bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assisting with GPS in geoscience research
Authors: Ware Randolph
Published: October 2006

The University Navstar Consortium (UNAVCO) helps university researchers use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in Earth sciences applications. Providing GPS equipment and technical support assists scientists in the study of plate tectonics, earthquakes, crustal motion, volcanos, sea level, ocean currents, ice dynamics, and atmospheric sensing.

More than fifty universities and research institutions participate as members of UNAVCO, a national program governed by universities and funded by the National Science Foundation.
Marsh receives Bowen Award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

At AGU's 1993 Spring Meeting in Baltimore last May, Bruce D. Marsh was presented with the N. L. Bowen Award, given by the VGP section for a single outstanding contribution to volcanology, geochemistry, or petrology during the preceding 5 years.

Jim Meyers presented the award along with remarks by Ian Carmichael, Marsh's former Ph.D. adviser, who was unable to travel to the meeting.
Academic Earth science in transition
Authors: Navrotsky Alexandra
Published: October 2006

During the past 5 years, I have served on visiting committees for Earth science departments at Stanford, Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia, Cal‐Tech, and the Geophysical Lab of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C. As chair of Princeton's department, I have also experienced external review from the other side of the process. These committees attempt to diagnose major problems, supply appropriate remedies, and target opportunities for improvement in matters ranging from faculty hiring to curriculum. One very useful service provided by a visiting committee is to help distinguish dilemmas that are truly local and unique to the institution from those common to science and society as a whole. A snapshot of the tensions and opportunities common to academic Earth science has emerged from these experiences.
Manabe receives Revelle Medal
Authors: Mahlman Jeny D. , Manabe Syukuro
Published: October 2006

Syukuro Manabe was presented with the Roger Revelle Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting in Baltimore last May. The Revelle Medal recognizes outstanding accomplishments or contributions toward an understanding of the Earth's atmospheric processes, including its dynamics, chemistry, and radiation, or the roles of atmosphere or atmosphere‐ocean coupling in determining the climate, biogeochemical cycles, or other key elements of the integrated climate system. The award citation, which appears below, was delivered by Jerry D. Mahlman.
Dessler receives Fleming Medal
Authors: Hill Thomas W. , Dessler Alex
Published: October 2006

Alexander J. Dessler was presented with the John Adam Fleming Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting in Baltimore last May. The award recognizes original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, and related sciences. The citation was delivered by Thomas W. Hill.
NSF exit interview
Authors: Fink Jon
Published: October 2006

In August, I completed an 11‐month stint as director of the Petrology and Geochemistry (CH) Program in the Earth Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation. Like most bureaucracies, NSF gives standard exit interviews to all its departing employees. Below are a few of the questions I would rather have been asked, along with some of the answers I wish I knew a year ago.

Q. There is a lot of talk these days about streamlining the federal government. Would you say that NSF wastes a lot of its resources on unnecessary internal administrative costs?
U.K. strategies for radar hydrometeorological research
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

In March 1992, the Natural Environment Research Council's Steering Committee on Hydrological Applications of Weather Radar produced a report proposing a United Kingdom strategy for radar hydrometeorological research during the 1990s. The purpose of the report was to identify both needs and opportunities presented by the availability of weather radar data for basic research. Applications of weather radar, particularly to flood forecasting, are already well‐advanced and in operational use within the National Rivers Authority.

The Interagency Research Committee on Hydrological Use of Weather Radar, which replaces the National Environment Research Council (NERC) Committee, has reviewed the topics identified in the strategy report. These are presented for both basic and applied research under headings for four themes. NERC has established a special topic area for HYREX (Hydrological Radar Experiment) to undertake fundamental research in two main areas, the science of weather radar as a remote‐sensing device and investigation of the precipitation process and its link with run‐off response. Topics which are, or similar to, HYREX projects are labeled (H). The first‐priority topics are listed below. Further information, including a brief description of the topics and the list of second‐priority topics, is given in the First Report of the Committee, which is available from its secretary, Roger Austin at the Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom.
Viewpoint on the solid Earth sciences and society
Authors: Eaton Gordon
Published: October 2006

As we close in on the 21st century, we face significant global challenges. These include a burgeoning world population that requires more energy, minerals, and water; increasing risks of losses from earthquakes, volcanos, landslides, floods, droughts, and soil erosion; pollution of our air, water, and land; and the consequences of global climate change.

