bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Studies in geophysics: Geophysical predictions: Overview and recommendations
Authors: Landsberg H. E.
Published: October 2011

The good earth not only sustains life; it is also the greatest killer. In some years the earth's paroxysms kill hundreds of thousands of people. For example, an earthquake in northern China on July 28, 1976, leveled the city of Tangshan. It killed more than 600,000 persons and injured an additional 700,000 [Associated Press, 1977].

We can only view with awe this and other natural catastrophes. Even though the toll may not be as high as in the Tangshan earthquake, death and destruction are common. Each year brings its own share of these natural disasters. Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and tsunamis (water surges produced by submarine earthquakes) all kill, maim, and destroy. In most instances, timely warnings can and will reduce loss of life, but they seldom avert the destruction of property. A good example in recent memory is the havoc wrought by hurricane Agnes and its accompanying flash floods. In four days in June 1972 it killed 118 people and caused $3.5 billion in property damages, a record for losses of private and public property and facilities.
Space aboard research vessels available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Norpax (North Pacific Experiment) scientists are planning to operate a large oceanographic research vessel (or vessels) along 150°W between Hawaii and Tahiti for about 16 months beginning January 1979. The tentative schedule calls for one round trip every two months. This will involve about 20 days at sea on each leg, southbound and northbound.

The primary tasks to be performed are the making of hydrographic sections, the deployment and tending of moored oceanographic instruments, the launching of drifting buoys, and the gathering of atmospheric observations for the FGGE data set. In addition to these primary tasks, space will be made available to other researchers on an as‐available basis. Priority will be given to those projects related to large‐scale air‐sea interaction, but anyone interested should apply.
Maunder minimum data show unusual cosmic ray activity
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The sun may have been magnetically even weaker during the Maunder Minimum than the lack of sunspots for 70 years implies. This report that during the Maunder Minimum the sun was more profoundly quiet than it has ever been since was made at the 1978 AGU Spring Meeting by Miriam A. Forman of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Forman presented evidence that the enhanced amounts of radioactive carbon in tree rings which grew about 300 years ago are due to unusually high cosmic ray intensity, probably a result of extremely low solar magnetic activity during the ultralong sunspot minimum at that time. The amount of radiocarbon deposited in tree rings which grew in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries is about one or two percent higher than that in nineteenth‐century tree rings, the increase occurring during the 70‐year‐long sunspot minimum discovered in the 1890s by the English astronomer E. W. Maunder.
Earlier warnings may be possible with tornado Doppler
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Tornadoes in severe thunderstorms were detected by a powerful Doppler radar in Norman, Oklahoma, more than 20 minutes before they became visible to ground observers, adding at least 10 minutes to the time available for tornado warnings. These experimental observations were part of a cooperative effort by NOAA and the Air Force to test the tornado‐detecting performance of an experimental Doppler radar.

Donald W. Burgess of the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, Donald R. Devore of the Oklahoma City Weather Service Forecast Office, and Capt. Joel D. Bonewitz of the Air Weather Service also found that the Doppler radar and its hightechnology data handling and display systems showed unexpected promise in detecting conditions associated with the heavy thunderstorm rains that can produce lethal flash floods.
Solar activity link to cosmic rays beyond Jupiter reported
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Space climatology was a topic at the 1978 AGU Spring Meeting. Martin A. Pomerantz and Shakti P. Duggal of the Bartol Research Foundation of the Franklin Institute , Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, gave a space weather report based on information from Pioneer observations beyond the orbit of Jupiter. The Bartol physicists found that the rate at which the density of cosmic rays increases with distance from the sun changes during the sunspot cycle. The mechanisms by which the solar influence is exercised over long distances are not well understood, but this interesting clue to the reasons for long‐term variations in the cosmic ray population in the inner solar system could be an important link in unraveling the nature of solar‐terrestrial couplings.
Meeting report: Dissertations in chemical oceanography
Authors: Andersen Neil R. , Green Edward J.
Published: October 2011

A continuing concern of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is the effective utilization of young scientists who gain their degrees through federally supported research. We want to know what is happening to individuals graduating from our universities and to make better information available to young graduates about the research climate and opportunities in their respective fields. E. D. Goldberg of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggested that it would be useful to have a symposium which would be completely dedicated to soon‐to‐be or recent Ph.D. graduates; after discussions at some length with members of the scientific community we began preparations for such a meeting in the field of chemical oceanography.
Hail bibliography developed
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

An on‐line hail bibliography, developed under the direction of Stanley A. Changnon, Jr., is available through the Illinois State Water Survey. Coverage of the topic of hail is comprehensive. The literature surveyed is primarily from 1950 to date, with some items of historical interest also included. Coverage of the literature is worldwide, with primary emphasis on English‐language publications.
Field research grants available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Center for Field Research is currently accepting proposals for 1979. The center and its affiliate, Earthwatch, have raised over $1 million from members of the public who have given their time, their skills, and their dollars to support research in a variety of disciplines.

