bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Composing simulation architectures for autonomic systems
Authors: BUTLER ALUN , IBRAHIM MOH , RENNOLLS KEITH , BACON LIZ
Published: October 2006

Simulation has long played a part in testing new configurations and new functionality in a diverse range of software. Through such simulations, the boundaries of the system state are explored and the relationship of that state to other applications tested — sometimes to destruction. A critical differentiator between a simulation and a live, deployed application is that simulations are allowed to fail. As truly autonomous applications evolve, this capacity for simulation must be built in from the ground up or the benefits of experience — including the ability to tolerate failure — will be lost. This must be achieved without undermining the global correctness of visible application behaviour. We suggest an engineering approach to enable the introduction of such simulation with minimal or no recoding and we propose a composition architecture to allow for safe dynamic deployment in substantial autonomic systems. We have identified our approach as application Dreaming.
Long-term survival of microorganisms in frozen material from early Antarctic base camps at McMurdo Sound
Authors: Nedwell D. B. , Russell N. J. , Cresswell-Maynard T.
Published: October 2006

Plate counts were made of bacteria surviving in materials from Shackleton's and Scott's camps from the first decade of this century. Several millions of bacteria per g of material were detected in samples of pony dung and lesser numbers in dried peas, pearl barley, chaff and straw. No coliforms had survived in the dung: apparent positives in the presumptive coliform counts proved to be sporing Bacillus spp. when tested in a confirmatory coliform test. Subsamples of the colonies growing on agar plates all proved to be either Bacillus spp. producing endospores or actinomycetes (Micromonospora spp.) with single spores along the hyphae.
UV-Vis spectroscopy of stardust
Authors: Fernandes C.D. , Johnson D. , Bridges J.C. , Grady Monica M.
Published: October 2006

NASA's Stardust mission flew through the coma of comet Wild 2 in January 2004, capturing dust grains as it did so. The grains were returned safely to Earth in January 2006, and are in the process of being distributed to investigators. As members of the Spectroscopy Preliminary Examination Team, we are preparing to analyse Stardust grains. Our contribution is to measure the spectrum of the grains between 200 nm (in the near ultraviolet) and 800 nm (near infrared). The purpose of the measurement is to provide an additional technique for characterizing the grains, one that is complementary to other spectroscopic techniques and one that produces results that can be matched directly with spectra acquired remotely (with telescope or spacecraft instrumentation). As part of the preparation for analysis of Stardust materials, we are producing a database of spectra from appropriate minerals, and are honing the technique through analysis of primitive meteorites.
The relative importance of global agricultural subsidies and market access
Authors: ANDERSON KYM , MARTIN WILL , VALENZUELA ERNESTO
Published: October 2006

The claim by global trade modelers that the potential contribution to global economic welfare of removing agricultural subsidies is less than one-tenth of that from removing agricultural tariffs puzzles many observers. To help explain that result, this paper first compares the OECD and model-based estimates of the extent of the producer distortions (leaving aside consumer distortions), and shows that 75% of total support is provided by market access barriers when account is taken of all forms of support to farmers and to agricultural processors globally, and only 19% to domestic farm subsidies. We then provide a back-of-the-envelope (BOTE) calculation of the welfare cost of those distortions. Assuming unitary supply and demand elasticities, that BOTE analysis suggests 86% of the welfare cost is due to tariffs and only 6% to domestic farm subsidies. When the higher costs associated with the greater variability of trade measures relative to domestic support are accounted for, the BOTE estimate of the latter's share falls to 4%. This is close to the 5% generated by the most commonly used global model (GTAP) and reported in the paper's final section.
United States-Sunset Review of Anti-Dumping Duties on Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products from Japan, AB-2003-5, WT/DS244/AB/R
Authors: HOWSE ROBERT , STAIGER ROBERT W.
Published: October 2006

The WTO Anti-Dumping (AD) Agreement requires that anti-dumping duties be reviewed at least every five years (Article 11.3); pursuant to this requirement, domestic trade authorities in the US are charged with the task of making a determination as to whether, after five years, revoking the duties would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping (Commerce) and of material injury (ITC). This is called a Sunset Review; a negative determination of likelihood, either with respect to dumping or injury, will result in the duties expiring, the ‘sun’ setting, as it were.
The Internet, cross-border trade in services, and the GATS: lessons from US–Gambling
Authors: WUNSCH-VINCENT SACHA
Published: October 2006

The rapid development of the Internet has led to a growing electronic cross-border delivery of services. While the WTO negotiations have not caught up to the reality of such service trade, the first GATS case dealing with the Internet, namely ‘United States – Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services’, has advanced matters. This paper distils the substantive conclusions of the case and remaining questions in relation to Internet-supplied services and certain core concepts of the GATS. Moreover, it sheds light on the case's implications for the services negotiations under the ongoing Doha Development Agenda. It concludes that the second ever GATS case has provided an encouraging set of answers to the unresolved questions of the WTO's Work Programme on E-Commerce, mainly confirming the applicability of GATS commitments to electronically supplied services and shaping the concept of technological neutrality. While more work or dispute settlement cases are necessary to clarify the remaining questions, the rulings have paved the way for the GATS to be a more effective discipline for cross-border (electronic) trade. The paper also explains that a ‘chilling effect’ of the rulings on the Doha services negotiations is not warranted.
Der Einfluss des Fachkräfteanteils auf die Dekubitusinzidenz in Pflegeheimen
Authors: Popp Johann , Pröfener Franz , Stappenbeck Jens , Reintjes Ralf , Weber Petra
Published: October 2006