Humans may become agents of their own destruction unless they learn to manage planet Earth as a non‐renewable resource. But to do so requires scientific understanding of the Earth's interconnected natural processes.
Hurricane Emily, the near miss of 1993
Authors: Huh Oscar Karl , Robbins Kevin
Published: October 2006

In the last week of August 1993, Hurricane “Emily” tracked some 1350 km in 93 hours along a northwest course toward Cape Hatteras, N.C., only to suddenly veer 90° northeastward into the North Atlantic. On August 30 and 31, while Emily was skirting the outer banks of the U.S. east coast, a series of NOAA‐11 and ‐12 satellite overpasses provided high‐quality, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) images of the storm. These images, combined with National Weather Service reports compiled by the Southern Regional Climate Center, depict the evolution, movement, and structure of the storm.
Solar flare prediction needed
Authors: Rust David
Published: October 2006

“From veils of haze now comes the gleam, Here to a tender scarf it tapers, Here gushes forth a vivid stream; Then threads of light in a network surging Their silver veins through valleys run, Till, gathered by the hills converging, The sundered filaments are one.”
TOPEX/Poseidon maps precise global sea level
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

During the first 6 months of their mission, scientists using the U.S.‐French TOPEX/Poseidon oceanographic satellite have recorded the most accurate measurements to date of global sea level changes. The data will be used by oceanographers to calibrate the computer models that help forecast future climate changes.

“The changes in sea level we have observed during the first 6 months, from October 1992 to March 1993, are a combination of the effects of seasonal warming and cooling as well as wind forcing,” said Lee‐Lueng Fu, TOPEX/Poseidon project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Outstanding student paper award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Section has announced the winner of the Outstanding Student Paper award for a paper presented at the 1993 AGU Spring Meeting, which was held in Baltimore from May 24 to May 28.
NASA mission to study upper atmosphere
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A new NASA mission called TIMED (Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) is currently under consideration as a new‐start candidate. If approved by Congress, TIMED will study the atmospheric regions that lie roughly between 60 and 180 km above the Earth's surface.

TIMED consists of two nearly identical spacecraft in different circular Earth orbits that will be launched aboard small, expendable launch vehicles. The spacecraft will travel in orbits with inclinations of 95° and 49°, and each spacecraft will operate for 2 years. The payload and satellites will be built at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Subcommittee on science reviews NSF
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

With most attention focused on the appropriations legislation funding the National Science Foundation next year, less notice has been given to the agency's reauthorization legislation. During the last few months, the House Subcommittee on Science has held two hearings on this legislation to solicit views about the agency.

Nine witnesses testified at a May 20 hearing. They were asked to address six questions, including some dealing with the balance between curiosity‐driven research and strategic research, and between research and education activities. Views were also solicited on the modernization of academic research facilities, inadequately funded fields, international involvement in NSF‐supported research, and academic block grants.
Babbitt selects Interim USGS leaders
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

On July 30, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt announced his selection of an interim team to lead the U.S. Geological Survey until a new director is named. Effective August 16, Robert M. Hirsch, who has been a USGS research hydrologist for 17 years, will serve as acting director. Bonnie A. McGregor, assistant chief hydrologist for program, and a marine geologist for 14 years with the USGS, will serve as acting associate director.

“I am pleased that two distinguished scientists with management experience from within the ranks of the USGS have agreed to take on interim leadership of the organization,” Babbitt said.
Guam shaken by large quake
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

On August 8, an earthquake registering 8.1 on the Richter scale shook the Mariana Trench, which lies to the southeast of Guam, causing a rupture 55–60 km deep. Because large earthquakes are quite rare in the Mariana region, this significant thrust‐type event offers a unique opportunity for study.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that seismic activity continued for several days after the earthquake. On August 11, an aftershock measuring 6.1 struck 40 miles southeast of Agana, Guam.
Headquarters under development
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Construction of AGU's new headquarters building reached a milestone with the completion of the steel structure. AGU's 120‐person staff should be moved in before the end of March 1994. The new building, located at 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., will also be home to the headquarters operation of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Just over 20% of the new building is still available for lease. Other scientific societies with interests related to those of AGU are prime candidates for tenancy. Through collegial relations like those established between AAS and AGU, the societies housed together can strengthen service to our community of science.
Future of Mars study uncertain
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

The planetology community is anxiously awaiting updates on the fate of the Mars Observer spacecraft, which abruptly lost communication with Earth at about 9:00 P.M. EDT on August 21. At this time it is unknown whether the probe is lost or has entered the orbit as planned but is unable to relay data back to engineers. The Observer was scheduled to enter the planet's orbit on August 24 and begin a detailed topographic and atmospheric study on December 16. Space agency officials have called this communications breach a “serious and lengthy loss.”

