bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research recognized at Canadian Geophysical Union meeting
Authors: Merriam J. B.
Published: October 2006

The Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) met in Banff for its 22nd annual meeting from May 5 to 9, 1996. Awards were given to both seasoned scientists and students in honor of their noteworthy research.
Did water vapor drive climate cooling?
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

In attempting to explain the abrupt and drastic changes in global temperatures observed during the late Quaternary period, it is possible that atmospheric scientists and paleoclimatologists are mistaking the impetus of those changes for a mere amplifier. This is the hypothesis of Wallace Broecker, who has synthesized global climate observations in order to assert that water vapor—and, particularly, moisture levels arising in the tropics—may be the only atmospheric component capable of warming and cooling the Earth on short notice. Broecker, a geochemist at the Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory, presented his ideas in the Daly Lecture at the AGU Spring Meeting.
Clearing the air
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) acid rain control program and serious efforts by industry, Americans breathed a little easier last year. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the 445 largest and dirtiest electric boilers in the United States (making up about 60% of all utility emissions) have been reduced by more than 50% below 1980 levels, EPA estimates. The reduction is 40% beyond that called for in the Clean Air Act.
Look! Up in the sky
Authors: Lawson Laura
Published: October 2006

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have discovered a unique object that may be either an unusual asteroid or an extinct comet. The object, designated 1996 PW, “is a misfit in the grand scheme of things,” according to Eleanor Helin, a planetary astronomer at JPL and the Near‐Earth Tracking (NEAT) Program principal investigator.
Sophistic or sophisticate?
Authors: Advocate Dev L.
Published: October 2006

It is amusing to see a review that complains of a lack of sophistication in the treatment of data or development of a theory in a paper submitted for publication. “Sophistication” apparently is something good; something that enhances the value of a paper. These kinds of reviews usually come from recent Ph.D.s, often from Cambridge or La Jolla. Editors usually side with the reviewers.
Herring selected as AGU Congressional Science Fellow
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

John “Jack” Herring of the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, has been selected by the Committee on Public Affairs (COPA) as the 1996–1997 AGU Congressional Science Fellow. Herring was selected at the AGU Spring Meeting in Baltimore after he and four others completed interviews with COPA. The original field of 19 applicants was the largest in recent history.

Herring received his B.A. in chemistry from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in 1989, and his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington in 1994. For the past year, Herring has held a postdoctoral research position at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska. He is the primary author of three peer‐reviewed papers and coauthor of seven other papers, several of which have been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Class distinction
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

Typical 101 courses discourage many students from pursuing higher level science and math courses. Introductory classes in science and math serve largely as a filter, screening out all but the most promising students, and leaving the majority of college graduates—including most prospective teachers—with little understanding of how science works, according to a study conducted for the National Science Foundation. Because few teachers, particularly at the elementary level, experience any collegiate science teaching that stresses skills of inquiry and investigation, they simply never learn to use those methods in their teaching, the report states.
Siliclastic margins record terrestrial and oceanographic conditions
Authors: Kuehl Steven A. , Milliman John D.
Published: October 2006

Sediments of the continental margin contain a geologic record of climate and sea level as well as variations in tectonics, sediment source/transport, and postdepositional environment. Increased attention is focusing on coastal environments as societal needs demand that scientists address such wide‐ranging problems as land and coastal erosion, and the flux and fate of anthropogenic inputs to coastal seas. Despite these efforts, however, our ability to understand and predict sedimentary processes in marginal seas and adjacent land masses remains inadequate. Given the future prospects of flat or declining funding for marine geoscience, we must define our knowledge and ignorance of coastal and nearshore environments if we are to address their scientific and societal challenges.
Study yields surprises about seafloor spreading in back‐arc basins
Authors: Ruellan Etienne , Lagabrielle Yves , Tanahashi Manabu ,   Shipboard Party
Published: October 2006

A study of the seafloor in the North Fiji Basin is leading to a better understanding of the geometry and evolution of spreading in back‐arc basins. Two of the most important features of the area, the South Pandora Ridge and the Tripartite Ridge, belong to a presently active spreading system that began forming at least 7.2 m.y.a. The ridges spread at an average rate of about 1.6 cm/yr. By studying the segments of the ridges in greater detail, researchers found that each was either a “tectonic type,” with a more or less complex deep axial valley, or a “volcanic type,” with a high, rifted volcanic massif occupying the axial domain.
Teachers, administrators look to a higher standard
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

With so much 20th century progress having been fueled by scientific achievements, some American leaders are genuinely concerned about running out of intellectual gas. Science has long driven the engines of industry, yet many American workers do not seem to understand the very processes of scientific inquiry and invention that put them to work in the first place.

