bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Remote sensing may provide unprecedented hydrological data
Authors: Koster Randal D. , Houser Paul R. , Engman Edwin T. , Kustas William P.
Published: October 2006

Basic hydrological research and water resources management may reap tremendous benefits from remote sensing technology, studies are showing. Satellite coverage may allow unprecedented accuracy in the quantification of the global hydrological cycle, for example.

Yet despite such benefits, few hydrologists currently use such data.This is partly because the needed tools and algorithms are not fully developed. Such development requires field experiments that combine remotely sensed data with detailed in situ observations.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Planetary Sciences Section presented five outstanding student paper awards at the 1998 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Geomagnetism & Paleomagnetism (GP) Section presented two outstanding student paper awards at the 1998 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.
Stumm and Morgan receive 1999 Stockholm water prize
Authors: Grant Shermonta L.
Published: October 2006

At a March 22 press conference in Stockholm, the Stockholm Water Foundation announced that Professors Werner Stumm and James J. Morgan will be awarded the 1999 Stockholm Water Prize. The aquatic chemists will share this distinguished prize of $150,000, which recognizes an individual, organization, or institution that makes a sizable contribution to water resources.

The scientists were chosen for their extensive research accomplishments in the discipline, which have improved the understanding of processes in the water environment and have led to the production of better methods for treating wastewater and drinking water throughout the world. Both scientists established aquatic chemistry as a primary discipline for many colleagues, including limnologists, ecologists, and oceanographers. They also coauthored a book titled Aquatic Chemistry, which is a renowned reference for professionals and students throughout the scientific community.
[Comment on “Martian soil simulant available for scientific, educational study”] Caution advised on suitability of a Mars soil simulant
Authors: Hargraves R. B. , Knudsen J. M. , Madsen M. B.
Published: October 2006

JSC Mars‐1 is a recently announced simulant for the Mars soil “available for scientific, educational study” [Allen et al., 1998]. It is a somewhat altered volcanic ash from a Mauna Kea, Hawaii, cinder cone that yields a reflectance spectrum remarkably similar to the Olympus‐Amazonis bright region on Mars [see Allen et al., 1998,Figure 1].The comparability in terms of other chemical and physical properties of the simulant to what is considered to be known of the properties of Mars soil is outlined, and an acceptable similarity is implied. We wish, however, to point out several shortcomings in this Martian analog, to caution researchers and teachers that “looks can be deceiving,” and that they should not conclude that because of the spectral similarity, Mars soil must necessarily be “altered volcanic ash.” It may well prove to be ash in some form but this sample is not the answer.
Improved resource management turns a southern U.S. city into a model for sustainability
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The Southside still looks rundown. But as one heads north to the 1400 block on Market Street, a fleet of electric and hybrid buses next door to the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel waits to ferry passengers downtown past the solar‐paneled Tennessee Valley Authority office building. That structure, along with the world's largest freshwater aquarium—awash in visitors since 1992—and a riverwalk that each year stretches further along the banks of the oncefilthy Tennessee River are among the signs, symbols, and brick and mortar of urban renewal, much of which has retained the historic texture of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

One senses that something is happening in this place.
Human contribution to climate change remains questionable
Authors: Singer S. Fred
Published: October 2006

The principal focus of climate science is certainly atmospheric science and meteorology, but the subject involves many other areas of the Earth sciences as well as different disciplines, such as physics, chemistry and even biology. This complexity makes climate science both fascinating and controversial. It also undergoes rapid change as new facts and analyses emerge. Yet public interest in the possibility that human activities can change climate has become so intense that far‐reaching policies are instituted even before final judgments are possible.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

John E. Evans died on March 27,1999, at age 84. He had been a member (SPAAeronomy) since 1961.

Frantisek Hron died at age 61. He had been a member (Seismology) since 1970.
Input needed for Workshop on Mineral and Rock Physics
Authors: Navrotsky Alexandra
Published: October 2006

A workshop is being organized to summarize progress and opportunities in mineral and rock physics, and the scientific community is being asked for input. The workshop itself will be limited to 20 invited participants but will generate a report identifying recent major accomplishments in the field, major opportunities and challenges for research in the next decade, and facility instrumentation, human resources, and education needs. Comments from all mineral and rock physicists and Earth scientists in general are welcome.