Eligible disciplines include, but are not limited to, astronomy, botany, cartography, conservation, geography, geology, marine sciences, and meteorology. Among projects being supported in 1978 are the continuing excavation of the Salmon Ruins site in New Mexico and a study of the ecology of Provincetown Harbor in Massachusetts.
Many habitable planets could exist in galaxy
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) astronomers Helmut A. Abt and Saul G. Levy recently reported that the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy that can have habitable planets circling them is much greater than previously believed. This could mean that life similar to that on earth might be much more probable among nearby stars.

‘The evidence we have that hot stars, as well as cooler stars like our sun, have companions orbiting them could mean that the number of stars which can have habitable planets is greatly increased,’ Abt said. It had been thought previously that since hot stars spin fast, they are unlikely to have companions.
Scientists trace Caribbean currents
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The surface waters of the Caribbean may retain pollutants longer than existing current charts suggest, according to Robert Molinari of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Molinari based this conclusion on a recent study which used satellite‐tracked buoys to trace the circulation of the region.

Molinari said that Caribbean surface currents were much more complicated than had been generally believed, so that water, and any pollutants it may receive, would tend to remain in the Caribbean for months before returning to the Atlantic through the Florida Straits. ‘This longer residence time has implications for environmental impact studies, since any pollutants discharged in the region would remain longer than previously assumed,’ he said.
SEAN Report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The following geophysical and meteoritic events were reported by the Scientific Event Alert Network (SEAN), Smithsonian Institution, NHB Stop 129, Washington, D.C. 20560.
Awards presented at the Spring Meeting: Third Presentation: Maurice Ewing Medal to Sir Edward Bullard by the American Geophysical Union and the U.S. Navy for his leadership in marine geophysics
Authors: Munk Walter H. , Bullard Edward
Published: October 2011

Teddy Bullard and Maurice Ewing are the most influential geophysicists of our generation. They are responsible for the education of many of today's leading geophysicists. They are responsible also for the development of many of today's marine geophysical techniques: seismology, gravity, magnetism, and heat flow.

Maurice and Teddy started their careers as physicists. It is remarkable that both were converted to marine geophysicists by the fervor of one man, Princeton geologist Richard Field. From then on their goals were parallel: to uncover what makes the planet earth tick.
Awards presented at the Spring Meeting: Seventeenth Presentation: James B. Macelwane Award to John M. Edmond in recognition of significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability
Authors: Edmond John M.
Published: October 2011

Today we honor John Marmion Edmond with the James B. Macelwane Award. As John was born on April 27, 1943, he clearly qualifies agewise — he is only 35 years old! — and, of course, his tremendous activity in the field of geoscience has helped in the further justification of this award.

John Edmond was born of a fine mixture of Scottish (father) and Irish (mother) parentage, was properly educated by the Jesuits of Glasgow, and received his first class honors (B.Sc. degree) from the University of Glasgow, where he obtained a good taste for solution chemistry from Professor George Nancollas.
Awards presented at the Spring Meeting: Seventeenth Presentation: James B. Macelwane Award to Thomas E. Holzer in recognition of significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability
Authors: Whipple Elden C. , Holzer Thomas E.
Published: October 2011

Until fairly recently the solar wind was regarded as a roughly spherically symmetric outflowing gas driven by the high temperatures in the solar corona. Then, beginning about six years ago, evidence was found that at least some of high‐velocity solar wind streams—and perhaps a substantial fraction of the total mass flux—originate in the so‐called coronal holes, regions of lower temperature and density. It was difficult to reconcile how the enhanced fluxes could be supplied by such low‐density regions. Tom Holzer recognized that the rapidly expanding area of the streamlines above coronal holes due to the open magnetic field line geometry would substantially change the nature of the flow from these regions. Multiple critical points for the flow could occur leading to high expansion velocities and large particle fluxes. For this insight into the generation and expansion of the solar wind, and for other significant contributions in solar system and interstellar physics, Tom Holzer is one of this year's recipients of the James B. Macelwane award.
Corrections to the 1978 Membership Directory
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The following corrections to the directory have been noted and are published here for the benefit of members who want to correct their copies. We regret these errors. Sigmund Fritz, Chris T. Russell, Paul G. Richards, and Ignacio Rodriguez‐Iturbe are AGU Fellows. Karen Lahr Ward is an Individual Supporting Member.
Meetings
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The National Radio Science Meeting will be held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, November 6–9, 1978. This open scientific meeting is sponsored by the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Radio Science. It is being held in cooperation with the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Group, IEEE Geoscience Electronics Group, IEEE Information Theory Group, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Group, IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society, and the IEEE Wave Propagation Standards Committee.

