bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America:s Fresh Waters
Authors: Potter Kenneth W.
Published: October 2006

Water is an essential natural resource. The supply of water at any given location is limited, and the limits vary considerably in space. The unprecedented economic development of the United States has been based in part on our ingenuity in providing water to various users, often through the use of elaborate strategies for storing and transporting it. Many of these water supply activities were subsidized by the federal government, in recognition of the critical role of water in economic development.
Ecosystems of the Deep Oceans (Ecosystems of the World 28)
Authors: Snelgrove Paul
Published: October 2006

The discipline of deep‐sea ecology has advanced considerably since its modern rebirth in the 1960s, and this latest installment of the “Ecosystems of the World” series is therefore both timely and important. Although it is ironic that the largest ecosystem on Earth remains one of the least known, significant knowledge on pattern and process has accumulated, and editor Paul Tyler has done a superb job of organizing 17 highly qualified contributing authors, including himself, to provide an impressive synthesis.
Ground‐based infrared monitoring provides new tool for remote tracking of volcanic activity
Authors: Harris Andrew , Johnson Jeffrey , Horton Keith , Garbeil Harold , Ramm Hans , Pilger Eric , Flynn Luke , Mouginis‐Mark Peter , Pirie Dawn , Donegan Steve , Rothery Dave , Ripepe Maurizio , Marchetti Emanuele
Published: October 2006

Thermal monitoring of active volcanoes has long been the domain of satellite and airborne remote sensing (for reviews of current capabilities, see Harris et al. [2002]). However, ground‐based thermal sensors offer considerable benefits in that (1) they can be located beneath cloud decks that prohibit aerial views; (2) they allow small thermal targets to be resolved; (3) they observe targets with a constant viewing geometry for long periods of time; and (4) they provide data at high sample rates (tens to hundreds of Hz). This latter capability is extremely attractive when tracking transient or rapidly evolving events, such as volcanic explosions. In addition, when used in conjunction with other geophysical data sets, thermal time series reveal clues as to the manner in which a volcanic system is erupting.
A dilemma: Adapt to nature's constraints or subdue the Earth?
Authors: Narasimhan T. N.
Published: October 2006

Even the casual reader of Eos cannot fail to be impressed by the breathtaking details with which modern geophysics portrays the everchanging Earth, aided by advancements in many fields. Clearly, these successes are attributable to remarkable developments in the physical sciences, and stemming from them, technologies relating to instrumentation, measurement, quantification, and interpretation. Amidst these accomplishments, it is perhaps of value to reflect on what lies ahead for Earth sciences. We believe that with continued research, we will unravel the Earth's history with ever increasing precision and use the knowledge to develop Earth's natural resources for great benefit to society Until a few decades ago, our research efforts were fervently devoted to the discovery of new sites of natural resources, and efficient methods of extracting large quantities of various Earth materials to satisfy human needs. However, more recent geophysical findings around the world have brought into sharp focus the serious consequences of exploiting finite Earth systems on the resource infrastructure that enables human sustenance.
Deformation of the 2002 Denali Fault Earthquakes, mapped by Radarsat‐1 interferometry
Authors: Lu Zhong , Wright Tim , Wicks Chuck
Published: October 2006

The magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck central Alaska on 3 November 2002 was the largest strike‐slip earthquake in North America for more than 150 years. The earthquake ruptured about 340 km of the Denali Fault system with observed right‐lateral offsets of up to 9 m [Eberhart‐Phillips et al., 2003] (Figure l). The rupture initiated with slip on a previously unknown thrust fault, the 40‐km‐long Susitna Glacier Fault. The rupture propagated eastward for about 220 km along the right‐lateral Denali Fault where right‐lateral slip averaged ˜5 m, before stepping southeastward onto the Totschunda Fault for about 70 km, with offsets as large as 2 m. The 3 November earthquake was preceded by a magnitude 6.7 shock on 23 October—the Nenana Mountain Earthquake—which was located about 25 km to the west of the 3 November earthquake.
Comment on WMO statement on extreme weather events
Authors: Khandekar L.
Published: October 2006

I was intrigued to see a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) statement on extreme weather events (Eos, 15 July 2003, p. 262) issued during the peak of the northern hemisphere summer season, when parts of Europe were experiencing a heat wave and the U.S. Midwest experienced a rash of tornadoes. As a long‐term resident of eastern North America—Toronto, to be exact—I was puzzled to note that WMO did not choose to issue such an “extreme weather statement” during the last winter season, January–March 2003, when eastern North America experienced one of the longest and coldest winters in many years.