The rapidly evolving field has emerged over the last 20 years as an exciting interdisciplinary area of Earth science. Sometimes also called physics and chemistry of Earth materials, this general area encompasses the application of the molecular‐level concepts and experimental and theoretical techniques of chemistry and physics to materials and problems relevant to geology. Its unifying viewpoint is the question, “Why and how, at the level of atoms and their interactions, do geologic processes occur?” Though mineral physics arose largely through interest about and application to the Earth's mantle and core, its fundamental approach is much broader and has relevance to the Earth from surface to core, to current environmental problems as well as to planetary evolution, and to other planetary bodies.
The Coastal Environment: Toward Integrated Coastal and Marine Sanctuary Management
Authors: Karl Herman
Published: October 2006

The role of science in society is evolving as we enter the 21st century. More than ever before, professional societies, politicians, and others are encouraging scientists to become involved in public policy issues. During the Cold War, many scientists believed that science by itself could solve society's problems. The scientific community is now beginning to realize that many societal issues involve diverse economic, political, social, ethical, and aesthetic values, and rarely, if ever, is single‐discipline scientific information alone the basis of public policy that addresses these issues. This reality challenges the scientific community to define a new social contract that is in accord with the social and political conditions that characterize the twilight of the 20th century and the dawn of the 21st century.
James R. Wait (1924–1998)
Authors: Hill David A.
Published: October 2006

James (Jim) R.Wait, a pioneer in electromagnetic theory and applications to geophysical exploration, died of cancer in Tucson, Arizona, on October 1, 1998. At 74, he was still very active and innovative in electromagnetics as Regents Professor Emeritus, University of Arizona, and as a consultant in electrical geophysics. He is survived by his wife, Gertrude; his son, George; his daughter, Laura; and three grandchildren, James, Carolyn, and Connor.

Jim was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on January 23, 1924. He obtained B.A.Sc.and M.A.Sc. degrees in 1948 and 1949, respectively and his Ph.D. degree in 1951, in electrical engineering, all from the University of Toronto. He obtained his “T” in skiing and remained an avid skier all his life. Jim stayed in great shape and always found time to work out despite his busy schedule. I still remember the business trip where Jim and I ran laps around the parking lot of a Holiday Inn for his daily workout.
From Magma to Tephra (Developments in Volcanology 4)
Authors: Hughes Simon
Published: October 2006

Volcanology is a rapidly evolving science that has recently received a high media profile through Hollywood movies and television coverage of Montserrat in the West Indies and the Mexican volcanoes of Colima and Popocatépetl. One of the movies and all three of the real‐life eruptions involve volcanoes that are subject to sudden, explosive eruptions that can cause many hazards.

In the region of the volcanic vent, high altitude eruption columns that resemble the mushroom cloud of an atomic blast can repeatedly disrupt regional air traffic. Within several kilometers of the volcanic edifice, fallout from the eruption can destroy roofs and hinder access while hot and ash‐laden pyroclastic density currents can lay to waste any population centers that are encountered in their paths. Such events have claimed thousands of lives in this century alone. Over time, the potential also exists for economic disruption and, on a global scale, climatic change.
Numerical Methods in Atmospheric and Oceanic Modelling: The Andre J. Robert Memorial Volume
Authors: Rosmond Tom
Published: October 2006

Most people, even including some in the scientific community, do not realize how much the weather forecasts they use to guide the activities of their daily lives depend on very complex mathematics and numerical methods that are the basis of modern numerical weather prediction (NWP). André Robert (1929–1993), to whom Numerical Methods in Atmospheric and Oceanic Modelling is dedicated, had a career that contributed greatly to the growth of NWP and the role that the atmospheric computer models of NWP play in our society. There are probably no NWP models running anywhere in the world today that do not use numerical methods introduced by Robert, and those of us who work with and use these models everyday are indebted to him.

The first two chapters of the volume are chronicles of Robert's life and career. The first is a 1987 interview by Harold Ritchie, one of Robert's many proteges and colleagues at the Canadian Atmospheric Environment Service. The interview traces Robert's life from his birth in New York to French Canadian parents, to his emigration to Quebec at an early age, his education and early employment, and his rise in stature as one of the preeminent research meteorologists of our time. An amusing anecdote he relates is his impression of weather forecasts while he was considering his first job as a meteorologist in the early 1950s. A newspaper of the time placed the weather forecast and daily horoscope side by side, and Robert regarded each to have a similar scientific basis. Thankfully he soon realized there was a difference between the two, and his subsequent career certainly confirmed the distinction.
Project offers funding applicants education, public outreach help
Authors: Johnson Roberta M.
Published: October 2006

The Windows to the Universe project (http://www.windows.umich.edu) offers principal investigators developing proposals for funding from NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies a high leverage vehicle for education and public outreach efforts associated with their proposals. With a rapidly growing audience of over 300,000 users per month (as of February 1999), approximately one third in the K‐12 sector, the Windows to the Universe project provides investigators an instant, large‐scale, global audience.