In Deutschland ist ein Mindestanteil von 50% Fachpersonal bei der Betreuung von Heimbewohnern gesetzlich vorgeschrieben. Der Einfluss dieses Fachkräfteanteils auf die pflegerische Ergebnisqualität wird kontrovers diskutiert. Die Studie untersucht die Frage, ob in Pflegeheimen ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Höhe des Fachkräfteanteils und der Dekubitusinzidenz besteht. Es wurde eine historische Kohortenstudie durchgeführt. Dabei wurde zum einen auf Daten des Hamburger Qualitätsvergleiches in der Dekubitusprophylaxe zurückgegriffen, zum anderen wurden die an diesem Qualitätsvergleich teilnehmenden Pflegeheime zu ihrem Fachkräfteanteil und anderen möglichen Einflussfaktoren der Dekubitusentstehung befragt. Für die Analyse wurden die Heimbewohner (n = 2813) in drei Gruppen aufgeteilt, je nachdem ob sie mit einem niedrigen (< 50%), mittleren (50–60%) oder hohen (≥ 60%) Fachkräfteanteil gepflegt worden waren. Es wurden multivariate logistische Regressionsmodelle berechnet. Im Vergleich zum niedrigen Fachkräfteanteil wurde für den mittleren Anteil eine Odds Ratio von 1,5 (p = 0,455) und für den hohen Anteil eine Odds Ratio von 0,8 (p = 0,703) berechnet. Im Vergleich zum mittleren Fachkräfteanteil wurde für den hohen Anteil eine Odds Ratio von 0,54 (p = 0,09) berechnet. Die widersprüchlichen Ergebnisse können die Forschungsfrage nicht beantworten.
Team Personality: A Dynamic, Contextualized View
Authors: Dang Chi C. , Ilgen Daniel R.
Published: October 2006

Abstract. Team personality has received much attention as organizations increasingly organize work around teams. Yet the concept of team personality in the current literature has not been well developed; typically it is considered as an extrapolation of individual personality traits to team. In the present paper, we address team personality by considering recent advances in personality theories and in teams. We argue team personality is a reasonable construct, but it needs to be viewed directly at the team level and from a contextualized perspective. Furthermore, we identify critical contextual conditions under which team personality is embedded and suggest ways in which team personality can be measured taking contextual issues into account.
Reply to S. Fred Singer
Authors: Santer Benjamin D. , Wigley Tom M. L.
Published: October 2006

In a recent issue of Eos, S. Fred Singer [1999a] misrepresents our research on climate change detection.We comment below on two specific issues that Singer raises. Other scientific inaccuracies in Singer's contributions to Eos [Singer, 1999a,b] have already been addressed by Keller [1999].
Scientists unearth clues to soil contamination by comparing old and new soil samples
Authors: Lapenis Andrei G. , Torn Margaret S. , Harden Jennifer W. , Hollocker Kurt , Babikov Boris V. , Timofeev Anayoly I. , Hornberger Michelle I. , Natiis Randy
Published: October 2006

Oil contamination during the era of industrialization is a complex but important topic for those involved in land use planning and health assessment [Feshbach, 1995]. One of the most direct ways to estimate the anthropogenic contamination of soil is to compare soil samples collected before the intensive industrialization period with modern samples taken from the same locations.

Quantitative information about postindustrial trends in soil chemistry is usually derived from old measurements of the soil's chemical composition.The use of such old data, however, poses important limitations. First, in most cases, the sampling site locations were identified with the name of the closest administrative district [Lindert et al., 1996] or nearest village or town [Sherbakov and Vaseneva, 1996], rather than the specific location of the sampling site. Because of significant natural variability in soil properties, a difference of only a kilometer yields pronounced differences in soil composition and structure. Other challenges arise from using different soil analysis methods. For instance, the 100‐year‐old measurement of soil humus by the so‐called “dry combustion” method can underestimate humus and organic carbon content by ∼40% [Sherbakov and Vaseneva, 1996].
A new window opens on the Arctic
Authors: Francis Jennifer A. , Schweiger Axel J.
Published: October 2006

The Arctic, which was once often excluded from global displays of geophysical fields, has moved to the forefront of climate research. Global climate models (GCMs) have long predicted that the high latitudes would be the bellwether of the climates response to anthropogenic modifications because of strong feedback mechanisms involving snow, sea ice, clouds, and radiation. Many questions and uncertainties surround parameterizations of polar processes in GCMs, however, and tremendous differences exist between model simulations for present‐day climate conditions [e.g., Gates et al., 1999],to say nothing of future climate predictions.

