bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Sun as never viewed before
Authors: Poland Arthur I.
Published: October 2006

With the launch of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), on December 2, 1995, solar physics entered a new era of “viewing” the Sun and heliosphere without interferences from the Earth's atmosphere. SOHO is a mission of international cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. The most exciting new discoveries from SOHO include the unexpectedly high magnetic activity observed during the very minimum of the solar cycle and the “observation” of the interior structure of the Sun (helioseismology). The coronal instruments are showing that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) leave the Sun more frequently than expected, at the rate of approximately one per day. The helioseismology experiments, with their extremely low noise due to the absence of the Earth's atmospheric interference, are showing that convective cells under the solar surface are shaped like pancakes, not spheres as was previously assumed.
Political and economic turmoil shake foundations of Russian science
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

The first of two parts

“A lag of five or six years in high quality scientific work is essentially equivalent to complete death in science. After a lag of five or six years, nearly all work is irrelevant to the world scientific community. Russian science is already lagging behind by nearly five years.”
Serpentinite: Record of Tectonic and Petrologic History
Authors: Coleman Robert G.
Published: October 2006

David O'Hanley has produced a book that encompasses a working knowledge of serpentinite needed to understand oceanic crust accretion and continental margin tectonics. The main theme of this book is to demonstrate that careful mineralogy and petrologic studies of serpentinites holds great promise in providing clues to unravel complex tectonic histories. It goes beyond giving insights into the paragenesis of serpentine minerals related to the pressure and temperature (P‐T) of their stability fields by showing the influence of fluid rock interaction.
Water logged
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the “Year of the Floods,” and Mother Nature has marked the occasion with some fierce reminders. A quarter of a century after 500 Americans died from floods in 1972—the worst of which were in West Virginia, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, and New York—soaking rains already have swelled rivers in the Ohio River Valley, Northern California, and the Pacific Northwest, and dense snowpack and saturated soils promise to continue the trend.
Scientists, stargazers welcome Hale‐Bopp
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

Visible to the naked eye in the northern hemisphere—and soon in the southern hemisphere as well—Comet Hale‐Bopp has been dubbed the “comet of the century” by many folks who watch the night skies. The farthest comet ever discovered by amateurs, Hale‐Bopp was 1000 times brighter than the legendary Halley's Comet was at the same point beyond the orbit of Jupiter.

As Hale‐Bopp made its closest approach to Earth on March 22 and to the Sun on April 1, it generated a tail that stretched 10° across the sky in urban areas and as much as 30° at the darkest sites. The comet's nucleus is estimated to be about 30–40 km across, compared to the 5 km or smaller nuclei of most other comets.
Meeting focuses on catastrophic Asian earthquakes
Authors: Gupta Harsh K.
Published: October 2006

The International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IAS‐PEI) and the Asian Seismological Commission met August 1–3, 1996, in Tangshan, China. Twenty years ago, Tangshan was destroyed by the century's worst earthquake, which killed an estimated 243,000 people.

It was the first meeting of the Asian Seismological Commission (ASC), a group formed in 1995 by the IASPEI umbrella, to improve understanding of geological processes in Asia and to mitigate earthquake disasters. Because of its widespread seismic activity, the vast, populated territory of Asia has more catastrophic earthquakes than other regions of the world (see Figure 1). During the period from 1892 to 1992, 50 percent of the world's major earthquakes (magnitude greater than 8) occurred in Asia and the Southern Pacific region. Economic losses of more than $100 billion from the most recent major Asian earthquake that occurred in Kobe, Japan, in early 1995, make Kobe the most expensive earthquake in the world. In September 1993, the Latur earthquake in the stable shield region of southern India claimed 10,000 lives, and although of only 6.1 magnitude, was the deadliest stable continental region earthquake.
The debate on protons and electrons in solar flares
Authors: Zurbuchen Thomas H.
Published: October 2006

The series of articles in Eos (September 10, 1996) on particles in solar flares caught my eye. As I am not directly working in, but certainly am interested in, the field of particle acceleration in solar flares, I expected comprehensive, easy to understand summaries of two conflicting points of view I had read about before. The introduction by Peter Cargill set the stage perfectly for such a discussion.

Too bad the debate did not fulfill my expectations. It became very clear as I read the articles that [the authors of the debate] were not dealing with the subject on an equal basis. Clearly, the article by George M. Simnett about protons had been written without prior insight into the opposing view. Unfortunately, the case for the electrons by A. Gordon Emslie was basically a reply to the proton case, sometimes specifically citing parts of the article. This would have been appropriate if Simnett had had the chance to reply, but unfortunately no such reply was added to the series.
Ice flows and floes on Europa
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Recent images of Europa lend new credence to the possibility of a subsurface ocean on the Jovian moon. This image, collected by Galileo on February 20 when the craft flew within 580 km of Europa, shows chunky ice rafts on the surface. The crustal plates, some as large as 13 km across, seem to have been broken apart and rafted into new positions in much the same manner as pack‐ice on Earth's polar seas. The area depicted is 34 km by 42 km, shown at a resolution of 54 meters per pixel.