In a survey of conducted by the Bayer Corporation and reported in April, more than 60% of corporate human resource directors and 40% of elementary school principals said that most young Americans lack adequate science preparation for entry‐level jobs in industry. Close to 84% of the resource directors surveyed said that they expect science literacy to be a requirement for entry level jobs in the next century, yet 75% said that they may not have a proper workforce to meet those qualifications.
Section activities advanced at Spring Meeting
Authors: Bales Roger C.
Published: October 2006

Hydrology Section President Steve Burges brought several new initiatives to the Executive Committee meeting held in Baltimore on May 22, 1996. The following highlights of that meeting are offered to bring you up to date on the latest happenings in the Hydrology Section.
Space physics mission gives hands‐on experience to students
Authors: Chakrabarti Supriya
Published: October 2006

In February 1995, two small satellite missions designed by college students were selected for flight. The missions selected were two of 66 proposed for a program called STudent Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI), which was developed in response to a challenge from NASA to demonstrate that first‐rate science and technology missions could be conducted in academic environments according to budget and schedule and with a smaller fiscal base than that of other missions.

The teams selected to fly their missions are based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Center for Space Physics at Boston University (BU). Their missions will be conducted under a strict budget of $4.31 million over 3 years with a nominal 1‐year period of science operations. The Boston University project, which this article will focus on, is called the Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative EUV and Radio Sources (TERRIERS). (Readers are encouraged to browse the WWW server http://net.bu.edu/terriers.html).
Japan, U.S. Plan Joint Earthquake Research
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

The Northridge earthquake of 1994 and the Kobe quake of 1995 appear to have shaken up more than the local populations. The earthquakes and the urban destruction that ensued have moved entire governments to pursue better management of earthquake hazards.

Noting the similarities between the two earthquakes and the management strategies of both countries, Japan and the United States are now cooperating in an ambitious program to reduce the hazards associated with such natural phenomena. Currently, the program exists primarily on paper; however, the Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Partnership marks a commitment between the two nations to study a common problem and to be equal partners in scientific research.
Reporting on the press
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

A 30‐year AGU member is teaming up with an Emmy‐award‐winning television journalist to research how the news media cover science.

Charles Richard “Rick” Chappell, associate director for science at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and Jim Hartz, producer and host of the Public Broadcasting Service's science series “Innovation,” have received fellowships from The Freedom Forum to complete a joint science‐media project. The pair are charged with examining the media's reporting on space, science, and technology.
“Roof of the Earth” Offers clues about how our planet was shaped
Authors: Sorkhabi Rasoul , Macfarlane Allison , Quade Jay
Published: October 2006

The Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding mountains—the Himalaya on the south, the Kun Lun on the north, and the Pamir and Karakoram on the west—comprise the largest, loftiest, and youngest highland on the Earth (Figure 1). All of the world's peaks higher than 7000 m (with the lone exception of Anchomuma in the Bolivian Andes) as well as the largest concentration of alpine glaciers are found in this vast region that geographers have dubbed “the Roof of the World.”

The Himalaya‐Tibet region is virtually the “water tower” of Asia: it supplies freshwater for more than one‐fifth of the world's population, and it accounts for a quarter of the global sedimentation budget. Since 1985, a series of international workshops have been held to discuss the latest geoscientific research in the Himalaya‐Karakoram‐Tibet region. The eleventh workshop was held in Flagstaff, Ariz., from April 29 to May 1, 1996. It was the first to be held in North America. Nearly 120 people from 12 different countries attended.
Space making
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

With discoveries from Mars, the Hubble Deep Field, and Ganymede reawakening Washington's interest in space, the U.S. federal government has started fine‐tuning its stance on space flight and exploration. The attention comes as prelude to a proposed November meeting to discuss astronomical and planetary discoveries, and to a rumored space summit in December between Vice President Al Gore and congressional leaders.

On September 17, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 3936, the Space Commercialization Promotion Act. A measure with strong bipartisan support, the bill officially encourages private companies to participate in the space industry and requires NASA to find more ways to work with the private sector. Updating and amending several existing U.S. policies about commerce in space, H.R. 3936 gives the Department of Transportation the authority to provide and administer licenses for commercial spacecraft to reenter American airspace from orbit and outer space. It also prods NASA to purchase scientific data about the Earth and the solar system from the private sector, whenever possible.
U.S. Congress playing budgetary endgame
Authors: Carlowicz Mike
Published: October 2006

With fiscal year 1997 (FY '97) set to begin on October 1, the U.S. Congress was poised to fund most American science programs and agencies at or above the levels of funding appropriated in the tumultuous FY '96. Seeking to avert a drawn‐out budget debate during an election year, congressional leaders were working feverishly in the last week of September to write appropriations bills that would be acceptable—though not necessarily satisfying—to both Congress and the Clinton Administration.

