bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reply [to “Comment on ‘Teaching evolution, the Kansas School Board of Education, and the democratization of science’” The causes of anti‐science views]
Authors: Lin Johnny Wei‐Bing
Published: October 2006

I thank R. Stephen White for responding to my Eos Forum article and appreciate the opportunity to have a dialogue with him regarding these issues.

He argues that populism is not the primary cause of anti‐science thinking. Rather, public sentiment toward science is one of implicit acceptance. Anti‐science thinking and actions are cultural anomalies, possibly the result of conservative political activism, religious schooling, or lack of intellectual rigor.
Gauging short‐term volcanic hazards at Popocatépetl
Authors: Sheridan Michael F. , Hubbard Bernard , Bursik Marcus I. , Abrams Michael , Siebe Claus , Macías Jose Luis , Delgado Hugo
Published: October 2006

During late December 2000, the giant volcano Popocatépetl near Mexico City exhibited violent explosions. About 20,000 people evacuated their homes for a week to 10 days before returning. On January 22, 2001, an even larger explosion occurred. This article explores the short‐term hazards that are probable at this volcano.
Bill would bolster science at EPA
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Since its establishment in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has primarily served as a regulatory agency with a significant science component. However, the agency's scientific practices and performance at times have been criticized by the U.S. General Accounting Office, the National Academies of Science (NAS), Congress, and EPA's own science advisory board, as well as in a number of lawsuits.

New legislation introduced by Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R‐Mich.), chair of the House of Representatives' Science Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards, includes measures meant to improve the agency's science component. The legislation, H.R. 64, would require the president to appoint an EPA deputy administrator for science and technology This deputy administrator, who would rank higher than existing assistant administrators (AAs), would be responsible for the overall scientific and technical foundation of the agency's decisions, including ensuring that the agency's scientific endeavors use the best possible peer review and research planning practices.
Lettenmaier receives 2000 Hydrology Section Award
Authors: Avissar Roni
Published: October 2006

Dennis P. Lettenmaier was awarded the Hydrology Section Award at the Fall Meeting Hydrology Section Reception, which was held on December 16, 2000, in San Francisco, California. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions to the science of hydrology.
A “Gen‐X”er in space: Pioneer 10 lives!
Authors: Gaddis Lisa R.
Published: October 2006

On April 29, 2001, a signal from Pioneer 10 was received in Madrid, Spain. At a distance of 77.7 AU from the Sun (11.75 billion km.), Pioneer 10 is continuing to move away at a speed of 12.24 km/sec (27,380 mph). It takes a truly long‐distance call to make contact—almost 22 hours are required to send and receive a signal from Pioneer 10!
Newly elected fellows of AGU for 2001
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Fellows Committee met on January 27, 2001 in Marina del Rey California, and elected the following members as Fellows for the year 2001.
Advances in Seismic Event Location
Authors: Pulliam Jay
Published: October 2006

Advances in Seismic Event Location is a collection of nine papers presented at a workshop held in the Dead Sea region in January 1998. The motivating influence of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a common theme throughout the book, but a broad perspective on basic Earth science research is also maintained. Although the book is comprised of papers presented at a single conference, it comprehensively discusses relevant research, including a broad review of classical, derivative‐based location methods using one‐dimensional Earth models through modern innovations that incorporate three‐dimensional models. Also covered are global optimization algorithms, different types of data, probabilistic approaches to earthquake location that convey uncertainties more accurately, optimal network configuration, and prospects for automation, including refining automatic phase detection and an artificial intelligence approach that includes pattern recognition.
Trimmed NOAA budget supports agency programs
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Although the Bush Administration has proposed a decrease in the budget of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of $60.8 million, or 2%below FY01 enacted levels, its proposed FY02 budget generally supports NOAAs programs and goals, and makes ends meet by not including Congressional earmarks. What is unclear, though, is what might happen to the budget balancing act if Congress adds earmarks, and if advocates are successful in increasing funding for some areas slated for cuts, including programs related to coastal and Great Lakes research.
High‐frequency geophysical fluid modeling necessary to understand Earth rotation variability
Authors: Salstein David A. , de Viron Olivier , Yseboodt Marie , Dehant Véronique
Published: October 2006

Improvements in diurnal atmospheric and oceanic modeling are needed to calculate excitations of high‐frequency Earth orientation parameters.The study of Earth rotation variability is useful not only for practical application involving areas of astronomy, satellite geodesy, and spatial navigation, but also for obtaining constraints on parameters of Earth's internal structure. Modeling Earth rotation requires an interdisciplinary approach, involving subjects as diverse as magneto‐hydrodynamics, oceanography, atmospheric science, and celestial mechanics. When studying Earth rotation, we are dealing with its non‐constant rate and the position of the rotation axis, observed both from an inertial reference frame and from a frame rotating with the Earth.
Bush Energy Plan packed with proposals to increase supply
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