The theme of the meeting will be the common scientific basis of telecommunications and remote sensing insofar as the influence of the environment is concerned. Papers on any topic of interest to a commission will be presented. In addition, the following special topics have been suggested: Commission A on Electromagnetic Metrology. Telecommunication measurements and standards; nondestructive electromagnetic probing and testing; far infrared measurements.
1978 Spring Meeting Report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1978 Spring Meeting was held April 17–21 in Miami Beach, Florida, at the Deauville and Carillon hotels. Approximately 1220 papers were presented. Total registration was 1632, of whom 1127 were members, 242 were students, and 263 were non‐members.

The meeting program and the abstracts of papers were published in the April 1978 issue of EOS, pages 215–418. This report includes program changes and postdeadline and revised abstracts.
The Juan De Fuca Plate
Authors: Riddihough Robin P.
Published: October 2011

In the history of science, the theory of plate tectonics is so recent that one might expect that the details of its development would be unequivocally documented. Strangely, they are not. A number of books, a recent special AGU session, and countless articles have tried to follow the thread that captured all those ephemeral sparks of insight in a working theory. There are still almost as many views of how it happened as there are scientists involved (see Figure 1).
SEAN Report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The following geophysical and meteoritic events were reported by the Scientific Event Alert Network (SEAN), Smithsonian Institution, NBH Stop 129, Washington, D.C. 20560
AGU Subcommittee on Women in Geophysics
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The tradition of having an open meeting of the Subcommittee on Women in Geophysics was continued at the AGU Spring Meeting in Miami Beach on April 18, 1978. Of the 25 members present, six were men, one the loser in the recent contest for AGU President‐Elect!
Geophysically meaningful Initial II
Authors: Noxon J. F. , Russell C. T.
Published: October 2011

J . G. Roederer (June 1978 EOS , p. 533) claims that he is the only member of the AGU who has “geophysically meaningful” initials. Quite apart from the question as to whether JGR (the journal) is in fact geophysically meaningful, I must respectfully note that its former editor, G. C. Reid, certainly does fall into that elite class in view of the well‐known acronym for galactic cosmic rays. Meaninglessly yours,

It is high time the pompous claims of J. G. Roederer regarding the uniqueness of his initials (June 1978 EOS , p. 533) ceased. A quick glance at the membership list reveals five, not one, JGR's in the AGU, only one of whom is J . G. Roederer. The other four are J . G. Ramsay, J . G. Richman, J . G. Robinson, and J . G. Rosenbaum. Although I am surprised at Roederer for not realizing that he is not unique, the Eos peer review process must shoulder much of the blame for allowing this error to be published.
The geophysical importance of searching for intelligent life in the galaxy
Authors: Chamberlain Joseph W.
Published: October 2011

The romantic side of mankind yearns for companionship. The thought that we are alone seems, with our modern sophisticated approach to metaphysics, almost heretical. When exploring the cosmos went under the unpretentious term ‘astronomy,’ it received a small portion of the national funding for scientific research. All this changed with Sputnik and the realization that in situ exploration of the planets was at hand. The search for extraterrestrial life could begin in earnest. Nevertheless, well‐informed people disagree on what is important. We do not readily reach a consensus on either our values or our priorities.
New meteorological radar may replace radiosondes
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The radiosonde may be on its way out. A new Doppler frequency‐modulated, continuous‐wave (FM‐CW) radar has passed successive tests over the last year. The FM‐CW developed by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses two antennas. The first transmits a continuous microwave signal that sweeps up and down a range of frequencies, while the second simultaneously receives return signals.

Unlike conventional pulse radars, which measure the time delay between outgoing and return signals, the FM‐CW measures the difference in frequency.
Seasat
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

More than 10 years of anticipation came to an end for oceanographers recently when Seasat soared into space to launch a new era in global ocean monitoring. From its circular, near‐polar orbit, Seasat uses five instruments to constantly watch the world's oceans.

William A. Nierenberg, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said ‘It is perilous to predict history, but Seasat‐A can have the same impact on oceanography that Challenger had somewhat over 100 years ago.
RISP/RIGGS bypasses limits of man‐made disciplines
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

In AGU's continuing effort to encourage dialogue among seemingly distant disciplines, several general interest sessions are planned for each meeting. One such session at the 1978 Spring Meeting focused on the Ross Ice Shelf Project (RISP).