Ronald Greeley, a geologist from the Arizona State University and member of the Galileo imaging team, believes the ice rafts at the surface suggest that the crust is thin and covers either liquid water or slush. “We're intrigued by these blocks of ice,” said Greeley, “ which are similar to those seen on Earth's polar seas during springtime thaws.”
USGS retrenches, regroups after weathering budget hazards
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

As is the case with many federal science agencies this year, the proposed budget for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is flat. There are few grand initiatives, but few deep cuts either. It is a proposal grounded in realism and stability at a time of national fiscal restraint. But such stability is more than welcome at an agency that has been turned upside down in the past three years.

“We survived the threat of abolishment and a painful downsizing that cost us friends and friendships,” said Gordon Eaton, director of the USGS, while addressing agency employees in March. “We operated for half a year without a budget. We have gone through the birth pains of reinvention and re‐organization, and we have taken on new responsibilities… that were unthought of, and were even unthinkable, a decade ago. We have debated long and hard about our mission and our future and our strategic plan … All in all, it has been quite a ride these last three years.”
Integrating land‐surface and atmospheric models
Authors: Timbal Bertrand , Hahmann A. N. , Pitman A. , Qu W. , Henderson‐Sellers A. , Slater A.
Published: October 2006

The Project for Intercomparison of Land‐Surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) is a World Climate Research Programme project operating under the auspices of the Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) and the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX). Its goal is to improve our understanding of how the modeling of land‐surface processes affects atmospheric conditions in climate and weather forecast models. PILPS will assess the range of responses of surface parameterizations to atmospheric forcing and detect the source of these differences. This effort is needed to improve the capabilities of climate and weather prediction models when surface processes strongly influence the movement of the atmosphere. Since it began in 1992 [Henderson‐Sellers et al., 1992], PILPS has initiated a number of complementary sensitivity studies designed by the land‐surface scientific community.
Outstanding student papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Six presentations were named outstanding student papers in the Atmospheric Sciences Section at the 1996 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. Brian S. Berland presented “Surface Sensitive Studies of CIONO2 Hydrolysis on Ice.” Berland graduated with a B.A. in chemistry from Carleton College in 1991. He then attended the University of Colorado at Boulder graduate program under the direction of professors Steven George and Margaret Tolbert, and recently he has received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry. His thesis focused on the role of heterogeneous chemistry in polar stratospheric ozone depletion. The optical constants of thin films representative of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) were measured using optical interference and ultraviolet absorption. These measurements have been useful for the interpretation of field data to help determine the phase and composition of PSCs. In addition, surfacesensitive techniques were used to study the mechanisms for heterogenous chlorine activation on these surfaces.
Outstanding student paper
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

One presentation was named outstanding student paper in the Geodesy Section at the 1996 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. Michael Poland presented a poster entitled “Crustal Deformation at Medicine Lake Volcano, Northern California.” Poland is pursuing a B.S. in geology at the University of California, Davis, and will be attending graduate school in the fall of 1997 with the goal of earning a Ph.D. in geology. His main area of interest is volcanology and has attended field courses from the University of Hawaii, Hilo and the University of New Mexico in physical volcanology and eruption monitoring in order to broaden his experience with volcanology. The poster is the result of a senior thesis project undertaken with Roland Burgmann, a professor of geology at the University of California, Davis.
Weather forecasts from ocean memory
Authors: Friebele Elaine
Published: October 2006

Predicting the weather more than a few weeks ahead is nearly impossible because atmospheric conditions change so rapidly. But results of a new computer model suggest that scientists may be able to predict 10‐year climatic trends for Europe and western Asia. The model, developed by Stephen M. Griffies of NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., and Kirk Bryan, of Princeton University, showed that long‐term forecasts can be made using data from the ocean's “memory” of climatic changes.

The North Atlantic and the overlying atmosphere are major influences on the climate of Europe and western Asia. In contrast to the atmosphere, the oceans react slowly to physical fluctuations and retain a memory of climatic changes. Because the historical record of oceanic conditions is short, the researchers used a coupled ocean‐atmosphere model to generate a suite of possible climate scenarios in the North Atlantic.
Conference on the magnetization of the oceanic crust steers future research
Authors: Johnson H. Paul , Kent Dennis V. , Tivey Maurice A. , Gee Jeffrey S. , Largon Roger L. , Embley Robert W.
Published: October 2006

Because marine magnetic anomalies arise from the combination of seafloor spreading and geomagnetic polarity reversals, they delineate a history of global plate motions and geomagnetic field behavior. Thirty years ago, interpretation of sea surface magnetometer profiles led to the plate tectonics revolution. Recent developments in high resolution magnetic studies are similarly changing our view of the structure and evolution of oceanic crust and beginning to answer basic questions concerning geomagnetic field behavior.