With more than 100 recommendations that range from promoting solar energy to urging the revitalization of nuclear power, the energy plan released by U.S. President George W. Bush on May 17 could be said to have something for everybody. However, the plan appears to offer much more for those who favor increasing domestic fossil fuel supplies than for those pushing for more efficiency in energy usage and renewable energy

Noting that the United States faces “the most serious energy shortage since the oil embargoes of the 1970s,” the plan put forth by the National Energy Policy Development (NEPD) Group under Vice President Dick Cheney tries to meet three challenges. These are: using energy more wisely repairing and expanding the U.S. energy infrastructure, and increasing energy supplies while protecting the environment.
John H. Reynolds (1923–2000)
Authors: Turner Grenville
Published: October 2006

John Reynolds, AGU Fellow since 1968 and a member of the Volcanology Geochemistry and Petrology section since 1961, died unexpectedly on November 4, 2000. John was a professor emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley and a pioneer in the development and application of noble gas mass spectrometry He was recovering from pneumonia when he suffered a pulmonary embolism.
Conference addresses thermo‐hydro‐mechanical coupling in fractured rock
Authors: Kümpel Hans‐Joachim
Published: October 2006

Various environmental problems and the use of certain energy resources are closely related to fluid flow in and the mechanical behavior of porous or fractured rock. Subjects of obvious socioeconomic relevance are the supply and protection of groundwater, the production of hydrocarbon reservoirs, land subsidence in coastal areas, exploitation of geothermal energy and the long‐term disposal of critical wastes. Efficient management of such issues is often hampered by the fact that rocks and rock formations are inherently complex. Any rock sample is an aggregate of the myriad mineral particles forming its matrix and fluid molecules residing in voids. Any two rock samples differ in many aspects, including geochemical constituents, size and shape of grains, structure of pore space, and fracture networks.
Quantitative Geophysics and Geology
Authors: Wilson Clark R.
Published: October 2006

Most college instructors of geophysics are on the lookout for new textbooks. This is especially the case for instructors of survey courses at the upper division or graduate level, where choices are limited and opinions differ as to what ought be included and the level of detail. As one of those instructors, I was eager to review Quantitative Geophysics and Geology. Its title seemed to fit several courses taught at my institution. But upon reading the book, I found it was not useful for most of our courses.The variety of geophysical topics is so vast that an orderly exposition simply is not possible for all. The book's strong point is that a number of chapters provide succinct and readable reviews of traditional topics, which makes it well suited for an introduction or review at the graduate level.
Desertification treaty includes key role for scientists
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

When Lois Barber, executive director of the non‐profit group EarthAction, began efforts to press for U.S. Senate ratification of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification several years ago, the treaty's purpose tripped up some people, she said. They wondered whether it might be a treaty related to military personnel who had abandoned their service, de‐certification of something or other, or even an overabundance of after‐dinner treats. While the issue may not yet rate highly on the U.S. radar screen, U.S. Senate ratification of the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) on November 17, 2000 and entry into force of the treaty in the United States on February 2, 2001, could bring additional focus on desertification from the scientific community and policy‐makers, according to a number of experts involved with the issue. The treaty now has been ratified by 174 countries.
At least Noah had some warning
Authors: Duffield Wendell A.
Published: October 2006

Tlachoc was worried. Life had never been easy in the mountainous jungle of this area that much later would be called Chiapas, in the southern part of what is now Mexico. But recently even the simplest of daily chores came with an unusual amount of stress and failure. During the past complete cycle of the seasons, the wild animals that were sources of meat, clothing, and bone tools had become increasingly skittish. For no apparent reason, these creatures now behaved as though an added sense helped them avoid close encounters with hunters, as though some foreign and disturbing sensation kept them fully alert.
Stout receives AGU excellence in geophysical education award
Authors: Geary Edward E. , Whittier Dorothy L.
Published: October 2006

Dorothy L. Stout was given the AGU Excellence in Geophysical Education Award at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held May 31, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts. The award acknowledges a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individual, or group.
A Tribble's Guide to Space: How to Get to Space and What to Do When You are There
Authors: Ward A. W.
Published: October 2006

A professor of mine (and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, I might add) once told me that when he wanted to learn a new subject, he looked around for the simplest, best‐written textbook he could find and went on from there. A Tribble's Guide to Space would suit his needs. Tribble is formerly with Rockwell's Space Systems Division, so he has direct knowledge of what it takes to get something into space and to make that something work there. The true delight in this book, however, is the obvious opportunity to tease, coax, and guide the reader through both the physics and the practicalities of space travel by using references familiar to almost any reader (including the obvious play off the original Star Trek and Deep Space Nine episodes).
Deep‐penetration heat flow probes raise questions about interpretations from shorter probes
Authors: Géli Louis , Turon Jean‐Louis , Aslanian Daniel , Balut Yvon , Beuzart Paul , Cochran Jim , Francheteau Jean , Harmegnies François , Landuré Jean‐Yves , Le Suavé Raymond , Mazaud Alain , Michel Elizabeth , Normand Alain , Pichon Jean‐Jacques , Vlastelic Ivan
Published: October 2006

