bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1988 Waldo E. Smith Medal to Philip Hauge Abelson
Authors: MacDonald Gordon J. , Abelson Philip H.
Published: October 2006

The award of the Waldo E. Smith Medal to Philip H. Abelson honors two men who have devoted their lives to science and particularly to geophysics. Phil Abelson's contributions to science, including his personal research, his remarkable career as editor of Science, and his past presidency of the American Geophysical Union, are well known to all. Perhaps not as well recognized was his role in establishing the Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR) as the flagship journal of the American Geophysical Union and as the world's premier geophysical chronicle.

Having grown accustomed to the some 15,000 page per year volumes of JGR now bending our shelves, if not endangering our buildings, we tend to forget that 30 years ago the situation was far different. During the mid‐1950s, as the International Geophysical Year approached, members of AGU could publish either in one of the several specialized journals of organizations, such as the Seismological Society, the American Meteorological Society, and the Society of Exploration Geophysics, or in the Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. Transactions attempted to serve many functions, including those now provided by Eos. The Journal of Geophysical Research had been maintained as a publication committed largely, but not exclusively, to geomagnetism by the devoted efforts of Merle Tuve.
Job Hunters' Workshop held at Spring AGU Meeting
Authors: Ruder Michal
Published: October 2006

The Education and Human Resources Committee of AGU sponsored a Job Hunters' Workshop as a special afternoon session of this year's Baltimore meeting. Aimed primarily at graduate and postgraduate researchers, the workshop was designed to facilitate the transition from university into the job force. Six panel members provided advice and information on how to pursue research and employment: academia, government labs, consulting firms, and the petroleum industry.

The panel included E. K. Graham (Pennsylvania State University, University Park), Richard Orville (State University of New York, Albany), Penny Hanshaw (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Reston, Va.), Anne Thompson (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Goddard Space Flight Center), Joseph Bennett (S‐Cubed, Reston, Va.,), and Michal Ruder (Exxon Production Research Company, Houston, Tex.,).
The interpretation of the auroral green line
Authors: Henriksen K. , Egeland A.
Published: October 2006

The scientific history of the auroral green line dates from 1968, when Ångstrøm identified this emission in the auroral spectrum. The studies that led to the identification of the 1D2‐1S0 atomic oxygen transition responsible for this emission are described, and our present knowledge about direct and indirect excitation processes of the O(1S) atom is reviewed. Although the excitation of the green line still presents some problems, the current evidence indicates that indirect excitation is most important in normal aurora and that energy transfer from N2(A) molecules is the dominant mechanism. In this context, the pioneering experiments of Vegard are clearly of major importance because they showed for the first time the close relationship that exists between the nitrogen bands and the green line—an observation that led Vegard to formulate the N2(A) energy transfer process.
Hydrology Section Executive Committee minutes
Authors: Mercer James W.
Published: October 2006

The AGU Hydrology Section Executive Committee Meeting was called to order at about 4 p.m. on May 16, 1988, by Marshall Moss. In attendance were George Pinder, Jim Mercer, Peter Eagleson, Don Nielsen, Karen Prestegaard, Helen Joyce Peters, Stephen Burges, Jurate Landwehr, Ken Bancala, Dennis Lettenmaier, Eric Wood, John Schaake, Henny Colenbrander, Ivan Johnson , David Brookshire, George Leavesley, Francis Hall, and Ken Potter.
China, U.S. study west Pacific Ocean
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Scientists from the People's Republic of China and the United States returned June 9 from a 2‐month oceanographic and climate research cruise in the west Pacific Ocean. When the Chinese research vessel Xiangyanghong #14 returned to its home port of Guangzhou last month, it had sailed 15,000 miles through the waters of the Philippines, Papua, New Guinea, Ponape, Nauru, the Solomon Islands, and Guam.

The cruise was the fourth in the Ocean Heat Transport and Climate Study under the US‐PRC protocol on cooperation in marine and fishery science and technology. Four more are planned over the next 2 years in the same area; another team of scientists will sail from Guangzhou in September. To share data from the first four cruises with other countries, the United States and China will host a symposium on air‐sea interactions in November in Beijing.
Council highlights
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The AGU Council met May 17 at the Spring Meeting in Baltimore. All sections were fully represented by their elected officers or duly authorized proxies. Most of the newly elected officers were also in attendance. They had participated in the Full‐Day Leadership Conference on Sunday preceding the AGU Spring Meeting, where they learned about the organization and operations of the Union and the aims of the major committees and programs. They also discussed section and Union ojectives for the coming biennium. The discussions at the Leadership Conference help set the stage for the activities of the Planning Committee, who will submit their plan to Council in December.
Space‐based telescope finds comets
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Pictures of two newly discovered Sun‐grazing comets were released this month by the National Center for Atmospheric Research's High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colo. A coronagraph telescope orbiting Earth aboard a National Aeronautics and Space Administration spacecraft collected the images of the comets on October 5 and 17, 1987. The spacecraft is part of NASA's Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), and the comets have been named SMM 1 and SMM 2.