In recognition of these issues and the potential contribution that satellite data could make to addressing them, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initiated the Pathfinder program (see Web site: http://xtreme.gsfc.nasa.gov/pathfinder/). The TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Polar Pathfinder data set, produced with funding from this program, provides a new source of information about the Arctic surface and atmosphere that may offer insight into the complex processes that control the Arctic climate system.
UNAVCO Conference explores advances in volcanic geodesy
Authors: Stein Seth , Hamburger Michael , Meertens Charles , Dixon Timothy , Owen Susan
Published: October 2006

Volcanic eruptions are among Earth's most spectacular surface phenomena. However, attempts to understand their basic physics face the challenge that the key processes occur at great depth and are difficult to observe. Thus volcanologists have been interested for years in using ground deformation measurements to study active volcanoes and predict their behavior during extended volcanic crises, such as the dramatic six weeks in 1980 between the initial and major eruptions of Mt. Saint Helens.

The advent of new technologies in recent years—in particular the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (INSAR)—has shown potential for significant advances in volcano studies. Progress in this direction was explored at a conference organized by the University Navstar Consortium (UNAVCO) on September 15–17, 1999, with financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The meeting aimed to assess the status of various geodetic technologies and their potential to address crucial scientific and social needs in volcanic science and monitoring, as well as to develop recommendations on ways to spur further progress in these areas.
VHF radar detects oceanic submesoscale vortex along Florida Coast
Authors: Shay Lynn K. , Cook Thomas M. , Haus Brian K. , Martinez Jorge , Peters Hartmut , Mariano Arthur J. , VanLeer John , An P. Edgar , Smith Samuel , Soloviev A. , Weisberg Robert , Luther Mark
Published: October 2006

Escalating national interest in the coastal ocean underscores the need for high‐quality surface current data that can improve our understanding of surface circulation and its impact on societal and environmental issues related to coastal pollution, beach restoration, oil spill mitigation, and coastal air‐sea interaction. Coastal regimes exposed to strong ocean currents,surface waves, and winds during storm conditions may frequently require beach renourishment to restore valuable beaches that are key to local economies. Maintaining water quality is a problem, too, particularly where shipping dominates the traffic in and out of harbors. These environmental issues are increasingly difficult to manage due to evolving oceanic and atmospheric conditions. Inferring evolving spatial patterns of the coastal ocean current fields from single‐point measurements such as moorings or drifters that propagate away from divergent flow regimes is difficult at best. The Doppler radar technique is one approach that effectively measures the evolution of surface current fields in near‐real time.
Interplay between wind and rain observed in Hurricane Floyd
Authors: Timothy W. , Hu Liu Hua , Yueh Simon
Published: October 2006

In situ observations over the ocean are extremely sparse during a hurricane and conventional satellite data only provide cloud imagery at the top of the storm. Hurricanes are devastating when they are accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain. Two new satellite missions, QuikSCAT and the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM), provide the opportunity to observe both wind and rain in hurricanes prior to landfall. The coincident measurements of surface wind and rain reveal the interplay between the dynamics and the hydrologic balances of the storms. When applied to Hurricane Floyd, the high spatial resolution of ocean surface winds measured by QuikSCAT improves computation of the moisture transport, the vertical profiles of moisture sink and diabatic heating, and the difference between evaporation and rain‐rate at the surface.
Seismic evidence for volcanic activity discovered in central Arctic
Authors: Müller Christian , Jokat Wilfried
Published: October 2006

An earthquake swarm of well over 200 events was recently detected along the Gakkel Ridge in the central Arctic Ocean. The swarm occurred between January and August of 1999 and was localized between longitudes 70°E and 90°E (Figure 1a ) . Over the past few decades, only a few randomly clustered earthquakes had been detected along the 1800‐km‐long ridge.

Evidence from moment tensor solutions indicates that this swarm originated as a tectonic rifting episode, with double‐couple normal faulting, and transitioned in early March of 1999 to more volcanic origin with strongly non‐double‐couple events. This is the first direct evidence of recent volcanic activity in the high Arctic. Because seismic activity is low at slow and ultra‐slow spreading ridges, the swarm provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate crustal processes along the ridge.
[Commnet on “Seismic predictors of El Niño revisited”] Comment on an atmospheric stochastic trigger for El Niño
Authors: Hunt A. G.
Published: October 2006

A recent Eos article [Walker, 1999] describes a correlation between El Niño occurrence and seismicity along the most rapidly spreading portion of the East Pacific Rise, located below the eastern Pacific atmospheric high‐pressure zone most strongly influenced by El Niño.The correlation between seismicity and El Niño is accentuated by seismic precursors to the development of an El Niño. Walker suggests that a trigger for El Niño has not been unambiguously identified. Walker concludes that increased seismicity is likely to be associated with enhanced heat flow, which might ultimately trigger, or be connected with a trigger for, El Niño.

