bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ACCRETE: A study of continental growth
Authors:   ACCRETE Workshop Steering Committee
Published: September 2022

The recognition of terranes and terrane accretion has fundamentally changed the way we view the development of continental crust. The terrane concept originated from studies of the western Cordillera of North America, where it was demonstrated in the 1970s that microplates had travelled substantial distances before being amalgamated to cratonic North America. Since these early studies, the terrane concept has been widely applied to older orogenic belts, including the Appalachians and most of the Precambrian shields.

Despite the acceptance of the terrane concept, a number of fundamental questions remain regarding the process of terrane accretion and its interaction with transform faulting and igneous and metamorphic events. Still not fully understood are: the coupling processes of mantle with deeper crust, and of deeper crust with upper crust; how pieces of continental crust with different histories respond to juxtaposition; the mechanism of the Mono's formation; and the behavior of fluids (melt and aqueous) with the changing stress field during accretion.
Senate passes NSF, NASA budgets
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: September 2022

On July 18 the Senate passed HR 2519, the appropriations bill for VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies, which provides the budgets for NASA and the National Science Foundation. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote “after two long days of interrupted debate over the space station,” according to the Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report.
Extent of Pinatubo cloud probed
Authors:   Global Volcanism Network, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
Published: September 2022

The major stratospheric aerosol cloud produced by the mid‐June eruption of Pinatubo in the Philippines circled the globe in about 3 weeks, forming a semi‐continuous band between roughly 20°N and 20°S. Preliminary data continue to suggest that the cloud was larger than that injected by the 1982 eruption of El Chichon. The cloud's dispersal and structure were tracked by satellites and monitored by airborne and ground‐based instruments. The bulk of the cloud remained at equatorial latitudes, but work thus far may not have investigated its densest regions.
U.S.S.R. magnetic anomaly data
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

U.S.S.R. magnetic anomaly data are now available from the National Geophysical Data Center. The data set contains a wealth of information useful to Earth scientists studying global tectonic processes and the deep crustal composition of major continental eratons.

In 1974 the Ministry of Geology of the U.S.S.R. published a mosaic series of 18 sheets at 1:2,500,000 scale showing the residual magnetic intensity over the land mass of the U.S.S.R. The data were compiled by a group of scientists under the leadership of Z.A. Makarova. Much of the source material originated from data collected between 1949–1962, during which time the territory of the U.S.S.R. was surveyed using aerial magnetic survey techniques. These surveys were adjusted based on many methods including secular variation linked to magnetic observations. Anomalies were computed with reference to a normal field map for 1964–1965 constructed from equally accurate total field measurements along control network strips.
Herring receives Macelwane Medal
Authors: Shapiro Irwin , Herring Tom
Published: September 2022

Tom Herring of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was awarded the James R. Macelwane Award for significant contributions to geophysical sciences on May 29 at the annual Spring Meeting Honors Night in Baltimore, Md. The award is presented to scientists under the age of 35 who possess outstanding ability.

The award citation, delivered by Irwin Shapiro, and Herring's response are presented below.
Earthquake funding restored
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: September 2022

Funding levels for the U.S. Geological Survey's part of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program for FY92 have been restored by the House and a Senate subcommittee. The president's budget request for FY92 was only $37.3 million, lower than the $54.5 million authorized by Congress for FY91. Earlier this year the House agreed on restoring $10 million to the program. Some AGU members have been trying to see the full $17.2 million difference restored. It is reported that the Senate will agree to give $15 million to the program.

When Congress reconvenes in September the full Senate will vote on the Department of Interior and Related Agencies appropriations bill (HR2686). After that, the bill will go to a joint conference committee, where differences between the House and Senate will be resolved before the bill is passed along to the president.
CO2 in glacial ice gives clues to historical atmosphere
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Historical concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) are reported from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP 2) in the August Geophysical Research Letters. These results reveal interesting data about atmospheric CO2 concentration before the industrial era. M. Wahlen, D. Allen, and B. Deck of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and A. Herchenroder of the New York State Department of Health report their results from studying CO2 concentrations in the air bubbles trapped in various ice layers from the GISP 2 ice core. These data represent samples of the Earth's atmosphere from the years 1530 to 1940, including part of the “Little Ice Age” (Neoglacial), a term used for 16th and 18th century cold phases.
How fluids affect volcanos
Authors: Forster Craig , Ingebritsen Steve , Christenson Bruce , Heiken Grant , Manning Craig
Published: September 2022

An interdisciplinary session entitled “Fluid‐Volcano Interactions” was held at the 1990 AGU Fall Meeting to draw together researchers from volcanology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, tectonophysics, and geophysics. Forty‐seven papers were presented during a two‐day poster session followed by an open discussion period.

