AD way of reckoning years, there is no year zero, and the numbering of years increases in opposite directions, whereas time flows in one direction. As a result, time intervals across the BC/AD boundary cannot be calculated algebraically—the time interval between 1.5 BC and AD 1.5 is 1 year, not 3 years. Moreover, the BC/AD boundary breaks the flow of history and singles out an event—the birth of Christ—which has no significance in non‐Christian civilizations.

To alleviate these problems, 1 have proposed [Emiliani, 1993] that the beginning of calendrical time be reset to 00.00 hours GMT on January 1, 10,000 BC (10,000 BC January 0d 0h 0m 0s) and years be reckoned in continuity from that date.
Scientists study Canadian forests' impact on climate change
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

U.S., Canadian, and European scientists have moved into the second phase of a fivepart study of Canadian forests and the role these forests play in climate change.

Dubbed the Boreal Ecosystem‐Atmosphere Study (BOREAS), the large‐scale ground‐based and remote‐sensing investigation seeks to better understand how the forests and atmosphere exchange energy, heat, water, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases. From these findings, the researchers will develop better computer models to allow scientists to anticipate the effects of climate change on the region and across planet Earth.
Using regional seismic networks to study the Earth's deep interior
Authors: Benz H. M. , Vidale J. E. , Mori J.
Published: October 2006

Long‐period or broadband data from global stations or small aperture arrays have traditionally been used to study the Earth's deep interior. However, recent seismic studies have shown that regional seismic networks can be an important tool in high‐ resolution studies of the upper mantle, coremantle boundary, and the inner and outer core, as well as the earthquake source.

Although these networks were established to monitor regional earthquakes, many have systematically archived seismograms from distant earthquakes that provide a wealth of information on the Earth's deep interior.
Clementine malfunctions, but Moon data secures place in history
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The highly promising voyage of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration's (NASA) and the Defense Department's (DoD's) spacecraft Clementine has given way to disappointment: The second portion of its mission to film the asteroid Geographos has been tabled because of a computer malfunction that occurred last weekend. The “glitch,” which blocked communication for about 20 minutes last Saturday, triggered three thrusters to turn on and depleted the hydrazine fuel required to maneuver the altitude control, which points the spacecraft, Pentagon officials explained.
U.S. data policy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The United States has adopted a policy of full and open access for all to U.S. global change data. Language similar to the U.S. policy statements on the management of data for global change research has been incorporated into various formal and informal international agreements, including the Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNCED's Agenda‐21, the agreement establishing the Inter‐American Institute for Global Change Research, the IOC Data Management Policy for Global Ocean Programmes, CEOS Data Policy resolution, and the U.S.‐Russian Joint Statement on the Development of Cooperation in Environmental Observations from Space and in Space Science.
Free exchange of weather data threatened
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The more than century‐old tradition of the free exchange of international meteorological data may be in jeopardy because of increasing anticompetitive measures that violate “free market” concepts, some American scientists worry.

Competition from private weather companies has caused many European countries to encode information from weather satellites and license it to industry. But now mounting economic pressures for some governments to recoup costs have led to new proposals to further restrict the availability of data, which until recent years had mainly been limited by telecommunication system capability. Cost recovery policies have been introduced in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Finland, Ireland, and Denmark, among others, and by facilities multilaterally supported by the European Community.
Report examines world energy use and carbon emissions
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

International patterns in energy‐related carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas, have changed dramatically in recent decades, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Energy‐related carbon dioxide emissions grew 82% in the developing countries between 1970 and 1992, compared to a much slower rate of 28% in developed countries.
AGU exhibit informs public about solar‐planetary relationships
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

“Electric Space: Our Earth‐Sun Environment,” an exhibit developed by AGU, examines the Earth's atmosphere, the Sun's atmosphere, and the fascinating and highly active area between. It will be on display at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, just a few blocks away from the Convention Center, during the Spring Meeting.

The exhibit demonstrates that space is filled with high energy particles, magnetic fields, and rarefied gas. It consists of six modules, which focus on engaging, interactive components of various facets of space science as well as specific take‐home messages geared toward visitors of all ages.
New center for study of crustal fluids opens
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University has established a new center for the study of fluids in the Earth's crust. It is thought that important outstanding problems related to fluids in the crust and their roles in crustal processes may be solved only through the kind of interdisciplinary approach provided by such a center.