Assuming that a correlation between seismicity and El Niño does exist, other explanations might be found, and one is suggested here to be at least more likely, if also improbable. Changes of sea level resulting from El Niño can induce small crustal stresses, which in an area of intense seismicity may have a small effect on earthquake statistics or trigger an earthquake that was about to happen anyway While I suspect that the counter‐proposal is, by itself, insufficient cause to discuss the correlation further, this argument is strengthened by the known correlation between reservoir filling and increased seismicity [Gupta and Chandha, 1995].The main problem with my counter‐argument is that the changes in sea level resulting from El Niño are only tens of centimeters, resulting in stresses of less than .lbar. Probably no seismologist would be comfortable with the suggestion that such a small stress could materially affect earthquake frequencies, even in an area with exceptionally high seismicity.The counterproposal is based on the statistics of global temperature and understanding the role of El Niño therein.
Turkish earthquakes reveal dynamics of fracturing along a major strike‐slip fault zone
Authors: Çemen Ibrahim , Gökten Ergun , Varol Baki , Kiliç Recep , Özaksoy Volkan , Erkmen Cenk , Pinar Ali
Published: October 2006

During the last 5 months of 1999, northwestern Turkey experienced two major earthquakes along the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ). The first earthquake struck the country at 3:01 A.M. local time on August 17, and caused extensive damage in the towns of Yalova, Gölcük, Izmit, Adapazari, and Düzce (Figure 1). The second earthquake occurred at 6:57 P.M. local time on November 12 and caused damage mostly in Düzce and Kaynasli.

The 7.4‐Mw main shock of the August 17 Izmit earthquake was centered at 40.702°N, 29.987°E and originated at a depth of 17 km. The center was about 11 km southeast of Izmit, a major industrial town (Figure 1). The earthquake was a devastating natural disaster that claimed close to 20,000 lives and left more than 100,000 people homeless.
Global lightning acquisition system installed
Authors: Füllekrug Martin , Constable Steven , Heinson Graham , Sato Mitsuteru , Takahashi Yukihiro , Price Colin , Williams Earle
Published: October 2006

A global network of seven time‐synchronized, high‐precision magnetometers around the world is ready to triangulate individual lightning flashes on planet Earth to monitor the temporal and spatial evolution of global lightning activity.

This global network of magnetometers is able to detect the electromagnetic radiation of distant lightning flashes and makes possible remote sensing of the temporal evolution and spatial migration of global lightning activity [Füllekrug and Constable, 2000]. These results have led to international interest in a new measurement campaign with a large network of high‐precision magnetometers. The magnetic field changes are measured with ∼10‐14 Tesla accuracy (which corresponds to ∼10‐7% of the main geomagnetic field). The Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) provide time alignment of 0.00002 seconds between two measurement stations at antipodal distances (20×103, km), and the digital equipment makes possible continuous, high‐frequency recordings with 2000 samples per second.
Metastable eutectic equilibrium brought down to Earth
Authors: Rietmeijer Frans J. M. , Nuth Joseph A.
Published: October 2006

Thermodynamic equilibrium feels comfortable because it satisfies our desire for order. For kinetic reasons, this ideal state is rarely established. Equilibrium describes the state of a system, but not how it got there. Still, we accept that metamorphic reactions will not occur at the P‐T conditions predicted by the experimentally determined phase equilibria stability curves. Instead such reactions require metamorphic overstepping to provide the driving force to adjust the mineralogy to the new P‐T conditions.
Extensive magmatic and hydrothermal activity documented in Manus Basin
Authors: Auzende Jean‐Marie , Ishibashi Jun‐Ishiro , Beaudoin Yannick , Charlou Jean‐Luc , Delteil Jean , Donval Jean‐Pierre , Fouquet Yves , Ildefonse Benoit , Kimura Hiroyuki , Nishio Yoshiro , Radford‐Knoery Joel , Ruøllan Etienne
Published: October 2006

In 1995, a joint French‐Japanese cruise (ManusFlux) explored the Manus Spreading Center and some sites of the South Eastern Rift in the Manus Basin off the coast of Papua New Guinea (Figure 1) with the Japanese submersible [Auzende et al., 1996; Gamo et al., 1997]. In the framework of this joint project, called New STARMER, the French and Japanese teams completed the Manaute cruise with the R/V LAtalante and the Ifremer submersible Nautile in April and May 2000.

The Manaute cruise explored and sampled volcanic and hydrothermal sites in the eastern part of Manus Basin and on the spreading axis of the Western Ridge (WR). The eastern part of the Manus Basin (Figure 2) was interpreted as a stretched‐back arc basin crust showing alternatively elongated ridges and isolated volcanoes where accretion and hydrothermal activity are distributed [Martinez and Taylor, 1996; Binns et al., 1993].
Nutrient over‐enrichment implicated in multiple problems in U.S. waterways
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

As scientists gathered to discuss the increasing problem of nutrient over‐enrichment of coastal and other water bodies during an October 11–13 symposium in Washington, D.C., federal, state, and tribal negotiators 1600 km away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, reached what could be a landmark agreement to attempt to reduce the hypoxic “dead zone” region in the Mississippi River watershed and the Gulf of Mexico.