The approximately 4800 interconnected html documents developed by the project over the past 4 years (including an emphasis on Sun‐Earth connections through its “Space Weather Today” section) provide a substantial body of content, as well as a proven user‐friendly interface, that can be immediately utilized to avoid duplication of effort and provide efficient use of education and public outreach funds. The Windows to the Universe project also includes teacher workshops, evaluation, and dissemination.
Martian life “still kicking” in meteorite ALH84001
Authors: Treiman Allan
Published: October 2006

In 1996, David McKay and his coworkers at NASA's Johnson Space Center claimed that they had evidence of life on Mars and that Martian meteorite ALH84001 was once inhabited, on Mars, by bacteria‐like creatures [McKay et al, 1996].Much of the public and the media accepted their claims, but most scientists were deeply skeptical. Now more than 2 years later, what has become of the Martian microbes? Are they appealing illusions, like Lowell's canals on Mars, or are they real? In the time since the paper by McKay and his colleagues was published, the Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have revealed volumes about Mars, and an intense lab study has discovered more secrets of the Martian meteorites, but no agreement has appeared on whether meteorite ALH84001 was ever graced by Martian life.
Satellite radar images capture a subglacial volcanic eruption in Iceland
Authors: Garvin James B. , Mahmood Ahmed , Giguere Christine
Published: October 2006

What are believed to be the first satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a sub‐glacial eruption have been captured by the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT at the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland. The high‐resolution images were made in late November 1998 before the eruption, in late December 1998 during the eruption, and in mid‐January 1999 after the eruption (Figure 1), all in spite of persistent cloud cover and darkness.

The subglacial eruption, centered within Grimsvotn volcano, occurred between December 18 and 28, 1998. It began at the southern rim of the caldera, in the west‐central region of the Vatnajokull ice cap glacier, the largest in Europe with a total area of ∼8300 km2. During the eruption's early stages, five craters were active along an eruptive fissure, extending east‐west along the southern caldera rim.
Bird's eye view of Shishaldin Eruption
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

As the Reeve Aleutian Airways' 727 banked sharply from its destination of the town of Adak in Alaska's Aleutian arc for an abort to the Cold Harbor airport at about 11:50 a.m. local Alaska time on April 19, the pilot of the local passenger carrier announced over the loudspeaker, “We have a unique opportunity here to see something we don't see very often.”

Out the left side of the plane, passengers including John Power, seated toward the back along an aisle, momentarily glimpsed a spreading volcanic ash plume billowing from the 2,857 m high Shishaldin volcano just 100 km to the west. The pilot took evasive action to avoid ingesting potentially damaging ash into the plane's engines.
Even more interdisciplinary future lies ahead for ocean chemistry
Authors: Mayer Larry , Druffel Ellen , Bender Mike , Boyle Ed , Jahnke Rick , Jenkins Bill , Lee Cindy , Luther George , Moore Billy
Published: October 2006

Ocean chemistry is among the most interdisciplinary of marine sciences, but even greater linkage to other oceanographic and materials science disciplines is recommended in a new report by the chemical oceanography community. The field has advanced dramatically during the past 20 years and is poised to make fundamental new contributions in the coming decades, the report emphasizes.

Chemical and biogeochemical processes in the ocean have profound implications for atmospheric chemistry ocean biology, and (via hydrothermal processes) the evolution of the ocean crust. Chemical tracer studies underlie much of our understanding of ocean circulation, while the chemical and isotopic composition of microfossils provides a record of past ocean circulation, temperature, and climate. Chemical processes in the marine realm thus have a profound impact on key aspects of the environment while providing the tools to study other fundamental oceanic processes.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Peter J. Coney died on February 20,1999, at age 69. He had been a member (Tectonophysics) since 1983.

George A. Marston died on March 31, 1999, at age 90. He was a retired life member (Hydrology) who joined in 1935.
Landsat 7 returns first images
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Landsat 7, launched on April 15, is the latest in a series of U.S. satellites first launched in 1972, and promises to extend the longest continual remote sensing record of the Earth's continental surfaces and near coastal regions available for civilian usage.

While Landsat 7 is not yet in its final orbital position or collecting data for a global archive, several early images have been taken, including the image pictured here of a section of the Tennessee Valley in the southeastern United States.
German Geophysical Society preserves history
Authors: Schröder Wilfried
Published: October 2006

The German Geophysical Society includes a very active History Commission, founded in 1982, and the society has been publishing the journal Mitteilungen des Arbeitskreises (Communications of the Commission) since then. Mitteilungen is a discussion forum for the history and philosophy of science and especially the geosciences and related disciplines.

A recent issue of the journal,Volume 18, From Newton to Einstein: Festschrift for Professor Treder on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday, honored Hans‐Jurgen Treder, a leading researcher on Einstein's life and work, with papers from authors around the world. Treder, who is president of the History Commission, was, for a long time, leader of the Cosmic Physics Research Commission of the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin and director of the Einstein Laboratory for Theoretical Physics.
Scientists debate origin of Earth and Moon
Authors: Halliday Alex N. , Drake Michael J.
Published: October 2006

The big questions of how the Earth and Moon formed and first developed have, for many years, been at the borderline of tractability because of what appears to be an almost complete obliteration of any physical, chemical, or isotopic record of the first 500 million years of Earth history. We do know that in the first 200 million years the Earth acquired a core, a mantle, perhaps a primitive crust, and a hydrosphere and an atmosphere. It also became patently clear in the mid‐1980s that the origins of the Earth and its Moon were inextricably intertwined.