The session provided a forum to discuss how circulating fluids influence the thermal, chemical, mechanical, and hydrologic processes that contribute to the evolution and behavior of volcanos. Papers presented during the poster session covered a broad range of topics, including measurements of heat, fluid, and solute fluxes at volcanos; volcano deformation and internal dynamics; waterrock interaction and the role of magmatic volatiles; structural controls on fluid flow and heat transfer; and approaches for modeling fluid, heat, and solute transport in volcanos. The diversity of topics illustrates the importance of fluid circulation to a wide variety of volcanic processes. It also highlights the difficulty of integrating the observations and theories generated within disparate disciplines into robust models.
Magellan “Venusquake” evidence reconsidered
Authors: Cole Stephen
Published: September 2022

What initially appeared to be a remarkable discovery by NASA's Magellan radar mapping mission—direct visual evidence of active tectonics on Venus—may actually have been distortion in the data and not an actual change on the planet's surface, according to mission scientists. At a press conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on August 30, project scientist Steve Saunders presented two radar images of the same region in Aphrodite Terra, taken eight months apart, that showed a change in the topography. A fracture in the earlier image appeared covered with a broad bright patch in the second image. The patch was interpreted as being a landslide caused by a “Venusquake” that had occurred sometime between the two flyovers of the area by the Magellan spacecraft.
Electronic mail abstract submissions increase
Authors: DeVito M. Catherine
Published: September 2022

The number of meeting abstracts submitted to AGU by electronic mail is growing. Two hundred electronic mail submissions were received for the Fall Meeting, compared with only 30 for the Spring Meeting. Electronic transmission allows presenters to submit abstracts up to the abstract deadline without risking rejection due to late arrival. AGU had to reject 40 Fall Meeting abstracts that arrived after the deadline because of slow mail service. Electronic submission offers presenters the chance to submit abstracts even on the last day.
Minnesota Geological Survey may close
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: September 2022

The future of the Minnesota Geological Survey is up in the air until January 1992, when the state legislature reconvenes. On June 4, Governor Arne H. Carlson vetoed a line‐item of the 2‐year University of Minnesota budget that contains funding for the MGS. If funds are not restored by special legislative appropriation and approved by the governor during the spring of 1992, MGS will be abolished effective July 1992.

The possibility of closing the survey reflects a financial decision, according to Robert A. Schroeder, assistant to the governor. It is not based on the usefulness of the survey's work. “The governor's objective with his line‐item vetoes was to control overall spending, not to target specific programs,” he said. Since MGS is university‐affiliated, it is funded under Minnesota's Higher Education bill, rather than as a state agency. Because of overspending in 1991, the state has had to cut back funds, and the university is one area hit by budget cuts. The university may still choose to fund the program and has the flexibility to reallocate funds within the system.
Antarctic radiation exposure doubles
Authors: Blue Charles
Published: September 2022

New data reveal that the Antarctic Peninsula received twice its normal maximum dose of hazardous solar ultraviolet radiation in December 1990. The prolonged persistence of the ozone hole over Antarctica caused an increased exposure of radiation, according to a paper published in the October issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

John Frederick and Amy D. Alberts of the University of Chicago calculated the amount of ultraviolet solar spectral radiation from data collected at Palmer Station, Antarctica. During the spring of 1990 the largest observed values for ultraviolet radiation were approximately double the values expected, based on previous years. “The measurements from Palmer Station are consistent with similar data from McMurdo Sound, where a factor of three [ultraviolet radiation] enhancement was recorded, according to work by Knut Stamnes and colleagues at the University of Alaska,” Frederick said. “The radiation levels observed over Palmer Station in December 1990 may be the largest experienced in this region of the world since the development of the Earth's ozone layer,” he added.
Man, water, and global sea level
Authors: Chao B. Fong
Published: September 2022

I'd like to call attention to an anthropogenic influence on global sea level change. Although far less interesting for geophysicists who study natural processes, the phenomenon in question has made a significant difference, and hence ought to be taken into account in the sea level budget.