On September 24, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate approved the conference report of H.R. 3666, the appropriations bill that provides funding for the departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and the Independent Agencies. The conference report of this VA‐HUD bill provides $84.7 billion in spending for the affected agencies, including NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The conference report was weighted heavily toward the preferences of the Senate, where moderates and pragmatists were stressing compromise and pushing for appropriations bills that President Clinton would be likely to sign.
Citizen Scientists
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

A year ago, when many national science budgets were coming under intense scrutiny—particularly in the United States—many scientists began exhorting their colleagues to be more vocal in the public debate. Such outreach was touted as a matter of survival for scientists.

Neal Lane, however, asserts that scientists must have a higher goal than self‐preservation. In several recent speeches, the director of the National Science Foundation has prodded scientists to assume a “new, additional role that scientists must play in society.” Lane has declared a need for “civic scientists,” researchers who are not just aware of but responsive to the needs of the society around them.
Hydrologists, ocean scientists team up to study groundwater discharge to the coast
Authors: Loaiciga Hugo A. , Buddemeier Robert
Published: October 2006

Groundwater flux to the coastal marine environment is an important biogeochemical and environmental factor in many coastal regions of the world. The physical and chemical processes involved are complex and highly variable in space and in time. In view of the general scientific significance of this subject, and to ensure that groundwater fluxes are considered in future research agendas, we must expand our understanding of coastal groundwater fluxes and improve the methods available for their assessment. These are the conclusions that participants reached at the first international meeting focused specifically on issues related to submarine groundwater discharge.
Earthquake swarm heats up Loihi
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

If Fred Dunnebier and his colleagues had completed their work when they wanted to, they'd be out of business by now.

Dunnebier and his colleagues at the University of Hawaii had planned to have their Hawaii Undersea Geo‐Observatory (HUGO) set atop the flattened summit of the Loihi seamount, near Pele's Vents, in February. The automated underwater volcano observatory—now funded by a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and aided by the donation from AT&T of time on a cable‐laying ship and of fiber optic cable—was designed for the study of midplate volcanism and hydrothermal venting at the only active, midplate seamount volcano readily accessible from the United States. HUGO includes seismometers, tilt meters, bottom pressure sensors, cameras, and thermal and chemical sensors that would deliver real‐time observations via the cable to researchers 45 km away at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Kilauea.
Wired
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

Every American grade school and library ought to have free access to the Internet, and universities and institutions ought to have better access, according to the Clinton Administration.

In an October 10 speech in Knoxville, Tennessee, President Clinton proposed that all of the nation's 100,000 public schools and 9,000 libraries receive a two‐tiered E‐rate (education rate) for access to Internet services. All schools and libraries should receive basic connections for free, as well as deep discounts on video conferencing and highspeed connections (with prices influenced by how much the school can afford to pay). The basic connections (and part of the cost of the more sophisticated connections) would be paid from a special federal fund that currently provides below‐cost phone service to households in poor and rural areas. That fund is currently drawn from fees assessed on local and long‐distance telephone providers; the Clinton Administration would have cable operators and cellular service providers contribute as well. Companies that provide Internet services would be paid at the best available commercial rate.
Yes: The L.A. array will radically improve seismic risk assessment
Authors: Prescott William H.
Published: October 2006

SCIGN will provide a key component in improving our understanding of the scientific and earthquake hazard issues. Because of the advantages, dense permanent GPS stations are being used in many earthquake research studies. The time is right for a project like SCIGN in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan region, scientifically, technically, economically, and socially. SCIGN will contribute key data to the current geologic debate between “thick‐skinned” and “thin‐skinned” models. With a global network of tracking stations and modern data processing, GPS techniques have matured adequately to handle the data volume and provide the precision required. Considering potential losses from earthquakes in the area, SCIGN is inexpensive relative to the scientific payoff. And the earthquake hazard in the region demands that we do everything we can to reduce the risks.
Kolb accepts Editorship of GRL
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Charles E. Kolb began his 3‐year tenure as atmospheric sciences editor of Geophysical Research Letters in March. Kolb has served as president and chief executive officer of Aerodyne Research Inc. (ARI) since 1985, and he was recently selected to receive the American Chemical Society's 1997 Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology.