Key problems to be investigated at the center include the nature of wettability of porous rock; mapping subsurface fluids and permeability heterogeneities; pore pressure in the crust and deformation; formation of hydrothermal ore deposits; volcanism in subduction zones; coupled processes of the crust; and diagenesis and hydrocarbon migration.
‘Comet’ Remains on collision course with Jupiter
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A string of celestial bodies that is rapidly descending on a collision course with Jupiter presents a unique research opportunity in space science: for the first time ever, scientists will be preparing to observe such an impact more than a few seconds in advance.

And study it they will. Observation telescopes in more than twenty countries and about six spacecraft, including the Galileo and Hubble Space Telescope, will have lenses focused on Jupiter from July 16–22, when the current twenty‐one segments of the heavenly body, known as Periodic Comet Shoemaker‐Levy 9, are anticipated to crash into the Jovian atmosphere.
Seismologists meet “Down Under”
Authors: Ellsworth William L.
Published: October 2006

Planned presentations on hazard assessment and research weren't the only topics for discussion at the 27th General Assembly of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI), held from January 10–21 at the University of Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand.

There was a more timely one unfolding: California's Northridge earthquake. When conference participants awoke to news of the earthquake on January 18, they scrambled to action to gather the latest data available. Just 12 hours after the event, they held a general discussion about the earthquake.
Disaster prevention plan developed for high‐risk volcano
Authors: Rose William I. , Sandoval Ciro , Kimberly Paul
Published: October 2006

Besides being Central America's most notorious volcano, Guatemala's Santa Maria, is now touted as a hotspot for an unlikely prospect: volcanic disaster prevention.

Last November, an international workshop was held in Quezaltenango to develop an integrated plan for preventing volcanic hazards at Santa Maria, as part of a broader strategy to maximize the return on investments by focusing on team projects in natural disaster reduction.
New Windows version of paleomagnetic lab database released
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

International efforts to establish several relational databases of paleo‐ and rock‐magnetic data are being coordinated by the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy. The last, but not least, of these is a database of labs, researchers, and current projects.

The first version, released in 1992, was not very “user friendly” and several errors and omissions were found. Therefore, a second version for use with Windows was developed. To keep the maximum possible compatibility with Windows, Version 1.0 of the Microsoft Access Relational Database System was used, although this version is not yet free of errors and inconveniences.
Physics of iron: Showdown in Colorado Springs
Authors: Anderson Orson L.
Published: October 2006

The Second Ironworkers Convention was held at an international conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., from June 28 to July 2, 1993. It was convened by the International Association for High Pressure Research and Technology. Papers on the physics of iron were presented by 51 authors and were sponsored by the University of California's IGPP, the American Physical Society, and Study of the Earth's Deep Interior.

As this meeting affirmed, there has been an upswing of interest in iron melting and the equation of the state of iron since publication of the Proceedings of the 1989 First Ironworkers Convention (see JGR—Solid Earth, December 1990).
Satellite Geodesy—Foundations, Methods, and Applications
Authors: Fell Patrick
Published: October 2006

This text is an updated English translation of Satellitengeodasie, a book that was published in German in 1989. The text is the first in many years that attempts to cover the broad spectrum of methods, applications, and systems, both classical and current, that have developed in the field of satellite geodesy.

The material is presented in a structure that follows the major observational methods used in satellite geodesy: classical techniques, Doppler, GPS, laser, altimetry, and special methods including satellite‐to‐satellite tracking, satellite radiometry, and VLBI. Before introducing these observational techniques in detail, the author provides the fundamentals on reference frames, time signal propagation, orbital mechanics and basic applications of satellite geodesy in positioning, gravity field modeling, navigation, marine geodesy, kinematics, and geodynamics. An excellent reference list completes the text.
1994 AGU Fellows
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

AGU congratulates the thirty‐one distinguished scientists who were selected by a committee of their peers to be AU Fellows in 1994. This selection was based on the individual attaining acknowledged eminence in a branch of geophysics.