Recently, various unrelated research efforts have provided exciting new lines of evidence that bear directly on these issues. The breakthroughs have come mainly with advances in simulations of the dynamics of planetary accretion, isotopic chronometers for the timescales of early solar system processes, noble gas constraints on the formation of the atmosphere, and melting experiments at previously unattainable pressures and temperatures. With this backdrop, scientists met last December to discuss their findings at a conference on “The Origin of the Earth and the Moon,” organized by the Geochemical Society and the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
COPA to sponsor two Union sessions at AGU Spring Meeting
Authors: Folger Peter
Published: October 2006

Members of AGU's Committee on Public Affairs (COPA) will convene two Union sessions designed to highlight the link between geophysical research and the broader societal concerns at the upcoming AGU Spring meeting in Boston. Session U05, titled “Contaminated Groundwater and Litigation: Lessons from the Woburn Case,” will focus on the union of geophysical science and the legal system, geophysical science and health effects, and geophysical science and public participation. The Woburn, Massachusetts, toxic tort case, made popular by Jonathan Harr's book A Civil Action, will be used to illustrate the role and interaction of geophysical science with public policy in these areas. COPA members Jim Mercer and Margo Kingston will convene the session Wednesday June 5, starting at 8:30 a.m. in room CC302.
New NRC report calls for improved U.S. climate modeling strategy
Authors: Karl Tom , Schultz Peter
Published: October 2006

A coordinated national strategy in the United States for climate modeling is essential, states a recent report by the Climate Research Committee (CRC) of the National Research Council. The report draws a number of significant conclusions regarding the state of the country's high‐end climate modeling, and, in conjunction with better coordination, addresses resource availability and the prioritization of advanced modeling.

The CRC report contains two major findings. First, although individual federal agencies may have established well‐defined priorities for climate modeling research, no integrated national strategy exists to focus U.S. climate modeling efforts. These efforts include the broad objectives of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the needs for comprehensive contributions to the science base of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, and the wide‐ranging needs of the scientific community No coordinated mechanism exists for prioritizing these needs or ensuring that these priorities are adequately addressed.
Environmental Isotopes in Hydrogeology
Authors: Zreda Marek
Published: October 2006

In the last 40 years, environmental isotopes have become almost indispensable tools in different branches of hydrology and related environmental disciplines. Their numerous applications in hydrogeology include tracing the sources of ground water, estimation of recharge rates, and determination of groundwater ages. Environmental isotopes have gained the position of prominence in hydrogeology because they can be routinely measured with high sensitivity, thus allowing for improved accuracy and precision in quantitative description of hydrogeological processes. Environmental Isotopes in Hydrogeology brings together the different isotopic techniques commonly used in hydrogeology and includes numerous examples and problem sets for students.
Planetary Materials (Reviews in Mineralogy, Volume 36)
Authors: Connolly Harold C.
Published: October 2006

Understanding the origin of planetary systems requires our comprehension of the materials from which the planets in our solar system formed. Exploring planetary formation draws from and contributes to a variety of scientific disciplines ranging from astrophysics to geology. One of the methods for understanding the composition and the geological history of the Earth is to study rocks. Much of the earliest history of our planet, however, has been recycled, leaving little evidence of its infancy To gain insight into the accretion and differentiation history of our planet and others, it is necessary to investigate rocks not formed on Earth.
Comment: United Nations encourages sharing of information on disaster forecasting technologies
Authors: Bertucci Guido
Published: October 2006

Natural disasters are on the rise and are of serious concern to the global community During this decade, the United Nations, through its International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and the Global Programme for the Integration of Public Administration and the Science of Disasters (UNGP‐IPASD), has striven to raise global awareness about natural disasters and about the possible approaches communities can take to reduce the impact of such disasters. Noting the emergence of many techniques and methodologies for early warning and community preparation for disasters, as well as the rapid advances in information‐sharing technology the United Nations seeks to facilitate exchange of information, data, and experiences, and to encourage the integration of applied natural sciences and public administration so as to strengthen the capacity of local communities to assess and mitigate their immediate risk from natural disasters.
Reply: U.N. should have sought expert advice
Authors: Campbell Wallace H. , Geller Robert J.
Published: October 2006

Let us first consider points raised by Freund.