Kolb's research focus at ARI includes atmospheric and environmental chemistry, combustion chemistry, materials chemistry, and the chemical physics of rocket and aircraft exhaust plumes. During his career at ARI, Kolb initiated programs to identify and measure sources and sinks for trace atmospheric species involved in global and regional pollution problems, as well as programs that apply advanced spectroscopic techniques to improve the detection of soil and groundwater contaminants through the use of cone penetrometer technology.
Scientists unite to improve models coupling atmosphere and hydrology
Authors: Shuttleworth W. James
Published: October 2006

It was right down to business at a workshop organized by the Global Energy and Water‐cycle Experiment Continental‐scale International Project (GCIP) in Silver Spring, Md., from May 9 to 10, 1996. More than 40 atmospheric and hydrological scientists from government and academia met to review past progress and guide scientific priorities within NOAA's and NASA's research programs into coupled hydrologic‐atmospheric modeling.

Given GCIP's dual goals of improving weather and climate prediction for North America at timescales up to interannual, and of providing hydrological interpretation of these predictions, the workshop focused on research that addresses three questions: To what extent is meteorological prediction at daily to seasonal timescales sensitive to hydrologic‐atmospheric coupling processes? To what extent can meteorological predictions be hydrologically interpreted? And how can models of relevant hydrologic‐atmospheric coupling processes be improved to enhance meteorological and hydrological prediction?
Mission to Mars to collect a storehouse of scientific data
Authors: Albee Arden
Published: October 2006

Just after Election Day, the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft (Figure 1) will embark on a journey to Mars to examine the surface and the seasonal variations of the atmosphere over an entire Mars year. Mars is an extremely rich mission target because the scientific questions it poses touch on geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheric physics, climatology, biology, and—most of all—comparative planetology.

Researchers will use data collected from this mission to compare the planet's formation and evolution with that of Earth, to understand the evolution of climate and water on Mars, and to determine if life has ever existed on Mars. Mars Global Surveyor will acquire a basic global understanding of the planet as it exists today, provide a framework for understanding its past, and help shape a series of small missions to Mars that are being planned for the next 10 years.
Wake up call
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

After eight years of sleep, Pavlov awoke in mid‐September and has been busy ever since. The volcano, 965 km southwest of Anchorage, has been fountaining lava as high as 300 m and spewing ash as high as 7500 m in an eruption first observed on September 15. Pavlov is historically the most active volcano in the Aleutian arc, with 40 eruptions observed since 1790.
Summary of FY '97 appropriations for U.S. federal agencies
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The budget process for the 1997 fiscal year started 6 weeks late, but with U.S. federal elections looming and bad memories from fiscal 1996 lingering, it ended on time. An analysis of appropriations for science agencies and programs funded by the U.S. government reveals that while scientists' fears of massive budget cuts never materialized, overall levels of funding for research remained flat. The tables below show modest increases for many science programs, but most of those increases are offset by inflation, which has averaged about 2–3% per year for the past several years.
Jurassic Magmatism and Tectonics of the North American Cordillera
Authors: Boettcher Stefan
Published: October 2006

The relationship of Jurassic magmatic arc rocks to the tectonic evolution of the North American Cordilleran continental margin is a principle theme of Geological Society of America Special Paper 299. The volume gives readers a comprehensive view of the early stages of magmatic arc evolution on a continental margin and is a tribute to the contributions of Richard Lee Armstrong, whose pioneering studies provide a framework for current geologic investigations of the North American Cordillera.
Older than old
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

First it was Martians, now it's Earthlings. Researchers believe they have found circumstantial evidence in ancient rocks to suggest moving back the birthday of life on Earth by 400 million years.

The evidence comes from a 3.85 billion‐year‐old rock formation on Akilia Island in southwest Greenland. Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the Australian National University, and the U.K.'s Oxford Brookes University have found a chemical signature of simple microorganisms in the ancient rock. Several years ago, UCLA paleobiologist J. William Schopf presented evidence and analyses of bacterialike fossils that suggested life began about 3.46 billion years ago.
Applied Contaminant Transport Modeling‐Theory and Practice
Authors: Cleveland Theodore G.
Published: October 2006

Contaminant transport modeling is an important academic and practical subject. While current research is directed toward describing multicomponent, multiphase, reactive transport modeling, current practice uses less complex tools. Applied Contaminant Transport Modeling—Theory and Practice discusses the current research issues, but it deals primarily with practical aspects of transport modeling. The book is intended to serve as a reference for self‐study or as an advanced textbook for college courses. It is quite readable and well organized.
Tropospheric chemistry: Global change and urban neglect
Authors: Sillman Sanford
Published: October 2006

During the past decade, major advances have been made in the field of tropospheric chemistry, especially with regard to ozone and associated species (reactive nitrogen, peroxides, and OH). These advances have been driven largely by a series of field measurement campaigns in locations ranging from Brazil and Hawaii to Greenland and Nova Scotia. There is a major gap in the coverage of the tropospheric research program, however. Ozone chemistry is not measured in urban and downwind locations in the United States that are subject to violations of air quality standards.
Lava pillars used to reconstruct seafloor eruptions
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

Like the ancient columns of Athens and Rome, submarine lava pillars rise in memorial to structures now crumbled. New research suggests that these peculiar formations may hold the key to understanding the dynamics of some deep‐sea volcanic eruptions.

