bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Speculations on continental crustal evolution
Authors: Meissner Rolf , Mooney Walter D.
Published: October 2006

The evolution of the continental crust is a topic that has challenged Earth scientists since the earliest hypotheses of crustal evolution were put forth by such luminaries as Hutton, the 18th century Scottish scientist, and later by Stille (Germany), Argand (France), and Dana (United States). Recent geophysical observations provide important constraints on hypotheses of crustal evolution, and the most important of these observations are reviewed in a companion paper [Mooney and Meissner, 1991], henceforth referred to as Paper 1. In this article we briefly speculate on crustal evolution using both geological and geophysical data as guidelines.

For the past 25 years, the basic framework for models of the evolution of the Earth's crust and lithosphere has been plate tectonics. This framework has been particularly successful in explaining the processes that form and modify the oceanic crust but has had somewhat more limited success in its application to the continental crust. Some of the basic tenets of plate tectonics, as applied to the continental crust, are listed below. Continental masses coalesce and disperse as ocean basins open and close in the Wilson cycle.
Melt segregation and migration
Authors: Sawyer Ed. W. , Bedard Paul L.
Published: October 2006

The processes by which melt separates from its associated solids are relevant to a wide range of geological problems. How is melt extracted during anatexis to form migmatites or granites? What drives melt segregation, especially at low melt fractions? What volume fraction of melt can be extracted? How do residual liquids percolate through accumulating crystal piles? How does melt reach high‐level plutons? These and related problems were discussed in a special session, “Melt Segregation and Migration in Partially Molten Rocks,” of the Geological Association of Canada‐Mineralogical Association of Canada (GAC‐MAC) annual meeting in Toronto, May 27–29. This session, sponsored by the MAC, attracted contributions on a wide range of field, structural, geochemical, theoretical, and geophysical studies.

All of the field‐based studies brought out the close temporal and spatial association between shear zones and melt segregation. Sally Goodman of the University of Aberdeen showed that migmatization in the Crinan subgroup of the Scottish Dalradian began with metamorphic differentiation and progressed to extensive melting in shear zones associated with the influx of fluids. Although some melt pockets remained, rocks in the shear zone now consist largely of recrystallized restite material. Shearing at the time of melting apparently drove melt segregation, and the possibility that the expelled melt formed the nearby granite bodies is being investigated.
The human factor and global change
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

The ways that human, physical, and biological systems interact are becoming increasingly important to understanding global environmental change and could help clear up many of the uncertainties associated with it, concludes a recent report by the National Research Council's committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change.

Although knowledge of the natural sciences is essential for understanding global change, it is not enough, said Paul Stern, the committee's study director. “Prediction of global change will be flawed unless there is adequate understanding of human activities,” he added
Under a volcano
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Without its lid of lava, Alaska's Redoubt volcano continues to be active. Scientists monitoring the cone say eruptions could continue for many months, as they did during the 1960s.

The latest event was a half‐hour‐long explosive eruption the morning of January 8 that blew steam and ash up to 12 km into the atmosphere.
Congress approves NSFs current plan
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Congress has granted final approval, without changes, to the National Science Foundation's operating plan for 1991. NSF projects an 11.2% increase in its budget over last year, to $2,316 billion. The plan awards the largest increase, 46.2% over last year, to the category of education and human resources.

Geosciences receive $367 million, an increase over fiscal year 1990's $325 million. This breaks down into $114.52 million for atmospheric sciences (above last year's $104.1 million); $68.33 million for Earth sciences (above last year's $60.11 million); $164.80 million for ocean sciences (over $147.37 million); $14.95 million for the Arctic research program (over $12.45 million); and $5.10 million for science and technology centers (up from last year's $0.98 million). Physics funding increases 4.2%, or $5.2 million, while astronomical sciences receive a 6.2% increase, or $5.67 million.
Another view on IGRF commercialization
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this article is to add to Patrick Taylor's arguments against commercialization of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) (Eos, April 16, 1991), and to examine the long‐term future of the global network of magnetic observatories. As chairman of the Fundraising Committee of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, Bill Stuart (Eos, Aug. 14, 1990; Feb. 19, 1991) has proposed selling IGRF as the only way of raising support for the many magnetic observatories facing imminent closure in developing countries.