In response to these developments, the Conference on the Magnetization of Oceanic Crust was held September 21–24,1996, on Orcas Island in Washington State. Forty‐seven scientists representing 20 institutions in seven countries attended the conference, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ridge Interdisciplinary Global Experiment (RIDGE), and the United States Science Advisory Committee (USSAC).
Rescuing the former Soviet Union's marine data
Authors: Crane Kathleen
Published: October 2006

Until recently, the Arctic was thought of as remote and pristine, far removed from the environmental problems that plague the industrial and agricultural lands of the lower latitudes. The Cold War cloaked many activities in the region under a curtain of secrecy and for most of the world, the Arctic remained largely out of sight and out of mind. Information released in 1992 on the deliberate dumping of nuclear materials in shallow Siberian‐Arctic Seas [Handler, 1992; 1993a,b] elicited a strong response among the countries that ring the Arctic. Materials dumped included 16 nuclear reactors—six of which had fuel rods intact—and over 10,000 containers of lower‐level radioactive waste.
NSF panel calls for new polar station, lower costs
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

Calling the Amundsen‐Scott Station at the South Pole the “crown jewel of NSF's scientific activities in Antarctica,” a blue‐ribbon panel of scientists, engineers, and business leaders has endorsed a National Science Foundation proposal to build a new facility on the Antarctic ice. But at the same time, the U.S. Antarctic Program External Panel recommended that NSF scale back its plans and budget for the station by one‐third.

In recognition of the lean budgets that NSF and other science agencies are expected to receive over the next 5 years, the panel advocated the start of construction on a $120 million “optimized” South Pole station in the 1998 fiscal year, rather than the $150–180 million “enhanced” station that NSF has been proposing since 1994. Furthermore, the group suggested that the new station could be paid over the next 5 years by trimming $20 million per year from the current $193 million per year Antarctic science program. Recognizing perhaps the recent difficulties with the space station, the panel advised against using international partnerships to pay for the new station.
A fresh look at element distribution in the North Pacific Ocean
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Several excellent and thoughtful reviews on the chemical composition of seawater were published in the early 1980s. In particular, Bruland[1983] discussed speciation of various elements, Broecker and Peng [ 1982] focused on the dynamic aspects, and Quinby‐Hunt and Turekian [1983] presented a way to predict oceanic concentrations. Since then, however, new data continuously became available based on the advanced methods of sampling and analysis, making it clear that the concentration levels and oceanic distributions of many trace metals had to be revised. Needless to say, it is difficult to determine extremely low levels of trace chemical constituents, and none of the laboratories can determine all of the elements in seawater. Thus, we are not yet capable of obtaining every data set from the same location, even through intensive collaboration.
Basic Space Plasma Physics
Authors: Omidi Nick
Published: October 2006

The preface of Basic Space Plasma Physics begins with the question, “One more textbook on plasma physics?” This is insightful of the authors, since that question came to my mind when I was asked to review the book. Space plasma physics, as the term implies, deals with the properties of the plasmas found in various regions of space, such as planetary ionospheres, magnetospheres, and the solar wind. Given the vast differences between the plasma parameters inspace and laboratories, it is natural to focus on the behavior of one or another type of plasma depending on one's needs and goals.
Partial picture of methyl bromide demands more pieces
Authors: Friebele Elaine
Published: October 2006

Consider the vast area and volume of the Earth's oceans as a large reservoir that produces, removes, and, to some degree, regulates gases—including some ozone‐eating chemicals released into the atmosphere by human activities. New modeling studies based on recent monitoring data suggest such a picture, with the oceans taking from the atmosphere more methyl bromide, a source of ozone‐destroying bromine, than previously thought. This rapid removal by the ocean shortens the average estimated lifetime of methyl bromide to just 0.7 of a year— much briefer than its former calculated lifetime of 2 years.

“Measurements show that in most of the oceans, methyl bromide is undersaturated, which suggests that sinks outweigh sources in the water,” said James Butler, coauthor of the modeling study, which appeared in the May 15 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. Butler, of NOAA's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) in Boulder, and Shari Yvon‐Lewis, of the University of Colorado, used latitude‐dependent degradation rate constants based on monitoring data to model methyl bromide flux between the atmosphere and ocean. They found that the undersaturation of methyl bromide in the ocean requires a great deal more degradation than chemical reactions alone could accomplish.
Geology of the United States Seafloor: The View From GLORIA
Authors: Fulthorpe Craig S.
Published: October 2006

When then‐President Ronald Reagan signed into existence the 200‐mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was assigned the task of mapping this 13 million km2 area of seafloor, which exceeds the terrestrial area of the United States. Fortunately for scientists interested in the geology of continental margins, the USGS rose quickly to the challenge and took advantage of the unique opportunity offered by this political initiative. Mapping began in 1984, only a year after the proclamation.
New “small comet” Images challenge researchers
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

A decade ago, he was bombarded by criticisms and objections in the court of scientific opinion. Now Lou Frank thinks that he has enough evidence to warrant a new hearing. The challenge is for other scientists, using other instruments, to verify the observations.