Campbell is a physicist. His area of specialization for the last 41 years has been geomagnetism, not seismology He did consult and reference respected seismologists in preparing his Eos article [Campbell, 1998]. The co‐author of this reply, Geller, is a seismologist who has extensively studied proposed earthquake prediction methods [e.g., Geller, 1997].
GRL is wetter than you think
Authors: Eltahir Elfatih A. B.
Published: October 2006

A council that includes the heads of 12 United States federal agencies involved in funding ocean research or developing ocean research policy has called for the establishment of a national integrated and sustained ocean observing system.

Officials said the system should integrate new tools to monitor changes in the oceans' physical, biological, and chemical systems with the many already‐existing satellite and in situ observing elements. The system, they said, could improve long‐term climate forecasts, increase understanding of long and short‐term ocean phenomena, and help to answer some key questions concerning global warming.
The Planet Venus
Authors: Johnson Natasha
Published: October 2006

Venus has long been referred to as Earth's sister planet. Shrouded in clouds, mystery, and myth,Venus has defied exploration up until the latter half of the 20th century when the planet was assaulted by an armada of spacecraft sent by the inhabitants of Earth. The Planet Venus by Mikhail Ya. Marov and David Grinspoon, both of whom are well known in the planetary community, is a chronological, technical account about mankind's exploration of Venus. It reviews various ideas and theories that have been developed about Venus, from the time of the earliest telescopic observations to the age of interplanetary missions.
New shoreline map‐drawing data available
Authors: Feistel Rainer
Published: October 2006

A new shoreline database for making geophysical maps is now available to software developers and should expedite the map‐drawing process considerably. The new database, known as Regionally Accessible Nested Global Shorelines (RANGS), attempts to combine the best of the two sets of data most often used in recent years. It follows its forerunners, World Vector Shoreline (WVS) and global self‐consistent hierarchical high‐resolution shorelines (GSHHS),in providing coastline information for computing geophysical maps.

Software tools for such maps often require such information, and many make use of WVS data, originally issued by the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency in 1988. WVS data are organized in 1°×1° cells covering the entire globe and depicting either only water or only land or coastlines.
Federal priorities and programs in the hydrological sciences
Authors: Hartmann H. C. , Thiemann M. , Rentas C. , Meixner T. , Goodwin K. , Boyle D. , Sorooshian S.
Published: October 2006

How high a priority is hydrologic research for U.S. federal agencies? Although hydrology affects human lives and economic activity significantly, federal agency research priorities ultimately reflect the ability of the research community to generate political support, both locally and nationally. Unless the research community cultivates a vocal constituency by demonstrating the practical benefits of hydrologic research products, we risk declining federal support as other scientific disciplines step forward to direct federal agency priorities. Also, several hydrology programs require immediate mobilization of support to prevent losses in research capabilities. These were the conclusions of panel members participating in a uniquely frank “Town Hall Meeting” of the Hydrology Section at the 1998 AGU Fall Meeting. Agency representatives attending included Ghassem R. Asrar, NASA Associate Administrator for Earth Science; D.James Baker, NOAA Administrator; Robert M. Hirsch, Director of the USGS Water Resources Division; and George M. Hornberger, Chair of the National Research Council (NRC) Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources (CGER).
Henry (Hank) J. Moore (1928–1998)
Authors: Thompson Thomas W.
Published: October 2006

Henry (Hank) J. Moore, a member of the AGU Planetary Sciences section, died of a heart attack on September 21, 1998. He was in Utah while on a family trip to visit his daughter. His 70th birthday occurred just 3 weeks before his death. Henry, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, took great pride in having found and visited the small town of Albuquerque in the Extremadura region of Spain, noting the geologic similarities between that part of Spain and his birthplace in America.

Henry, known for his contributions to the Apollo,Viking, Magellan, and Mars Pathfinder missions, attributed his career to a chance encounter with Gene Shoemaker in 1960. Henry was completing his Ph.D. work in geology at Stanford University and Gene obviously had spotted Henry's keen analytical mind. I suspect this pivotal meeting was far from a chance encounter.
A Paradox of Power: Voices of Warning and Reason in the Geosciences
Authors: Thompson Douglas
Published: October 2006

As a culture, we are faced with a series of increasingly complex environmental problems. As geoscientists, we are often asked to assume the role of technical experts to provide guidance or solutions to these difficult dilemmas. Unfortunately, the political, social, economic, and judicial aspects of environmental management often require geoscientists to advocate choices or provide definitive answers that are in conflict with our training as never‐ending hypothesis testers and unbiased observers of nature.