Under the scheme, commercial organizations, such as oil‐drilling and mineral exploration companies, would pay for using IGRF according to some appropriate scale of charges, whereas academic and noncommercial users would continue to have free access. Questions regarding IAGA's legal rights to sell IGRF, and contentious issues concerning the administration, pricing, and policing of the scheme, though of considerable importance, are secondary to the central question of whether IAGA should be engaged in such an exercise.
A closer look at deep crustal reflections
Authors: Percival J. A. , Shaw D. M. , Milkereit B. , White D. J. , Jones A. G. , Green A. G. , Salisbury M. H. , Bursnall J. T. , Moser D. E. , Thurston P. C. , Bailey R. C. , Mareschal M.
Published: October 2006

Since acquisition of the first crustal‐scale seismic reflection sections, Earth scientists have been intrigued by images of the inaccessibly deep parts of the crust. The pattern of discontinuous subhorizontal reflections at 20–40 km depths has evoked hypotheses as diverse as depositional layering, mafic sills/intrusive layering, shear zones, and fluidfilled fractures. It is clearly important to develop interpretational criteria to relate geological evolution to seismic images.

A valid approach, practiced in seismic programs worldwide, is to study regions where the geological history is well understood. For example, the lower crust of the Basin and Range Province has a history of repeated recent mafic underplating, detectable seismically in high refraction velocities and widespread subhorizontal reflections. Such images observed in other extended regions may be interpreted in a similar fashion.
Austin Post receives Hubley Award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

One of the characteristics of the community of scientists and engineers that are working in the snow, ice, and permafrost area is that they have formed a number of organizations, both formal and informal, that concentrate on a specific topic or region and conduct relatively regular meetings of that special interest group on those subjects. Examples of these are the Eastern Snow Conference, the International Conferences on the Physics of Ice, and the International Workshops on the Atmospheric Icing of Structures.

One of these groups, the Northwest Glaciologists, recently established an award, the Richard C. Hubley Crystal, which was presented to Austin Post at their last meeting in Seattle, Washington, on November 30, 1990. Seventy‐seven glaciologists were in attendance including representatives of the outposts of the Northwest from Nagoya, Fairbanks, Pasadena, Oslo, and Innusbruck. The following is a short summary submitted by Mark Meier of the Northwest Glaciologists (in their own words, “a unique non‐organization”), some of the background for their establishing the Richard C. Hubley Crystal, Austin Post's contributions that led to his being the first recipient of the award, and his response to receiving the award.
Candidates for Office, 1992–1994: Union Candidates: President‐elect
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

AGU member since 1960. Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Principal scientific interest is space plasma physics. B.A. 1954, Cornell Univ.; M.S. 1956, Univ. of Illinois. Employed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1956. Visiting appointments at Cambridge Univ. 1975, Caltech 1986–1987, and Univ. of California, Los Angeles 1990–1991. Investigator on nine space experiments to study the solar wind or comets. Project Scientist for the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby mission. Past member of numerous NASA committees. Currently member of the National Research Council's Space Studies Board and Chair of its Committee on Solar and Space Physics. Over 100 refereed publications, most in AGU journals. One patent. Honors include NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award 1970 and Fellow of AGU 1989. AGU service as Secretary and President of Solar‐Planetary Relationships Section, Associate Editor of J. Geophys. Res. (Space) and Editor‐in‐Chief of Rev. Geophys. 1989–1992.
Refilling of the Earth's plasmasphere
Authors: Horwitz J. L. , Singh N.
Published: October 2006

The Earth's ionosphere at mid‐latitudes is produced chiefly by solar EUV‐induced photo‐ionization of the neutral atmosphere at altitudes of 90 to 300–400 kilometers. Such ionized gas, or plasma—entrained by the Earth's (basically bipolar) magnetic field—flows upward along magnetic lines of force, until the plasma gas pressure is equalized along the entire line of force extending from the northern to the southern ionosphere. The plasma region above the ionosphere on such closed magnetic field lines is called the plasmasphere. In fact, the plasmasphere may be considered as an extension of the ionosphere, for there is no clear distinction between them. In the absence of plasma‐removal processes, plasma densities may exceed 104 ions/cm3 even at high altitudes of 12,000 kilometers or more.
1991 Mineral Physics Student Award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Thomas S. Duffy of the Seismological Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology has received the Mineral Physics Student Award for 1991. This cash award is given to a student within the field of mineral physics who shows unusual promise, as evidenced by letters of support and material written by the student.

In his graduate work with Tom Ahrens at Caltech, Duffy measures sonic velocities in materials under high pressure and temperature conditions. His papers have covered constraints on mantle mineralogy by measurements of seismic velocities in minerals, elasticity measurements on enstatite, and measurements of sound speed under shock. Tom's nomination describes Duffy as “an outstanding young mineral physicist who is very smart and has a great deal of drive and ambition.”
Magellan stops transmitting Venus data
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

The Magellan spacecraft stopped sending telemetry data signals back to Earth on January 4, just as it was completing its second mapping cycle of Venus. The apparent cause is a broken transponder, used in the transmission of mapping data. Magellan's troubles are magnified by an interfering "“whistle” that has afflicted signals from the spacecraft's second transponder since last March.