Eleven years after he wrote in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) that he had detected holes in ultraviolet images of Earth's upper atmosphere and that they were caused by previously unknown comet‐like objects, space physicist Louis Frank of the University of Iowa now asserts that he has found new evidence for his once‐discredited theory. Using the Visible Imaging System (VIS) on NASA's Polar spacecraft, Frank and University of Iowa researcher John Sigwarth have gathered new images of what appear to be comet‐like objects streaking toward Earth, breaking up at high altitudes, and depositing clouds of water vapor that make short‐lived "holes" in the upper atmosphere.
Rethinking the chemical heterogeneity of the mantle
Authors: Bohrson Wendy A. , Davidson Jon P. , Wolff John A.
Published: October 2006

Mantle‐derived magmas are among the best sources of information about the chemistry of the Earth's mantle. For the past two decades, geochemists have used ratios of certain trace elements and isotopes of these magmas, considered to be largely unaffected by crystal‐liquid separation, to argue that the mantle is compositionally heterogeneous. This development has led to models of crust‐mantle evolution that involve dynamic processes such as recycling of oceanic lithosphere.

Hard data supporting mantle heterogeneity come from ocean island and mid‐ocean ridge basalts and are rapidly accumulating, particularly as our analytical capabilities improve. These high quality data allow us to rigorously test a fundamental assumption of geochemical mantle models: that oceanic basalts faithfully reflect particular geochemical characteristics of their mantle sources. Recent work suggests that interaction between ocean island magmas and ocean crustal material may be more common than previously thought and that such interaction may compromise chemical characteristics that were assumed to represent the mantle.
Solar‐terrestrial observations meet models at Alabama workshop
Authors: Winglee R. M. , Peterson W. K.
Published: October 2006

The space environment around the Earth is often thought of as a quiescent vacuum, while in reality it is filled with plasma or ionized particles with energies that range from a few eV to above a MeV. The solar wind—which is plasma escaping from the Sun—can warp the terrestrial magnetic field, producing a magnetosphere filled with this solar wind plasma as well as plasma from the portion of the upper atmosphere called the ionosphere. The entry of the solar wind plasma is modulated by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) that is carried by the solar wind from the Sun.

The entry of this solar wind plasma and its energy into the magnetosphere can have many significant effects on human activity. For example, the solar wind interaction produces large currents in the ionosphere. Surges in these currents can disrupt terrestrial power grids. The precipitation of energetic particles into the ionosphere can modify its conductivity and thereby affect communications. The induced heating of the ionosphere can create enhanced outflows of plasma from the ionosphere, which in turn can increase drag on satellites and alter their position relative to their desired orbits. The presence of energetic particles that form the radiation belts and the ring current are also important as they are a significant radiation hazard to spacecraft electronics.
First numbers for National Science Foundation, NASA
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

After months of speculation about funding for science in the Fiscal Year 1998 (FY 1998) federal budget, some first figures became available in late June for the National Science Foundation and NASA—when the House of Representatives' VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its bill. However, details may not be known until July 8, when the full House Appropriations Committee meets to vote on the legislation. The full House is expected to vote on the appropriations the week of July 13. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, which has less overall money to spend, is expected to complete its work the week of July 13 also. The following information is known about the House bill.
Researchers share new perspective on Earth's magnetotail
Authors: Nishida A.
Published: October 2006

Great strides have been made in our observational and theoretical understanding of the magnetotail in the decade between the ISEE 3 and Geotail missions. As the International Solar Terrestrial Physics Program progresses, it is clear that magnetotail physics will be fully incorporated into our overall picture of the geospace as a key element of the solar‐terrestrial coupling. The Chapman Conference on The Earth's Magnetotail: New Perspectives, held in Kanazawa, Japan, November 5–9, 1996, provided a valuable and informative summary of our knowledge of magnetotail processes.
Ice‐less Moon
Authors: Friebele Elaine
Published: October 2006

In 1996, data from the spacecraft Clementine supported the possibility of ice at the South Pole of the Moon. But detailed radar images of the Moon's north and south poles, taken at the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico, show no evidence of ice. The 1992 observations, published in the June 6 issue of Science, indicate small areas in the polar regions whose radar reflections could be interpreted as ice. However, similar features also occur in sunlit areas and near the Moon's equator. Researchers speculate that very rough surfaces associated with steep slopes of impact craters have these peculiar radar reflection properties.
Community input requested
Authors: Fine Rana A. , Walker Dan
Published: October 2006