Observational evidence shows that the global sea level has risen at the rate of 1.6–2 mm/yr for the last several decades [e.g., Trupin and Wahr, 1990; Douglas, 1991]. How much of [the rise] results from natural fluctuation, how much is anthropogenic, and what are the sources and mechanisms of the rise are among the key questions asked in this era of concerns about enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming. Presumably, as the global temperature rises, the sea level will rise for two reasons: thermal expansion (the steric change), and addition of water (the eustatic change). A primary candidate for the source of the latter is melting land ice in the form of polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers. Practically nothing useful is known about the present‐day mass balance of the polar ice [Zwally, 1989; Douglas et al., 1990]. The best estimate for the rate of mountain glacier mass wastage, based on scanty data, amounts to a contribution of 0.46 (±.26) mm/yr of higher sea level between 19007ndash;1961 [Meier, 1984].
Geosat CD‐ROMs available from NOAA
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

NOAA is pleased to announce the release of CD‐ROMs containing improved geophysical data records from the November 1986—October 1989 Geosat altimeter exact repeat mission. The CD‐ROMs may be ordered individually or as a seven CD‐ROM set. Each order will be accompanied by a user handbook and data access software. For more information, contact National Ocean Service, NOAA, N/OES11, Satellite and Ocean Dynamics Branch, Rockville, MD 20852; tel. 301‐443‐8556; telemail NOAA.GEOSAT (Omnet), or National Geographic Data Center, NOAA, E/OC21, User Services Branch, Washington, DC 20235; 202‐606‐4549; telemail NODC. WDCA (Omnet).
International Committee expands structure
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: September 2022

AGU's Committee on International Participation has recently undergone a restructuring, or “perestroika,” according to International Secretary Juan Roederer. By establishing the new ad hoc Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) and Corresponding Members, AGU will help assure that it is serving its worldwide membership and strengthening its international relations.

The CIP, through the new RACs, will identify the needs of geophysicists outside the United States and Canada and add services not currently available and enhance existing services. The International Secretary will then make recommendations to the appropriate AGU program and administrative committees. The CIP may also propose special activities such as the ongoing Berkner Membership Program for developing countries and the Latin America Visiting Scientist Program.
As the world turns, II
Authors: Chao B. Fong
Published: September 2022

As a sequel to the saga “As the World Turns” [Chao, 1985], which strolls through the kinematics of the Earth's rotation, this episode relates a close encounter of the dynamic kind with our turning world. First, this article elucidates the distinction between relative and absolute rotations. Then it argues that the instruments that respond to absolute rotation with sufficient sensitivity can potentially detect the Earth's rotational variations under certain conditions; hence, the instruments are complementary and present interesting alternatives to conventional geodetic techniques that measure relative rotation.
Geophysics News 1991
Authors: Knopman Debra S.
Published: September 2022

For the second consecutive year, AGU has published Geophysics News, a collection of short articles about new research findings from the past year. The primary target for this publication is science journalists, who can make constructive use of clearly written, accessible stories by spreading them to an even wider audience. The special spin on articles in Geophysics News is that research findings are placed in their proper scientific perspective with relevant policy implications described as well.

The full contents of Geophysics News 1991 will be run in Eos over the next several weeks, beginning with this issue. This is being done for two reasons. First, these articles present AGU members with a wonderful opportunity to learn about the “hot news” in research areas outside of their own expertise. And, as examples of science writing for a broad audience, these articles are meant to encourage other AGU members to also make the effort to write about their science for the general public.
Honors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

A uniquely comprehensive study of the late Quaternary arc volcano Tatara‐San Pedro, at 36°S, in the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) of the Chilean Andes (Figures 1, 2), is currently underway on the basis of new samples and field data collected earlier this year by a team of fifteen U.S. and Chilean scientists working under the auspices of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Honors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The solar corona is the outer shell of the Sun's atmosphere and traditionally, has been observed at the time of solar eclipse. The plasma in this zone is so hot (1–2×106K) that even the Sun's enormous gravity cannot retain it, and a continuous outflow of mass, the “solar wind,” fills the interplanetary region. Electrons and protons are the major constituents of this fluid. A few centuries ago, some of the rare and unpredictable phenomena related to the solar coronal expansion, such as comet tails and aurorae, were considered to be forecasts of the world's destruction. Recent studies of the subject, however, have contributed to our knowledge in such diverse fields as plasma theory, astrophysics, and geomagnetism.
Recent Ph.D.s
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The solar corona is the outer shell of the Sun's atmosphere and traditionally, has been observed at the time of solar eclipse. The plasma in this zone is so hot (1–2×106K) that even the Sun's enormous gravity cannot retain it, and a continuous outflow of mass, the “solar wind,” fills the interplanetary region. Electrons and protons are the major constituents of this fluid. A few centuries ago, some of the rare and unpredictable phenomena related to the solar coronal expansion, such as comet tails and aurorae, were considered to be forecasts of the world's destruction. Recent studies of the subject, however, have contributed to our knowledge in such diverse fields as plasma theory, astrophysics, and geomagnetism.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Many in the space science community are wondering why NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced a sudden restructuring of the agency on October 15 (Eos, October 27). The shake‐up saw a split in the Office of Space Science and Applications into the office of Mission to Planetary Earth, which will include all the Earth sciences, and the Office of Planetary Science and Astrophysics.