James H. Zumberge, Office of the President, Southern Methodist University, closed the interdisciplinary session with his observation that ‘the divisions of knowledge are our own creations, not nature's.’ Reports on the meteorology, geochemistry, marine geophysics, biology, and geologic history of the 500‐m‐deep ice shelf were included in this special half‐day session. The sampling area, called J9, was 411 km from the open waters of the Ross Sea in Antarctica. The floating ice sheet is roughly the size of Texas. Beneath the sheet, where no light can penetrate, is a unique environment that the RISP was designed to explore.
Solar wind study
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Late next summer, an unusual grouping of spacecraft will provide an excellent opportunity for highlatitude solar wind observations. Thomas A. Croft at SRI International is seeking participants for a concentrated solar and solar wind study program during August and September 1979 when at least four spacecraft will pass above the solar north pole on the far side of the sun away from the earth.

The four spacecraft are Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Pioneer Venus orbiter, and Pioneer 11. Additionally, Helios 1 and 2 may be in position to make a useful contribution.
SEAN Report
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

After the January 6–21 deflation event at Krafla (Iceland) described in April 1978 EOS (p. 197), inflation resumed at the previous rate of 6–7 mm/d and continued through about June 10. Inflation then slowed and became irregular, as had happened shortly before most previous deflation events. Slow deflation began during the afternoon of July 10. About 3 hours later the deflation rate increased markedly, and harmonic tremor began, achieving its maximum amplitude in about 3 more hours. Earthquake activity increased, and epicenters migrated northward from the caldera, reaching an uninhabited area 10–30 km north of the caldera the next day. No eruption occurred, and no new steam fields were formed, although emission from a 1976 steam field increased substantially. The deflation rate decreased gradually July 12–13, and then inflation resumed late July 13. Deflation events at Krafla are caused by the intrusion of magma from a reservoir beneath the caldera into a fault system that extends to the north and south.
JGR Editor Tom Ahrens
Authors: Proxmire William
Published: October 2011

The new editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research (Red, Solid Earth and Planets) is Thomas J . Ahrens of the Seismological Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. Tom Ahrens is no stranger to JGR. He published his first paper in the journal in 1962 while he was a graduate student at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute and since then has authored or coauthored 18 JGR papers. In his first research he measured elasticity under pressure using low‐amplitude ultrasonic waves and in subsequent research has continued to investigate elasticity using mechanical waves with very large amplitudes. His first postdoctoral position was with Poulter Laboratory of Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Poulter Laboratory was investigating detonation phenomena, shock waves, and the dynamic response of materials and structures. In reflecting on his five postdoctoral years at SRI, Ahrens recently remarked that two memories stand out: coming home each night with TNT under his fingernails and being completely engrossed in using shock waves to study how rocks and minerals behave elastically under great pressure.
Rosenstiel Award in Oceanographic Science
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Nominations are invited for the 1978 Rosenstiel Award in Oceanographic Science. The award recognizes outstanding achievement and distinction in oceanographic science, including relevant aspects of ocean engineering where significant new principles are concerned, and aspects of atmospheric science with important implications for understanding of oceanic processes. The award is supported by the Rosenstiel Foundation through the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami.

Because of the multidisciplinary nature of oceanographic science, the award recognizes achievement in three broad areas on a rotating basis. In 1978 the award will emphasize geology, physics, and chemistry of the sea bed. The other areas in which the award will be given in subsequent years are biology and living resources and physics and chemistry of the water column and the atmosphere.
Detection limits of metal species extended by OGE
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) recently reported on the opto‐galvanic effect (OGE) which can be monitored electrically to eliminate problems associated with laser scatter in analytical spectrometry and spectroscopic applications. These studies of interference effects have also expanded the limits of detection of some metal species.

Peter K. Schenck, John C. Travis, Kermit C. Smyth, and David S. King of NBS described their experiments with discharges involving both continuous wave and pulsed dye lasers to irradiate hollow cathode lamps usually used for spectroscopic frequency calibration and atomic absorption analysis. Since the lamps are convenient atomic reservoirs, changes induced in the conductivity of their discharges may readily be observed.
Deep‐sea sediment as radionuclide grave
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Disposing of radioactive wastes in the deep ocean continues to be a research interest. Proponents explain the relative safety of geologically stable and biologically inactive deep ocean sediments that have accumulated for millions of years and are in the process of becoming sedimentary rocks.