That agreement, hammered out by the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force and announced on October 11, calls for reducing the 5‐year running average of the aerial extent of the hypoxic zone to less than 5000 square km by 2015. The mid‐summer aerial extent for bottom‐water hypoxia has exceeded 10,000 square km each year since 1993, and it was more than 20,000 square km in 1999.
Fifty‐year record of north polar temperatures shows warming
Authors: Kahl Jonathan D. W. , Jansen Mark , Pulrang Martin A.
Published: October 2006

The Arctic Ocean has long been at the center of the global warming debate, since a significant reduction in sea ice could alter the Earth's radiation balance, as well as modify global atmospheric circulation. According to an August 19, 2000, report in The New York Times, passengers aboard a Russian icebreaker‐turned‐cruise ship observed a “mile‐wide” patch of ice‐free ocean at the pole. This observation immediately prompted speculation that global warming is already melting the polar icecap.

Two types of open water commonly occur throughout the Arctic pack ice. The linear features, called leads, and curvilinear features, called polynyas, are not necessarily cause for concern. However, the overall extent of Arctic sea ice has decreased in recent decades and, hence, the issue of polar warming is of broad environmental interest.
Iridium satellites help map electrical currents in space
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The satellite constellation of Iridium LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999 after it failed to win enough business for its commercial satellite communications services, is still orbiting at an altitude of about 780 kilometers. Now, however, the satellites are helping to write a new chapter in understanding space weather.

Magnetometers onboard each of the system's 66 polar‐orbiting satellites are working in conjunction with the high‐frequency, multinational Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, or SuperDARN, to provide the first continuous measurements of electrical currents between Earth's upper atmosphere and space. These tools also are generating the first global maps of electrical power flowing into the polar upper atmosphere.
New map reveals origin and geology of North American mid‐continent rift
Authors: Cannon W. F. , Daniels D. L. , Nicholson S. W. , Phillips J. , Woodruff L. G. , Chandler Val W. , Morey G. B. , Boerboom T. , Wirth K. R. , Mudrey M. G.
Published: October 2006

New aeromagnetic data from the north central United States are helping geophysicists and geologists better understand the 1.1‐billion‐year‐old mid‐continent rift, one of the fundamental components of the Precambrian basement of North America.

A detailed geologic map of part of the rift is being made and a myriad of new details concerning the history of rift subsidence, volcanism, sedimentation, and inversion are being deciphered. The data are also helping to establish a link between well‐known parts of the rift in the Lake Superior region, where exposures of rift‐related rocks are abundant and where a comprehensive geophysical data base has existed for more than a decade, and the buried extension of the rift to the southwest. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Minnesota Geological Survey the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and Macalester College are using the new data in conjunction with field and laboratory investigations in a joint study that promises to produce new insights into the history and formation of the rift.
Transition to electronic publishing: Part 1. Electronic supplements
Authors: Hinze William
Published: October 2006

An editorial in the May 22 issue of Eos announced a series of communications that will inform members about the changes occurring in the next few months as AGU makes the transition to fully electronic publishing. This piece discusses how a long‐term feature of AGU journals—electronic supplements— will expand its usefulness.
Stratospheric studies consider crucial question of particle precipitation
Authors: Callis Linwood B.
Published: October 2006

Recent work calls into question the adequacy of using atmospheric models with an upper boundary near 60 km for interpretive and prognostic studies of stratospheric odd nitrogen (NOY = NO + NO2 + 2 × N2O5 + HNO3 + CINO3 + NO3) and ozone (O3). Studies have shown that the effects of energetic particle precipitation occurring within the mesosphere and the lower thermosphere (MLT, roughly 60–110 km) ultimately affect stratospheric NOY and, calculations suggest, O3. The magnitude of these effects— which are solar cycle‐dependent—on the stratosphere is calculated to be comparable with those due to solar flux variations associated with the 11‐year solar activity cycle. Accounting for the effects of these precipitating particles requires models with an upper boundary no lower than 100 km. Also, the polar night observations of the species required to unambiguously characterize this solar and particle‐driven coupling between atmospheric regions have not been made and are not yet planned.
Bering Sea shifts toward an earlier spring transition
Authors: Stabeno Phyllis J. , Overland James E.
Published: October 2006

Major changes have occurred in the northern high latitudes in the last two decades. These changes range from decreases in marine mammal populations to stratospheric cooling and permafrost warmings. Over Alaska and northwestern Canada, there is an earlier transition from winter to spring. Alaskan natives who live along the coast of the northern Bering Sea have noted warmer spring temperatures, thinner sea ice, and earlier melting of snow and ice. While winters over the northern Bering Sea are cold and dark, the long hours of daylight during spring and summer, coupled with high concentrations of nutrients, make this region among the most productive in the world. Change in timing of the transition between winter and spring is affecting the ecosystem, which in turn will impact the fishermen and natives who use the Bering Sea's living resources.
CASE stands up for lightning protection standard
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