The restructuring, he said, is an attempt to align the agency with the new goals, which he outlined in an address to the Space Science and Applications Advisory Board (SSAAC) on November 5. Claiming that NASA's role has never been stated to the public and that Congress does not understand the agency's role, Goldin sought to clarify future directions for the agency.
Recent Ph.D.s
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Many in the space science community are wondering why NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced a sudden restructuring of the agency on October 15 (Eos, October 27). The shake‐up saw a split in the Office of Space Science and Applications into the office of Mission to Planetary Earth, which will include all the Earth sciences, and the Office of Planetary Science and Astrophysics.

The restructuring, he said, is an attempt to align the agency with the new goals, which he outlined in an address to the Space Science and Applications Advisory Board (SSAAC) on November 5. Claiming that NASA's role has never been stated to the public and that Congress does not understand the agency's role, Goldin sought to clarify future directions for the agency.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Just as a heated solid will melt into a liquid and a liquid heated further will evaporate into a gas, so will a gas subjected to yet further thermal input become ionized. In other words, if the atoms or molecules of a gas are given sufficient thermal energy, particle collisions can tear individual electrons away from these neutral particles, so that the gas becomes a plasma, or a collection of negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions. Thus, the hot, dense fluid of the Sun's atmosphere becomes a plasma at sufficiently high altitudes, and that state is maintained as this atmosphere expands outward to form the solar wind.

Ultraviolet radiation can also kick electrons out of their atomic or molecular orbits. If a planet has a neutral atmosphere, that atmosphere acts as a shield against the ionizing effects of such radiation from the Sun. But at sufficiently high altitudes, the tenuous atmosphere is ionized by solar ultraviolet radiation to form the planetary ionosphere and magnetosphere. Thus, plasma is the primary constituent of both planetary magnetospheres and the interplanetary medium.
Honors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Just as a heated solid will melt into a liquid and a liquid heated further will evaporate into a gas, so will a gas subjected to yet further thermal input become ionized. In other words, if the atoms or molecules of a gas are given sufficient thermal energy, particle collisions can tear individual electrons away from these neutral particles, so that the gas becomes a plasma, or a collection of negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions. Thus, the hot, dense fluid of the Sun's atmosphere becomes a plasma at sufficiently high altitudes, and that state is maintained as this atmosphere expands outward to form the solar wind.

Ultraviolet radiation can also kick electrons out of their atomic or molecular orbits. If a planet has a neutral atmosphere, that atmosphere acts as a shield against the ionizing effects of such radiation from the Sun. But at sufficiently high altitudes, the tenuous atmosphere is ionized by solar ultraviolet radiation to form the planetary ionosphere and magnetosphere. Thus, plasma is the primary constituent of both planetary magnetospheres and the interplanetary medium.
AGU: An overview
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Classified U.S. Navy data from the Geosat mission is released to researchers following 5‐year campaign by scientists. Over 2,900 scientists gather in Montreal for a joint meeting of the Canadian and U. S. geophysics communities. Up‐to‐date, accurate information on Earth science is broadcast daily to radio listeners across North America.

These recent events came about in part due to the efforts of individual geophysicists working together to promote the scientific study of Earth and planets and their environment in space. The focal point for each of these actions is the American Geophysical Union
GPS monitoring data for active volcanos available on Internet
Authors: Dixon Timothy H. , Farina Frederic , Mao Ailin , Webb Frank , Bursik Marcus , Stein Ross , Marshall Grant
Published: September 2022

Recent technological advances have now made it possible for volcanologists to continuously monitor active volcanoes with the Global Positioning System (GPS). These observations allow detection of large changes in surface strain near active volcanoes that may precede major volcanic eruptions by days, weeks or even months. They are therefore a critical component of programs designed to assess hazard and predict eruptions of active volcanoes.