The spacecraft has mapped about 97% of Venus' surface, with about 2 more weeks of its second cycle to go, according to David Okerson, mission program engineer. All attempts to fix the transponder that just stopped operating have failed, so efforts are now focusing on the second, “whistling” transponder. If it, too, remains impaired, the spacecraft will have miss an area of Venus that includes three volcanoes—Ushas, Hathor, and Innini. If the transponder problem is not resolved by January 24, Magellan will also not be able to get stereoscopic images of the Maxwell Mons area, considered a high priority for mapping because of the extremely precipitous cliff believed to mark the mountain's western edge.
Keeping JGR manageable
Authors: Bowman J. Roger , Cummins Phil , Kenneth Brian
Published: October 2006

Recent JGR policies that encourage special sections and eliminate page charges for author‐produced copy have been a boon for JGR‐Solid Earth, at least if the number of pages published is used as the primary measure of success. On the other hand, these policies have not served the interests of individual subscribers.

The merit of the material published in the 8,557 pages of the 1990 volume of JGR‐Solid Earth is not in question. As a subscriber whose main interest is in seismology, however, I have several measures of the value and cost of the journal besides the number of published pages. These 8,557 pages of JGR‐Solid Earth occupy 29 cm of shelf space and weigh 15.7 kg. (The June issue alone weighed 1.9 kg!) These are awkward figures for anyone contemplating a long‐distance move or just taking the most recent issue home for the evening.
The Origins of Comets
Authors: McKay Christopher P.
Published: October 2006

Do we live in astronomically disappointing times? Are the skies duller than they've been in the past‐comets less spectacular, meteors less frequent, and the zodiacal lights dimmer? Certainly as an amateur astronomer I have been haunted by that impression. When the only comets in recent times have been West, Kohoutek, and Halley—hardly worth writing home about—one could certainly wonder at the interest that is apparent in treatments of these subjects in historical texts. Why were the ancients so fascinated, fearful, and focused on these faint celestial fuzzballs that can only be seen when carefully pointed out?
“Geophysical couples” Discuss jobs, marriage
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Some 90 participants attended an open forum, “Dual Career Couples: Challenges and Opportunities,” on December 9 at the AGU Fall 1991 Meeting in San Francisco. Several couples summarized their experiences in “geophysical marriages” while the audience contributed questions and comments.

Being forced to live apart was a common complaint among the married panelists. One couple on the panel—Karen Prestegaard of the University of Maryland and Jim Luhr of the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Mineral Physics—have been able to live together only 2 years out of the last 10. Although employer guidelines do not officially prohibit hiring couples, Prestegaard and Luhr expressed frustration that many institutions not only will not do so, but also will not help the second partner find a job nearby.
Hinze appointed Editor of JGR‐Solid Earth
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

William J. Hinze of Purdue University has been appointed editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research‐Solid Earth. The previous multi‐editor set‐up, based on disciplines, has been consolidated into a single editorship responsible for the entire journal.

“As I pick up the reins of JGR‐Solid Earth” Hinze says, “I look forward to the challenges and opportunities of making our journal even more useful and significant, not only to the members of the AGU sections it serves directly, but to all those interested in Earth science.”
SAR observations of the Gulf Stream during SWADE
Authors: Vachon Paris W. , Liu Antony K. , Mollo‐Christensen Erik
Published: October 2006

In this article, we present and discuss some airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations of the Gulf Stream that were made by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) during the Surface Wave Dynamics Experiment (SWADE) [see Weller et al., 1991]. The CCRS CV‐580 aircraft is equipped with a C‐band SAR [see Livingstone et al., 1988] and was flown on four separate occasions during the third SWADE intensive observation period in February and March 1991.

While the purpose of SWADE is to study wind wave dynamics, a northward meander brought the Gulf Stream over the continental shelf and into the SWADE observational area to the east of Wallops Island, Va. The approximate location of the Gulf Stream, based upon an operational oceanographic feature analysis using infrared imagery from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and buoy data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is shown in Figure 1.
Discovery of a large offset in the radiocarbon time scale
Authors: Broecker W. S.
Published: October 2006

Age determinations by the radiocarbon method provide our primary chronology for both geological and archeological events over the last 40,000 years. It has long been known from measurements on wood samples dated by tree rings that the radiocarbon age scale is not identical to the calendar scale. The reason is that the production rate of radiocarbon changes with time due to variations of the strength of the magnetic shield, which deflects away some of the cosmic rays from their encounter with the Earth's atmosphere. The variations are assodated with changes in both the strength of the Earth's magnetic field and the strength of the magnetic field created by the solar wind. Measurements on tree rings show that because of these changes in cosmic ray irradiation of our atmosphere, the radiocarbon time scale has deviated from the calendar scale by as much as 500 years in the period 5000–9000 calendar years ago. But because the tree ring chronology as yet does not extend further back in time, little information is available about the magnitude of the offset before 9000 calendar years ago.
Measuring the Earth to within an inch using GPS satellites
Authors: Blewitt Geoffrey
Published: October 2006