More than 40% of the marine heat flow data collected since the early experiments of Sir Edward Bullard in 1949 were obtained using shallow penetration probes less than 5 m long [Louden and Wright, 1989]. The common belief that these data are reliable enough to model deep‐seated thermal processes is supported by a few experiments in which heat flow measurements made in the Deep Sea Drilling Program (DSDP) and the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) were compared to nearby surface heat flow measurements [e.g.,Hyndman et al., 1984]. However, thermal measurements made with 18‐m penetrations recently collected on the northern flank of the South‐East Indian Ridge (SEIR) bring a new perspective to this belief. In the study area, measurements of heat flow taken at the surface ( 0–5 m) and measurements taken at greater depths (3–18 m) did not always concur. Investigating this lack of agreement will help address difficult questions about the interpretation of shallow penetration (<5 m) marine heat flow measurements.
Transition to electronic publishing
Authors: O'Donnel James
Published: October 2006

Previous communications in this series have described some of the many changes that will occur in the next few months as AGU makes the transition to fully electronic publishing. With the advent of the new AGU electronic publishing system, manuscripts will be submitted, edited, reviewed, and published in electronic formats. This piece discusses the new submission process from the point of view of the author.
New digital data base helps to map North America
Authors: Finn Carol A. , Pilkington Mark , Cuevas Alejandro , Urrutia Jaime
Published: October 2006

A new effort is underway to compile an upgraded digital magnetic anomaly data base and map for the North American continent by 2002. This program is a joint effort by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Consejo de Recursos Minerales de Mexico (CRM). An integrated, readily accessible, modern digital data base of magnetic anomaly data spanning North America will be a powerful tool for evaluating the structure, geologic processes, and tectonic evolution of the continent, and may also be used to help resolve societal and scientific issues that span national boundaries. Maps derived from the digital data base will provide a view of continentalscale trends not available in individual data sets, help link widely separated areas of out‐crop, and unify disparate geologic studies.
Part 5. Electronic review process
Authors: Bowman Ken
Published: October 2006

Previous communications have described some of the many changes that will occur in the next few months as AGU makes the transition to fully electronic publishing. With the advent of the new AGU electronic publishing system, manuscripts will be submitted, edited, reviewed, and published in electronic formats. This piece discusses the review process from the point of view of the reviewer.
AGU participates in Penn. Science Teaching Standards Efforts
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

On July 13, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education voted to approve science standards that endorse the teaching of evolution in science classes in Pennsylvania's public schools. The measure passed by 13 to 2. Three legislative members of the board abstained from voting, because the state legislature votes on the standards later this year.

AGU's Committee on Public Affairs and other groups had issued a legislative alert about these standards. The concern was that proposed revisions that had been inserted in July contained subtle language that some people said could open the door for creationism proponents to teach “alternatives to evolution.”
Arnold B. Arons (1916–2001)
Authors: Warren Bruce A.
Published: October 2006

Arnold B. Arons died of a heart attack at his home in Seattle on February 28, 2001, aged 84. He was a long‐time member of the American Geophysical Union (1950; Ocean Sciences) and of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), of which he was president in 1961. He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Arnold Arons was a teacher of physics. He taught it to the freshmen at Amherst College from 1952 to 1968, and then, at the University of Washington, he taught prospective teachers of physics how to teach it. He stressed meaning in physical concepts: how it is derived from shared experience, is founded on operational definitions, and is deepened and broadened with growing sophistication, individual and historical. He derided glib chatter about complex ideas (“Gibberish!”), or mere manipulation of symbols and formulas, and insisted—fiercely—that students know what they were talking about. His presence in the lecture hall at Amherst was sometimes terrifying; that technique might not be readily accepted in present, more tender times, but it was effective in shaking high school hotshots loose from some of their delusions. Despite perceived indignities, they usually gave him a standing ovation at the end of the spring semester.
Lakshmi joins Eos Team
Authors: Grant Shermonta L.
Published: October 2006

Venkat Lakshmi, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of South Carolina, has begun his 3‐year term with Eos as the hydrology section editor. Among his goals as editor, Lakshmi will seek to portray hydrology as an integrative science. “Hydrology is not a stand‐alone science,” he said. “I will encourage interdisciplinary articles in Eos that deal with water issues and the role of hydrology within a broad spectrum of problems and disciplines.”
Geomatic Methods for the Analysis of Data in the Earth Sciences: Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, Vol. 95
Authors: Pavlis Nikolaos K.
Published: October 2006