Researchers who are unfamiliar with GPS technology or who do not have facilities to process large amounts of GPS data may have difficulty obtaining GPS results, however. To address this problem, we recently initiated a “proof of concept” system that provides, to anyone with access to Internet, analyzed results from two permanent GPS sites in Long Valley Caldera in California.
What is the Earth's “normal” magnetic field?
Authors: Barton C. E.
Published: September 2022

The term “normal field,” used to describe the nontransient part of the geomagnetic field, has largely fallen into disuse, yet, it is a useful term and worthy of revival. The term probably originated from Schmidt [1916] (referred to in Chapman and Bartels, 1940, p. 133), who called 12‐month averages of the geomagnetic field elements the Normalwerte (normal values). Schmidt compared these normal values with his “secular values”—10‐year averages of the field—in order to identify solar cycle effects. He assumed that normal values would average out the shorter‐period contributions of the solar daily variation, lunar variation, and irregular disturbance effects: S, L, and D, respectively, in the notation of Chapman and Bartels [1940].
Building codes decoded
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Many buildings in the Los Angeles and other surrounding areas may be in worse shape for surviving the “big one” than many engineers and scientists used to think. On the basis of surveys of several dozen buildings in the region in the aftermath of the Landers and Northridge earthquakes, scientists now warn that buildings—especially tall ones—may not fare as well as expected because current construction practices do not fully reflect a solid understanding of ground shaking—that is, how far, how fast, how intensely, how long, and in what direction the ground moves. As a result, established building codes may be inadequate, according to U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Thomas Heaton, who presented his findings at AGU's fall meeting in San Francisco in December.
Iberian Atlantic Margins Group investigates deep structure of ocean margins
Authors: Banda Enric , Torne Montserrat ,   The Iberian Atlantic Margins Group
Published: September 2022

With recent seismic reflection data in hand, investigators for the Iberian Atlantic Margins project are preparing images of the deep continental and oceanic margins of Iberia. In 1993, the IAM group collected near vertical incidence seismic reflection data over a total distance of 3500 km along the North and Western Iberian Margins, Gorringe Bank Region and Gulf of Cadiz (Figure 1). When combined with data on the conjugate margin off Canada, details of the Iberian margin's deep structure should aid in distinguishing rift models and improve understanding of the processes governing the formation of margins.

The North Iberian passive continental margin was formed during a Permian to Triassic phase of extension and matured during the early Cretaceous by rotation of the Iberian Peninsula with respect to Eurasia. From the late Cretaceous to the early Oligocene period, Iberia rotated in a counterclockwise direction around an axis located west of Lisbon. The plate boundary between Iberia and Eurasia, which lies along the Pyrenees, follows the north Spanish marginal trough, trends obliquely in the direction of the fossil Bay of Biscay triple junction, and continues along the Azores‐Biscay Rise [Sibuet et al., 1994]. Following the NE‐SW convergence of Iberia and Eurasia, the reactivation of the North Iberian continental margin resulted in the formation of a marginal trough and accretionary prism [Boillot et al., 1971].
Crustal geophysics gives insight into new madrid seismic zone
Authors: Hilldebrand T. G. , Schweig E. S. , Catchings R. D. , Langenhiem V. E. , Mooney W. D. , Pratt T. L. , Stanley W. D.
Published: September 2022

The New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) is the most active seismic zone in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Frequency‐magnitude relationships show that an earthquake magnitude of 6.3 or greater can be expected in this area about once every 100 years, on average [Johnston and Nava, 1985]. During the winter of 1811–1812, three earthquakes of moment magnitude near 8 devastated New Madrid, Mo., and the surrounding region. Today, if an earthquake in the magnitude 6–7 range were to strike, in addition to loss of life and injuries, residents would suffer about $3.6 billion in immediate property losses [Algermissen, 1991] and feel the pinch of a long‐term economic impact.
Global change research budget frozen
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

For FY 1996, the interagency budget request for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) totals $2.156 billion, or a 1.8% ($39 million) increase over FY 1995. President Clinton has broadened the scope of the program to include another $358 million in reprogrammed activities in keeping with a push by the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Research (CENR) to more closely link costs and objectives. In essence, the increase for what could be considered the “traditional” global change budget would be only 1.4%, or $24 million over the FY 1995 appropriation. USGCRP now embraces the Department of Energy (DoE) research on environmental technologies, NASA launch vehicle charges, and additional Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) research for environmental issues other than global change.
U.S. Geological Survey flies high for now
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Clinton is asking Congress to keep the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) alive and well in FY 1996. With a proposed 2.6% increase to $586 million, the Clinton request flies in the face of the Republican Contract with America that calls for abolishing the survey.

Indeed, Clinton has made it clear that the onus will be on Congress if it wants to make major cuts at USGS. As Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt puts it: “Good science is essential to good management.”
NOAA budget sails steadily up
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

NOAA is looking for $2.2 billion from Congress for FY 1996, which includes $20.8 million for later transmittal and would mean a about a 9% boost over FY 1995.

D. James Baker, Commerce's undersecretary for oceans and atmospheres, commented that the budget “represents continued investments that will generate major environmental and economic returns, but it also reflects reductions in personnel and some program areas.”
DoE nixes neutron source; Leaves other cuts to Congress
Authors: Wakefield Julie , Jones Richard M. , Leath Audrey T.
Published: September 2022

The Department of Energy sent a $17.8 billion budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 1996, terminating the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) project. The budget failed to spell out where other promised cuts would come from. Current year funding is $17.5 billion.