A recently developed technique for “measuring the Earth” was demonstrated in 1991 using data from an experiment involving a world‐wide network of receivers that track satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Recent results indicate that distances between points separated by as much as 10,000 km on the surface of the Earth can be determined at the 2 cm level, and that the position of the pole of rotation at the Earth's surface can be estimated daily to better than 2 cm. Achieving this level of accuracy in a reliable, economical way is an important step towards building our understanding of the Earth as a rotating, deforming body.

Funded by NASA's Solid Earth Science Program, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory coordinated participation of many international institutions in a 3‐week experiment in January–February 1991 called GPS for International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) and Geodynamics '91 (GIG'91). Twenty‐one receivers developed by J PL and scores of commercial receivers were simultaneously deployed. Several independent groups around the world analyzed the data and presented results at meetings in the summer and fall of 1991.
Solar sources of geomagnetic storms
Authors: Hoeksema J. Todd
Published: October 2006

Because geomagnetic storms can have important effects on communications and electrical power distribution, an ability to predict these storms has considerable value. We have recently come to understand that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) cause most large geomagnetic storms during the most active part of the solar cycle [Gosling et al., 1991]. CMEs are huge eruptions of hydrogen gas that originate low in the corona; they are often associated with eruptive prominences and solar flares. CMEs can travel as much as three or four times faster than the slower solar wind plasma ahead of them. As a fast CME travels outward through the solar wind toward Earth, both the material ahead of the CME and the leading portion of the CME itself are compressed, shocks are formed, and magnetic field lines from the ambient solar wind are draped across the front of the CME. When this disturbance reaches the Earth, the Earth's magnetic field is affected.
Bromley discusses policy with scientific societies
Authors: Cole Stephen
Published: October 2006

D. Allan Bromley, President Bush's science advisor, met with presidents and executive officers of two dozen physical science and mathematics societies on January 22 to discuss major issues affecting the scientific community and federal science policy. AGU President G. Brent Dalrymple presented one of four talks given at the meeting on the issue of support for small science.

Bromley invited the society leaders to meet with his staff on the Office of Science and Technology Policy in an effort to tap the expertise of scientific societies in formulating science policy. AGU Executive Director Fred Spilhaus remarked that he was impressed by the openness of the meeting and the obvious value Bromley placed on the societies' input.
NSF releases FY 1992 current plan
Authors: Simorski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

The National Science Foundation has released its current plan for fiscal year 1992, which details how it will allocate its budget from October 1991 to September 1992. NSF received an overall increase of 11.12%, almost the same as last year's 11.2% increase.

Education and human resources garnered the greatest increase of any category in the foundation for FY 1992, representing a 44.25% increase over FY 1991. The growth in this directorate's allotment, in fact, represents 55.41% of the foundation's entire increase this year. Education and human resources received $220 million in the 1990 plan, $322 million in the 1991 plan, and $465 million in 1992.
Io and Jupiter: The volcano‐magnetosphere connection
Authors: Schneider Nick , Spencer John
Published: October 2006

In the interlude between spacecraft encounters with Jupiter, Earth‐bound observers using clever and powerful techniques have made substantial headway in monitoring two major phenomena: volcanos on Jupiter's moon Io (most active in the solar system) and Jupiter's magnetosphere (largest and densest of all the planets). While these two may seem unrelated, planetary scientists believe they are quite closely tied. Astronomers are working together to probe the fundamental and enigmatic connection between volcanos and magnetospheres.

Volcanic activity on Io is powered not by radioactive heating, as it is on Earth, but by the continual flexing of Io by Jupiter's intense gravitational field, which generates heat as in a rapidly flexed tennis ball. Most of this heat is eventually radiated into space from a series of hot volcanic centers, or “hot spots,” where the surface is up to several hundred degrees hotter than its surroundings. The heat radiation is so intense that Io literally “glows in the dark” at infrared wavelengths, allowing astronomers with infrared telescopes to follow the frequent changes in the level of volcanic activity.
Bush cancels CRAF, closes out Magellan
Authors: Cole Stephen
Published: October 2006

In response to the Bush administration's announcement last week that funding for the Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby mission and continued Magellan operations has been eliminated from the fiscal year 1993 budget request, NASA has started the process of shutting down both missions. CRAF is expected to close down completely by October and Magellan's current radar mapping will be eliminated to stretch out 1992 funds through early 1993, when the spacecraft will be turned off.