In June 1996, the National Research Council (NRC) formed the Committee on Major U.S. Oceanographic Research Programs to foster coordination among the large programs (e.g., World Ocean Circulation Experiment, Ocean Drilling Program, Ridge Interdisciplinary Global Experiment, and others) and examine their role in ocean research. In particular, the committee is charged with (1) enhancing information sharing and the coordinated implementation of the research plans of the major ongoing and future programs; (2) assisting the federal agencies and ocean sciences community in identifying gaps, as well as appropriate followon activities to existing programs; (3) making recommendations on how future major ocean programs should be planned, structured and organized; and (4) evaluating the impact of major ocean programs on the understanding of the oceans, development of research facilities, education, and collegiality in the academic community.

The activity was initiated at the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, is overseen by the NRC's Ocean Studies Board (OSB), and is funded by both NSF and the Office of Naval Research.
Pathfinder, Sojourner, and cast of “rock stars”
Authors: Edgett Ken
Published: October 2006

ARES VALLIS, MARS—Barnacle Bill, Yogi, Scooby Doo … the week following the successful landing of Mars Pathfinder found the air waves and print media babbling about cartoon characters and “popping wheelies” on the Martian surface. The public was riveted. By July 9, the Pathfinder web sites had received over 265 million hits. And the Pathfinder team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was tickled Martian pink.
Strategic plans open for comment
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Under the Government Performance and Results Act (the Results Act), agencies of the U.S. government are required to submit a 5‐year strategic plan to the U.S. Congress by September 30, 1997 explaining how, when, and why they are spending tax dollars.

Enacted in 1993, the Results Act is in tended to "improve efficiency and effective ness of Federal programs by establishing a system to set goals for program performance and to measure results." Thus according to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, the aim is for agencies to measure their performances by the results of their task and services, not by the number of tasks and services performed. Toward that goal, the Act requires that federal entities complete the following 3‐step process:
Is ozone doomed by supersonic plume?
Authors: Briebele Elaine
Published: October 2006

The simple desire to save time is reviving interest in supersonic flight. Travelers' demands for faster travel have compelled Congress to fund NASA's High Speed Research Program, which aims to overcome the obstacles that sent full development of the supersonic passenger plane to its demise over 25 years ago.

Removing those obstacles presents substantial challenges. The current $6,000 to $9,000 fare for a supersonic trans‐Atlantic trip on the Concorde lends credence to the view of supersonic aircraft as “chariots of the rich.”
Sedimentary cores reveal timing, extent of change in sea level
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

Historians and anthropologists have a distinct advantage over geophysicists when it comes to studying history. Historians have yellowed letters and books to read. Anthropologists have cave paintings and hieroglyphics. But geophysicists must read the Earth itself, which isn't always easy. Sometimes reading the Earth's “history book” takes a seven‐story ship with 12 floating laboratories and a gigantic drill to extract cores of sediment from the seafloor.
NRC makes recommendations for watershed research
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A recently published National Research Council (NRC) report, “Watershed Research in the U.S. Geological Survey,” details the importance of understanding hydrologic processes in watersheds for better management of watersheds and the environment. Noting that knowledge about processes affecting the quantity and quality of water in small, relatively pristine watersheds has not always been transferred to larger and/or more urban watersheds, the report identifies research areas that merit increased attention.

The four research areas that warrant further investigation are relatively larger watersheds, urban and urbanizing watersheds, restoration of damaged watersheds, and erosion and sedimentation processes in watersheds.
Next‐generation spectrometer aids study of Mediterranean
Authors: Abrams M. J. , Bianchi R. , Buongiorno M. F.
Published: October 2006

The Mediterranean region's highly diverse topography, lithology, soils, microclimates, vegetation, and seawater result in a variety of ecosystems. Remote sensing techniques, especially imaging spectrometry, have the potential to provide data for environmental studies on a regional scale in this part of the world.