A Paradox of Power: Voices of Warning and Reason in the Geosciences addresses this topic by providing a collection of works that highlights various discrepancies between standard scientific procedures and the public decision‐making process. The book presents a range of views and examples that provides geoscientists with a background on the issues surrounding the use of their expertise and analyses in typical law and policy decisions.
Enhanced Landsat capturing all the Earth's land areas
Authors: Goward Samuel N. , Haskett Jonathan , Williams Darrel , Arvidson Terry , Gasch John , Lonigro Rich , Reeley Michele , Irons James , Dubayah Ralph , Turner Scott , Campana Ken , Bindschadler Robert
Published: October 2006

The latest in a series of Landsat terrestrial observatories was launched April 15 and for the first time the mission configuration captures the dream envisioned by Earth scientists more than a quarter century ago. Landsat 7 now has the capability and the operations strategy to dynamically monitor all of the Earth's land areas annually paving the way toward a better understanding of the terrestrial dynamics that result from natural stresses and human activities. Landsat's long term acquisition plan (LTAP) is an ambitious step forward for the satellite, which has been tracking the Earth's land areas since 1972 [Short et al., 1976]. NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey are jointly operating the mission.
U.S. Antarctic research program reviewed in congressional hearing
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

While it is all too common for major construction projects to exceed their budgets and extend beyond their anticipated deadlines, at least one federally funded project seems to be on target.

The Amundsen‐Scott South Pole Station safety and environment upgrade (SPSE) and modernization (SPSM) is proceeding on budget and on schedule, Karl Erb, director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Polar Programs, told a U.S. House of Representatives science subcommittee during a June 9 hearing.
Data on past climate warmth may lead to better of warm future
Authors: Droxler Andre W. , Poor Richard , Burckle Lloyd
Published: October 2006

Weather bureaus around the world have accumulated daily historical records of atmospheric conditions for more than a century to help forecast meteorological conditions 3 to 5 days ahead. To gain insight into the impact of possible future climate warming and constrain predictive models for a warm future, climatologists are seeking paleoclimatologic and paleoceanographic records from recent intervals of the late Quaternary, when conditions were demonstrably warmer than today.

Results of past research on Brunhes‐age paleoclimate suggest that Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11), an interval between 420 and 360 ka, was the longest and warmest interglacial interval of the past 500 kyr (see the recent review by Howard [1997]). This interval was characterized by warmer seasurface temperatures in high latitudes, strong thermohaline circulation, unusual carbonate plankton blooms in high latitudes, higher than present sea level, coral reef expansion resulting in large accumulation of neritic carbonates, and overall poor pelagic carbonate preservation.
Kushiro receives 1999 Harry H. Hess Medal
Authors: Mysen Bjorn , Kushiro Iko
Published: October 2006

Ikuo Kushiro was awarded the Harry H. Hess Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on June 2, 1999, in Boston, Massachusetts. The medal recognizes outstanding achievements in the research of the constitution and evolution of Earth and its sister planets.

Characterization of rock‐forming processes requires laboratory experiments to determine the physicochemical properties of materials or their analog model compounds at high temperatures and high pressures. The experimental data, however, are not particularly useful unless integrated with observational and theoretical information. Ikuo Kushiro, this year's winner of the Harry H. Hess Medal, approaches experiments with this integrated view as his guiding light. He does experimental petrology, geochemistry and geophysics, but always with the understanding that the experimental data provide only a piece of a more complex puzzle. It is perhaps in part because of this attitude that Ikuo and his colleagues have provided the fundamental experimental data on phase equilibria, element partitioning, and equation‐of‐state of molten silicate applicable to most major rock‐forming processes in the Earth. All too often we ask what we can do with our instrumentation and proceed from there. Ikuo first asks the real question and then designs the experiment.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Tibor Boldizsar died at age 85. He had been a retired life member (Volcanology Geochemistry and Petrology) who joined AGU in 1965.

Ryan W. Sanders died at age 50. He had been a member (Atmospheric Sciences) since 1981.
1998 Editors' Citations for excellence in refereeing
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The reviewers whose photographs appear below have been cited by editors of AGU journals I for excellence in refereeing. The editor's citation recognizes this special service to the Union, and the individuals listed below are to be commended for consistently providing constructive and thoughtful reviews. They were recognized at the Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
Nominees for 2000–2002
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The nominees listed below constitute the slate approved by the AGU Council for the election of officers for the next biennium.
Studying the importance of hurricanes to the northern Gulf of Mexico coast
Authors: Stone Gregory W. , Wang Ping , Pepper David A. , Grymes John M. , Roberts Harry H. , Zhang Xiongping , Hsu S. A. , Huh Oscar K.
Published: October 2006

A pilot study was recently begun dealing with the impacts and post‐storm adjustment of barrier islands to severe storms along the northern Gulf of Mexico. The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of coastal morphodynamics and longer term evolution of the coast in that area. Study of the recent impacts and post‐storm adjustment of the area to Hurricane Georges is playing a very important role in enhancing our comprehension of the significance of these high‐energy events in coastal dynamics.