Several communities in the Canadian Atlantic provinces experienced extreme cold spells and record‐breaking snowfall amounts. In the interior region of Newfoundland, several communities were cut off for a few weeks because of ice jams due to frozen rivers and lakes. Further south, along the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, heavy snowfall amounts were recorded with some locales in the Washington‐Baltimore area receiving up to 100 cm of snow in 24 hours! The unusually long and cold winter of 2003 was felt as far south as Bangladesh and Vietnam, where several hundred people died of exposure during a month‐long cold spell. In northern Europe, the Gulf of Finland between Scandinavia and Russia was frozen over for the first time since 1947!
Robert Hargraves (1928–2003)
Authors: Onstott Tulus
Published: October 2006

Robert Hargraves, a member of Princeton University's Department of Geosciences' faculty from 1961 until his retirement in 1994, died on 21 March 2003. He had been an AGU member (GP) since 1970.

Hargraves was internationally known for his contributions to geologic and geophysical problems dealing with the full span of the 4.5‐b.y. history of Earth, as well as other bodies in the solar system. The day before he entered the hospital for what was to be his final visit, he was busily working on two projects: a new type of remanent magnetism, anticipated by his Ph.D. dissertation, that had major implications for understanding the geological history of Earth, Mars, and the Moon; and a new, potentially major impact feature in South Africa, the country where his interest in impacts first developed.
Integrating petrologic and remote sensing perspectives on magmatic volatiles and volcanic degassing
Authors: Wallace Paul J. , Cam Simon A. , Rose William I. , Bluth Gregg J.S. , Gerlach Terry
Published: October 2006

The volatile constituents—H2O, CO2, and S, and Cl—play an important role in the generation, evolution, and eruption of magma. Knowledge of the abundance and flux of these volatiles is important for understanding the hazard implications of volcanic activity, explosive eruptive behavior of volcanoes, recycling of volatiles in subduction zones, formation of magmatic‐hydrothermal ore deposits, additions of volcanic gases to Earth's atmosphere, and potential climatic impacts of large volcanic eruptions.

Over the past 25 years, new developments in technology have led to major advances in our ability to measure the fluxes of volatiles released from erupting volcanoes. At the same time, new micro‐analytical techniques have made it possible to measure the pre‐emptive concentrations of magmatic volatiles through the use of tiny melt inclusions trapped in phenocrysts in volcanic rocks. Comparison of the data acquired from these different perspectives has highlighted some major gaps in our understanding of both the abundance of the different volatiles, and the ways in which they are transported through magmatic systems and released to the atmosphere by degassing.
Coastal observatory investigates energetic current oscillations on southeast Florida Shelf
Authors: Soloviev Alexander V. , Walker Rebekah J. , Weisberg Robert H. , Luther Mark E.
Published: October 2006

Coastal circulation along the southeast Florida shelf is strongly related to the dynamics of the Florida Current. The current follows the steep bottom terrain along the shelf break separating the deep ocean from the coastal zone (Figure 1 a, b). Energetic and complex flow regimes arise along the current's western edge, causing transient features such as sub‐meso‐scale eddies [Lee and Mayer,1977;Shay et al.,2000] and energetic internal oscillations [Mooers,1975;Soloviev et al.,2003], which affect mixing between the shelf and deeper ocean waters. Understanding of these regimes is important for modeling and prediction of the coastal circulation on the southeast Florida shelf and description of western boundary current/continental shelf interactions.
Drilling of submarine fans in the Indian Ocean
Authors: Clift Peter D. , Molnar Peter
Published: October 2006

The collision and penetration of India into mainland Asia offers an outstanding laboratory for understanding continental collisions in general. In addition, the region also provides the most dramatic example of solid Earth‐atmospheric coupling in the recent geologic past. Mountain‐building profoundly affects global circulation in the northern hemisphere, and the resulting climate changes in South Asia have caused rates of continental erosion to change through time, affecting the chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans, and in turn, the global climate. Erosion of the Himalayas and adjacent terrain has formed the world's two largest submarine sediment masses, the Indus and Bengal submarine fans, which together contain records of both the tectonic development of the collision zone and environmental changes resulting from it.
Willard J. Pierson Jr. (1922–2003)
Authors: Donelan Mark A. , Cardone Vincent J.
Published: October 2006

Willard J. Pierson, Jr., retired professor of oceanography at New York University and City College of New York (CCNY), an AGU Fellow, and past president (1974–1977) of its Ocean Sciences Section, died on 7 June 2003. He had been an AGU member since 1948.