A test deployment of the multispectral infrared and visible imaging spectrometer (MIVIS), a new 102‐channel imaging spectrometer, was carried out in Sicily in July 1994. Active volcanoes were surveyed to differentiate volcanic products and determine SO2 emissions in plumes (Figure 1), coastlines were imaged jointly with LIDAR to study pollution, ecosystems at several ocean areas were monitored, vegetated areas were imaged to determine the health of the biota, and archeological sites were studied to reconstruct ancient land use practices. For sites, refer to Figure 2.
Scientific data cut risks of public decision‐making
Authors: Friebele Elaine
Published: October 2006

When groundwater contamination was detected at landfill monitoring wells in Loudoun County, Va., in 1993, residents nearby became concerned about the safety of their well water. To avoid health risks, the county provided public water service to homes surrounding the landfill, at a cost of $5.4 million. Had high‐resolution geologic maps been available, public coffers would have stayed secure. Considering the $1.2 million cost of producing such a map, the county would have still saved millions of dollars if it had bypassed highly conductive limestone formations when siting the landfill and a later extension.
Experiments to Study Our Atmospheric Environment
Authors: Marti James
Published: October 2006

The teacher of an introductory physics and chemistry course has many choices when it comes to laboratory manuals. Not so with atmospheric science: texts devoted to learning the subject in a lab setting are limited in number and often in scope. A large portion of the available lab texts concentrate solely on exercises in synoptic analysis and forecasting skills, which while important do not convey the full range of the science and its applications. That is why Steven Businger's Experiments to Study Our Atmospheric Environment stands out among recent books devoted to teaching atmospheric science in the lab.
Hydrate habitat
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Whoever said there is nothing new under the sun did not delve deeply enough to the bottom of the ocean. There in the Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles south of New Orleans, scientists have just discovered what could be a new species of centipede—like worms living on or within gas hydrates— mounds of methane ice— rising from the ocean floor.

Scientists have previously recognized an association between some bacteria and these hydrates. However, this is the first discovery of a higher life form there.
Do effects of global atmospheric electricity on clouds cause climate changes
Authors: Tinsley Brian A.
Published: October 2006

In recent years increasing numbers of papers have been published and presented at meetings (at least 20 at the 1996 Fall AGU meeting) reporting correlations between climate and solar variations. The statistical confidence for the correlations is so high that there is now little reason to question that there is a physical link; the main puzzle now is the nature of the mechanisms involved. The mechanisms have been sought for the past two centuries, and during this time some pieces of the puzzle have been uncovered. They can now be fitted together to suggest a fascinating picture.
George A. Kolstad (1919–1996)
Authors: Luth W. , Heiken G. , Weill D. , Wang H. , Gilbert C. , Mitterer R. , Duba A. , Goldstein N.
Published: October 2006

George A. Kolstad, creator and leader of the U.S. Department of Energy's Geosciences Research Program, died of an aneurysm August 7, 1996, in Baltimore, Md. He is survived by Chris, his wife of 52 years, three children, Martha Rae Kolstad Wilhelm of Grinnell, Iowa, Charles D. Kolstad of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Peter K. Kolstad, of Los Angeles, Calif., and four grandchildren. George is also survived by three brothers and a sister.

George was born in Elmira, N.Y., on December 10, 1919. Following high school graduation in 1937, he worked at Eastman Kodak while enrolled in night courses at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester. He entered Bates College in 1939 and completed his B.S. in physics and mathematics in 1943. During World War II, he worked on piezo‐electricity, radar countermeasures, and information flow from radar systems in combat environments. Following his Ph.D. in physics at Yale and brief service on the faculty there, he joined the Atomic Energy Commission in 1950. He began a career of fostering and nurturing basic research efforts, first in physics and mathematics, and then in the geosciences. He was a guest staff member at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Copenhagen, in 1956–1957, and served as a trustee of Bates College from 1958 to 1964.
New radar technology may improve flash flood forecasting
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Between rain and hail lies the story. Recognizing the difference between the two forms of precipitation could provide more accurate—and possibly earlier—warnings of flash floods, such as those that have plagued parts of the U.S. West this summer.

The NEXRAD, or WSR‐88D, Doppler National Weather Service (NWS) radars, which measure only the horizontal polarity of the precipitation, cannot distinguish between the two. But an experimental type of radar with dual‐polarimetry technology can tell the rain from the hail. While this polarimetric technology is no magic pill for protecting people and property from flash floods, it could make a big difference, according to some weather experts. Scientists currently are conducting field tests of the devices, and hope to convince federal funding agencies that the technology offers social and economic benefits significant enough to justify retrofitting NWS radars within a few years.
Conveyor of live germs
Authors: Lapenis Andrei , Klene Anne
Published: October 2006

The discovery of possible traces of life in a Martian meteorite [McKay et al., 1996] calls to mind a 100‐year‐old dispute between Sir William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) and the Nobel Prize winning Swedish scientist, Svante August Arrhenius. Both scientists believed that life on our planet was brought from another planet, rather than having originated from inorganic matter here on Earth. However, the two scientists had very different ideas about the mechanism through which this life would be transported. Lord Kelvin believed that life was brought to Earth by "countless seed‐bearing meteoritic stones" that could be produced through collisions between other inhabited planets in diferent parts of our galaxy [Thomson, 1871]. Svante Arrhenius agued that "The carbon found in meteorites has never exhibited any trace of organic structure," and if in fact meteorites are the "conveyor of life germs," those germs would be burned up in the atmosphere of the planet on which they descended [Arrhenius, 1908].
The Great Dinosaur Extinction Controversy
Authors: Glen William
Published: October 2006