This idea was enhanced by studies of sediment core recovered in October 1976 from an area nearly 1000 km north of Hawaii. Analysis showed that the lower portions of the 24‐m‐long core had been undisturbed for the last 70 million years. Earthquakes, volcanoes, ice ages, and tectonic plate movement did not affect the lower areas of sediment, which had a total thickness of at least 30 m.
COCORP Southwestern Wyoming data available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The data packages for three seismic lines run in the Wind River uplift area of Wyoming are now available for the cost of reproduction and shipping. These data were obtained by the Consortium for Continental Reflection Profiling (COCORP), who are applying sophisticated continuous seismic reflection techniques to the solution of geologic problems of the crust and upper mantle of the earth. The operation is part of the U.S. Geodynamics Project, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and funded by the National Science Foundation.
Research proposals solicited
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The United States Geological Survey requests proposals for research contracts under the continuing Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. The areas of interest are (1) earthquake hazards studies, (2) earthquake prediction studies, and (3) studies in support of both hazards and prediciton.

Earthquake hazards studies. Programs sought include evaluation of earthquake potential (tectonic framework and recurrence intervals, studies of earthquake effects (ground motion, ground failure, assessment of other earthquake related hazards, and postearthquake studies), and studies of earthquake losses and risk analysis.
Dry land suffocates model hurricanes
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Modelers have found support for what meteorologists have long theorized—that hurricanes need warm ocean water to sustain their fury. Robert Tuleya and Yoshio Kurihara of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory designed a numerical model of a tropical cyclone running aground, an event that usually dissipates the storm. In seeking the specific mechanism that worked to diminish the storm the scientists devised three scenarios. In the first the ‘land’ was rougher and drier than the ocean. In the second the land area was rough but as wet as the ocean; in the third, evaporation was eliminated, but the land surface was as smooth as the ocean.
Report on satellite observing possibilities for climate studies
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The results of the Study Conference on Satellite‐Observing Possibilities for the Garp Climate Dynamics Subprogram (organized by Cospar Working Group 6 and held at NCAR, Boulder, Colorado, in July 1976) are summarized in a report now available from S. Ruttenberg, Secretary of WG 6 (c/o NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307).
June Bacon‐Bercey Scholarship in atmospheric sciences
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The first annual June Bacon‐Bercey Scholarship in Atmospheric Sciences for Women has been awarded to Anthea J . Coster, a second‐year student in the Rice University graduate program in space physics and astronomy. Ms. Coster, the daughter of a geophysicist and granddaughter of a professor of physics, received her B.A. degree, with honors, in mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. She followed this with courses in physics and mathematics at the University of Houston, where she worked with the space physics group, which was involved in auroral studies. She is currently affiliated with a research group engaged in ionospheric research, and this past summer Ms. Coster spent 8 weeks at the Arecibo Observatory working on an experiment in heating of the ionosphere related to the space solar power satellite problem.
Lunar sample analysis funding
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

In response to the Senate Appropriations Committee's move to delete the entire $5.7 million for lunar sample analysis from the NASA budget request and to finance further research on the moon rocks through the National Science Foundation's budget for geology, the following telegram was sent on August 4, 1978, to Senator Adlai E. Stevenson III in his capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Science and Space by AGU President Allan Cox.
Fifth Annual CGU Meeting
Authors: Palmer H. C.
Published: October 2011

The fifth annual meeting of the Canadian Geophysical Union was held at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, on May 15–17, 1978. The four previous meetings of the Union were held in conjunction with either the Geological Association of Canada or the Canadian Association of Physicists, since the CGU is a division of both of these parent organizations. At the previous meetings the CGU typically sponsored two or three sessions on geophysics as part of a program with either a dominant geology or physics flavor.

With a membership of less than 300 and many specialized conferences competing for geophysicists' time and conference money it was with some trepidation that the CGU decided to try a meeting on its own. Ten technical sessions were proposed and 133 abstracts of papers were received, which necessitated the creation of an additional half‐day session in paleomagnetism and rock magnetism; 224 registered participants attended one or more days of the meetings.
The Arno River flood study (1971–1976)
Authors: Panattoni Lorenzo , Wallis James R.
Published: October 2011

The Arno River in Italy intermittently inundates large areas of the Arno River basin. This paper investigates flood phenomena and evaluates some of the proposals that have been made to alleviate the flood hazard using procedures developed at the IBM Pisa Scientific Center.