Geomatics is a trendy term that has been used in recent years to describe academic departments that teach and research theories, methods, algorithms, and practices used in processing and analyzing data related to the Earth and other planets. Naming trends aside, geomatics could be considered as the mathematical and statistical “toolbox” that allows Earth scientists to extract information about physically relevant parameters from the available data and accompany such information with some measure of its reliability. This book is an attempt to present the mathematical‐statistical methods used in data analysis within various disciplines—geodesy, geophysics, photogrammetry and remote sensing—from a unifying perspective that inverse problem formalism permits. At the same time, it allows us to stretch the relevance of statistical methods in achieving an optimal solution.
Chemical Sensors in Oceanography
Authors: Brewer Peter G.
Published: October 2006

About 40 years ago, I served as graduate student labor on the International Indian Ocean Expedition, where I carried out what seemed to be vast numbers of routine chemical analyses of sea water. I vowed, as have many others, that on my return I would find a better way. From this effort, the first uses of “autoanalyzers” for sea water emerged. Over the years, the demand for fundamental scientific data from the oceans has increased enormously, as has the range of properties and the need for precision and rapidity. The recent global ocean survey of carbon dioxide and related properties carried out by the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, and World Ocean Circulation Experiment, cruises is but one example of the huge effort involved. There has long been a desire for a set of sophisticated yet robust sensors that would do the job with minimum labor and produce data of maximum quality in environments ranging from the sea surface to the ocean floor. This is quite a tall order!
Forecast calls for continued period of active hurricane seasons in the North Atlantic
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

“I have been designated as a representative of Chicken Little to tell you the sky is falling with regard to hurricanes.” So said William Gray professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University at a July 26 briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing, sponsored by the Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus, the (U.S.) University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and the American Meteorological Society highlighted a new report about the current active hurricane period in the North Atlantic, as well as funding needs for hurricane research. “It is amazing the threat we appear to be in for in the next two to three decades, and how little realization of this [there] is with the government and with the general public,” said Gray a long‐time forecaster of seasonal hurricane activity and co‐author of a July 19 article in Science, “The Recent Increase in Atlantic Hurricane Activity: Causes and Implications.”
International Geomagnetic Reference Field‐2000
Authors:   IAGA, Division V, Working Group 8
Published: October 2006

A group of geomagnetic field modellers associated with the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) Division V Working Group 8, periodically examines various geomagnetic field representations from which the Earth's main field and its secular variation can be computed. They produce a set of coefficients to represent the main field at a particular epoch, usually every 5 years, and name it the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF). Also, if a previous IGRF is re‐derived using new data not available at the time of its production and agreed upon when it is clear that no additional data are likely to emerge, it is called a Definitive Geomagnetic Reference Field (DGRF). For similar reasons, no DGRF model for 1995 has yet been adopted by the IAGA, Division V Working Group 8. Note that, when referring to these models, the designation “IGRF” refers to all available models, viewed collectively. If a particular model is intended, the reference must be specific; i.e., IGRF2000 or DGRF1990, rather than simply IGRF or DGRF
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Ocean Sciences Section presented five outstanding student paper awards at the 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June.
[Comment on “Investigations unveil Holocene thrusting for onshore Portugal”] Paleoseismological studies near Lisbon: Holocene thrusting or landslide activity?
Authors: Cabral João M. L. , Marques Fernando M. S. F.
Published: October 2006

A paper on paleoseismological investigations in the Lower Tagus River Valley (LTV) region, northeast of Lisbon, Portugal, was recently published in Eos Transactions by Fonseca et al. (2000a). The LTV is an area of significant seismicity attested by the occurrence of magnitude 6.5–7 historical earthquakes, and has been the subject of several geological studies. Nevertheless, major uncertainties on the regional tectonic structure have subsisted until now, mainly due to a Cenozoic sedimentary cover that hides most of the active faults rooted in the basement.
Conference addresses phase transitions and mantle discontinuities
Authors: Bass Jay D. , Schilling Frank R.
Published: October 2006

The transition zone is a region of the mantle from about 300 km to 1000 km in depth that is marked by high seismic velocity gradients. Abrupt changes in velocities, or seismic discontinuities, at depths of 410 km and 660 km, are prominent features of the transition zone and are sometimes thought to represent its upper and lower boundaries. These discontinuities, along with a smaller, intermittent discontinuity at ˜520 km depth, are potentially the most important clues available for understanding the mineralogy chemistry and dynamics of the deep mantle. However, a firm interpretation of these discontinuities remains elusive. It is not known, for example, whether changes in chemical composition occur across the 410‐km and 660‐km discontinuities, or whether these discontinuities are due solely to polymorphic phase changes in the (Mg,Fe)2Si04 olivine component of an otherwise isochemical mantle. It is further uncertain whether a chemically stratified mantle with compositionally distinct layers is compatible with our understanding of how mantle convection works.
[Comment on “Tracing the origins of the Lamont Observatory”]An Added perspective on the development of the “B.T.”
Authors: Abel Robert B.
Published: October 2006

I am writing in response to J. Lamar Worzel's superb biographical article about Maurice Ewing and the Lamont‐Doherty Geological Observatory (Eos, Nov. 14, 2000). “Doc” Ewing was a hero to me as well as to all the sea people with whom he came in contact, owing to his initiation of so many ingenious and productive projects and his founding of one of the world's most important geophysical institutions.