According to the president's 1993 budget report to Congress, CRAF was terminated “because the scientific benefits of this mission no longer justify the investment. In order to contain cost growth, the scope of the CRAF mission was recently reduced by deleting the comet penetrator and several other instruments. Thus, much of the planned science was already lost.”
Large igneous provinces studied
Authors: Coffin Millard F.
Published: October 2006

Episodic magmatism has resulted in the emplacement of large igneous provinces (LIPs), including continental flood basalts and associated intrusives, volcanic/intrusive passive margins, oceanic plateaus, submarine ridges, ocean basin flood basalts, and seamount chains (Figure 1). LIPs represent major global events, whose genesis and evolution are directly linked to mantle dynamics. Recent research has documented important temporal, spatial, and compositional relationships among LIPs. Large volumes of lava and associated intrusives are commonly produced in short episodes and may be related to changes in rate and direction of plate motion. Exceptions include some submarine ridges that record persistent extrusion as a plume trail. Geochemical studies of rocks from these environments suggest lower to upper mantle sources for the magma, with regional variations due to mantle heterogeneities and the nature of the crust through which the magma passes.
Senate debates revised energy bill
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

A trimmed‐down energy bill introduced by J. Bennett Johnston (D‐La.) on January 29 breathes new life into the wide‐ranging energy package that was killed by a filibuster last November. The National Energy Security Act of 1992 (S2166) maintains most of the core elements of S1220, but many controversial issues have been deleted. It easily received the votes to block a filibuster and went to the floor of the Senate for debate on February 4. Following a week‐long recess, debate will resume on February 18.
Tough budget year ahead, says NASA's Fisk
Authors: Cole Stephen
Published: October 2006

Lennard Fisk, head of NASA's space science and applications division, painted a bleak picture for space scientists on February 14 as the Bush administration's fiscal 1993 budget headed to Congress. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Space Science Working Group in Washington, D.C., Fisk said “It's going to take a miracle to get the $2,985 billion request” for space science in this year's NASA budget.

Fisk held out no hope that programs already cut from the budget, such as the Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby mission, would be reinstated. The CRAF cancellation was “a $50 million issue in fiscal 1993,” said Fisk, “and it was $50 million that simply wasn't there.” His office “was under enormous pressure to take something off the plate,” he said.
Kuwait oil spill studied
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

More than a year after the Persian Gulf War, scientists are still trying to assess the environmental impact of the estimated 6–8 million barrels of oil that were dumped into the gulf and to understand the environmental processes that take place in such a disturbance. Many atmospheric studies were done in the months immediately following the war, but oceanographic studies have been slower in getting started.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is currently spearheading a major oceanographic study being undertaken in the Persian Gulf by the research vessel Mt. Mitchell. The ship left its home port of Norfolk, Va., in mid‐January and arrived in Muscat, Oman, on February 16 to begin a 100‐day oceanographic and environmental survey. The six‐leg cruise will feature physical oceanography, near‐shore, and marine life studies.
Senate approves energy bill
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

The controversial National Energy Security Act of 1992 (S2166) was approved by the Senate in a 94‐4 vote on February 19 after a circuitous route through the chamber. The original energy bill, SI220, was introduced last summer and was blocked from coming to the Senate floor by a filibuster. The new bill is considerably different from the original energy bill.

The sponsor of the bill, S. Bennett Johnston (D‐La.), and cosponsor Malcolm Wallop (R‐Wyo.) agreed to abandon certain controversial components in order to keep the bill moving. The main program dropped is the proposal to open parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling. Environmentalists were opposed to the drilling and were able to block the entire bill last fall, so Johnston agreed to abandon the provision.
“Flat‐Venus Society” organizes
Authors: Morrison David
Published: October 2006

This is a call for the formation of a Flat‐Venus Society. In the face of a media blitz that conveys the impression that Venus is characterized by soaring mountains and deep canyons, a dedicated group is needed to promote the fact that our sister planet is mostly flat, rolling plains.

The beautiful and widely publicized “three‐dimensional images” and video “flyovers” of Venus released by NASA and the Magellan Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory all have a vertical exaggeration of 23:1. This distortion greatly exceeds that normally used even by geologists.
Panel drafts position on U.S. science budget
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The AGU panel charged with writing the Union position on the U.S. fiscal 1993 budget met at AGU Headquarters on February 27 to draft their statement and hear from representatives of federal science agencies. The panel's position statement is expected to be completed by the end of March, pending approval by the AGU Council.

AGU has drafted positions on the U.S. science budget since 1990. This year's panel includes Terry E. Tullis (chair), Brown University; H. Frank Eden, General Electric Astro Space; Thomas E. Pyle, Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc.; Thomas Potemra, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; David W. Simpson, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology; Steven W. Squyres, Cornell University; and Eric F. Wood, Princeton University.
Hydrology wins one, loses one
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

Hydrologists are lauding the creation of a program for basic hydrologic research within the National Science Foundation, even while another formerly substantial source of funding is drying up at the U.S. Geological Survey. Both events are part of the proposed federal budget for fiscal year 1993.