His death marked the close of an important chapter in oceanography. Pierson was a true pioneer in many aspects of oceanography, especially wave dynamics and remote sensing. His immense contributions to these fields are complemented by his legacy of a generation of scientists who successfully completed their doctoral training under his guidance to go on to productive and distinguished careers themselves. Pierson was the consummate teacher, always willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to see the light of understanding appear in his students' eyes. He was an effective mentor to many students and younger colleagues; he led by inspiration and by example; he guided with firmness and kindness.
Mediterranean Climate‐Variability and Trends
Authors: Goodess Claire
Published: October 2006

The first volume in Springer's Regional Climate Studies series focuses on the Mediterranean Basin. This is a climatically interesting and diverse region, subject to the influences of the Mediterranean Sea and the large‐scale circulation patterns associated with the south Asian monsoon, Siberian high pressure system, southern oscillation, and North Atlantic oscillation. All of these influences are modified by the complex local topography and characterized by regional processes such as Mediterranean cyclogenesis. It is also a sensitive region, with a long and rich human history where the impacts of past, present, and future climate variability on the rate of desertification, for example, are potentially large. Thus, the recent research into many facets of the climate of the Mediterranean Basin is welcome and timely. For researchers and students unfamiliar with the region, a standard overview textbook has not been available, so Mediterranean Climate—Variability and Trends has the potential to fill an important gap.
Academic specialties in U.S. are shifting; hiring of women geoscientists is stagnating
Authors: Holmes Mary Anne , O'Connell Suzanne , Frey Connie , Ongley Lois K.
Published: October 2006

Women have been receiving a greater proportion of the bachelor's and master's degrees in the geosciences over the last 10 years, reaching near 40% in 2000 (latest data available), while receiving only 28% of the Ph.D.s that year. Women are now only 20% of assistant professors at Ph.D.‐granting institutions, a proportion that has not changed in the last 4 years. As part of a larger study to find what key barriers continue to prevent larger numbers of women geoscientists from becoming academics, data have been compiled from the National Science Board [NSB, 2002] and the American Geological Institute's (AGI) Directory of Geoscience Departments [Claudy, 2001] on geoscience specialty by gender.

The data are broken down by the specialty of the Ph.D., and compared to hiring rates at Ph.D.‐granting institutions over the last 10 years. These institutions are the focus because they are the source of future Ph.D.s, and diversity of their faculty is critical to assuring diversity and consequent intellectual vigor and strength of our future academic workforce. The data reveal both a slight shift in the subdisciplines of all geoscientists employed in tenure‐track positions at Ph.D.‐granting institutions, and that hiring of women into tenure‐track positions in specific subdisciplines has not kept pace with their Ph.D. production during that time.
Earthquake Hazards Program could have new leadership
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The interagency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) in the United States will have new leadership and increased authorized funding, if bipartisan re‐authorization legislation approved by the House of Representatives on 1 October becomes law.

The bill, H.R. 2608, would elevate the National Institute of Standards and Technology as the lead agency for planning and coordinating NEHRP, replacing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in that role. The NEHRP, established by Congress in 1977, also includes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) as agency partners.
Oceans and human health initiative takes shape at NOAA
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

A new $8‐million research initiative that will focus on the relationship between oceans and human health—which the U.S. Congress mandated be established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—could help to fill in important research gaps in this area, if the program can overcome some internal challenges.

At a workshop held 9 October to begin determining the scientific scope and structure of the initiative, some participants said that the challenges include questions about NOAAs commitment to supporting external research by the academic community Another concern voiced was that the study of marine‐based pharmaceuticals and bioactive agents should receive more focus within the program.
Biogeochemical implications of levee confinement in the lowermost Mississippi River
Authors: Galler J. J. , Bianchi T. S. , Alison M. A. , Wysocki L. A. , Campanella R.
Published: October 2006

With the recent formation of the Center for River‐Ocean Studies (CeROS) at Tulane University in Louisiana (see http://www.tulane.edu/~ceros) and the emerging state‐federal partnership that is creating river diversions to combat coastal land loss, increased attention is being paid to the lowermost Mississippi River, from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico, as a critical juncture and storage area for sediment particles and bio‐active compounds.

CeROS scientists, working with the US. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have undertaken a detailed re‐assessment of the channel floor and water column of this region using geophysical and biogeochemical data collection, combined with historical data sets.
Maxwell, electromagnetism, and fluid flow in resistive media
Authors: Narasimhan T. N.
Published: October 2006

Common wisdom has it that Darcy [1856] founded the modern field of fluid flow through porous media with his celebrated 1856 experiment on the steady flow of water through a sand column. For considerable time, Darcy's empirical observation, in conjunction with Fourier's [1807] heat equation, was used to analyze fluid flow in porous media simply by mathematical analogy. Hubbert [1940] is credited with placing Darcy's work on sound hydrodynamic foundations. Among other things, he defined an energy potential, interpreted permeability in the context of balancing impelling and resistive forces, and derived an expression for the refraction of flow lines. In 1856, James Clerk Maxwell constructed a theory for the flow of an incompressible fluid in a resistive medium as a metaphor for comprehending the emerging field of electromagnetism [Maxwell, 1890].
Integrated Earth Observation System could help reduce impacts of natural hazards
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The development of a framework for an integrated Earth observation system is on a fast track, according to Conrad Lautenbacher, administrator for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, because of the impetus provided by a high‐level summit this summer, and also because of existing Earth monitoring efforts that have laid much of the groundwork.
Deadline extended for public comment on IOOS' Draft Plan for Data Management and Communications Component
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The U.S. Integrated ocean Observing System (IOOS) is encouraging public comment on the draft plan for its Data Management and communications (DMAC) component. The deadline for receipt of comments has been extended to 18 November 2003.
Geoclimate: Probing the Earth's climate record at all temporal and spatial scales
Authors: Soreghan G. S. , Parrish Judith T. , Maples Christopher G.
Published: October 2006