“Because of the way the lava freezes [into pillars] and preserves—in a series of snap‐shots—the events of a submarine eruption, we can put together the sequence of what happened on the seafloor,” asserts Tracy Gregg, a volcanologist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) who has studied lava pillars from the East Pacific Rise and the Juan de Fuca Ridge.
PUMAS for K‐12 students
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Practical Uses of Math and Science (PUMAS) Web site is now collecting examples of how math and science topics taught in K‐12 classes can be used in everyday life. Scientists and engineers are invited to contribute one‐page pieces based on their experience and interests. The goal of this program is to help teachers expand their presentation of math and science topics. Examples are peer‐reviewed and, if accepted, are citable references for a journal of science education.
International guidelines cover research in foreign countries
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

To foster a spirit of cooperation and respect in international research, geophysical societies from 22 countries have agreed upon “Guidelines for Scientists Conducting Research in Foreign Countries.” Initially proposed during an international convocation of representatives ofgeoscience societies, these guidelines are unique for the spirit of international cooperation that they engender. Developed by representatives from a broad spectrum of Earth sciences, the Guidelines cut across disciplinary boundaries and are appropriate for researchers undertaking any scientific work outside of their own countries.
Comment on “Policy offers protection from harassment” [by Marcia McNutt]
Authors: Hickman Martha H.
Published: October 2006

Regarding “Policy Offers Protection From Harassment” (Eos, October 15, 1996), I am disturbed that the AGU has extended its harassment policy to its membership at “events that combine work and social interaction, such as the meetings, conferences, and seminars that AGU members attend.” As a woman, I have always found the so‐called protections extended to females and other supposedly vulnerable groups to be intrusive and patronizing, but this policy in particular goes too far by trying to sponsor aspects of members' social behavior.

I am old enough to remember the days when one responded to uncomfortable situations by drawing on one's own resources. A sense of one's inviolable self developed over time, and meaningful self‐esteem derived from an ability to cope with the world. Now, cowering from jokes and recoiling from eye contact, the modern geoscientist apparently requires a patron for protection—a shining knight in the form of this new policy.
Review of TOGA finds new culture, new puzzles
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

In a report released on December 17 at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, a panel of the National Research Council (NRC) reviewed the successes and failures of the recently completed Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere Program (TOGA). Some of the most important results, the panel noted, have as much to do with mind‐sets as with data sets.

“El Niño has become a household word,” the panel said in its report entitled Learning to Predict Climate Variations Associated with El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Accomplishments and Legacies of the TOGA Program. “[TOGA] contributed to an awareness, in both the scientific community and the public at large, that there are aspects of seasonal‐to‐interannual climate variability that can be monitored, understood, and predicted.”
Seeing the invisible
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

Alas, scientists can finally see with their eyes what they have only seen in their heads. Researchers from Boston University's Center for Space Physics, The Aerospace Corporation, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory have produced the first movies of particle activity in the near‐Earth space environment. Looking down on much of Earth's magnetosphere from the polar orbit of NASA's POLAR spacecraft, the researchers have compiled high‐resolution, sequential images of space weather.

Relying primarily on POLAR's imaging proton spectrometer (IPS), the research team amassed data on energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). These atoms are created when cold, neutral gases of the atmosphere interact with the energetic, charged particles trapped in Earth's radiation belts. From analyses of ENAs, the team was able to generate images of geomagnetic activity in the shell around Earth.
Outstanding student paper
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

One presentation in the Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Section was named an Outstanding Student Paper at the 1996 Spring Meeting in Baltimore, Md.

Michael J. Harris was honored for his presentation of “Geotectonic Displacement of the Stikinia Terrane: Evidence From Paleomagnetic Measurements on the Whitehorse Pluton, Yukon Territory.” A native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, he received his B.Sc. from the University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario) in 1991. His research then focused on petrology, geochemistry and field studies on the Skootamatta Pluton in the Grenville Province, Eastern Ontario. In 1994, he earned an M.Sc. also from the University of Windsor.
Outstanding student papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Three presentations in the Tectonophysics Section were named Outstanding Student Papers at the 1996 Spring Meeting in Baltimore, Md.