AGU has gone on record to strongly support the retention of the National Fire Protection Association Standard NFPA 780, “Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems.” The AGU Committee on Atmospheric and Space Electricity (CASE) has submitted a peerreviewed white paper to the Boston‐based NFPA that provides evidence, dating back to the 1700s, of the effectiveness of the use of conventional lightning protection systems. This paper is available on the CASE Web site at http://CASE.AGU.org/NFPAreport.pdf. The white paper, signed by 24 AGU members, was submitted to NFPA in response to a solicitation requesting technical substantiation for retaining NFPA 780. All responses to the solicitation will be made available for public review and comment by the NFPA Standards Council (http://www.nfpa.org/CODES/). To obtain the documents,contact Leona Nisbet, Recording Secretary (lnisbet@nfpa.org).
In Jules Verne's Footsteps: Seismology in the source
Authors: Ellsworth Bill , Ito Hisao , Malin Peter , Abercrombie Rachel
Published: October 2006

When Professor Otto Lidenbrock led his little band to the center of the Earth in Jules Verne's 1864 classic novel, the intrepid adventurers needed little more than practical 19th century clothes to provide them with comfort and protection. How different the science of earthquakes would be if conditions in the Earth were really so friendly to the would‐be observer. Even the operation of seismic sensors at the relatively modest depth of 2–3 km, roughly the depth of the shallowest crustal earthquakes, requires careful precautions against the effects of unstable materials, temperature, pressure, and water for successful long‐term observations to be made. Indeed, the handful of successful deep borehole experiments that have been conducted to date have depended on simple sensors with limited bandwidth and dynamic range, and have yielded data that were not ideally suited to investigating the details of the earthquake source.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Volcanology Geochemistry & Petrology Section presented two outstanding student paper awards at the 2001 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June.
Reply [to “Comment on ‘Investigations unveil Holocene thrusting for onshore Portugal’”]
Authors: Fonseca Joao F.B. D. , Vilanova Susana P. , Bosi Vittorio , Meghraoui Mustapha
Published: October 2006

In Fonseca et al. [2000]we put forward the first results of the paleoseismological investigations underway in the Lower Tagus Valley (LTV), near the Portuguese capital; a region of well‐documented historical intraplate earthquakes of magnitude M6.5–M7. Our study focused on the right bank of the Tagus River from Lisbon to Santarem, where a persistent NNE‐SSW scarp can be followed in the landscape morphology. We identified deformation of recent deposits in trenches on that scarp, and interpreted it as a thrust geometry with significant left‐lateral component. We dated the deformed layers as Holocene using archeological criteria, as well as C14, and measured a minimum displacement of ∼3 m over the last 4000 years. These observations were correlated with the intensity distribution of the destructive 1531 Vila Franca earthquake [Justo and Salwa, 1998], and we concluded that the structure now discovered was the surface rupture due to that earthquake.
Sea level rise: History and consequences
Authors: Church John A.
Published: October 2006

The world's coastal zones are regions of major and increasing population density and the location of a number of the world's larger cities. The combination of continuing development of these coastal regions and possible sea level rise during the 21st century is creating the potential for economic and social crises in many nations. As a result, it is imperative that we better understand past and present sea level change.
New images of fire scars may help mitigate future natural hazards
Authors: Rammsey Michael S. , Arrowsmith J. Ramón
Published: October 2006

Natural and human‐induced fires burned over 6.5 million acres in the western United States during the 2000 fire season. The cost of fighting those fires exceeded $1 billion, and a significant amount of the damage resulted when fires moved from nature to the human environment. The exponential growth of urban centers in the semi‐arid southwestern United States has increased the potential for danger from these widespread and damaging fires. Ongoing work to remotely characterize recently burned regions on the periphery of Phoenix, Arizona, has used numerous satellite and airborne data sets to analyze these burn scars.
[Comment on “IPCC Report cautiously warns of potentially dramatic climate change impacts”] U.S. Administration reviewing Climate Policy
Authors: Pielke Roger A.
Published: October 2006

In a news article in the February 27, 2001 issue [Showstack, 2001] Mike MacCracken, a scientist with the U.S. Global Change Research Program, was quoted as supporting the view that land‐use change is an important issue with respect to climate change.

However, MacCracken is also quoted as stating that, “But for the 21st century, the kinds of changes that are projected for atmospheric composition are going to swamp anything due to land cover change.”
Vote using the Web
Authors: Schmoltner Anne‐Marie
Published: October 2006

In an effort to increase the strength of AGU by increasing participation in voting, you will be able to cast your ballot for AGU officers on the Web this year. The Tellers Committee is working with an experienced firm, election.com, to develop procedures for conducting AGU's first electronic election in November and December 2001. You will be able to cast your votes for the officers of your choice, among the 62 candidates, by going to a secure Web site, or by requesting a paper ballot.