On the morning of November 4, 1966, the residents of Florence, Italy, awoke to find themselves the victims of a major flood. Thirty‐six people were drowned in Florence, and replaceable real property damage has been estimated at $640,000,000 (C. Pandolfi, personal communication, 1977). In addition, art treasures of inestimable value were lost, and the cleanup operation attracted worldwide attention, sympathy, and help [Judge, 1967]. As an illustration of the amount of damage caused by this catastrophic flood, we have reproduced a photograph of Ponte Vecchio (Figure 1) taken on the morning of November 5, 1966.
Rapid uplifts
Authors: Lensen G. J.
Published: October 2011

In your February 1978 issue of EOS, page 77, you ask ‘Do rapid uplifts precede large earthquakes?’ and treat this subject as a major new discovery. Perhaps your readers would be interested in referring to my paper “On the Nature of Vertical Deformation and on the Frequency of Earth Deformation in General,” Tectonophysics, 23, 1974, which was based on research done in 1971.
Are metals an endangered species
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Scientists at the Henry Krumb School of Mines at Columbia University in New York examined many possible scenarios for mineral and metal conservation and concluded that ‘industry will have to be persuaded by social and legal pressures of the necessity–even at the expense of short term profits–to design reliable and durable products with a view to recyclability.’

In examining various estimates of the extent of the coming mineral crisis, John K. Tien, professor of metallurgy, and Richard M. Arons and Roy W. Clark, students at Columbia, began with criticisms of mineral exhaustion estimates such as those published in Limits to Growth by D. H. Meadows, D. L. Meadows, J. Randers, and W. Behrens (see Table 1).
Sea level variations: Monitoring the breath of the Pacific
Authors: Wyrtki Klaus
Published: October 2011

The growing Interest in the changes of our environment and in short‐term climatic fluctuations, together with the realization that the interaction between ocean and atmosphere plays a significant role in the sefluctuations, has emphasized the need to monitor changes in the ocean environment. The two parameters central to the role of the ocean in its interaction with the atmosphere are ocean heat storage and advection of heat by ocean circulation. The ocean's heat content can be easily observed by vertical temperature soundings with relatively in expensive instrumentation, but the determination of heat advection constitutes a much more for midable problem. Continuous direct observations of the flow field are extremely expensive; thus indirect methods like the computation of geostrophic flow and measurements of sea surface topography will have to be used. After all, every long‐term monitoring system will have to pass the test of cost efficiency. In this article I describe the concept of an ocean monitoring system using simple sea level gauges then demons trate its potential and present initial results derived from it.
Underground mining has severe environmental impacts
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

New geologic studies suggest that underground mining of coal may cause more environmental damage over long periods of time than surface strip mining followed by proper reclamation, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While underground mining initially disturbs only a small portion of the surface above a mined area, long‐term effects from ground subsidence can be more severe and widespread than the effects from modern strip mining and reclamation.

USGS geologists C. Richard Dunrud and Frank W. Osterwald emphasized that their investigations involved only coal beds with no more than 60 meters of overlying rock and soil, although other studies show that subsidence and consequent environmental damage can occur from mining coal deeper than 60 meters.
Request for publications: Urban flood flow estimation
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Hydrology Committee of the U.S. Water Resources Council will initiate in the near future a study of techniques for determining flood flow frequency estimates at ungaged urban locations. In order to develop a set of guidelines that will provide some uniformity in flood flow estimates, a review of the literature describing techniques and results of their application is currently being undertaken. The committee would like to have as much input as possible from anyone involved in making flood flow estimates at ungaged urban locations, and it is thus soliciting both published and unpublished reports that describe such techniques. Anyone having such reports are requested to forward them as soon as possible to Walter J. Rawls, Hydrologist, USD‐ASEA‐FR, Room 139, Building 007, BARC‐West, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.
NSF announcements
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Target dates for proposals. National Science Foundation (NSF) target dates for grant proposals are those on which proposals received after the cutoff date will be reviewed, although they may miss a particular panel meeting. February 1, 1979, is the target date for grant proposals in geology, geochemistry, and geophysics. Contact William Benson, Division of Earth Sciences (telephone 202‐632‐4210), for further information. The target date for long‐term visits to Australia (beginning October 1, 1979, and ending March 31, 1980) is also February 1, 1979. For additional information, contact Alan Milsap, Division of International Programs (telephone 202‐632‐5806).
Lake Tahoe preservation compact
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Lake Tahoe, the largest high‐mountain lake in North America, third deepest lake in North America, and one of the clearest lakes in the world, could be in downtown Los Angeles, judging from the air quality around the 1900‐meter‐high lake. Recently, California and Nevada agreed to a compact that should assure preservation of the lake, a resource that geologists regard as a primoridally pure alpine lake. The 25,000‐year‐old lake covers 500 km2 with water so clear that objects can be seen at a depth of 30 meters or more.