In the interests of perspective, I would like to add a minor note on the contribution to the original development of the bathythermograph; i.e., by Athelstan Spilhaus. Spilhaus was another of the small group of original founders of America's Ocean Program, mainly in the 1930s and leading up to—and through—World War II.
U.K. proceeds with NEO plan
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The British National Space Centre (BNSC) is moving ahead with implementing a series of recommendations it has received about how the United Kingdom can best contribute to international efforts concerning “near‐Earth objects,” or NEOs. These are objects in the solar system that are believed to be fragments from planet formation.

On August 20, BNSC announced that it is inviting proposals from organizations concerning the establishment of a Near Earth Object Information Center. The U.K.Task Force on Potentially Hazardous Near Earth Objects, which was announced by Science Minister Lord David Sainsbury of Turville, had included the creation of this facility among its August 2000 recommendations.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Space Physics & Aeronomy Section presented twelve outstanding student paper awards at the 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June.
Understanding Granites: Integrating New and Classical Techniques
Authors: Candela Philip A.
Published: October 2006

Many aspects of granite geology are covered in Understanding Granites: Integrating New and Classical Techniques, a 288‐page volume edited by Antonio Castro, Carlos Ferñandez, and Jean‐Louis Vigneresse. However, the topics chosen for this collection lean toward the physical, rather than the chemical end of the spectrum. In the introduction to this 16‐chapter collection, the authors set the stage by reviewing the groundwork laid by Hutton, Reed, and Bowen; they then discuss the landmark work of Chappell and White, first published in the 1970s, which ushered in the new era of granite research—one that has continued unabated to the present day. Finally, the editors outline some of the perennial questions of granite science, such as the “room problem,” granite ascent and emplacement, and the thermal and petrochemical requirements for granite genesis.
Earth Science Week evolves
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Earth Science Week, October 7–13, is an annual grassroots effort sponsored by the American Geological Institute (AGI) and its member societies, of which AGU is the largest. This year, for the first time, Earth Science Week has a general theme, evolution in Earth history. The Earth Science Week information kit for 2001, available from AGI, includes a variety of posters, bookmarks, and other materials that illustrate this concept. The kit contains a new 32‐page “Ideas and Activities” booklet that emphasizes evolution in Earth history through an array of activities about rocks, fossils, and geologic time. It also has information on the upcoming Public Broadcasting Service series, “Evolution,” which is to be aired in late September.
Comment [on “Bush reversal of CO2 pledge draws heated reaction”]
Authors: Schmitt Harrison H.
Published: October 2006

I normally find Eos a very useful source of Earth science news. Mr. Showstack's piece titled “Bush Reversal of CO2 Pledge Draws Heated Reaction” (March 27, 2001) is primarily a report on reactions to the president's rejection of CO2 emissions regulation. Underlying his reports of the comments of others, however, is an unbalanced view of the science of global climate change which requires some protest. This imbalance is consistent with other Eos coverage of the issue, as well as that of others, including Science, Nature, and Science News.
NOAA set to wrap up most of its hurricane assistance to Central America
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Before tropical storm Mitch had transformed itself into a hurricane on October 24, 1998, some U.S. disaster assistance to Central America had focused on drought and fire outbreaks then affecting the region.

However, Mitch—which ranks among the most intense hurricanes to strike the Atlantic basin in the past several hundred years—caused 11,000 deaths. The hurricane devastated several countries and their economies, as well as their fledgling hydrological and meteorological capabilities. According to several sources, these capabilities had been less than adequate to begin with, and had been slowly falling apart over the years, due to eroding budgets or political strife. Along with Hurricane Georges in September 1998, which also struck the Caribbean, Mitch prompted U.S. disaster assistance to quickly shift gears to deal with the new emergency.
Answers sought to big questions about the Amazon Region
Authors: Keller Michael , Victoria Reynaldo , Nobre Carlos
Published: October 2006

The Amazon region contains the largest area of tropical forest on Earth, over 5×106 km2. While the bulk of the region remains forested, rapid development has led to the destruction of over 500,000 km2 of forest in Brazil alone over the past 25 years [Houghton et al., 2000].
Questions raised about benefits of artificial reefs
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Twenty‐seven subway cars lined on a barge awaited their fate off the coast of Delaware, about 26 kilometers east of the Indian River Inlet, on August 22.