It is still too early to tell how this loss of communication will affect planetologists, said Roger Phillips, because nothing is really known about the extent of the loss. Phillips, of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., noted that in the worst‐case scenario of the whole mission being lost, it would be a “major blow to the planetology community.”
Radio show celebrates 2nd year
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

When the “Earth and Sky” radio program premiered in 1991, it could be heard on 30 stations. Now, on its second anniversary, it can be heard on 430 stations throughout the United States and Canada.

“Earth and Sky” presents lively discussion of Earth science and astronomy topics ranging from deep ocean currents to solar eclipses. The daily radio show is produced in association with AGU, which acts as the program's scientific consultant. The show promotes one of AGU's fundamental goals: to promote the public understanding of the planet Earth, its environment in space, and their study.
Computer mapping at USGS
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

For the first time, a standard U.S. Geological Survey map has been mass produced using fully automated computer technology. The l:24,000‐scale topographic map of Park Ridge, 111., also depicts parts of Chicago, Des Plaines, Niles, Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Northbrook, and Glenview.

The last major breakthrough in mapping occurred when aerial photography became an operational tool for cartographers after World War II. Now, computer systems can scan an original map to record contour lines and other permanent features. Next, a recent aerial photo is digitized, capturing details such as new roads, housing developments, and major changes in forests or wetlands. Finally, a cartographer at an electronic work station can add the new features to the terrain records stored in the computer to produce current map data.
NSF, NASA bills move to conference committee
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

The Senate acted on a number of important science funding bills this week, including those covering the National Science Foundation and NASA.

The full Senate completed action on HR2491, the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies appropriations bill. Although the Senate deliberated many hours over 3 days, there was no discussion of the committee report on the future role of NSF that accompanied the bill (see Eos, September 21).
Brown strikes another blow against earmarking
Authors: Leath Audrey T.
Published: October 2006

On September 15, George Brown (D‐Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, held his second hearing on academic earmarking. The hearing, postponed from August, examined institutions that have actively solicited earmarks and the agencies that were directed to provide the earmarked funds.

Academic earmarking refers to the practice by which congressional members, through the appropriations bill for an agency, specify funds for a particular research program or facility (usually in their own state or district). George Brown has been an active opponent of this process, because he thinks it bypasses the normal competitive, peer‐review process by which agencies determine their research funding priorities and because, as chairman of an authorizing committee (one that sets priorities and approves programs but does not provide funds), he sees his committee's role being usurped by appropriators. As Brown stated in his opening remarks, “;Earmarking circumvents the system we have in place that allocates funding based on national needs and competitive merit review.… Earmarked projects often steer agencies away from their stated mission.”
USGS and BLM agree to expand mapping coordination
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The U.S. Geological Survey, the largest civilian mapping agency, has just joined hands with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the largest federal land management agency, in an agreement to expand coordination of their mapping efforts and develop cartographic technology of mutual benefit.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the agencies provides a mechanism to produce and exchange conventional maps, digital cartographic data, and remotely sensed data. The new agreement will also help enforce national standards in map making, which will make the data more available and useful to a wider audience.
NSF to receive 10% funding increase
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

Work is almost complete on the fiscal year 1994 funding bill for the National Science Foundation. On October 1, Conference Committee Chairs Louis Stokes (D‐Ohio) and Barbara Mikulski (D‐Md.) and their colleagues completed work on the final version of HR2491, the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill. The House and Senate will soon give their final approval to the conference report for HR2491, after which it will lack only the president's signature. NSF's overall budget increase of 10%, raising total funding to %3,005.3 million, is the highest increase among all departments and agencies. Last year's increase in NSF funding was 6.3%.

Funding for research and related activities will increase 7% to $1,986 million, a compromise between the 10% House increase and the 4% Senate figure. Last year's bill cut research funding. Education and human resources funding will increase 17% to $569.6 million. This is $13.5 million above the Clinton administration's request. Last year's increase for education and human resources was 4.7%.
Passage delayed by ASRM inclusion
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

In a late development that will delay but is not expected to seriously affect the NSF funding portion of the appropriations bill, the full House returned the bill to the House‐Senate conferees on October 6, refusing to debate the bill because it includes $158 million to fund the shuttle's planned Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) project. The House had voted in June to kill this project, but the Senate voted to continue it. The conferees attempted a compromise, involving minimal funding for the ASRM, but the House rejected this attempt. Although some say the ASRM is needed for missions in the same orbital path used by the Russians, the House action is considered one more sign of growing congressional skepticism on space issues.
Union session to explore the Mississippi‐Missouri river floods
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The causes and effects of the severe Mississippi‐Missouri River floods of 1993 will be the focus of the Fall Meeting Union session U11B. This session should interest geophysical scientists in several disciplines, as it examines the meteorological conditions associated with the floods; their magnitudes and extent; the degree to which the floods represent a statistical extreme; and the role of channel constraints, reservoirs, and reservoir operating policies on flood dynamics and resulting damage. Descriptions of several papers to be presented as part of the session are discussed below.