In announcing the bistate compact the President's Council on Environmental Quality noted, ‘Lake Tahoe is a unique and priceless scenic resource. It is an environmentally sensitive area, and without proper land use control there will be substantial erosion of sediments into the lake, fouling the air, and destruction of sensitive ecosystems.’
Shape of drops helps forecast of rainfall
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Observing the actual shape of raindrops may improve weather forecasting. Thomas A. Seliga and Viswanathan N. Bringi at Ohio State University are sorting out the changing shapes of raindrops. Raindrops become round and somewhat flattened as they fall. This could add new dimensions to their reflected radar signals, the researchers said at the IEEE International Conference on Antennas and Propagation, held in England on November 28–30, 1978.
Goddard phone numbers change
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

AGU members who use the telephone to communicate with their colleagues at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland (area code 301), should note that GSFC has switched over to the centrex system, and all telephone numbers have changed. The exchange number (first three digits), which was 982, is now 344. If the fourth digit was 4, it becomes 8; if it was 2, it becomes 7; and if it was 5 or 6, it remains unchanged. The last three digits stay the same. Please note the change on your membership directory.
More about publication methods...
Authors: Lister C. R. B.
Published: October 2011

F. T. Manheim (E0S, 59(9), 834,1978) has presented some pleasantly glib arguments as to why my proposed scheme for reducing publication costs would not work. He has also raised some interesting points about the psychology of scientists and administrators. However, before discussing these I would like to clear up some apparent misunderstanding about my system that may have arisen through my letter's not being originally intended for publication.

I believe that all worthwhile scientific publications should be reviewed, set in type, and proofread. I am continually distressed by the ugliness of the reduced typewriter script that appears in Geophysical Research Letters and even defaces the Journal of Geophysical Research from time to time. Everyone should want to see their work elegantly printed and archived safely in libraries all over the world. All I am advocating is the use of modern technology to reduce the costs of publication and dissemination and reduce the useless clutter in my, and everyone else's, office. I get only a few journals and rarely consult them once they are on the shelf: the papers I am likely to refer to are stored in microfiche reprint form, accessibly on my desk. Present technology of photo‐offset printing makes it easy to turn microfiche into high‐quality hard copy at any time and more easily into electrostatic‐style hard copy than material bound into a book. The author's desire for heavyweight reprint stacks, to be weighted by promotion committees, can be readily fulfilled, either at publication time by the printer or subsequently at his own institution. Libraries would obviously receive the whole journal in either microfiche or microfilm form and could readily produce hard copy to place on their shelves at any time, such as when volumes are lost. The principal difference is simply that the waste of wood pulp and transportation energy involved in the present methods of publishing and distribution would cease, and the savings could be passed on to the authors in the form of lower advertising fees (page charges).
Summer fellowships for women and minority students at NCAR
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The Advanced Study Program of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, offers a limited number of summer fellowships to women and minority students enrolled in colleges and universities. The fellowships are intended to enable students to become familiar with atmospheric sciences as a field of scientific research and as a profession. Also, the fellowships serve to acquaint the students with the facilities and activities of a national laboratory. It is hoped that through their experiences these students will find atmospheric sciences sufficiently interesting and challenging to pursue graduate studies in that field. NCAR does not intend the program to be a means of recruiting personnel to meet its operational needs but, rather, a means to foster in the participants a permanent interest in the atmospheric sciences.
NSF Budget Tops $1 Billion
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

President Carter's fiscal year (FY) 1980 budget request for the National Science Foundation (NSF) is $1,006,000,000, an increase of 8.4% over 1979 program levels. The accompanying table summarizes the portions of the NSF budget most likely to be of interest to those in geophysics.

The decrease seen in astronomy reflects the fact that the Very Large Array (VLA) telescope is nearing completion and will require $5.1 million less in 1980 than in 1979. No start is planned for FY 1980 for another major instrument; thus funds for astronomy project support will still be significantly up.
Plateau uplifts: Mode and mechanism
Authors: McGetchin T. R. , Burke K. , Thompson G. , Young R.
Published: October 2011

One of the keys to understanding the dynamics of plate interiors is the puzzle of plateau uplifts, especially those isolated from active mountain belts. These are of particular interest because they apparently involve deeply rooted processes and are independent of active subduction. Some of these areas are capped by young alkaline volcanics, while some are free of volcanics. Putorana in Siberia, the Adirondacks and Black Hills of North America, and the Serra do Mar in Brazil are typical cases—irregular areas 100–200 km in diameter, 1 km above their surroundings. Volcanic‐capped uplifts are common in Africa (Ahaggar, Tibesti, Jos Plateau, Ngaoundéré, and the Cameroon Zone), as are examples of the volcanic‐free uplifts (Fouta Djallon, Angola, Adamawa, and high Veldt). The Colorado Plateau may be similar to volcanic‐capped African uplifts.
Meeting locations and discrimination
Authors: Grossman Lawrence
Published: October 2011