Why study Earth's “deep‐time” (loosely, “pre‐Quaternary“) climate? Simply put, the climatic record must be studied at all spatial and temporal scales, in order to comprehend the full range of variability of Earth's climate system, and the physical, biological, and chemical processes that control this variability. The modern and recent record of climate variability is much better documented and understood than is the longer, deep‐time record. Similarly whereas some of the more dramatic, larger changes in Earth's climate are reasonably well known from the longer‐term geologic record, the higher‐frequency record is less well documented and certainly not understood.
Response “[to Comment on ‘On past temperatures and anomalous late‐20th‐century warmth’”]
Authors: Mann Michael , Ammann Caspar , Bradley Raymond , Briffa Keith , Jones Philip , Osborn Timothy , Crowley Thomas , Hughes Malcolm , Oppenheimer Michael , Overpeck Jonathan , Rutherford Scott , Trenberth Kevin , Wigley Tom
Published: October 2006

Soon and his colleagues (‘S03’) fail to address any of the three specific issues we raised in our Eos criticism (‘M03’) of their previous work (‘SB03’). These were the need for critical evaluation of proxy data to be used; consistent assimilation of widespread, well‐dated, and resolved records; and the objective, quantitative calibration of these records [see also Bradley et al., 2003]. S03, instead, start with the implausible claim that we agree with their assertion, “knowledge of past climatic changes does not have a direct bearing on the climatic effects of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.…” Reconstructions of past temperature histories do, indeed, have such a bearing. They provide one of several independent lines of evidence supporting the consensus scientific conclusion, expressed in the 2001 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that anomalous, hemispheric, late‐20th‐century warmth cannot be explained by natural factors. S03 follow with an equally puzzling assertion that “M03 relies mainly on a northern hemisphere reconstruction of average annual temperature by Mann et al. [1999].” Our article, quite to the contrary demonstrated that nearly a dozen different published estimates based on proxy data and model simulations give the same picture—anomalous, late‐20th‐century warmth that is unprecedented in a millennial or longer context.
Plan for living on a restless planet sets NASA's solid Earth agenda
Authors: Solomon Sean C. , Baker Victor R. , Bloxham Jeremy , Booth Jeffrey , Donnellan Andrea , Elachi Charles , Evans Diane , Rignot Eric , Burbank Douglas , Chao Benjamin F. , Chave Alan , Gillespie Alan , Herring Thomas , Jeanloz Raymond , LaBrecque John , Minster Bernard , Pitman Walter C. , Simons Mark , Turcotte Donald L. , Zoback Mary Lou C.
Published: October 2006

What are the most important challenges facing solid Earth science today and over the next two decades? And what is the best approach for NASA, in partnership with other agencies, to address those challenges? A new report, Living on a Restless Planet, provides a blueprint for answering these questions. The top priority for a new spacecraft mission in the area of solid Earth science over the next 5 years, according to this report, is a satellite dedicated to Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR).

At the request of NASA, the Solid Earth Science Working Group (SESWG) developed a strategy for the highest priority objectives in solid Earth science for the space agency over the next 25 years. The strategy addresses six challenges that are of fundamental scientific importance, have strong implications for society, and are amenable to substantial progress through a concerted series of scientific observations from space.
From D. Stern
Authors: Stern David P.
Published: October 2006

The contrasting careers of Sydney Chapman and Hannes Alfvén make an interesting story of genuine insights, false leads, bitter controversy and two very different approaches to the riddle of the magnetic storm. Unfortunately the recentEos article by S.‐I.Akasofu [2003] blurs the picture, leaving readers to wonder what exactly did happen. Because of space limitations, this attempt to untangle the plot must be rather brief, but readers are urged to consult Stern [1989] (which cites the original articles), Alfvén [1939 (1970)], Dessler [1984], and Smith [1963], none mentioned by Akasofu.