“The Great Midwestern Flood of 1993—A Description and Some Speculation on Causes,” will be presented by Gerald D. Bell, David R. Rodenhuis, and David Miskus of the Climate Analysis Center, Washington, D.C. This paper will examine the persistent circulation pattern that caused a major anomaly in climate conditions covering the upper midwest and north central Great Plains and resulted in the saturation of the Mississippi and lower Missouri rivers. The authors will also investigate hypotheses of global warming, stratospheric aerosols, and El Niño Southern Oscillation as an influence on this weather pattern.
Environmental change profiled in Greenland Ice Core Record
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The longest continuous high‐resolution record of climate response available in the Northern Hemisphere, covering approximately 250,000 years, is the focus of Union sessions U31D, U32C, and U41B, “Climate from Central Greenland Core Records I, II, and III.” This climate record has been provided by the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2), which successfully reached bedrock on July 1, and its European‐led counterpart, the Greenland Ice Project (GRIP). Presentations will focus on information obtained from analyses of the over 3,000‐m‐deep ice core samples retrieved by both projects. These analyses cast light on atmospheric and environmental conditions during selected periods and on correlations between selected environmental or atmospheric components and changes in climate in Greenland.

P. A. Mayewski and his group will present examples of how important signals extracted from the glaciochemical record provided by the ice core have been developed into paleoenvironmental interpretations of abrupt changes in atmospheric circulation, sea ice distribution, and other environmental boundary conditions during major periods of climate change.
Congressional Fellow report
Authors: Land Valerie
Published: October 2006

Through the American Association of the Advancement of Science Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program, scientists and engineers from around the country have enjoyed a 20‐year relationship with Congress—a mutually beneficial union that has significantly enhanced the legislative process involving science and technology policy.

More than 500 postdoctorate to mid‐career level scientists and engineers have worked as professional legislative staff members on Capitol Hill since 1973. Heralded for its unique public policy learning experience, the Congressional Fellowship program has enabled a number of scientists and engineers to flourish in the public policy arena after their experience in Washington. Several of these individuals have attained high‐level policy positions within the government, a path they may not have followed without their involvement in the program. AGU is one of the twenty‐two national science and engineering societies that support the program.
Lane to head NSF
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Neal F. Lane, an atomic physicist, was unanimously confirmed as director of the National Science Foundation by the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee on October 7. President Clinton nominated him to the position in July. Lane will succeed Walter F. Massey, who left NSF to become vice‐president and provost of the University of California system.

Lane has served as provost of Rice University since 1986. For 2 years prior to that, he was chancellor of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. From 1979 to 1980, Lane was director of NSF's physics division. He taught physics at Rice University for almost 20 years, beginning in 1966.
“Big science” dealt setbacks
Authors: Burke Dennis
Published: October 2006

With the most recent 282–143 vote by the House on October 19 to kill the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), the flame could soon flicker out on this controversial research project. At press time, most congressional supporters of the SSC seemed ready to throw in the towel on resurrecting funding to continue the project.

The recent House vote is the second this year intended to kill the project, and the $22 billion Department of Energy funding bill now returns to the House‐Senate conference committee with clear instructions to House conferees to include only $220 million for the SSC in the 1994 energy and water appropriations bill, intended to cover the costs of project termination. In an article in the October 21 Washington Post, however, actual costs to terminate the project were expected to reach $1 billion, including the costs of covering lawsuits and filling in the hole.
Don't change NSFs mission
Authors: Scharlach Werner
Published: October 2006

The Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies, chaired by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D‐Md.), produced a report, number 103–137, which concerns itself with the National Science Foundation. This report appears to want the NSF to become “practical,” to move away from “curiosity driven science.” I believe this to be misguided and wrong.