Michael L. Begnaud presented “Structure of a “Magma‐Starved” Segment on a Fast Spreading Ridge.” He obtained his B.S. degree in geology from the University of California, Davis, and has been working toward a Ph.D. at the same institution. He expects to complete his dissertation by January 1997. His thesis research used three‐dimensional tomography to examine the structure of the Clipperton Fracture Zone, East Pacific Rise. Other research interests include microseismicity along mid‐ocean ridges and fracture zones.
seeping gas
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

On a recent cruise of the Russian research ship Professor Logachev, scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Russian research institute VNI‐IOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg), and other institutions found what they believe to be thin white sheets of methane hydrates. The white layer (possibly also mats of chemosynthetic bacteria) covers the center of a deep‐sea mud volcano in the Norwegian‐Greenland Sea. The Haakon Mosby mud volcano—a “cow‐pie‐shaped” cold seep that is 1 km in diameter—lies at 1250‐m depth and south of Spitsbergen, Norway.
[Comment on “Will AGU survive?” by William H. Prescott] journal production needs modernization
Authors: Milsom John
Published: October 2006

Predictions about the imminent arrival of electronic journals are always thought‐provoking. A recent Forum (Eos, October 15, 1996) served rather to remind me that here and now we are faced with problems in preparing work for publication in more conventional forms.

About this time last year I was notified by Tectonics of their acceptance of a paper. With that acceptance came a sheaf of instructions on how to prepare the camera‐ready copy. Keystroke by keystroke, pages of instructions led me through the use of both Word and WordPerfect, but unfortunately in versions predating those I currently use, adding to the confusion. It was with quite a feeling of triumph that, after about two days of agony, I finally had the whole thing in the form required. In fact, it was a pity I hadn't a few more accepted papers on hand, because with my hard won (and since forgotten) experience, I could have dealt with them in a fraction of the time.
Li receives Outstanding Student Award
Authors: Spetzler Hartmut
Published: October 2006

The Mineral and Rock Physics Committee chose Baosheng Li as the 1996 recipient of the Outstanding Student Award, which was presented at the Mineral and Rock Physics Reception at the AGU Fall Meeting. He has distinguished himself through outstanding contributions in the field of mineral physics. Specifically, Li has synthesized superb quality specimens of high‐pressure phases of candidate mantle minerals, and in close collaboration with others, he has pioneered new and innovative experimental techniques to measure the properties of these potential mantle minerals under in situ conditions. He is acknowledged for his care in executing experiments and their subsequent analysis. A truly outstanding young scientist, Li is destined to become one of the leaders in the Earth sciences. Not only is he endowed with scientific prowess, but he also possesses the leadership qualities that enable him to stimulate his colleagues in collaborative research efforts.
Survey of CO2 in the oceans reveals clues about global carbon cycle
Authors: Sabine Christopher L. , Wallace Douglas W. R. , Millero Frank J.
Published: October 2006

January 1996 marked the completion of the most ambitious and successful high‐precision inorganic carbon survey of a major ocean basin to date: a 14‐month, 92,000‐km‐long research cruise in the Indian Ocean. This survey, conducted in close collaboration with the international World Ocean Circulation Experiment‐Hydrographic Program (WOCE‐HP), is part of a project involving 10 U.S. universities and national laboratories that have been working together since 1990 to acquire a high‐quality inorganic carbon data set for all of the world's oceans.
Satellites, scientists track storm from Sun to surface
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

On January 6, the Sun spat a coronal mass ejection (CME) into the solar wind and toward Earth; by January 10, a cloud of charged particles buffeted the face of the planet. It was, by several accounts, a run‐of‐the‐mill space weather event. But the scientific work surrounding the storm was anything but run‐of‐the‐mill.

For the first time, space physicists observed and recorded a space weather event from start to finish, from solar surface to earthly impact. Researchers are calling it the first true success story of the four‐year‐old International Solar Terrestrial Physics program (ISTP), which includes NASA's WIND and POLAR spacecraft; the joint Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission of NASA and the European Space Agency; the joint Geotail mission of NASA and Japan's Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science; and Russia's Interball satellites.
Outstanding student papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Four presentations in the Atmospheric Science Section were named Outstanding Student Papers at the 1996 Spring Meeting in Baltimore, Md.
Did space weather knock out telstar, seismic network?
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

On January 11, AT&T lost contact with its $200 million communications satellite, Telstar 401, right in the middle of a magnetic storm at Earth. Though AT&T officials have not yet announced a cause for the failure of the geostationary satellite, many scientists believe Telstar was a victim of space weather.