A priest blessed the dark‐red cars donated by the New York City Transit Authority, and prayed for the safety of all creatures using them. The song, “Sidewalks of New York” filled the festivities: “East side, west side, all around the town…” A woman tossed tokens from those subway lines into the sea. Then, down went the cars, having first been scrubbed clean, with windows removed for better circulation. Shoved by a bulldozer, the cars were deployed in 35 minutes to join a heap of military vehicles, old tires, and other used materials already accumulated at Reef Site 11, a 1.3‐square‐nautical‐mile artificial reef.
Congressional Science Fellow tackles science policy for U.K.
Authors: Moses Julie J.
Published: October 2006

After an AGU Congressional Science Fellowship in 1997–1998,I decided to pursue science policy further. I spied an ad in the Sunday Washington Post advertising for someone with a science degree, who also had knowledge of the United Kingdom, and science policy experience on Capitol Hill. In addition to my Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles and the Congressional Science Fellowship, I had spent two years in the U.K. as a post‐doc at Queen Mary and Westfield College in London.

I applied for the job, which was at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., and was hired. The UK Foreign Office has a tradition of hiring many of its embassy staff locally; they consider knowledge of local politics and issues very use ful for their interests. Now I cover hard science issues, including space and the Internet for Her Majesty's Government.
Principles of Seismology
Authors: Wu Francis T.
Published: October 2006

Principles of Seismology is targeted for upper‐level undergraduate and beginning graduate students in seismology. It is quite good as an intermediate‐level theoretical seismology text, and it may also serve as a general reference book for seismologists. The author intended to make this book “student‐friendly,” and to a large degree he has accomplished this purpose. Compared to other recent seismology texts at a similar level, this text explains the fundamental aspects of theoretical seismology more thoroughly, and the traditional core topics are well presented.
Data gathered to map magnetic anomalies of Spanish sea floor
Authors: Catalán Manuel , Davila José Martín
Published: October 2006

The most intensive mapping to date of the sea floor off Spain's coast is being undertaken by a Spanish government team. The first phase of this extensive geophysical survey, called the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEE) Project, was completed in February 2000 and focused on the Balearic Sea and the Valencia Trough in the Western Mediterranean (Figure l). The geomagnetic data acquired for the Valencia Trough area has been reduced and stored as a data base, and seven scalar magnetic anomaly maps have been produced. Four maps with scales of 1:200.000 were published in 1999 and two more will soon be printed. A map of the entire area at a scale of 1:500.000 is planned for 2001. All of the maps offer a complete and up‐to‐date overview of the region's magnetic character.
Union officers
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

John A. Orcutt. AGU member since 1974; Fellow, 1989, Professor of Geophysics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego I (UCSD). Major areas of research are marine seismology applied to both crustal and mantle structure, particularly seismic tomography; long‐term ocean observations; theoretical seismology; acoustic‐elastic interactions; and applications of seismology to monitoring of test ban treaties. Chief Scientist on more than 20 oceanographic expeditions and has supervised 20 Ph.D. graduate students. B.A., 1966
Attention turns to naturally occurring methane seepage
Authors: Kvenvolden Keith A. , Lorenson Thomas D. , Reeburgh William S.
Published: October 2006

Methane is the most abundant organic compound in the Earth's atmosphere. As a powerful greenhouse gas, it has implications for global climate change. Sources of methane to the atmosphere are varied. Depending on the source, methane can contain either modern or ancient carbon. Methane exiting from swamps and wetlands contains modern carbon, whereas methane leaking from petroleum reservoirs contains ancient carbon. The total annual source of methane to the atmosphere has been constrained to about 540 teragrams (Tg) per year “Cicerone and Oremland, 1988”. Notably absent from any identified sources is the contribution of geologically sourced methane from naturally occurring seepage.
Lobbying Congress about oceans
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The Congressional Oceans Day on September 25 provided an opportunity for scientists, researchers, and explorers to educate staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate about ocean science, and update them about hot policy issues such as climate change and the fate of coral reefs, and key ocean‐related projects.

Among the major projects is the Census of Marine Life, an international research program conceived in 1997. The 10‐year, $l‐billion program aims to assess and explore the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life, according to Jesse Ausubel of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a project funder. The census, which plans to support 30 field projects over a decade, already has a commitment for $15 million in start‐up funding, and work has started on a half‐dozen projects. These include a study of the history of marine animal populations, and the development of an ocean biogeographical information system.
Efforts to elevate EPA to cabinet level raise concerns
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Congressional efforts to elevate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to presidential cabinet level ran into some opposition during a September 21 hearing of the House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs.