I support AGU's position on the role of NSF. “All technical progress is built upon basic scientific research. Development of technology resulting from that basic science and transfer of that technology to industry … are the role of other agencies and the private sector rather than the NSF….” (Eos, September 28, 1993).
Imaging Earth's upper mantle
Authors: Shearer Peter M.
Published: October 2006

New images of the three‐dimensional structure of Earth's upper mantle revealed by large‐scale processing of global seismic data are beginning to change our understanding of convection in the planet. The processing techniques combine data from hundreds of seismograms to distinguish weak features from the background noise. These procedures are termed “stacking” and are similar in many respects to reflection seismic techniques long used in the oil industry to image shallow crustal structure. However, the new results extend much deeper and map reflections from several internal discontinuities—interfaces separating different mantle layers—within the upper 700 km of the mantle. Observed deflections and topography on these discontinuities provide important constraints on the nature of the long‐term deformation of the mantle. The mantle is the 2900‐km‐thick shell surrounding Earth's core. It is solid but can slowly flow and overturn at the high pressures and temperatures present within Earth's interior.
Stanley V. Margolis (1943–1992)
Authors: Alvarez Walter , Kennett James P. , Kroopnick Peter , Mount Jeffrey F.
Published: October 2006

Stanley V. Margolis, geologist, oceanographer, administrator, and teacher, died in Davis, Calif., on November 7, 1992, after a brief illness. His enthusiasm, vitality, and legendary generosity influenced innumerable colleagues and students during his productive career in marine and Earth sciences. He is best known as a leader and often a pioneer in the analysis of surfaces of materials that make up the geologic record of both the Earth and the Moon. He had a well‐known knack for applying new analytical tools toward exciting and diverse questions. How old is the polar cryosphere? What is the character of lunar dust? What is the origin of tektites? How do deep‐sea manganese nodules form? What caused the extinctions that mark the end of the Cretaceous? Is the Kouros an authentic Greek artifact or simply a modern fake? Stan's approaches to these and a host of other diverse questions were creative and innovative.
Speakers urge a unified approach to mitigating natural hazards
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

On November 3, while wildfires consumed acres of coastal land in California, the U.S. Natural Hazards Symposium in Washington, D.C., addressed the threat of natural hazards in the United States, disaster mitigation and recovery, and the need to consider natural hazards in land development plans. Several of the scheduled speakers were unable to participate because they were called to California to investigate the fires, including keynote speaker James Witt, the new director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Substitute keynote speaker Harvey Ryland, Witt's senior adviser at FEMA, emphasized that “we must sell mitigation as an effective means of protecting people and property.” He discussed FEMA's new “National Mitigation Strategy,” which will serve as the basis for its emergency management program. The strategy is expected to be in place by January 1995. As part of the approach, FEMA will establish a mitigation directorate to organize various disaster mitigation efforts in one office. Ryland also discussed the idea of creating risk reduction enterprise zones, designated high risk areas that would offer incentives to property owners who take proper mitigation measures. “Such incentives would be offset by reduced disaster assistance costs,” Ryland added.
Federal Environmental R&D System examined
Authors: Mockler Susan Bucci
Published: October 2006

The current federal efforts in environmental research and development and their effectiveness in meeting environmental needs for the future were the focus of a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Technology, Environment, and Aviation on November 4. The current system operates through about twenty agencies and departments working within a $5 billion R&D budget.

The committee is examining whether the system needs to be reorganized to make it more effective in anticipating and addressing current and emerging environmental concerns such as the loss of the ozone layer, loss of biodiversity, and quality of water and air.
“Ralpha” Space Station plan takes flight
Authors: Leath Audrey T.
Published: October 2006

The anxiously awaited plans for a joint U.S.‐Russian space station were revealed by the Clinton Administration last week. Informally called “Ralpha,” the joint station would link the U.S.‐led space station “Alpha” with an upgraded Russian station (see Eos, October 26).

The Clinton proposal lays out a threephase strategy for U.S.‐Russian cooperation in space, culminating in a “world” space station effort involving the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe. The plan is described in an addendum to the “Program Implementation Plan” for Alpha.
UARS data released
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is a major mission aimed at improving the understanding of the structure and behavior of the Earth atmosphere between 15 and 100 km. The first year of data, covering September 1991 to September 1992, is now available from the Distributed Active Archive Center at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. These data provide the most complete view of stratospheric composition, dynamics, and energy input currently available.

The remaining data will be released in 3‐month intervals until all data has been released.
Outstanding student paper awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Six Outstanding Student Paper awards were given in the Space Physics and Aeronomy Section at the AGU Spring Meeting, held last May in Baltimore, Md.

David Walthour, who presented “Satellite Data Analysis of Two‐Dimensional Magnetopause Structures,” is a doctoral student at the Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. His research interests include field‐aligned MHD flows, the development of data analysis techniques for examining transient events at the Earth magnetopause, and the study of anomalous MHD wave properties in anisotropic plasmas with application to reconnection.
Foreign companies’ access to U.S. universities questioned
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

On October 28, the House Subcommittee on Science tackled what one congressman described as “one of the thorniest issues in science policy”—the relationship between foreign corporations and American research universities. The 2‐hour hearing probably raised more questions than it answered.