An amendment to the District of Columbia law now permits non‐profit organizations incorporated in Washington, D.C. to conduct elections using electronic voting. AGU was instrumental in getting the amendment adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia in spring 2001.
European orogenic processes research transects the eastern Alps
Authors: Gebrande Helmut , Lüschen Ewald , Lammerer Bernd , Oncken Onno , Stiller Manfred , Neubauer Franz , Millahn Karl , Grassl Herfried , Bertelli Luca , Angeleri Gianpiero , Fantoni Roberto , Mazzotti Alfredo , Bernabini Marcello , Castellarin Alberto , Nicolich Rinaldo
Published: October 2006

The Alps—the youngest and most elevated mountain range in Europe—have inspired ideas about orogenic evolution for a long time. During the late 1980s, the western Alps were the site of intensive research using seismic profiling methods by Swiss, Italian, and French national programs [Rome et al., 1990; Pfiffner et al., 1997] .These investigations, some of which formed part of the European Traverse [Blundell et al., 1992], provided a great wealth of new data relevant to the Alpine orogeny. This orogeny is generally viewed in the context of the collision of the European and the Adriatic/African continental plates after the closure and subduction of the Penninic Ocean since about 40–50 Ma.
EU‐sponsored effort improves monitoring of circulation variability in the Mediterranean
Authors: Manzella G. M. R. , Cardin V. , Cruzado A. , Fusco G. , Gacic M. , Galli C. , Gasparini G. P. , Gervais T. , Kovacevic V. , Millot C. , DeLa Villeon L. Petit , Spaggiari G. , Tonani M. , Tziavos C. , Velasquez Z. , Zervakis Walne V. , Zodiatis G.
Published: October 2006

The Mediterranean Sea, bordered by many North African countries and opening eastward to the Black Sea, is a strategic area for Europe. Its coast is one of the most heavily populated regions of the world. A large part of a coastal nation's gross national product is produced through fishing, transportation, recreation, and other industries that depend on a healthy marine coastal environment. The risk of an incident likely to release harmful substances and cause massive pollution is considered high, as the Mediterranean is a major route for merchant vessels and the transport of oil and gas. Due to this risk, Mediterranean coastal countries need to organize and prepare for accidental marine pollution. Such permanent efforts have to be made at national, regional, and European levels. The management of this culturally diverse area presents a challenge.
New Internet software aids paleomagnetic analysis and plate tectonic reconstructions
Authors: Schettino Antonio , Scotese Christopher R.
Published: October 2006

Internet server‐side applications are becoming an invaluable source of information for many scientists. This is particularly evident in the case of molecular biology, where raw information and computation tools related to various genome projects are easily and quickly accessible through several Web servers. As illustrated by the pioneering efforts of the Ocean Drilling Stratigraphic Network (ODSN) service for making online plate reconstructions, the Cornell Interactive Mapping System, the Harvard Centroid‐Moment Tensor Project, and the DRAGON project, geophysics has just begun to systematically use comparable network programming technology Within the next few years, many local resources that are currently accessible only at the scale of university departments will be rendered available to a wide public of researchers and students.
Airborne laser swath mapping shines new light on Earth's topography
Authors: Carter William , Shrestha Ramesh , Tuell Grady , Bloomquist David , Sartori Michael
Published: October 2006

Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) now makes it possible to delineate the physical features of the surface of Earth on spatial scales as fine as a few decimeters horizontally and a few centimeters vertically As a result, Earth scientists may finally be able to answer long‐standing scientific questions about such surficial processes as erosion, faulting, volcanism, and plate motion. Information on surface relief, drainage patterns, and vegetation, critical to understanding the evolution of ecologically sensitive areas, can be collected over hundreds of square kilometers in a period of days. Information collected by ALSM can also be used to address a wide variety of engineering issues, such as developing and managing natural resources7semi; mitigating the impacts of such natural disasters as floods, hurricanes, tornados, landslides, and sinkholes; and building and maintaining transportation infrastructure.
Venezuelan debris flow and flash flood disaster of 1999 studied
Authors: Larsen Matthew C. , Wieczorek Gerald F. , Eaton L. Scott , Morgan Benjamin A. , Torres‐Sierra Heriberto
Published: October 2006

Alluvial fans in urban and rural areas are sites of episodic, rainfall‐induced natural hazards [Garner 1959; Campbell, 1975; Wieczorek et al., 2001]. Debris flows, hyper‐concentrated flows, and flash floods that occur episodically in these alluvial fan environments place many communities at high risk during intense and prolonged rainfall. Although scientists have become better able to define areas of high natural hazard, population expansion and development pressures in such areas have put more people at risk than ever before. Recognition of the magnitude and distribution of debris‐flow and flash‐flood hazards is therefore a critically important area of natural hazard research.
New computer promises to accelerate climate change research
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

The acquisition of a new IBM SP supercomputer and advanced technologies, announced on November 9 by a Boulder, Colorado‐based research organization, could accelerate research into global and regional climate change, short‐ and long‐range weather prediction, atmospheric chemistry, space weather, and other areas.