In 1980 a scientific upheaval was triggered by the advent of the Alvarez‐Berkeley group hypothesis. It explained the death of the dinosaurs and most of the life on Earth 65 million years ago by effects of the impact of a meteorite 10 km wide. Although numerous previous impact hypotheses had been largely ignored, that of the Alvarez group arrested the attention of scientists because it was based on an unprecedented form of evidence: highly anomalous concentrations of platinum group elements in seemingly meteoritic ratios within the pinkie‐thick Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary clay.
Was Cambrian explosion the result of wandering continents?
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

An ancient, colossal burst in the diversity of life may be attributable to an equally colossal shift in the distribution of Earth's land masses, researchers from the California Institute of Technology have proposed. Using paleontologic, geochemical, and geomagnetic data, magnetogeobiologist Joseph Kirschvink and colleagues have theorized that the “Cambrian Explosion” of life—a period about 500 million years ago when new types of plants and animals emerged at a rate 20 times the normal evolutionary rate—may have been caused by dramatic changes in the positions of Earth's continents.

“Life diversified like crazy about half a billion years ago, and nobody really knows why,” said Kirschvink. “It began 530 million years ago, and about 15 million years later life's diversity had stabilized at much higher levels. What actually happened is one of the outstanding mysteries of the biosphere.”
Rivers of sunlight
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Scientists have discovered rivers of hot, electronically charged plasma flowing beneath the surface of the Sun, which may help to explain the sunspot cycle and associated increases in solar activity that can cause power and communications disruptions on Earth. The scientists also found features similar to trade winds that transport gas beneath the Sun's surface.

In late August the Solar Oscillations Investigation Group at Stanford University announced observations they made using an instrument aboard the joint European Space Agency/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft.
Researchers explore possibilities of microgal gravimetry
Authors: Carter W. E. , Sasagawa G. , Richter B.
Published: October 2006

Microgal gravimetry's unique ability to sense mass anomalies and movements beneath the surface of the Earth makes it a promising technology for science and engineering, particularly when it is used with Global Positioning System geometrical measurements. It is rapidly becoming the method of choice for measuring postglacial rebound, monitoring active volcanoes, modeling subsurface cavities, detecting changes in aquifers, and studying changes in the Arctic and Antarctic ice masses. More than 50 scientists and students from 14 nations recently met at a Chapman Conference to discuss microgal gravimetry and its applications.
East Coast storm surges provide unique climate record
Authors: Zhang Keqi , Douglas Bruce C. , Leatherman Stephen P.
Published: October 2006

Coastal storms repeatedly hit the U.S. East Coast, costing many billions of dollars in losses. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew alone caused about $35–40 billion in damage. In addition to property damage, coastal storms are the major contributors to beach and dune erosion, overwash processes, and the opening of tidal inlets on barrier islands. What changes, if any, can we expect in coastal storm activity and intensity as global temperatures rise?
Bales reflects on Eos editorship
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Roger C. Bales, currently professor of hydrology and water resources at the University of Arizona, began a 3‐year term as hydrology editor for Eos in February, taking over from Hugo Loaiciga.

Bales seeks to continue the high standards set by Hugo Loaiciga and previous hydrology editors in bringing the latest in hydrologic science and news to Eos readers. “I am also eager to see AGU make more effective use of electronic media as a complement to material printed in Eos, building especially on the Eos Electronic Supplement and the 2‐year old hydrology section Web page,” he commented.
Electronic abstract submissions hit record high
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

With a new abstract management system nearly on‐line and Fall Meeting submissions just behind, it seems like a good time to take a quick look at the history and future of meetings abstract submission. In 1990, in accordance with the Union's commitment to exploit evolving information technology to enhance the quality of programs and services, experimentation began with receiving abstracts electronically—via e‐mail. Following this innovation, in 1994, LaTex was used fore‐mail submissions. Then, beginning with the 1996 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting, abstract submissions were received through the AGU World Wide Web site.
Hurricane tracking
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

New hurricane forecasting that provides more accurate pictures of storms and their movement through the atmosphere could increase warning time and cut down on false alarms that cost millions of dollars in unnecessary evacuations, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA's new Gulfstream‐IV jet produced “the most complete and detailed portrait of a hurricane ever seen” when it flew near Hurricane Guillermo in a test‐run last August, according to the agency. Since then, the plane — that can fly to the upper troposphere at an altitude of 13,716 m (45,000 ft) — has helped to dramatically improve the forecasts for Hurricanes Erika and Linda.
Scientific treasure hunt to Saturn
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

When the Cassini spacecraft reaches the Saturnian neighborhood in the year 2004 after a 7‐year journey, the scientific discovery portion of its mission begins in earnest. The Cassini orbiter will circle and study the planet for 4 years, and the Huygens probe will deploy from Cassini and run a battery of tests as it plunges through Titan's thick atmosphere.