A few hours before dawn on September 28, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall near Biloxi along the Mississippi Gulf Coast (Figure 1) as a strong Category 2 system (as defined by the Saffir/Simpson scale: Simpson, 1974). Waves off the Mississippi/Louisiana coast exceeded 10 m in height and storm surge varied between 2–3 m. The entire stretch of coast from the modern Mississippi delta to the Florida Panhandle, a distance in excess of 200 km, was severely impacted by the hurricane through overwash and breaching of the barrier islands, and erosion of the distal ends of the sub‐deltas and major distributaries comprising the Birdsfoot delta in Louisiana. Near the landfall zone, the Category 2 storm impacted the coastline with estimated sustained winds of over 45 ms−1, and rainfall between 300 and 400 mm in coastal Mississippi. Georges was the sixth storm to impact this stretch of coast since 1995, the most severe being Hurricane Opal, at its strongest a powerful Category 4 system that made landfall east of Pensacola Beach, Florida, as a marginal Category 3 hurricane [see Eos article by Stone et al., 1996; Lawrence et al., 1998]. The cumulative impact of storms during this period of intense hurricane activity has altered significantly the morphology of the Northwest Florida coast. A review of historical photographs dating back to the early 1900's suggests that the entire coast is now in quite probably the most degraded morphological condition of the 20th century.
Seismology and geodesy showcased during Capitol Hill exhibit
Authors: Folger Peter
Published: October 2006

AGU joined forces with the American Geological Institute (AGI) for a third consecutive year to sponsor a display of earthquake and seismology research during an exhibit in Washington, D.C., on May 19. Associate professor of geophysics and AGU member Rick Aster of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology demonstrated to members of Congress and their staffs technology used to monitor seismic events and display the results in near‐real time.

The display featured a computer‐generated map that showed the location of seismic events worldwide and a working seismometer and recording drum that allowed lawmakers and staff to jump up and down and record their own earthquakes. The display proved popular for Capitol Hill regulars, who are accustomed to throwing their weight around.
Leopold Fellows meet
Authors: Hartmann Dennis L.
Published: October 2006

Communicating the results of environmental science research to nonscientists was the focus of a week‐long meeting of fellows of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program (ALLP) in June. Participating were 20 mid‐career university facultymembers, the first group of ALLP fellows to be selected.

Discussions were held on the role of scientists in society, techniques for effective leadership, improving communications skills, and working productively with news media. The training program considers both print and broadcast media as well as other outreach vehicles. The meeting was held at Kah Nee Ta Resort on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Warm Springs, Oregon, June 15–21, 1999.
Seismic and tsunami hazards in northeast Caribbean addressed at meeting
Authors: Dillon William , Ten Brink Uri , Frankel Arthur , Mueller Charles , Rodriguez Rafael
Published: October 2006

Significant earthquake and tsunami hazards exist in the northeastern Caribbean, where plate movements are rapid and complex, and population density is high.The tectonic situation at this “corner,” where a small plate is shoved over a larger one, is of considerable scientific significance. Evaluation of the tsunami hazard and earthquake risk in this region of 3.7 million people, which includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, requires understanding the rapid plate motions that occur there.

At a workshop this past March sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a group of scientists, engineers, and government and industry representatives set about to determine critical elements that would be required in a comprehensive program of scientific research, management, and publiceducation concerning the tectonic risk in the region. Participants called for work in marine geology and geophysics, paleoseismology and active faults, earthquake seismology, engineering, and tsunami research. In particular, the participants concluded that offshore faults, their level of seismic activity and, if possible, slip rates, must be better identified, and a better historic and prehistoric record of earthquake and tsunami activity on the islands must be established.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

John E. Husted died on April 30,1999, at age 83. He had been a member (Tectonophysics) since 1962.

Alan D. Johnstone died at age 59. He had been a member (SPA‐Magnetospheric Physics) since 1971.
Report warns of more natural disasters
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

While two world wars and numerous armed conflicts have framed the humanitarian agenda in the 20th century, natural disasters are a seething and growing problem that affects developing countries and the poor the hardest. Yet, emergency aid funds for dealing with natural disasters have plunged by 40% over the last 5 years, according to a new report on the issue.

In addition, 1998 was the worst year on record for natural disasters, which caused more damage than ever before, according to the World Disasters Report 1999, issued by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in June. Last year, natural disasters created 25 million refugees, more than did wars and conflict.
Role of sea ice in global climate change pondered
Authors: Schmidt Gavin A. , Hansen James E.
Published: October 2006

Large changes in Arctic sea ice cover have occurred in the last few years, though whether they are part of a long‐term natural variability or are related to increased radiative forcing from anthropogenic greenhouse gases is unclear. Knowing how sea ice changes have affected, and will continue to affect, climate (through changes to the surface albedo and through alterations to the ocean‐atmospheric exchange of freshwater and heat) may be crucial for making future climate predictions.