Magnetic storms—so named by Alexander von Humboldt—were recognized in the 1830s as worldwide disturbances, thanks to the worldwide observatory network Humboldt helped establish. A magnetic disturbance implies an electric current somewhere, and the worldwide character suggested this current circulated around the Earth's equator. Adolph Schmidt in 1916 named it the ring current; it seemed to establish itself during magnetic storms, then decay within 1–5 days. In addition, large magnetic storms were accompanied by big displays of polar aurora, extending far equatorward from the auroral zone.
Proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain generates discussion
Authors: Garrick B. John
Published: October 2006

By December 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to submit a license application for a proposed high‐level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) would review DOE's application and decide whether to authorize repository construction. That application would include a performance confirmation plan for the proposed site. Performance confirmation (PC) refers to the tests, experiments,and analyses that will be done to evaluate the adequacy of information used to show compliance with performance objectives in NRC's regulation 10 CFR Part 63. The program must provide data that indicate, where practical, whether subsurface conditions encountered and changes in those conditions during construction and waste emplacement are within limits assumed in the licensing review; and whether natural and engineered systems and components required for repository operation that are designed or assumed to operate as barriers after permanent closure are functioning as intended and anticipated. The PC program must begin during site characterization and continue until permanent closure of a repository.
Hatten S.Yoder, Jr. (1921–2003)
Authors: Mysen Bjorn
Published: October 2006

Hatten S.Yoder, Jr., an internationally known geologist, experimental petrologis and geochemist, and emeritus director of the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Geophysical Laboratory died on 2 August 2003, following complications from surgery. An AGU Fellow, Yoder served on AGU's Council from 1966 to 1968, and as president of the Volcanology, Petrology and Geochemistry Section from 1961 to 1964.

Born on 20 March 1921, Yoder was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from Lakewood High School. He obtained his bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago in 1940 and his Ph.D. in geology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1948. He received honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Paris VI, France, in 1981 and from the Colorado School of Mines in 1995.
Marine life report highlights need for baseline knowledge
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

While there is a dearth of current knowledge about marine organisms and their habitats, there is also the potential for a vastly improved understanding of the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life, according to a new report on life in the world's oceans.

A baseline report, issued by the Census of Marine Life on 23 October, indicates that the final tally for marine species diversity could be up to 10 times higher than the 210,000 marine life forms currently recognized by science. About 1,860 new marine species are being cataloged each year on average, the report states.
Plan could protect Klamath fish and agriculture
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Klamath River basin fish and farms in Oregon and California both could be protected, according to a 21 October report by the U.S. National Research Council. The report, by a committee of the Council's Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, calls for protecting three imperiled fish species through the removal of some dams which serve as migration obstacles, habitat improvement, and measures to stem the loss of stream bank vegetation and to lower the summer water temperatures in tributaries.

The committee found that maintaining water levels and flows higher than those of recent past years would not likely lead to the recovery of two endangered sucker species and a genetically distinct population of Coho salmon that is threatened.
Extensional Tectonics I: Regional Scale Processes and Extensional Tectonics II: Faulting and Fault‐related Processes
Authors: Geissman John W.
Published: October 2006

There is no question that extensional tectonics and related processes have played a major role in the geologic evolution of the British Isles, and in the formation and trapping of immense “super‐giant” fields of hydrocarbon resources in the North Sea. The latter have been of considerable importance to the economy of the United Kingdom. This two‐part volume is the second in a new series of publications by The Geological Society, “Key Issues in the Earth Sciences.” It is a compilation of 35 well‐known papers on extensional tectonics published over the past 2 decades.
Disasters at the interface of nature and society provoke thought
Authors: Castaños Heriberta , Lomnitz Cinna
Published: October 2006

A casual remark, a chance encounter in the corridors of power, decisions made at the administrative level; those are the things disasters are made of. We didn't know this until September 11, 2001.

What is a disaster? Natural and social causes, like separate strands, are closely intertwined. In the 5th century, attributing earthquakes to natural causes was a crime: there is a heresy that claims that earthquakes are supposedly caused by the elements of nature rather than by the righteous judgment and wrath of God, quoth Saint Philastrius. It took 14 centuries to replace this paradigm with another: one should not view God as an irrational being, capable of destroying His own temples, in the words of Camilo Henriquez, S.J., after the 1822 Valparaiso earthquake. This was a giant step forward, but it was not enough. We now realize that all disasters are social, as well as natural.
An Introduction to Atmospheric Thermodynamics
Authors: Hobgood Jay S.
Published: October 2006

Thermodynamic principles are part of our understanding of the physical processes at work in the universe. Books on thermodynamics commonly begin with discussions of the basic principles that are the foundation of the discipline and are differentiated by the applications of those principles. There has been a need in recent years for a book that addresses the application of thermodynamics to meteorological problems, especially a book written for undergraduate courses emphasizing the operational aspects of meteorology. Anastasios A. Tsonis has written An Introduction to Atmospheric Thermodynamics to fill this need.