I read with interest the summary of actions of the Council of the Union in the August 1978 EOS. Item 5 is particularly noteworthy because it means that no future Union‐related meetings of any kind will be held in premises which discriminate on the basis of race, political philosophy, or sex. I fail to see, however, why this resolution put forward by the Subcommittee on Women in Geophysics was so ‘overwhelmingly adopted by the Council,’ as it leaves wide open the possibility that such meetings can be held in places which discriminate on the basis of religion. I trust this omission was unintentional, presumably caused by the Council's haste to satiate the Subcommittee on Women. I urge the Council to rectify this unfortunate oversight by amending the resolution at the earliest possible opportunity.
‘Young’ Fault discovered at California's O'Neill Dam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Photographs and on‐the‐ground surface evidence suggest that a ‘young’ fault runs the length of strategic O'Neill Forebay Dam in Merced County, central California. Darrell Herd, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist in Menlo Park, California, is the author of a new report on the area. He discovered the fault during recent investigations of faulting in the San Francisco Bay region. The fault, now called the O'Neill fault, is part of a larger zone of faults which Herd recently discovered on the east side of the Diablo Range, a part of the Coast Ranges. Herd believes that the fault runs from near Tracy, California, south to near Los Banos, California, and that it is geologically young because some evidence indicates activity within the last 10,000 years.
Uncharted salt water rivers in Peru
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Geochemical studies of the Amazon River have turned up salt water rivers that wind their way through a weird region of salt ‘pinnacles’ in a remote area of Peru. John M. Edmond, winner of one of the 17th series of James B. Macelwane Awards given by the AGU in recognition of significant contributions by young scientists, said that although the Indians know of the salt rivers, there is no mention of the streams in the English language scientific literature of the region. The rivers, so salty that neither the animals nor the Indians who live near their banks drink the water, a retributaries of the Amazon, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean about 3000 miles to the east.

The Amazon carries 18% of all run off into the world's oceans and 40% of that flowing into the Atlantic. Thus, the sources and mineralogy of the suspended materials in the rive rare important.
Hydrologic Data Networks: A Chapman Conference Report
Authors: Dawdy David
Published: October 2011

The art of optimization of streamflow and precipitation gaging networks is far advanced but little used. This was one conclusion from the Chapman Conference on the Design of Hydrologic Data Networks held in Tucson Arizona, December 11–14, 1978. The environmental movement, with its expanded demand for water quality data has had little effect on research, nor the research on it. All agreed that this was a historical artifact, and that the discussions at the Conference will help redirect future research. Not only should quality rather than quantity of water be studied, but monitoring as well as research networks, ground water as well as surface water. An interesting idea was that if the data network is optimized separately from the data user, and if the data user is using a suboptimal or non‐optimal decision rule, more data may produce worse decisions, resulting in a ‘negative worth of data.’ A final major conclusion was that optimization and Bayesian analysis are not sufficient to derive a usable solution. The political framework is as important as the hydrologic framework for decision making. A decision mechanism which is understood and used is better than one which is for mally correct but too complex either to be implemented or to be used.
NOAA university affairs
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Earl G. Droessler of North Carolina State University has been designated as Director of University Affairs for NOAA. Droessler is currently Professor of Geosciences and Vice Provost and Dean for Research at the university.

The Director of University Affairs is the key administrative officer to carry out a major new plan, recently announced by the NOAA Administrator, for enhancing NOAA's relations with academic and research institutions. More reliance on the resources available in these institutions will enable NOAA to use its increasingly limited personnel resources more effectively.
Spring Meeting
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The 1979 Spring Meeting of the AGU (May 28–June 1) will have an exciting array of all‐Union sessions. Louis Pakiser of the U.S. Geological Survey will present a lunchtime talk on the history of geophysical research at USGS. This talk helps mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the USGS in March 1879.

The 10th anniversary of the first return to earth of lunar samples will be marked by a series of review talks on the results of an intensive decade of research on these samples. These talks will place this work in the context of a contemporary understanding of the earth and solar system.
Awards by the AMS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

The American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Carl‐Gustaf Ross by Research Medal, the society's highest honor, has been awarded to Herbert Riehl for his outstanding analyses of tropical phenomena, ranging from studies of individual clouds, tropical depressions, and hurricanes to the trade wind inversion and the Hadley circulation.

The Second Half Century Award, the society's second highest honor, has been given to J . Murray Mitchell, Jr., for his broad fundamental contributions to the study of climate and climate change, ranging in scope from ice ages to the effects of urbanization.