While House Science Committee Chair Sherwood Boehlert (R‐N.Y) testified in favor of a “clean” bill that does not get bogged down with potentially controversial amendments, others said that legislation elevating the $7.5‐billion‐a‐year agency should include requirements for the EPA to improve substantively its operations in several areas, such as its use of sound science and economic analyses.
Mapping southern Puget Sound delta fronts after 2001 earthquake
Authors: Gardner James V. , van den Ameele Edward J. , Gelfenbaum Guy , Barnhardt Walter , Lee Homa , Palmer Steve
Published: October 2006

A moment magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southern Puget Sound (Figure 1) on February 28, 2001, causing an estimated $0.7–$1.4 billion in damages to buildings and roadways in the region [Williams et al., 2001]. The earthquake source was 52 km deep, and the epicenter was located close to the Nisqually River delta in the same location as the epicenter of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake of 1949 (http://www.geophys.washington.edu/seis/pnsn/info_ general/). These deep earthquakes occurred in the eastward‐dipping subducting slab of the Juan de Fuca plate and typically caused less damage than shallower, crustal events of the same magnitude. Details of the seismology and effects of the earthquake can be found at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/activity/latest/ eq_01_02_28.html.
Boehlert optimistic about science budget
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R‐N.Y), chair of the Science Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, said on October 1 that while the tragic airplane attacks in New York City and on the Pentagon change the nation's priorites in many ways, U.S. research and development and education needs remain much the same as they had been before.

Boehlert, speaking in Washington, D.C. to campus presidents of the State University of New York, argued against fundamental changes in the structure or nature of U.S. academic institutions, such as restricting their openness to students, instructors, and researchers from overseas.
Concerns aired over benefits, costs of reducing arsenic in drinking water
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

After years of trying to determine acceptable standards, followed by backpedaling, and further study and debate, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in November is planning to re‐propose its rule for safe arsenic levels in drinking water, and issue a final rule by February 22, 2002.

Before the agency can take those steps, however, it needs to determine levels for arsenic that are safe, technically achievable, and economically feasible. A widely‐distributed, naturally‐occurring element, arsenic can enter groundwater, largely as a result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils. Arsenic also can enter water sources due to its use as a wood preservative, and through operations such as mining and semi‐conductor manufacturing.
The Chemistry and Physics of Stratospheric Ozone
Authors: Friedl Randall R.
Published: October 2006

Perhaps no other environmental issue has captured as much widespread public interest and concern as stratospheric ozone depletion due to man‐made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Increasing scientific understanding of the connections between CFCs and global‐scale ozone changes, highlighted by observations of dramatic ozone loss in the Antarctic, has led to a landmark international treaty and subsequent treaty amendments. As outgrowths of these developments, stratospheric ozone depletion has found its way into science fiction fare and the term “ozone hole” has become part of the English lexicon.
Lester Machta (1919–2001)
Authors: Seidel Dian , Angell Jim
Published: October 2006

Lester Machta, the former director of the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory and an AGU Fellow, died August 31, 2001, of leukemia. For more than half a century, he led pioneering research programs in air quality that addressed some of the key environmental issues of our times, and he did so with a rare devotion to both science and public service. He had been an AGU member since 1950 (Atmospheric Sciences).

A native New Yorker, he obtained a B.A. in mathematics (cum laude) from Brooklyn College and, after the war, he completed an M.S. in meteorology at NYU and an ScD. in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Impacts and the Early Earth (Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, Volume 91) and Impact Stratigraphy, The Italian Record (Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, Volume 93)
Authors: Plescia Jeffrey
Published: October 2006

These two volumes present research stemming from a European Science Foundation Program called “The Response of the Earth System to Impact Processes” (IMPACT). The goal of this program, which commenced in 1998 and will culminate in 2002, is to bring together European scientists to conduct interdisciplinary work on problems associated with impacts and their effects on the Earth system, emphasizing studies of environmental, biological, and geological changes, and evaluation of their consequences for the biodiversity of ecosystems. Although IMPACT is a European program, many non‐Europeans participate in the workshops, short courses, and other activities.
SeaWiFS helps assess hurricane impact on phytoplankton in Caribbean Sea
Authors: Gilbes Fernando , Armstrong Roy A. , Webb Richard M. T. , Müller‐Krager Frank E.
Published: October 2006

Hurricanes can change the biogeochemistry and productivity of coastal regions due to their large impact on river discharge, land runoff, water circulation, and morphological conditions. Such changes are very dramatic, but they can only last from days to a few weeks. The brief span of these events makes a rapid and low‐cost assessment of their regional impact very difficult. Remote sensing of ocean color is a promising tool for assessing the impact of hurricane disturbances in coastal areas at relatively low cost.
Section workshop, field trips
Authors: McKnight Diane
Published: October 2006

The formation of a new Membership Committee to strengthen recruitment of members to the Biogeosciences Section was one of the outcomes of the “Biogeosciences on the Threshold” workshop held March 23–25, 2001. Eighteen biogeoscientists gathered near Baltimore, Maryland, to discuss future research themes, as well as the direction and structure of the new section.