DoE requested $2.8 billion for fundamental science research, which is an increase of 3.8% or $102.4 million. This account includes a $100 million or a 10% increase in DoE basic research facilities funding. This new start called the Scientific Facilities Initiative would increase user‐facility operations about 30%.
Enviro spy?
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Environmental research got a boost last month from an unlikely source: the Central Intelligence Agency. In an unprecedented move mandated by President Clinton, the U.S. government released more than 800,000 spy satellite photographs taken between 1960 and 1972 during the Cold War. The photos, taken by the six‐generation Keyhole satellites, may give scientists new insight into various fields from global change to weather forecasting. “Selectively declassifying information we already have gathered during this period is a common‐sense way to address new threats to global and regional security, including depletion of food and water supplies and the ozone layer, large‐scale destruction of forests, and global warming linked to pollution,” Vice President Al Gore said on releasing the reconnaissance satellite data.
New NSF hand
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The National Science Foundation's (NSF') Ocean Science Division has a new director: Mike Purdy. Purdy, a marine geologist and geophysicist, comes to NSF's Geoscience Directorate from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
Volcanology geochemistry & petrology
Authors: Garcia Mike
Published: September 2022

As the new VGP editor, I would like to extend an invitation to VGP members to participate in determining the direction this column takes. Some disciplines within VGP have been under‐represented in this column over the last few years (e.g., metamorphic petrology). The invited workshop report below is an attempt to address this oversight. I have invited the FROGs (FRiends of Granites) to present a debate column on controversial topics. I would appreciate your assistance in identifying other newsworthy topics for this column or for articles that have appeal beyond VGP. This issue also features an article on the 1994 eruption of Rabaul, while a future issue will cover the decade volcano of the Philippines. (Volcanology has always been well represented in Eos.) We have two articles in review/preparation on instrumentation and new techniques (laser ablation ICP‐MS and high‐pressure, diamond aggregate experiments). This column and Eos articles offer opportunities for us to identify exciting new areas of research in our disciplines and to continue unresolved debates.
Reply [to ”Comment on “More evidence indicates link between El Niños and seismicity’” Link between El Niños and seismicity is still missing]
Authors: Walker Daniel A.
Published: September 2022

I appreciate the comments by Forsyth et al., which clarify the nature of seismicity at 18°S, and I agree that the link between seismicity and El Niños is unclear. I also believe that off‐axis seismicity by itself is an unlikely direct link to El Niños and that many of the earthquakes recorded teleseismically from distant ridge systems are off‐axis events with no volcanic or hydrothermal component at their epicenters. Nonetheless, the times of occurrence of these teleseismically recorded episodes of unusual seismicity appear to be somewhat contemporaneous with El Niños. How can this be? It is well‐known to T‐phase researchers that unusually high levels of reported seismic activity along ridge systems are often accompanied by unusual swarms of T‐phases. (For some ridge segments, unusual activity may be only a couple of teleseismically recorded earthquakes per month.) In such swarms, the T‐phases of unreported events occurring in roughly similar regions and during the same hours or days as the reported earthquake activity are often stronger than the T‐phases from the reported earthquakes. It is reasonable to presume that such T‐phases are from sources with shallower focal depths than the reported earthquakes.
Geophysicist in the ranks
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

President Clinton has tapped Gregory van der Vink, director of planning of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology,to serve on the Scientific and Policy Advisory Committee of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.
Weather investments
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