Telstar 401 relayed signals for local and national broadcast television networks, as well as telephone calls and computer data. To date, AT&T and the manufacturer of the satellite, Lockheed‐Martin, have been unable to reestablish contact with Telstar or determine what caused the malfunction.
Source and loss processes of magnetospheric plasma
Authors: Hultquist Bengt
Published: October 2006

The Workshop on Source and Loss Processes of Magnetospheric Plasma was held at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland in October. It marked the beginning of a two‐year project to study the source and loss processes of magnetospheric plasma, in which some 50 leading scientists from around the world are involved. Participants reviewed current knowledge of the processes that significantly affect the entry into and the disappearance from the magnetosphere at its inner and outer boundaries and planned the work of six working groups, which cover various parts of the system boundaries.
Information Technology Committee explores future needs
Authors: Wallis James R.
Published: October 2006

The newly formed Information Technology Committee met October 18–19, 1996, to review its charge and examine AGU's current systems, network, systems strategy, and Information Services staffing.

There are currently three positions open in the Information Services group that are proving hard to fill on a permanent basis. The committee recommended that staff develop a relationship with local universities and intensively canvass the membership for people who have acquired computer skills during their geoscience training and who might consider attractive 1–3 years of information services experience at AGU.
Magnetic surveys help reassess volcanic hazards at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Authors: Connor Charles B. , Lane‐Magsino Sammantha , Stamatakos John A. , Martin Ronald H. , LaFemina Peter C. , Hill Brittain E. , Lieber Steve
Published: October 2006

Natural disasters like volcanic eruptions occur infrequently, but if they occur near nuclear power plants or high‐level radioactive waste repositories, local and global communities can be threatened. Ideally, such facilities should be constructed only where geologic risk is very low.

Estimating the probabilities of such events requires a comprehensive understanding of site geology and the geologic processes operating in the site region on timescales of 104 to 107 years. In light of these requirements, geologists and geophysicists must continually improve techniques for site characterization.
1998 U.S. Federal budget: As other budgets shrink, science funding holds steady
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

It may not be a dream budget, but it is not the nightmare that scientists in the United States may have anticipated. For the second year in a row, President Bill Clinton and his cabinet have presented a federal budget plan designed to eliminate the annual budget deficit by the year 2002. And for the second year in a row, that plan includes modest increases in funding for government‐sponsored science research and development (R&D).
International efforts seek to understand convergent margins
Authors: Stern Robert J.
Published: October 2006

The IBM (Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana) arc system (Figure 1) is an ideal place to study convergent plate margin processes and products, for both scientific and political reasons. Extending 2500 km south from near Tokyo, Japan, to beyond Guam, U.S.A., the intra‐oceanic IBM arc system is one of the simplest arc systems with a well‐known geologic history. The shared jurisdiction of the arc by the United States and Japan creates a favorable environment for future international collaborative studies. A workshop designed to stimulate and coordinate such studies was held July 27 to August 1, 1996, at the Shonan Village Center, Hayama, Japan. Ten U.S. and 75 Japanese scientists, as well as representatives from Germany, Britain, and Australia, attended the workshop, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
Investing in the future
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

In order to “restore the high priority that science and technology had previously been afforded in the federal budget,” and “to invest in the future of the United States,” Senator Phil Gramm (R‐Texas) recently proposed that the U.S. government double its investment in “basic” science and biomedical research. On January 21, Gramm introduced the National Research Investment Act of 1997 (S. 124), a bill to increase funding for nondefense research from $32.5 billion in 1997 to $65 billion by 2007.
Outstanding student papers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Five presentations in the Hydrology Section were named Outstanding Student Papers at the 1996 Spring Meeting in Baltimore, Md. John D. Albertson, of the Hydrologic Science Department, University of California at Davis, presented “Atmospheric Coupling Between Land Surface Patches: A Large Eddy Simulation.” Emmanouil N. Anagnostou, who presented the poster “Mean Field Radar‐Rainfall Bias Studies for NEXRAD,” is a third‐year student in the hydrometeorology Ph.D. program at The University of Iowa.
Io's interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere
Authors: Russell C. T. , Bagenal F. , Cheng A. F. , Ip W‐H. , Roux A. , Smyth W. H. , Bolton S. J. , Polanskey C. A.
Published: October 2006

When the Galileo orbiter passed within 1000 km of Io on December 7, 1995, the data collected were every bit as exciting as the Galileo team had expected, given the unique interaction between Io and the Jovian magnetosphere. The spacecraft detected intense beams of electrons propagating parallel to the magnetic field and a variety of unexpectedly strong wave phenomena surrounding Io that are associated with Io's production of new ions. There was also evidence for an intrinsic magnetic field, possibly generated by a dynamo within Io, and a cool “ionospheric”plasma flowing away from Io, removing tens of kilograms of material per second, not nearly a ton per second, as previously thought.
New data from cold war treasure trove
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

For half a century, the Russian and United States navies competed for tactical advantage in the Arctic Ocean, mapping seafloor and floating ice sheets, measuring temperatures and reckoning chemistry. But with old enemies becoming new friends, data once collected for the sake of war now are being shared in the name of scientific cooperation.