The good news is NSF's proposal for a $2.5 million program intended to fund “basic research dealing with the Earth's hydrologic cycle and the role of water on or near the continental surfaces of the Earth.” According to NSF and hydrologists outside the agency, the program grew out of recommendations from a National Research Council committee that were published in 1991 as Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences. The year before, AGU recommended that “NSF take steps to establish a unified program in hydrologic science that is commensurate with the importance of water in Earth processes at all scales.” In its official position on this issue, AGU described NSF's existing support for hydrologic science as fragmented and unstable, impeding the maturation of this area “as a distinct geoscience.”
Lay receives 1991 Macelwane Medal
Authors: Van der Voo Rob , Lay Thorne
Published: October 2006

In December 1991, Thorne Lay was awarded the Macelwane Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. This honor is given in recognition of significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability.
Uyeda receives Bucher medal
Authors: Hilde Thomas , Uyeda Seiya
Published: October 2006

Seiya Uyeda received the Walter H. Bucher Medal for his original contributions to the basic knowledge of the Earth's crust at the AGU Fall Meeting in December 1991. Thomas Hilde presented the medal.
Miller named Editor of Paleoceanography
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Kenneth G. Miller, associate professor of geology at Rutgers, has been named editor of Paleoceanography. He is also a member of AGU's Committee on Paleoceanography and served as associate editor of the journal from 1986 to 1991.

According to Miller, Paleoceanography has become the dominant journal addressing the operation of past oceans since it was first published in 1986, and it has been very successful in attracting Pleistocene oceanographic studies. He plans to maintain this emphasis in the journal and hopes it will continue to grow in response to global climate programs. “Pleistocene oceanographic studies are critical to understanding global climate change, and Paleoceanography will be the prime outlet for papers in this field,” he noted.
Continental isotopic indicators of climate studied
Authors: Stewart P. K.
Published: October 2006

Our knowledge of past climatic variations has greatly expanded during the last 30 years by the addition of new analytical methods that evaluate the stable isotopic composition of planktonic and benthic foraminifera. As this isotopic record of climate change is restricted to marine sediments, the information obtained from these studies has been naturally biased toward variations in oceanic climate. There are, however, numerous potential continental isotopic indicators of climate (CIIC), which have not been widely utilized either to evaluate past or to predict future climate change. Examples of such indicators are the hydrogen and oxygen isotopic ratios of cellulose, ice cores, and clays; the oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of carbonates from cements, altered whole rock, calcretes, cave deposits, land‐dwelling organisms, and authigenic lake sediments; and the oxygen isotopic composition of phosphorites.
Magnetic observations from the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans
Authors: Macnab Ron , Verhoef Jacob , Srivastava Shiri
Published: October 2006

Coherent and well‐adjusted magnetic data are essential for quantitative plate tectonic investigations and the automated production of accurate maps. To create a digital database that will meet these needs, a project was initiated in late 1988 at the Atlantic Geoscience Centre of the Geological Survey of Canada to assemble magnetic observations from the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans and adjacent land areas. The project will be completed in early 1993, and grids, maps, and documentation describing constituent data sets and the procedures used to meld them into a qualified database will be publicly distributed.

The data assembly phase of the project is essentially finished, with enough observations provided or offered by 41 organizations in 15 countries to cover most of the study area. The total database contains nearly 50 million data points, comprising about 1300 separate sets of digital data, which are in the form of original observations along ships' tracks and aircraft flight lines, or grids created during previous compilations or from digitized contour maps.
CEAREX data available on CD‐ROM
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The National Snow and Ice Data Center and the Office of Naval Research announce the availability of a CD‐ROM sampler containing data from the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX). This disc is the first in a planned series titled “Eastern Arctic Ice, Ocean, and Atmosphere Data.” Data sets include meteorology, hydrography, bio‐optics, bathymetry, sea‐ice acceleration, stress and deformation, ambient noise, and acoustics. Complete documentation is provided on the disc.
Wetherill receives 1991 Hess medal
Authors: Carlson Richard , Wetherill George
Published: October 2006

George W. Wetherill was awarded the Harry H. Hess Medal at the AGU 1991 Fall Meeting in San Francisco for outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and its sister planets
Cloetingh named European Editor of Tectonics
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Sierd Cloetingh of the Institute of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has been named European editor of Tectonics. His term will be from 1992 to 1995.