Congress has been looking at this issue with an eye toward whether changes in existing U.S. law are needed. Last year, the Senate discussed this matter during its consideration of the National Institutes of Health authorization bill. Current legislation governing foreign access to federally funded research at U.S. universities dates back to 1980.
U.S./Russia sign landmark agreement for space cooperation
Authors: Mockler Susan Bucci
Published: October 2006

Announcing the completion of deliberations between the United States and Russia on space cooperation in a teleconference to NASA Headquarters from Moscow, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin said that December 16 “was a great day.” Yuri Koptev, director general of the Russian Space Agency (RSA), added that it is a “great day for our two nations and our space agencies.”

Agreement on the nature of this cooperation was marked by the signing of a protocol between NASA and the RSA outlining the significant increase in U.S.‐Russian cooperation in human space flight. This agreement provides for flights of Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts on the space shuttle and the Mir orbital station, as well as for an extensive scientific and technological research program during 1995–1997. The first phase of this project is expected to begin soon.
Correction [to “ODP drills deepest hole in ocean crust”]
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

…Kevin T. M. Johnson was mistakenly omitted from the list.
The causes of geomagnetic storms during solar maximum
Authors: Tsurutani Bruce T. , Gonzalez Walter D.
Published: October 2006

This article is part of the SPA series that has appeared periodically in Eos since 1991.
Reconstructing the last glacial and deglacial ice sheets
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

It has been over a decade since publication of the CLIMAP [Denton and Hughes, 1981] global reconstruction of ice sheets at the last glacial maximum for the CLIMAP Project. To an extent never envisaged at the time, this reconstruction has been used by groups worldwide as boundary‐condition input for general circulation models (GCMs) and other numerical experiments to reconstruct glacial‐maximum atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Other GCM experiments based on rough approximations of ice‐sheet size through the deglacial interval also have been run [Kutzbach and Guetter, 1986], and the climatic output has in turn been compared against ground‐truth data such as vegetation and lake levels [COHMAP, 1988].

Recently, several results have provided fresh impetus for updating the CLIMAP reconstruction: coral reef data [Fairbanks, 1989] placing sea level near ‐120 m at the last glacial maximum at Barbados, which also provide a deglacial record of sea level; U‐series dates on these corals [Bard et al., 1990] showing that 14C chronologies are anomalously young through the deglaciation, which place the last glacial maximum at 21,000–20,000 years ago; major improvements [Tushingham and Peltier, 1991] in iteratively matching hypothesized ice‐sheet thickness histories based on an independent model of the Earth's visco‐elasticity to radiometrically dated sea‐level rebound histories; and glacial and marine geological fieldwork by many scientists. These findings provide significant new constraints on the past size of the ice sheets at the last glacial maximum and throughout deglaciation. As an added impetus, the NATO Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) has called for an updated reconstruction of glacial‐maximum ice sheets. Their objective is to compare the performance of GCMs when tested on a realistic (glacial) world having ice‐sheet boundary conditions very different from today's.
New gravity meter improves measurements
Authors: Carter W. E. , Peter G. , Sasagawa G. S. , Klopping F. J. , Berstis K. A. , Hilt R. L. , Christy G. L. , Nelson P. , Hollander W. , Niebauer T. M. , Seeger H. , Richter B. , Wilmes H. , Lothammer A.
Published: October 2006

One of the best‐known anecdotes in the history of science recounts how the observation of an apple falling from a tree led Isaac Newton to discover the law of gravitation. For good reason, Newton's discovery did not trigger the development of “free‐fall” gravity meters and grand expeditions to the far corners of the Earth to measure gravity. Directly measuring the acceleration of a body in free fall near the surface of the Earth may be conceptually simple, but it is technologically difficult. It wasn't until more than 2 centuries later that time and length measurement techniques reached levels that motivated researchers to build free‐fall absolute gravimeters. These efforts were limited to the construction of one‐of‐a‐kind “laboratory” instruments, minus one notable exception: the construction of six identical absolute gravimeters by the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) [Niebauer, 1987a]. Geodetic organizations worldwide used the JILA instruments to measure gravity at more than one hundred stations achieving repeatability or precision of a few microgals (1 μGal equals l×10−8ms−2).
Understanding and predicting atmospheric chemical change
Authors: Kolb C. E. , Chameides W. L.
Published: October 2006