The equipment, announced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its parent organization, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), will provide atmospheric scientists with access to new computational, storage, and communications capabilities. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) purchased the machine for use at NCAR to advance geoscience research.
Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard
Authors: Synolakis Costas , Fryer Gerard J.
Published: October 2006

Tsunami: the Underrated Hazard, by Edward Bryant, would appear to be a welcome addition to the scholarly tsunami literature. No book on tsunamis has the broad perspective of this work. The book looks attractive, with many high‐quality photographs. It looks comprehensive, with discussions of tsunami hydrodynamics, tsunami effects on coastal landscapes, and causes of tsunamis (earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, meteorite impacts). It looks practical, with a section on risk and mitigation. It also looks entertaining, with an opening chapter on tsunami legends and a closing chapter presenting fanciful descriptions of imagined events. Appearances are deceiving, though. Any initial enthusiasm for the work evaporates on even casual reading. The book is so flawed by errors, omissions, confusion, and unsupported conjecture that we cannot recommend it to anyone.
Dispersion in Heterogeneous Geological Formations
Authors: Li Shu‐Guang
Published: October 2006

Intensive research in stochastic subsurface hydrology over the past 2 decades has significantly improved our understanding of fieldscale transport in heterogeneous media and has significantly changed how we think about variability and uncertainty However, these studies have not translated into much impact on how predictions are made in practical groundwater modeling studies. Most models used in applications still provide only deterministic predictions that essentially ignore small‐scale heterogeneity with no accompanying information on prediction uncertainty. It is reasonable to ask why most practical models don't provide stochastic field‐scale prediction even though there is a consensus that heterogeneity has a dramatic impact on plume migration and there is a well‐established theory that deals with this topic.
Panel urges measures to minimize effects of future abrupt climate changes
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2006

Future abrupt climate changes are likely, according to a new report issued by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC),and research into their causes, patterns, and probability is needed to help minimize potentially large impacts on societies, ecosystems, and natural resources such as water.

The December 10 report, “Abrupt Climate Changes: Inevitable Surprises,” notes that abrupt regional or global climate changes that may occur within the span of a human generation could be triggered either by natural or anthropogenic causes, including global warming. Such changes could affect temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and extreme weather events.
Survey studies hydrothermal circulation on the Northern Juan de Fuca Ridge
Authors: Johnson H. Paul , Hautala Susan L. , Tivey Maurice A. , Jones Christopher D. , Voight Janet , Pruis Matthew , Garcia‐Berdeal Irene , Gilbert Lisa A. , Bjorklund Tor , Fredericks William , Howland Jon , Tsurumi Maia , Kurakawa Tomoko , Nakamura Ko‐ichi , O'Connell Kelly , Thomas Leif , Bolton Sheryl , Turner Jamie
Published: October 2006

The circulation of hydrothermal fluid within upper oceanic crust constrains the global composition of seawater and is also responsible for many of the dynamic chemical and biological processes that alter the underlying volcanic rocks that form the sea floor. The heat of crustal formation drives this fluid circulation, and the impact on the overlying ocean is most easily observed at mid‐ocean ridge spreading centers. Previous efforts to quantify the heat associated with crustal formation have lacked information regarding the partitioning of thermal energy between discrete, high‐temperature vent fields, ubiquitous low‐temperature diffuse venting, and the pervasive conductive heat flux through the volcanic rocks.
Linear Elastic Waves
Authors: Revenough Justin
Published: October 2006

Elastic waves propagating in simple media manifest a surprisingly rich collection of phenomena. Although some can't withstand the complexities of Earth's structure, the majority only grow more interesting and more important as remote sensing probes for seismologists studying the planet's interior. To fully mine the information carried to the surface by seismic waves, seismologists must produce accurate models of the waves. Great strides have been made in this regard. Problems that were entirely intractable a decade ago are now routinely solved on inexpensive workstations. The mathematical representations of waves coded into algorithms have grown vastly more sophisticated and are troubled by many fewer approximations, enforced symmetries, and limitations. They are far from straightforward, and seismologists using them need a firm grasp on wave propagation in simple media. Linear Elastic Waves, by applied mathematician John G. Harris, responds to this need.
Assessing methodologies for measuring groundwater discharge to the ocean
Authors: Burnett Bill , Chanton Jeff , Christoff Jamie , Kontar Eugeny , Krupa Steve , Lambert Michael , Moore Willard , O'Rourke Daniel , Paulsen Ronald , Smith Christopher , Smith Leslie , Taniguchi Makoto
Published: October 2006

The direct discharge of groundwater into the coastal zone has received increased attention in the last few years. We now know that this process represents an important pathway for material transport between land and sea. Groundwater discharge often contains higher concentrations of dissolved nutrients and other components than does river water; thus, it can play an important role in the health of coastal ecosystems.
Hydroacoustic observations of Indian earthquake provide new data on T‐waves
Authors: Pulli Jay J. , Upton Zachary M.
Published: October 2006

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated the Bhuj area of western India on 26 January 2001 was recorded not only by seismometers around the world, but also by a new hydroacoustic array in the Indian Ocean. This array, located 3290 km south of the epicentral area (see Figure 1a), consists of two tripartite hydrophone arrays surrounding the atoll of Diego Garcia at the southern end of the Chagos Plateau. Installed as part of the hydroacoustic monitoring network for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty's International Monitoring System (IMS), the array has since been recording the acoustic T‐wave signals generated by many shallow earthquakes below the Indian Ocean since the summer of 2000.