Cassini mission scientists speak excitedly about the mission, and about how Saturn, its rings, and the moon Titan may provide insights into the early days of the solar system.
Russian roulette
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Following a recent collision, fire, series of computer and power failures, and other mishaps on the Russian space station, Mir, the U.S. Congress held a hearing on September 18 to question the safety of American astronauts staying aboard the aging spacecraft.

“There has been sufficient evidence put before this hearing to raise doubts about the safety of continued American long‐term presence on the Mir,” said House Science Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R‐Wisc.) at the hearing.
Outstanding student papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Ten presentations in the Hydrology Section were named Outstanding Student Papers at the Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California.
Bill would revise ocean policy
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Citing increasing threats to the world's oceans, including pollution and over‐harvesting of fish, a bipartisan group of U.S. congressmen introduced legislation in September to create a federal commission to review and assess national ocean policy.

The Oceans Act of 1997 also calls on the President to create and implement a coherent policy to protect the marine environment—and the Great Lakes—against pollution and natural hazards, responsibly steward fisheries and other marine resources, and resolve user conflicts.
Scientists track solar event all the way to Earth
Authors: Peredo Mauricio , Fox Nicola , Thompson Barbara
Published: October 2006

For the first time ever, the satellites of the International Solar‐Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) “Observatory” have tracked a solar eruption all the way from the Sun to the Earth. The resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) traveled 4 days through interplanetary space before arriving at Earth, where it caused violent disturbances of the magnetic environment and spectacular auroral displays. The initial expulsion occurred on the Sun on January 6, 1997, and the resulting magnetic cloud hit the Earth on January 10.

The Sun often erupts. It flings out whitehot ionized gas (actually hotter than whitehot, to where it glows in X rays) with explosive violence. Only occasionally is this gas aimed at Earth, however, and it is even more unusual for scientists to be watching the potentially disruptive mass ejection (as they were in January) just as it leaves the Sun. This made it possible to alert other scientific teams of possible activity they might observe 2 to 3 days later. It normally takes that long for such ejecta to travel the 150‐million‐km void from Sun to Earth. Thus while this is not the first, or the largest, event to be detected, the ISTP Observatory comprises a complement of spacecraft and ground‐based missions that allows study of this “space storm” on a scale never accomplished before.
Science fares well in federal budget battles
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

With this year's battles over the federal budget nearly completed, the budget, overall, includes significant increases for scientific research. At this stage in the federal fiscal year 1998 (FY98) budget process, most budgets affecting the geosciences have been decided. The president already has signed into law the bills containing the budgets for the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD). In addition, both the House and the Senate have adopted a final conference report concerning the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the president is expected to sign the bill without major changes. The bill containing the budget for the Department of the Interior, which includes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has not yet been signed, but the stumbling block to the bill's approval is a nongeoscience issue that should not affect USGS funding.
Great news, hard choices, and opportunities for paleoceanography
Authors: Delaney Peggy
Published: October 2006

I want to share some great news about Paleoceanography's scientific impact. Its high impact factor reflects the number, quality, and breadth of submissions. Unfortunately, the positive news must be tempered by the difficulties of page budgets, which force hard decisions for us all.
The Magnetic Field of the Earth: Paleomagnetism, the Core, and the Deep Mantle
Authors: Parker R. L.
Published: October 2006

When I first read the table of contents of The Magnetic Field of the Earth: Paleomagnetism, the Core, and the Deep Mantle, I admired the authors for attempting to write an up‐to‐date, integrated treatment of almost the entire subject matter of geomagnetism and paleomagnetism. That is a heroic undertaking even if Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism is one of the AGU's smallest sections. The gulf between observationalists and theoreticians is particularly wide in geomagnetism, which makes the effort to bridge that gap as important as it is difficult. The authors are reasonably successful in this enterprise.
Researchers measure carbon cycling at continental shelves
Authors: Weaver P. P. E. , Barthel K.‐G. , Batten S. , Burkhill P. , Davies P. , Huthnance J. , van Weering T.
Published: October 2006

The first results of the European Union Shelf Edge Exchange project, a 3‐year research program approved by the European Community in 1996, were presented this spring at a workshop entitled “Exchange Processes at the Continent/Ocean Margins in the North Atlantic.” Results presented at the workshop covered a range of topics from the effects of topography on transport processes, to mass balances and fluxes of sediments and particulates, to the carbon cycle. Early results show the importance of filaments in transporting upwelled water offshore, the effects of seasonality in benthic communities, and the infrequent but massive destruction of continental margins that can be caused by sediment instability. Four speakers from North America were invited to the workshop to provide links with North American projects.