For atmospheric chemists, global change is not a theoretical possibility but an experimental fact. Global measurement networks continue to record dramatic, worldwide rises in long‐lived atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), various chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and other halocarbons such as Cl4, CH3CI3, and CF3Br [WMO, 1986, 1991; IPCC, 1990]. While trends are much more difficult to document for shorter‐lived compounds, a strong case can also be made that species such as tropospheric ozone (O3) and sulfate/carbonaceous aerosol have also increased dramatically over much of the Northern Hemisphere during the last century [NRC, 1991; Lefohn et al., 1992; Charlson et al., 1992]. Furthermore, dramatic decreases in polar and mid‐latitude lower stratospheric ozone levels are now apparent [WMO, 1991; Gleason et al., 1993; Bojkov et al, 1993].
New gravity field for Mars fuels research
Authors: Smith D. E. , Zuber M. T.
Published: October 2006

An new gravitational field model for Mars sheds new light on the structure and composition of many short‐wavelength features on the planet's surface. The model, Goddard Mars Model‐1 (GMM‐1) (Figure 1), holds great promise for future Mars research.

Besides resolving more short‐wavelength features than previous Mars gravity models, most major features have higher magnitude anomalies. For example, GMM‐1 details the Valles Marineris canyon near the center of the map and reveals structures of several major impact basins and shield volcanos never before observed. Interestingly, several prominent anomalies in GMM‐1 fail to correlate with surface features. Two prominent anomalies of this type in the northern hemisphere (Ion=−160°, lat=+30° and Ion=105°, lat=+50°) may indicate features covered by volcanic flooding.
1994: AGU's 75th Year
Authors: Graedel Thomas E.
Published: October 2006

In many ways, AGU's history since its founding in 1919 is also a chronicle of the history of geophysics. For example, when the theory of transient groundwater flow was published in 1935, it appeared in Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. When the magnetic seafloor stripes confirming the theory of plate tectonics were reported in 1965, it was done at an AGU meeting in Washington, D.C. When Apollo asronauts recovered Moon rocks in the 1970s, some of those astronauts were AGU members who reported on their journeys and scientific analyses at AGU meetings.
Reply [to “Is the AGU headquarters bond issue really a boon?”]
Authors: Ostenso Ned A.
Published: October 2006

Dick Von Herzen raises two issues that affect us all: our Union's economic health and the role of a headquarters building in our financial portfolio. These issues deserve the widest possible ventilation among our total membership, and I am grateful that Dick's comments offer yet another opportunity to address them. I assume this responsibility in my capacity as chairman of the ad hoc Real Estate Committee and as the “continuity” member of the Budget and Finance Committee.

In responding, I want to make two salient points: the AGU is financially healthy and the role of the headquarters building in our asset mix is established by formal policy. By extension, the new building is derived from a series of explicit Council decisions.
Don't give an inch!
Authors: Geller Robert J.
Published: October 2006

The camera ready copy (CRC) procedures for Geophysical Research Letters are now being revised. As one of the new editors, I looked through preliminary versions of the new forms and instructions for authors. Remarkably, all of the units (for example, maximum length = 75 inches or 189.9 cm) are given in both British and metric units, despite the fact that AGU's style guide for authors (Eos, October 11, 1988) states that “all quantities must be in metric units.”

When I contacted the AGU staff to ask them to eliminate the anachronistic British units they refused, claiming that “In the word‐processing packages with which we are familiar all margins are given in inches. It is inconvenient for folks not to have both measurements if the software they are using for making CRC requires them to give commands in the British system.” They did not, however, cite any examples of a software package that will not also accept metric units, perhaps because none exists. All packages with which I am familiar accept both inches and metric units.
The 1971 and 1994 earthquakes compared
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

These two earthquakes occurred 23 years and about 10 miles apart in the San Fernando Valley. Despite their many similarities and close proximity, the two earthquakes appear to have at least one key difference. In 1971, the fault plane dipped toward the north, away from the population, under the mountains. In 1994, the fault plane dipped toward the south, into the densely populated valley.

Since 1971, the valley population has also exploded, adding to the devastation of the most recent earthquake.
International Union for Surveys and Mapping Meets
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The International Union for Surveys and Mapping (IUSM) met in Cologne, Germany, May 3–4, 1993, in conjunction with the 16th conference of the International Cartographic Association. The IUSM comprises international associations involved in surveying, mapping, and related disciplines. Its purpose is to facilitate interassociation cooperation to avoid duplication of effort and provide an interdisciplinary basis for research and projects. Members include the International Federation of Surveyors, the International Association of Geodesy, the International Cartographic Association, the International Hydrographic Association, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and the Spatially Oriented Referencing Systems Association.
Landmark drilling depth reached in Germany
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

On January 22, 1994, Germany's Continental Deep Drilling Program reached a depth of 8553 m. The research well in Bavaria is now the deepest hole in western and mid‐Europe. By the end of the year, the program expects to have reached a final depth of about 10,000 m and an in‐situ formation temperature of 300°C.
Earthquake Hazard Compendium published
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior has published The Practice of Earthquake Hazard Assessment, edited by Robin K. McGuire. The 284‐page monograph contains reports of earthquake hazard studies in over eighty countries.
U.S. Geological Survey
Authors: Kavanagh Etta
Published: October 2006

President Clinton's budget request for the U.S. Geological Survey for fiscal year 1995 is $583.7 million, $1 million less than the 1994 level. A number of high‐priority environmental protection programs will receive increased funding, while administrative costs will be reduced.