Processes in the Arctic that affect climate include melt‐ponds, lead fractions, brine rejection, and ice‐ice interactions. Quite a number more may exist. But, however many, they operate at relatively small scales that cannot be directly incorporated into current climate models. The high latitudes are expected to be the most sensitive regions to possible anthropogenically forced climate changes, yet observations of polar climate and understanding of polar processes have not proceeded as fast as our appreciation of their importance.
Major multidisciplinary ocean project seeks proposals
Authors: Minster Jean‐François
Published: October 2006

A major multidisciplinary oceanographic program in the North Atlantic is being put together by the French oceanographic community, and scientists who would like to participate are being asked to submit proposals immediately Field work will begin in September 2000. Known as Programme Océanographique Multidisciplinaire Méso‐Echelle (POMME),the Meso‐scale Multidisciplinary Oceanographic Program, it is supported by several French scientific agencies and will take place between the Azores and the Iberian Peninsula.

The program will focus on subduction of mode water in the region, its effect on biological production and the carbon budget in the area, and the fate of organic matter after subduction. More detailed information on the program's framework, rationale, and organization can be found on the Web (http://www.insu.cnrs‐dir.fr).
New hotspotting software available
Authors: Wessel Paul
Published: October 2006

A new software package for use in “hotspotting” has been released and is available without charge to help clarify the method and stimulate plate motion research. Hotspotting was introduced by Wessel and Kroenke [1997a] as a new geometric technique and immediately generated much interest [e.g., Schneider, 1997; Stein, 1997].

The method involves drawing crustal flowlines back in time from seamount locations. Because seamount ages are not used, one can include all available seamounts. If hotspots are stationary, if the stage rotations are accurate, and if the seamounts were indeed formed at hotspots, then these flowlines will intersect at the hotspot locations.
Townsend receives the Edward A. Flinn III award
Authors: Lanzerotti Louis J. , Townsend John W.
Published: October 2006

John W. Townsend, Jr., was awarded the Edward A. Flinn III Award at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on June 2, 1999, in Boston, Massachusetts. The award recognizes individuals who personify the Union's motto “unselfish cooperation in research” through their facilitating, coordinating, and implementing activities.
Photochemistry of Planetary Atmospheres
Authors: Atreya Sushil K.
Published: October 2006

From the distant, small, and icy bodies of the solar system, such as comets and Pluto, to the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, and the rocky inner planets (except Mercury), chemistry driven by the Sun plays a central role. Some of the most abundant constituents of the atmosphere become a principal source of a variety of minor constituents following the action of sunlight. The minor constituents, in turn, hold the key to the stability of the atmosphere, and they provide important clues to the planetary interiors, and transport, origin, and evolution of the planetary atmospheres. On Earth, trace species are central to an understanding of such questions as global climate change and the biosphere.
Sediment slump likely caused 1998 Papua New Guinea tsunami
Authors: Tappin David R. , Matsumoto Takeshi , Watts Phil , Satake Kenji , McMurtry Gary M. , Matsuyama Masafumi , Lafoy Yves , Tsuji Yoshinobu , Kanamatsu Toshiya , Lus Wilfred , Iwabuchi Yo , Yeh Harry , Matsumotu Yoshihiro , Nakamura Mamoru , Mahoi Mathew , Hill Peter , Crook Keith , Anton Lawrence , Walsh J. P.
Published: October 2006

Two major marine surveys off northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) earlier this year now suggest, when survivors' reports are taken into account, that last summer's disastrous tsunami there was caused by a sediment slump 25 km offshore. The slump was probably the result of seabed shaking from an earthquake. Not only was a sediment slump, or submarine landslide, responsible for the tsunami, according to the data, but the magnitude and wave‐height distribution of the tsunami along the coast were the result of focusing by local seabed morphology.

The conclusions are based on new off‐shore bathymetry, remote operated vehicle (ROV) dive investigations, the time delay between the source earthquake and when the tsunami struck, computer simulation models, and earthquake aftershock distribution. The most critical evidence is in survivors' accounts of the timing of the tsunami relative to the initially felt earthquake and aftershock [see Davies, 1998a].
National Science Foundation appoints new geosciences head
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Oceanographer Margaret Leinen of the University of Rhode Island has been selected to head the National Science Foundation's (NSF) geosciences directorate.

She will assume her position of assistant director for geosciences in January 2000 and will be responsible for coordinating environmental science and engineering programs within NSF for environmental cooperation and collaborations between NSF and other Federal agencies, and managing an annual budget of approximately $470 million.
Diplomats try to establish greenhouse gas emissions‐reduction rules
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Ministers and other senior officials will participate in the next follow‐up to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change when they deliberate on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a November 2–13 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“The Kyoto conference on the Climate Change Convention was a high‐profile event because for the first time industrialized countries adopted emission‐reduction targets that are legally binding,” said Michael Zammit Cutajar, executive secretary of the convention. “In Buenos Aires, governments will try to establish the rules of the game for reaching these targets."”