In the offing, “business as usual” may come to imply the use of weather data, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials. “Climate data are part of this country's infrastructure,” says Kenneth Hadeen, director of the National Climatic Data Center, now in Asheville, N.C. “These data play a major role in decisions that businesses make every day; they are vital to our economy.” Touted as the world's largest collection of weather data, the National Climatic Data Center, has more than 150 years of weather data on file. Data originating from everything from 19th century handwritten observations to state‐of‐the‐art equipment can be found in the center's archives.
Global zolunteers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The National Science Foundation's Robert Correll and Michael MacCracken, director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, need the help of some of geophysics' finest reviewers. The challenge: to review the draft of the Second Assessment on Climate Change that was prepared by the Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Commerce first?
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The Commerce Department is history, according to House Budget Committee Chairman John R. Kasich (R Ohio). Last week, House Republicans unveiled their plan to break apart the department, which is the GOP's first target. To save about $8 billion by the year 2000, according to House Republicans, the proposal would eliminate six of Commerce's larger programs, but spare many of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's programs, which make up about 40% of Commerce's budget. However, the surviving programs would be transferred to other federal departments under “The Department of Commerce Dismantling Act.” The National Weather Service would be transferred to the Department of the Interior. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research would be eliminated. Some labs would be privatized, while others would be moved to the Department of the Interior. The NOAA Corps fleet would be sold to the private sector.
Saturn on edge
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Many of the world's telescopes, including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, saw a once in 15‐year event last week:a Saturn ring plane crossing. The rare event occurs when the alignment of the Sun, Saturn, and Earth cause the rings to seemingly disappear for about 24 minutes, allowing astronomers to look for new moons and other features that are normally difficult to see when the rings are illuminated. It's somewhat like rotating a phonograph record 90° and viewing it edge‐on, explains Ellis Miner, NASA science manager for the spacescraft Cassini. In the next year, on August 10, 1995, and February 11, 1996, the planes will cross again to complete the cycle. Thirteen of Saturn's 18 known moons were discovered during past ring plane crossings. Learning more about Saturn's moons and rings will help astronomers guide Cassini through its observations when it flies in October of 1997. Particles larger than a millimeter would be able to penetrate the spacecraft at the speed it will be flying, Miner says.
Granted travel
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The Geological Society of America (GSA)is accepting applications for the 30th International Geological Congress (IGC) Travel Grant Program. The 1996 congress will be held in Beijing, China, August 4–14. The program was formed at the end of the 28th IGC, held in Washington, D.C. in July 1989. The fund is to be used to support the attendance of young geoscientists to future IGCs until the United States again hosts an IGC. Travel grants consist of economy air‐fare to China. To be eligible, an applicant must be a resident or citizen of the United States; must have been born after August 31, 1956; and must have an abstract included in the program of the 30th IGC. Official application forms are available from the grants administrator, GSA Headquarters, 3300 Penrose Place, P.O. Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301.
[Reply to ““New” lunar knowledge not so new” by Robert L. Wildey] Clarification
Authors: Buratti Bonnie
Published: September 2022

The Apollo observations wee indeed he first measurements of the lunar surface at a phase angle of 0°. The new finding of the Clementine spacecraft is that there is a huge surge below ∼0.25°. The Apollo photographic measurements show a 10% increase in brightness within the last degree approaching opposition, while the Clementine CCD measurements show this much increase in the last 0.25°. We do not yet have a good physical explanation for this surge, but we have been able to eliminate the possiblity of its being an instrumental effect.
Doctoral surplus?
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Universities in the United States are producing about 25% more doctorates in science and engineering than the U.S. economy can absorb, according to a new study by the Rand Corporation and Stanford University's Institute for Higher Education Research. The study looked at 13 science and engineering fields, covering 210 doctorate‐granting institutions and more than 1,000 educational institutions that employ people with doctorates. The study was done by Stanford Professor William Massy and Charles Goldman of Rand, with graduate students Marc Chun and Beryle Hsiao.

The researchers found that supply and demand do not work in the usual way to regulate the employment market for doctoral candidates. In labor markets, when job opportunities decrease, fewer people usually seek to enter the field. In the case of Ph.D.s, however, the researchers found that neither departments nor prospective doctoral students take close accounting of the doctorate employment gap.
Sojourner, in truth
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

On the 30th anniversary of robotic exploration of Mars, NASA has selected the name “Sojourner” for the first rover slated to explore the Red Planet. The 25‐pound, six‐wheeled vehicle is being readied for launch and will be deployed to roam across an ancient Martian flood plain after the Mars Pathfinder lander touches down on the planet's surface on July 4, 1997.

The name Sojourner was chosen after a year‐long, worldwide competition for students up to 18 years old. Entrants were invited to select a heroine and submit an essay about her historical accomplishments.
Yucca EIS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for the disposal of commercial and DOE‐owned spent nuclear fuel and high‐level radioactive waste. The Notice of Intent for the EIS was placed in the Federal Register on August 7; the period for public comment (the “scoping” period) will end December 5, 1995.
Hot and hotter
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Globally, August 1995 was the hottest August in the 17‐year global temperature records, reports John Christy, associate professor of atmospheric science in the Earth System Science Laboratory at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The global composite temperature was 0.241°C above the 10‐year average for August. Of the 200 monthly composite temperatures recorded since NOAA satellites began measuring temperatures in January 1979, this August was the 16th warmest month when compared to seasonal averages.