The book is organized in a fairly standard pattern. The first two chapters briefly present a few basic concepts. The next three chapters develop the thermodynamics of dry air (that is, the mixture of gasses in the Earth's atmosphere minus the water vapor) from the empirical gas laws to the concept of entropy Chapters six and seven discuss the thermodynamics of water and moist air, that is, the dry air plus the water vapor. These chapters are followed by consideration of vertical stability and thermodynamic diagrams. The final chapter attempts to link ther modynamics to the larger problem of weather prediction. Most of the chapters conclude with examples and a list of problems.
Earth's Magnetism in the Age of Sail
Authors: Merrill Ronald T.
Published: October 2006

Earth's Magnetism in the Age of Sail primarily focuses on the historical investigation of geomagnetism, and on geomagnetism and navigation, from 1500 to 1800. This well‐written and well‐documented book is highly enjoyable. Once the reader has cleared the first chapter, the remainder of the book is a historical treasure.

The book is divided into two parts. Part I, which consists of four chapters, deals with the efforts to understand the Earth's magnetic field during the period under investigation. Part II, which has three chapters, describes the intersection of properties of the magnetic field with advances that were being made in navigational techniques in the period.
Communicating with Congress—A “Capitol Cause”
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Contrary to popular belief, Congress does not suffer from a dearth of scientific information needed to inform its policy decisions. The information is there, in published articles, news accounts, Web sites, and books. But when members of Congress are debating a major policy issue, it is too easy for them to lose sight of the peer‐reviewed science they need when faced with a firehose blast of information from advocates pushing their own causes. Literally hundreds of letters, e‐mails, and telephone calls flood a congressional office on a typical day. How do lawmakers pick and choose the right information? Whom do they trust?
Studying earthquake recurrence in the Kachchh region, India
Authors: Rajendran C.P. , Rajendran Kusala
Published: October 2006

The occurrence of two large earthquakes (M>7.5) in the Kachchh basin within a short span of ∼200 years is quite unusual for an intracratonic region (Figure l). What factors could possibly make this region different from other, mid‐plate settings? Could some of these factors be responsible for the relatively shorter recurrence times? Does the tectonic history provide us with any clues about the uniqueness of this intraplate region?
Books program continues to advance the geophysical sciences
Authors: Bougeret Jean‐Louis
Published: October 2006

AGU pursues an active and successful books publishing program that sustains the highest excellence in scientific values and reaches an ever‐expanding audience worldwide. Recently, the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers took note of AGU books by awarding Hawaiian Volcanoes: Deep Underwater Perspective, edited by Eiichi Takahashi et al., as the best book on geography and Earth sciences in 2002 during its annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award competition includes commercial, university, and society publishers.

Another book published by AGU in 2002, Methane Hydrates in Quaternary Climate Change: The Clathrate Gun Hypothesis, by James Kennett et al., was recently lauded in Science as “arguably the most controversial Earth science book of the new millennium.”
Interannual to decadal drought and wildfire in the western United States
Authors: Westerling Anthony L. , Swetnam Thomas W.
Published: October 2006

Twentieth‐century wildfire suppression and land management policies have promoted biomass accumulations in some ecosystems in the western United States where wildfire is a natural and necessary element. These changes have fueled large, stand‐replacing crown fires in southwestern ponderosa pine forests, where they were rare under natural fire regimes [Allen et al., 2002].

Current policy contemplates massive ecosystem restoration involving prescribed fires and mechanical fuel reductions on millions of hectares and the subsequent re‐introduction of pre‐suppression fire regimes [USDA and USDI, 2002]. Success critically depends on understanding past and present fire regimes. The current western drought and the potential for climatic change to increase the frequency and magnitude of the region's droughts [Smith et al., 2001] further emphasize the need to understand short‐ and long‐term climate‐fire relations.
Global and domestic trends “Imperil” Future U.S. Science Workforce
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The U.S. science and engineering workforce of the future “is imperiled” by increased global competition for talent and by flat or reduced domestic student interest in the physical sciences and other areas, according to a 19 November report by the U.S. National Science Board (NSB).

Citing U.S. census data, the report indicates that the percentage of the foreign‐born who are filling U.S. science and engineering occupations has risen sharply from 14% in 1990 to 22% in 2000. Awards of doctorates to the foreign‐born jumped from 24% to 28%, while those with master's degrees increased from 19% to 29%, and the bachelor's degree share rose from 11% to 17%. The census data reflects immigration patterns and the numbers of foreign specialists working in the U.S. with visas.
Space science decadal surveys available
Authors: Smith David
Published: October 2006

The final, edited texts of two recent advisory committee reports are now available on request from the U.S. National Research Council's Space Studies Board. The reports, New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy, the report of the Solar System Exploration Survey (Michael J.S. Belton, Belton Space Exploration Initiatives, chair) and The Sun to the Earth—and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, the report of the Solar and Space Physics Survey (Louis J. Lanzerotti, Lucent Technologies, chair) are available in a variety of media as follows:

New Frontiers in the Solar System: Currently available as a book, a CD‐ROM, or online at http://books.nap.edu/html/newfrontiers/03090 84954.pdf. Advanced orders are being taken for copies of New Frontiers in Solar System Exploration, a 32‐page, full‐color booklet describing for a popular audience the principal mission recommendations of the Solar System Exploration Survey.
Glacier‐Influenced Sedimentation on High‐Latitude Continental Margins
Authors: Domack Eugene
Published: October 2006

Glacier‐Influenced Sedimentation on High‐Latitude Continental Margins includes a collection of papers that was presented at a meeting of the Geological Society of London, held in April 2001 in Bristol, in the United Kingdom. The book follows some 11 years after another special publication (No. 53), Glacimarine Environments: Processes and Sediments, which was co‐edited by J. Dowdeswell. Hence, it is relatively easy to assess the increase in the state of knowledge represented by the recent volume. Overall, the book delivers on its quality of content and on the quantity of examples from slope and Atlantic shelf settings. Yet, given the recent results from a wide range of settings in the Antarctic, the inclusion of an invited paper or two from regions outside of the Ross Sea would have added value to the book. There are no summaries of Ocean Drilling Program legs, several of which have penetrated deep sections in the north Pacific, north Atlantic, and Antarctic margins in the last 10 years. Also, unlike its preceding volume, there are no examples of ancient shelf settings, which is a pity considering the renewed interest in ancient glacimarine sequences spurred on by the “snowball Earth“ debate. Despite these omissions, the volume is exceedingly informative and achieves high marks for communicating the significance of glacially influenced sedimentation.
Impact demagnetization by phase transition on Mars
Authors: Rochette Pierre , Hood Lon , Fillion Gerard , Ballou Rafik , Ouladdiaf Bachir
Published: October 2006

Recent solar system exploration has revealed the presence of a complex pattern of strong crustal magnetization on Mars [Acuña et al., 1999; Figure l]. The north‐south dichotomy of the magnetization might be interpreted in terms of shutdown of the Martian dynamo before the formation or reworking of the younger and/or thinner northern crust, as well as the Tharsis dome. On the other hand, there is no apparent difference in the older, southern “Noachian” heavily‐cratered terrane between the magnetized and non‐magnetized crust. One could invoke the proximity of the Hellas and Argyre giant impact craters (Figure 1) if impacts occurred after dynamo shutdown, and if a mechanism is available to demagnetize the crust at distances of several crater radii. This mechanism cannot be thermal, as the thermal effect is very limited at such distance; thus, the mechanism must be pressure‐related.
Space‐based geodesy advances understanding of earthquakes
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Space‐based geodesy provides one of the most important tools for understanding earthquakes and their underlying processes, scientists from several U.S. federal agencies said at a 4 December briefing in Washington, D.C.

They said that additional space‐based resources—combined with advances in a variety of ground‐based capabilities and computer modeling—could greatly increase progress in understanding and perhaps forecasting and mitigating damages from earthquakes.

The scientists—from NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Geological Survey—emphasized the importance of obtaining more widespread measurements of ground deformation through Global Positioning System monitors, as well as through Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar. InSAR takes satellite radar images of large portions of the globe and, in multiple passes over the same regions, can help to measure changes in ground deformation.
“Ultra‐Slow” Class identified as third category of ocean ridge
Authors: Jacobs Judy
Published: October 2006

A concerted effort to study a variety of slowspreading ocean ridges in remote, cold regions has resulted in the identification of a new category of ridge that is spreading even more slowly than the already‐dassified “slow‐spreading” ridges that are a well‐recognized component of ocean crustal formation processes. These research results offer a major change in thinking about the formation of the ocean crustal plates.
European IODP Consortium Created
Authors: Jacobs Judy
Published: October 2006

A protocol officially creating the consortium that will represent the European participation in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) was signed 15 December in Paris at the headquarters of the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).

The European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) represents the scientific agencies of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and 10 other European countries.
Exploring the use of submarine cables and related technologies
Authors: Kasahara Junzo , Chave Alan , Mikada Hitoshi
Published: October 2006

Outcomes from real‐time and long‐term observations using submarine cables in the Earth and ocean sciences have been actively reported and published in recent years, and scientists are now looking at advanced, next‐generation observation technologies. The third International Workshop on Scientific Use of Submarine Cables and Related Technologies (SSC '03) was held last June at the University of Tokyo to explore some of these.