According to Cloetingh, “Quantitative insights into tectonic processes depend critically on the continuous gathering of highquality data on the structure and composition of the lithosphere and to effectively link these data with conceptional models to be tested, regional thematic studies spanning the outcrop to crustal/lithosphere scale are essential. At the same time, development of new and testable tectonic hypotheses is an essential requirement for future progress, which is important as these models have the potential to generate predictions on an increasingly smaller scale that closely approaches the scale of field observations. Laboratory experiments provide another indispensable source of information on, for example, the rheology of the lithosphere, while isotope geology has proved to be capable of generating powerful constraints on the mechanisms of crustal extension, for example.” Tectonics should reflect the increasingly integrated nature of Earth sciences, covering a field that is implicitly at the leading edge of the integration of geology and geophysics, he added.
New AGU book on marine particles
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

AGU announces the publication of a new book, Marine Particles: Analysis and Characterization, edited by David C. Hurd and Derek W. Spencer. This work is No. 63 in AGU's Geophysical Monograph series andshares the collective experiences of leading researchers as they review and catalog the existing methods for characterizing marine particles.

In the field of marine science, there is a great diversity in the methods of particle study and analysis. Previously, there had been no comprehensive source that outlined all of the practices for studying marine particles. AGU's new publication was intended to fill this need. Marine Particles: Analysis and Characterization is an effective teaching resource for graduate‐level oceanography courses and also serves as a reference for experienced researchers who need a single source that covers the processes of sampling and chemically analyzing marine particles.
Ostenso receives ocean sciences award
Authors: Wall Robert , Ostenso Ned A.
Published: October 2006

Ned A. Ostenso was the recipient of AGU's 1992 Ocean Sciences Award. He was recognized for his “long and significant service to marine science in the United States.” The presentation of the biennial award was made on January 29 during AGU's Ocean Sciences Meeting in New Orleans, La.
Senate panels review NASA, NSF budgets
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

The Senate recently began its review of the fiscal year 1993 budget for NASA and the National Science Foundation. Although the forecast looks generally positive for both agencies, senators did express concerns about specific aspects of the budget requests.

At a meeting of the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space on March 18, Albert Gore (D‐Tenn.) raised a series of questions likely to follow NASA's budget deliberations over the coming months. The fact that Gore is a strong supporter of NASA makes these questions quite significant.
Down‐sized EOS plan goes to Congress
Authors: Cole Stephen
Published: October 2006

As instructed by Congress last year, NASA has redesigned the Earth Observing System program to fly on several small satellites and study primarily global climate change. The new plan, which was sent to Congress in mid‐March, will fly seventeen instruments on five satellites by the year 2002 with the first launch promised for June 1998.

The redesign is based on recommendations made by engineering and scientific advisory panels last year. NASA Administrator Richard Truly reviewed the recommendations and approved the restructured program in December 1991. NASA was ordered, however, by Congress to redesign the program in its fiscal year 1992 appropriations bill.
NASA budget growth 1–2% in fiscal 1993?
Authors: Leath Audrey T.
Published: October 2006

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D‐Md.) presented departing NASA Administrator Richard Truly with a sobering question at a March 25 hearing of the Senate Appropriations VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies subcommittee. Mikulski told Truly that if the so‐called budget “firewalls” don't come down so that defense money can be shifted to domestic spending, her subcommittee's budget allocation will not be sufficient to fund President Bush's requests for NASA. The question she posed to Truly was, if the firewalls do not come down, “Do you believe the best appropriations strategy would be to go to a continuing resolution until March of next year … or recommend trying to squeeze the existing requirements into a growth rate of 1–2% and cut programs based on your priorities?” A continuing resolution would mean continuation of funding at current levels.
1991 LANL Mantle Convection Workshop
Authors: Gable Carl W. , Kincaid Chris
Published: October 2006

Since 1985, Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) has hosted a mantle convection workshop. Each year, senior scientists and graduate students meet for 2 weeks of formal and informal presentations and hands‐on working groups. The workshop format has been to define focus topics and activities which are discussed in small subgroups. Focus group reports are then made to summarize previous work and define avenues of future research on specific topics. From July 8 to 19, 1991, the primary focus of discussion was mantle plumes. Mantle discontinuities and the effect of tectonic plates upon mantle convection were focus topics in previous workshops. Additional focus topics for this workshop included the differences between 2D and 3D convection and a discussion of benchmark problems for the European convection workshop, held in August 1991 in Weilburg, Germany. In addition to presentations, focus group reports, and the exchange of ideas by geodynamics researchers, a number of guest speakers from related fields helped provide background on relevant model constraints, motivate discussion, and promote communication between fields.
Goldin confirmed as NASA Chief
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

Daniel S. Goldin was sworn in as NASA's new administrator on April 1 after the Senate confirmed his nomination the day before. Goldin replaces Richard H. Truly, who resigned in February and left the position on April 1. Goldin made a favorable impression during his confirmation hearing on March 27 before the Senate Commerce Committee.