$11.8 million will go to new programs in research on critical ecosystems. The South Florida initiative will receive $8 million. In this program, the USGS will collaborate with other agencies to define how the hydrogeologic system of the Everglades operates and how it will respond to alternative management strategies. $3.8 million will go to a program to improve the understanding and management of the Columbia and Klamath/Trinity river basins and the San Francisco Bay/Delta.
Environmental Protection Agency
Authors: White M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

President Clinton has requested $7.2 billion for EPA in 1995, an 8% increase over the previous year. It is the largest budget ever in the agency's history.

EPA's 1995 budget reflects the agency's new policy agenda of preventing pollution, developing new environmental technologies, advancing ecosystem protection, and ensuring quality science.
Marine gravity image available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The image below shows the gravity field from 30–72°S computed from Geosat geodetic mission (GM) and exact repeat mission (ERM) data. A color shaded‐relief image of these gravity anomalies is available from NOAA in poster form (report MGG‐8, [Marks et al., 1993] and also as a digital gridded data set on CD‐ROM. To order, contact the National Geophysical Data Center, E/GC3, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303.
Rock core samples available
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

A 55‐m, 2‐inch diameter rock core was obtained at the bottom of the Greenland ice sheet by the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2. Preliminary observations indicate that the upper 10–15 cm are a weathered schist‐like rock that grades into a fresh granite gneiss below.
Tolbert receives Macelwane medal
Authors: Solomon Susan , Tolbert Margaret
Published: October 2006

The 1993 James B. Macelwane Medal, given by AGU for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability, was presented to Margaret Tolbert at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 8, 1993, in San Francisco, Calif. The award citation and Tolbert's response are given here.
Geoscience Information Society Award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Geoscience Information Society (GIS) has announced the creation of the GIS‐Mary B. Ansari Best Reference Work Award. The award is funded by a gift of $5000 from former GIS President Mary B. Ansari, currently Director for Branch Libraries and Library Administrative Services at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Best Reference Work Award has been given annually for 7 years, but now the GIS will begin to present the winner with a monetary award.

The award will be $500 per year and will be presented to the author or editor of the geoscience reference work selected for the award. The money will be divided equally in cases of multiple authors.
AGU book receives award
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The Tornado: Its Structure, Dynamics, Prediction, and Hazards, published by AGU, was judged “best new book” in the Geography and Earth Sciences category by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. The award was presented at the 18th Annual Awards Program for Excellence in Professional and Scholarly Publishing on February 10 in Washington, D.C.

Editors of the Tornado volume are Christopher Church, Donald Burgess, Charles A. Doswell III, and Robert Davies‐Jones. The monograph provides a comprehensive account of recent tornado research and features color photos of storms and storm damage. Most of the research is North American based, but comparisons are shown to storms in China, Japan, and France. T. Theodore Fujita, a pioneer in tornado research and Merriam Distinguished Professor at the University of Chicago, introduces the volume with his presentation of the Plainfield tornado.
Ringwood receives Hess medal
Authors: Stevenson Dave
Published: October 2006

The 1993 Harry H. Hess Medal, given by AGU for outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and its sister planets, was awarded posthumously to Alfred E. Ringwood at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 9, 1993, in San Francisco, Calif. The award citation and the response by Ringwood's son, Peter, are given here.
Khramov receives Bucher Medal
Authors: McElhinny Michael W. , Khramov Alexsey N.
Published: October 2006

The Walter H. Bucher Medal, given by AGU for original contributions to the basic knowledge of the Earth's crust, was presented to Aleksey N. Khramov at the 1993 AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 8, 1993. The award citation and Khramov's response are presented here.
Seismic data offered on Internet
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Seismic UNIX (SU), a self‐contained seismic data processing package compatible with the UNIX operating system, is available free of charge. It is now installed at over 140 industry, academic, and government sites worldwide.

SU was developed at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). According to Jack Cohen, co‐principal investigator of the center's consortium project and CSM professor of mathematics and computer sciences, “SU provides an ‘instant’ seismic research and data processing environment. It includes modules for almost all applications required to examine and process seismic data.”