It was also the warmest month—seasonally adjusted —since June 1991, when Mount Pinatubo erupted. Measured against seasonal norms, the warmest month in the global temperature record was December 1987, when the composite temperature was 0.47°C above seasonal norms. The largest regions of warm air in August were over South America, the southern Indian Ocean and Australia, and the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
It's a gas
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Significant amounts of methane, a byproduct of coal formation that can be an explosion hazard in underground mines, are released into the air through mining. At the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) request, the U.S. Bureau of Mines analyzed U.S. underground coal mines to determine how much methane they add to the atmosphere. USBM scientists found that 158 mines each emitted at least 0.1 million cubic feet of methane per day during 1993 for a daily total of about 260 million cubic feet.
The status of appropriations
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Only two appropriations bills have cleared Congress and been sent to the President: the legislative branch appropriation and that for military construction. Here is a brief run‐down on the status of other appropriations bills.
U.S.‐FSU partners
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

A public‐private partnership to strengthen scientific and technological collaboration between the United States and the states of the former Soviet Union (FSU) has begun its work. The board of directors of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (CRDF) held its first meeting to set priorities and policies in September. Established by the National Science foundation under congressional authorization, the CRDF has an initial $10 million to support basic and applied research efforts and to promote defense conversion and development of market economies in the countries of the FSU. At the September meeting, the CRDF board agreed to commit the majority of the $10 million during the first year of operations (1995–1996) through competitive grants for cooperative research proposals between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in the FSU.
Sniffing the trail
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Flying in the wake of the Concorde, an international team of scientists led by David Fahey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has made the first‐ever direct measurement of the exhaust of a supersonic jet. The researchers gathered their samples with the help of a NASA ER‐2 research plane that flew zig‐zags in the Concorde's exhaust trail to sample the gases and particles in that plume.
Sleeping child
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

According to the Climate Prediction Center of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), El Niño will not awaken this winter. Sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific are at or below the norm and are expected to remain so for the next 3–6 months, meaning that El Niño conditions are not likely to develop.
Signing off
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Twenty‐two years after it began blazing a trail to the outer solar system, “the little spacecraft that could” has said goodbye. But Pioneer 11 is not dead—it's just fading away. With its energy supplies nearly depleted and its radio transmissions becoming ever fainter, Pioneer 11 has been taken off of NASA's daily “to do” list. As of September 30, NASA stopped communicating daily with the spacecraft—which is now 6.4 billion miles from Earth and well beyond the orbit of Pluto—because its power supply is too low to operate the science instruments or to point the antenna accurately. NASA controllers at the Deep Space Network now will listen for the spacecraft's signal for just two hours every 2–4 weeks, down from 8–10 hours a day.
SURF's up
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

At lower altitudes, two other satellites also will contribute to geophysical research. The Canadian satellite Radarsat was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 3, and carried with it SURFSat‐1, a 12‐inch by 12‐inch by 16‐inch solar‐powered satellite designed by college undergraduates. SURFSat‐1—which was conceived by six Caltech students during their 1987 stint in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program—will test the effects of the Earth's weather on the performance of Ka‐band radio signals. Ultimately, NASA wants to use the Ka‐band for communication on the Deep Space Network because the band allows for more channels.

Radarsat is a cooperative program between the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, and NOAA, and its mission is to use cloud‐penetrating radar to produce high‐resolution images of the Earth's land masses and seas. The images will be used for research in oceanography, agriculture, forestry, hydrology, and geology.
Less than whole
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Another hole—one that scientists wish they didn't see—is taking its time in disappearing from view this year. The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization reported recently that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has not yet closed and was not expected to do so until this week.

The hole began forming in August, earlier than expected, and measured 19.3 million km2, an area twice the size of Europe, at its peak in mid‐October. The ozone hole was the largest and longest‐lasting of those observed in recent years.
Hot spots
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2022

Government officials in Montserrat and in Nicaragua spent the first week of December trying to usher residents out of their homes and away from simmering volcanoes in each of those nations. Some people cooperated, others decided to take their chances.

On the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, about 3,500 people were ordered to vacate their homes for the second time in three months, as a lava dome in the Chances Peak volcano grew and threatened to erupt. In Leon, Nicaragua, at least a third of the 12,000 people ordered to evacuate their homes refused, choosing to protect their homes from looters rather than flee the gurgling Cerro Negro. The Nicaraguan volcano spewed ash and lava 900 m into the air on Dec. 2; the eruption was visible from Managua, 120 km to the southeast.
Colwell tapped for National Scince Foundation post
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: September 2022

President Clinton has announced his intent to nominate Rita Colwell as deputy director of the National Science Foundation.

Colwell, president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and a professor of microbiology at the university, has been active in national and international research and teaching in the areas of marine biotechnology and the molecular genetics of marine and estuarine bacteria, including the microbiology of the Chesapeake Bay.