In mid‐January, the U.S. and Russian governments announced the release of the first of four volumes of a new atlas of the Arctic Ocean. The previously classified data it contains will effectively double the amount of Arctic data that is available to the scientific community. The set includes more than 1.3 million temperature and salinity observations collected from 1948 to 1993 by drifting ice camps and stations, icebreaking ships, land—and airborne expeditions, and buoys. Approximately 70% of the observations for the Arctic Ocean and shelf seas were derived from Russian archives of formerly restricted data, with the other 30% coming from comparable sources in the U.S., Canada, and other Western nations.
Paleoseismology
Authors: Serva Leonello
Published: October 2006

About 20 years ago, when I was a newly graduated student of geology, neotectonics in the Mediterranean area was just emerging as a popular argument and a special project was begun in Italy. At that time, nobody on the old continent dared to conceive that the clear evidence of late Quaternary faulting could be directly linked to earthquakes. In fact, earthquakes were considered to be deep, hidden processes that essentially occurred in the crystalline basement beneath the sedimentary cover, such as in the fold and thrust belt of the Apennines, therefore accessible only to geophysicists. Only secondary earthquake effects were thought to leave evidence above the basement.
23 science societies issue joint call for more federal research dollars
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

In an unprecedented demonstration of unity, the leaders of 23 American scientific societies and umbrella organizations gathered on March 4 in Washington, D.C., to press the U.S. federal government for increased funding for scientific research and to make an investment in the nation's future. In a “Joint Statement on Scientific Research” addressed to President Bill Clinton and the Congress, the presidents of learned societies representing more than one million scientists, mathematicians, and engineers asked the government “to renew the nation's historical commitment to scientific research and education,” and to reverse the decline of federal investment in science and engineering. The American Geophysical Union was one of the signatories of the statement.
AGU book receives Award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Radiation Belts: Models and Standards, Geophysical Monograph Series, vol. 97, published by AGU, has been judged worthy of “honorable mention” in the Geography and Earth Sciences category by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. The award was presented on February 13, 1997, in Washington, D.C., at the 21st Annual Awards Program for Excellence in Professional and Scholarly Publishing (PSP). The editors of Radiation Belts were J. F. Lemaire, D. Heynderickx, and D. N. Baker.
Pitman receives Ewing Medal
Authors: Opdyke Neil D. , Pitman Walter
Published: October 2006

The 1996 Maurice Ewing Medal was presented to Walter C. Pitman, III, at the Fall Meeting Honor Ceremony December 17, 1996, in San Francisco. The medal recognizes significant contributions to understanding physical, geophysical, and geological processes in the ocean and outstanding service to the marine sciences.
Council approves statement on natural hazards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

As a scientific society, AGU may adopt positions of advocacy on geophysical science isues based on their intrinsic merits and needs. On December 18, 1996, the AGU Council approved a Union position statement regarding scientific research and education in natural hazards. The complete position statement follows and also is posted at the Union Web Site, http://www.agu.org. Other Union position statements and information about proposing a position statement are in the AGU Handbook and at the Union Web Site.

Few locations on Earth are immune from droughts, storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, sea level changes, water course changes, atmospheric electrical storms, and impacts from comets and asteroids. Humans and technological systems are also threatened by natural hazards that occur in space. The effects of space weather, for example, can wreak havoc with the satellites we use to provide communications, weather forecasts, and defense and positioning information.
DeBeers unchallenged
Authors: Carlowicz Michael
Published: October 2006

According to a group of Italian physicists, the planet Neptune may be a factory for ethane, not diamonds. Their theory offers a new answer to the question: what happens to all the methane at Neptune.

The planet's atmosphere has significantly more methane than those of fellow gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Researchers believe that below that atmosphere lies a dense liquid ocean of ammonia, water, and methane— known as the “ices” region—in proportions similar to those on the Sun. The temperature of that ocean of “ices” is thought to be half that of the Sun and believed to be the result of primordial heat leftover from planetary formation.
Ostenso receives the Smith Medal
Authors: Knauss John A. , Ostenso Ned A.
Published: October 2006

The Waldo E. Smith Medal, which is awarded for extraordinary service to geophysics, was presented to Ned A. Ostenso at the 1996 AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 17, 1996, in San Francisco. The award citation and Ostenso's response are given here.