The first and second workshops were held in 1990 in Hawaii and in 1997 in Okinawa, respectively. The discussions from these generated experiments in the use of decommissioned telecommunication cables, and conceptual development or designs for multidisciplinary sea floor observatories, both in the United States and in Japan. The third workshop was intended to promote better mutual understanding between scientists and engineers, and a broader perspective on future submarine observations. Thus, the objectives were to gather both Earth and ocean scientists and engineers from multiple disciplines and encourage them to think objectively about necessary future collaboration and cooperation as a team for the advancement of ocean floor observations.
Workshop weighs climate change studies at Valles caldera
Authors: Goff Fraser , Heikoop Jeffrey M.
Published: October 2006

The 22‐km‐diameter Valles caldera is the world's type resurgent caldera and is host to a 280°C liquid‐dominated hydrothermal system [Smith and Bailey, 1968; Goffand Gardner, 1994]. The caldera also contains various lacustrine sediments and hydromagmatic deposits dating from the inception of caldera formation to roughly 50 ka. More recent bog deposits are also present. Many of these deposits are presumably buried within the caldera moat and overlain and interbedded with post‐caldera moat rhyolite eruptions. New geologic mapping at the 1:24,000 scale shows that the best exposures of lacustrine rocks occur on the uplifted flanks of the central resurgent dome [Goff et al., 2003] and as eroded remnants within the encircling valleys.
Noble Gases in Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, v. 47
Authors: Kennedy B. Mack
Published: October 2006

This 47th volume of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry succeeds admirably at the very difficult task of summarizing, in a succinct and approachable manner, what is and is not known about noble gases and their roles in geochemistry and cosmochemistry. The list of significant contributions to our understanding of stellar and nebular processes, planetary and lunar science, and geoscience is long and diverse. Noble gases introduced the first evidence for isotopic heterogeneity in the solar nebula, and the presence of live but now extinct radionuclides, the latter leading to a fine‐scale chronology of nebular processes and planetary evolution and the first estimates of the age of the elements in the universe. Noble gases have been instrumental in identifying and isolating relict nova and supernova grains, providing a unique insight into stellar nucleosynthesis and chemistry. Additional contributions include evidence for temporal changes in the composition of the solar wind, planetary and lunar cratering histories and time scales, evidence for pre‐compaction irradiation of meteoritic material, constraints on processes and time scales of planetary degassing, atmosphere formation, and crust‐mantle‐core evolution.
Ocean thermal structure monitoring could aid in the intensity forecast of tropical cyclones
Authors: Goni Gustavo J. , Trinanes Joaquin A.
Published: October 2006

Accurate prediction of the track and intensity of tropical cyclones is highly important for planning the evacuation of densely populated coastal areas and for impact assessment. Though forecasts of Atlantic hurricane tracks have improved greatly during recent years, large errors in intensity forecasts still remain. Dynamical and statistical models are currently being used, with a different range of success, to predict the location of tropical cyclone intensity changes. Statistical prediction models attempt to quantify the relationship between tropical cyclone intensification and variables that can be estimated or observed in real time.
On the review process: Editors speak
Authors: O'Dowd Colin , Pawson Steven , Robock Alan , Toohey Darin
Published: October 2006

We have read with interest the letters to Eos that have discussed the issue of peer review. Although this letter is written largely with the members of the Atmospheric Sciences Section in mind, it may also add some perspective to the general discussion of anonymous reviews.

Due to the volume of papers submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research‐Atmospheres (∼1200 every year), we have appointed a number of associate editors (currently about 40). These AEs serve in a variety of ways, including recommending reviewers, consulting on papers in their areas of expertise, and assisting when there are potential conflicts of interest. The ultimate responsibility for decisions on all papers, however, rests with the editors alone. Apparently, this procedure is different from that taken by other journals, as noted by Robert J. Geller and John A. Goff in their letters printed in the 23 September 2003 issue of Eos.
Climate change statement highlights human influence
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

A new AGU position statement on human impacts on climate states that “human activities are increasingly altering the Earth's climate.” Natural influences alone do not explain the increase in global near‐surface temperatures in the latter half of the 20th century, the statement explains.

Announced at a 16 December press conference in Washington, D.C., the statement notes that human impacts include atmospheric greenhouse gases, as well as air pollution, airborne particles, and land alteration.
Other council actions
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

At its 12 December meeting, in addition to unanimously adopting the new position statement, “Human Impacts on Climate,” the Council also reaffirmed AGU statements on monitoring of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and on supporting the teaching of Earth history and evolution, and opposing the teaching of religious tenets as science. All AGU position statements can be found at http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/policy/sci_pol.html.

The definitions of three medals were restated to more clearly show their breath, as follows:
Online Mars digital elevation model derived from profiles
Authors: Delacourt C. , Gros N. , Allemand P. , Baratoux D.
Published: October 2006

The topography of Mars is a key parameter for understanding the geological evolution of the planet. Since 1997, the Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA), launched in the frame of Mars Global Surveyor, has acquired more than 600 million topographic measurements. However, despite the high vertical accuracy of those profiles, the main limitation of this technique appears when topographic maps are required.

To create a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) or a topographic map, an interpolation on individual MOLA measurements on regular grids is required. Calculating the global full‐resolution Martian DEM requires very intensive computation and large disk capacities. Only a few teams throughout the world have computed a full resolution DEM from MOLA data. Even if a scientist is interested in a small area of Mars, numerous profiles have to be processed and extracted from 44 CD‐ROMs.