It is widely recognized that outgoing Administrator Richard Truly resigned because of disagreements with the National Space Council. Sen. Albert Gore (D‐Tenn.) addressed this point early in the hearing, declaring that it is “critical” that NASA continue as an independent agency and “not as a wing of the White House.” Goldin's opening remarks addressed this point, as he said forcefully, “I will consult with you on a regular basis and I will be in charge of NASA.”
Budget “Walls” Stand; Big projects threatened
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

By decisive votes, both the House and Senate have rejected efforts to prevent massive cuts in domestic spending for fiscal year 1993 by dismantling the budget agreement that separates domestic and defense spending. At stake is funding for the superconducting super collider, the space station, the National Science Foundation, Mission to Planet Earth, and other programs.

On March 26, a Senate move to allow changes between domestic and defense spending failed by a decisive ten votes. The House followed suit on March 31, voting 238 to 187 against a shift of almost $7 billion into the domestic spending account. Congress must now go to work on domestic appropriations bills with $6.7 billion less than what is needed to merely keep pace with inflation.
Chen receives First Scarf Award
Authors: Roelof Edmond C.
Published: October 2006

At the AGU 1992 Spring Meeting in Montreal, Margaret Wei‐Mei Chen will be presented with the Space Physics and Aeronomy section's F.L. Scarf Award for outstanding dissertation research that contributes directly to solar‐planetary science. Chen will receive a cash award of $1,000 and present an invited paper on the subject of her dissertation in a SPA‐Magnetospheric Physics session at the meeting.

Chen received her Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, in September 1990. Her dissertation on “The Polar Wind and Ionic Outflow” involved the oretical analysis, numerical simulations, and comparison with observational data. Advised by Maha Ashour‐Abdalla, Chen incorporated kinetic processes such as ion heating into a macroscopic hydrodynamical model of the polar wind in order to investigate “non‐classical” effects in the polar wind. She also worked closely on this subject with Thomas E. Holzer of the NCAR High Altitude Observatory. In collaboration with William K. Peterson of Lockheed and Thomas E. Moore of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Chen analyzed measurements from the Dynamics Explorer 1 spacecraft of upflowing ion streams in the polar cap region. These data were used to guide the theoretical modeling.
AGU lends a hand
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Lend‐A‐Hand (LAH), AGU's newest program supporting the growth of geophysics in developing countries, got off the ground early this year and already sponsors ten members.

LAH encourages current AGU members to sponsor a specific individual's dues and possibly journals through a contribution made directly to AGU. The program is geared toward individuals who are not currently AGU members because of currency restrictions and/or the low salaries in their native countries.
Restoration of observatory at Apia, Western Samoa
Authors: Tomlinson Lester
Published: October 2006

The Apia Magnetic Observatory has been making recordings on the same site since 1905. As a result, it has one of the longest data sets for one site of any observatory in the world. Work is also done in meteorology, seismology, hydrology, and geology at the observatory. Despite damage to the observatory's instrumentation and facilities resulting from two tropical storms, it is collecting data once again.

At the beginning of 1990, western Samoa was devastated by tropical cyclone Ofa. A great deal of damage was done at the Apia Observatory, which is located at the end of a peninsula protruding out into the lagoon. One office building was destroyed when it was washed off its foundations. The outer roof was blown off the magnetic variometer house and various amounts of damage were done to other buildings. Besides damage to the buildings, a great deal of damage was done to the instruments from salt water and spray, particularly to both the variometers and absolute instruments used in the geomagnetic program.
Academy issues report on Yucca Mountain
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

The National Academy of Sciences released a report on April 13 concluding that Yucca Mountain, the proposed nuclear waste repository site located about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nev., is not at risk from groundwater infiltration. “There is no evidence to support the assertion that the water table has risen periodically hundreds of meters from deep within the crust,” the report states.

According to vice chairman of the NAS panel George A. Thompson of Stanford University, the panel was charged with evaluating whether the water table has risen in the past to the level of the proposed repository or if this might happen in the future. The panel was not responsible for determining whether Yucca Mountain is suitable as a repository site.
A forum for the teaching of geophysics
Authors: Holoviak Judy C.
Published: October 2006

Here is a proposal for an experimental publication in an area new to AGU.

AGU currently has five core publications: Eos communicates within the scientific community; Journal of Geophysical Research (all colors and hues) and Water Resources Research are the mainline archival journals; Geophysical Research Letters features quick, short, and timely publications; and Reviews of Geophysics integrates current research into coherent overviews. Nowhere does the Union offer a forum for the teaching of geophysics similar in scope to the American Journal of Physics, which, unfortunately, does not cover our territory.