The Membership Committee is chaired by Max Holmes and will coordinate with AGU staff in recruiting scientists from the biogeosciences to join AGU. If you are interested in being involved in recruitment or have suggestions for groups to contact, please get in touch with Max Holmes (rholmes@mbl.edu).
Workshop explores seismogenic zone drilling in the Nankai trough
Authors: Taira A. , Moore G. , Tobin H. , Kimura G. , Kodaira S.
Published: October 2006

Drilling into the seismogenic zone of an active convergent plate margin and installing a deep borehole observatory in its subduction megathrust are high priorities for the early stages of the new Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The Nankai Trough off southwest Japan is one of the most active great earthquake‐generating regions on Earth. Nankai has long been treated as a focused study area in the Deep Sea Drilling Program (DSDP) and ODF, representing a type locality for forearcs with well‐developed accretionary prisms.

Fifty scientists from seven countries recently met in Tokyo to prepare a preliminary proposal for IODP seismogenic zone drilling in the Nankai Trough to characterize the composition, deformation microstructures, and physical properties of the seismogenic zone rocks at in situ conditions.
Reconstructing Late Holocene climate
Authors: Mann Michael E. , Bradley Raymond S. , Briffa Keith , Cole Julia , Hughes Malcolm K. , Overpeck Jonathan T. , Jones Julie M. , von Storch Hans , Widmann Martin , Wanner Heinz , Weber Susanne L.
Published: October 2006

Studying the past few millennia, the Late Holocene, can help us better understand modern‐day natural climate variability. With this in mind, a group of paleoclimate researchers and climate modelers recently convened at a workshop to discuss three distinct approaches to reconstructing Late Holocene climate history.
Ionosphere: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry
Authors: Khazanov George V.
Published: October 2006

Good books on space physics are hard to find. Instructors teaching courses in this field often must pull material from many books, papers, and other resources to compile a useful set of lecture notes. There is also the task of developing homework sets and test questions. Developing appropriate problems for a graduate‐level course is one of the most difficult tasks facing an instructor. Therefore, when a good, inclusive book comes along, it is a noteworthy occasion and should be celebrated by the community.
Reflections: A Year on Capitol Hill
Authors: Cutler Kirsten
Published: October 2006

It used to be so easy to bike past the Capitol Building. But lately this task has become ever more daunting, as an increasingly dense maze of concrete barriers, police officers, and plastic fencing has sprung up. Today, I achieved my goal only after ducking under ropes, squeezing by barricades, and zig‐zagging across once‐pristine lawns. This, symbolic of the most recent event to rattle this town, adds one more exclamation mark to a string of memories making up my year as AGU's 2000–2001 Congressional Science Fellow.
Earth's climate: Past and future
Authors: Gallup Christina D. , Riker‐Coleman Kristin E.
Published: October 2006

Given the prominence of global climate change issues in the United States and abroad, it is surprising that there has not been an introductory‐level textbook that adequately addresses the Earth's climate system in a systematic, easy to read, multidisciplinary manner. Earth's Climate: Past and Future by W. F. Ruddiman is exactly that: an excellent introductory textbook covering the basic science and the paradigms that govern our current understanding of Earth's climate system. In his opening remarks, Ruddiman states his goal that the book make climate science interesting and intelligible to all students, especially to non‐science majors taking an upper‐division science course. Ruddiman successfully tackles this goal.
Seismic probing of Fennoscandian lithosphere
Authors: Bock Günter , Achauer U. , Alinaghi A. , Ansorge J. , Bruneton M. , Friederich W. , Grad M. , Guterch A. , Hjelt S.‐E. , Hyvönen T. , Ikonen J.‐P. , Kissling E. , Komminaho K. , Korja A. , Heikkinen P. , Kozlovskaya E. , Nevsky M. V. , Pavlenkova N. , Pedersen H. , Plomerová J. , Raita T. , Riznichenko O. , Roberts R. G. , Sandoval S. , Sanina I. A. , Sharov N. , Tiikkainen J. , Volosov S. G. , Wielandt E. , Wylegalla K. , Yliniemi J. , Yurov Y.
Published: October 2006

The Svecofennian‐Karelian‐Lapland‐Kola Transect (SVEKALAPKO) project is one of the five multidisciplinary key projects of Europrobe, a scientific program of the European Science Foundation (ESF) that studies the tectonic evolution of European continental lithosphere [Gee and Zeyen, 1996]. The SVEKALAPKO project [Hjelt and Daly, 1996] has adopted a multidisciplinary approach that uses geological, penological, and geophysical methods to unravel the evolution of the crust and lower lithosphere in three major crustal segments of the Fennoscandian Shield: the Proterozoic Svecofennian and Lapland‐Kola orogens and the intervening Archaean Karelia craton. Improved knowledge of the structure and evolution of the Fennoscandian Shield should lead to a better understanding of plate‐tectonic processes in the early history of the Earth.