Sun‐grazing comets do not form a strictly defined group, but any comet that comes within ∼0.01 AU of the Sun's center can be considered a sun‐grazer. These comets have been thought to be fairly rare, but as Brian Marsden of the Harvard‐Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., points out, sightings of them seem to have a clumped distribution in time. Several Sun‐grazing comets were reported in the late 17th century and again in the mid and late 19th century, but with the exception of one in 1945, no more were seen until the 1960s. Eight more have been spotted since the first space‐based observation of a Sun‐grazing comet in 1979.
The use of wingsails on oceanographic ships
Authors: Francis T. J. G.
Published: October 2006

There has been considerable discussion over the last few years about ships that the oceanographie field needs to carry it into the 21st century. Many of the ships in use today were built in the 1960s and will need replacing in the 1990s [Dinsmore, 1982; Barbee, 1986]. This is not only true of the Universities National Oceanographic Laboratories System (UNOLS) fleet in the United States, but of many European ships as well. The British research vessel Discovery was completed in 1963, the Frenchman Charcot in 1965.
Volcanic hazards mitigation: A component of the U.N. International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction
Authors: Sigurdsson Haraldur
Published: October 2006

Natural hazards present a world problem that transcends political boundaries and often results in large loss of life, economic losses, and other hardships, which are particularly acute in more vulnerable countries of the developing world. It has been estimated that natural disasters have claimed about 3 million lives worldwide in the past two decades, adversely affected the lives of at least 800 million people, and caused immediate damages estimated at $100 billion. Losses due to natural disasters are clearly on the increase, due to rapid population growth and increasing concentration of the growth in vulnerable areas. When a natural disaster strikes, the global community reacts in the form of financial aid and other assistance to the stricken nation. In the last decade, for example, direct annual foreign disaster assistance by the U.S. government has ranged from $100 to $800 million. However, despite the considerable sums involved, international aid to stricken countries rarely exceeds 4% of disaster losses.
Congress asks for drilling plans
Authors: Andrews Robert S.
Published: October 2006

The Interagency Coordinating Group on Continental Scientific Drilling develops policy to guide long‐term drilling plans for the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Geological Survey. ICG has already cooperated on several drilling projects, such as those at Salton Sea, Long Valley, and Cajon Pass in California, and Valles caldera in New Mexico.

Congress will soon pass the Continental Scientific Drilling and Exploration Act, S. 52 and H.R. 2737. The bill requires ICG to prepare a report that outlines a national program of scientific drilling.
Payload proposals for Space Station
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is calling for proposals for investigations that will use the space station's attached payloads. Experiments from the disciplines of Solar System exploration, space physics, astrophysics, communications, and life sciences will be considered, according to Announcement of Opportunity OSSA 3—88. Letters of intent are due by August 19.

Right now, NASA expects to begin construction of the space station in orbit in 1995 and finish in 1997. The research announcement states that NASA plans to fund four to six investigations, which will be launched aboard the space shuttle and attached to the frame of the station during assembly.
The Viscoscity of Synthetic and Natural Silicate Melts and Glasses at High Temperatures and 1 Bar (105 Pascals) Pressure and at Higher Pressures, U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 1764
Authors: Carrigan Charles R.
Published: October 2006

Over the past decade, I have routinely collected papers dealing with the physical properties of rocks and other materials. Their dog‐eared and coffee‐stained appearance is just one indication of their continuing value to me. Focusing on viscosity of silicate melts, Michael Ryan and James Blevins have considerably extended and formalized this collection process, resulting in the publication of a massive report containing viscosity data on an extensive variety of melt compositions. According to the authors, this report represents an initial step in establishing a comprehensive U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data base for the properties of multicomponent silicate melts.
Soviets looking beyond Phobos
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

A senior Soviet space scientist revealed details of the U.S.S.R.'s ambitious Mars program at a conference last week, shedding light on that country's 20‐year plan to send a manned mission to the planet.

Vasilij Moroz of the Soviet Space Research Institute in Moscow spoke August 4 at the International Astronomical Union meeting in Baltimore about the two‐spacecraft Phobos mission, now en route to Mars' larger moon after separate launches on July 7 and 12. He also provided new details about a revamped Soviet strategy for unmanned exploration of Mars. A 1992 mission has been scrapped in favor of a large, complex 1994 mission involving rovers, probes, and satellites the Soviets plan to launch on a single rocket. Moroz also gave his own views about priorities in the Soviet space program.
USS DATABASE
Authors: Langseth Marcus , Nowlin Worth
Published: October 2006

The Fleet Improvement Committee (FIC) was established by the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Advisory Council to review the composition and operation of the seagoing fleet used by the U.S. academic research community and to recommend ways to upgrade and improve the future capability of the fleet. FIC activities include development of scientific requirements for future ships, oversight of concept and preliminary designs of these ships, review of current and future mix of ship types in the fleet with respect to envisioned scientific missions, and studies of ways to improve fleet operations. One possible improvement studied briefly by FIC concerns the advantages of computer network‐assisted scheduling of UNOLS ships.

There has been long‐standing interest in developing a computer‐assisted scheduling capability for UNOLS ships. Limited experimentation has been done by some ship operators with keeping up‐to‐date lists of ship requests on computer files, and most operators are now submitting current schedules to the bulletin board SHIP.SCHED on the electronic mail system ScienceNet of Omnet.
Scientific ballooning opportunities
Authors: Peacock D.
Published: October 2006

The National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are exploring the, possibilities of a joint balloon program in Antarctica. Over the years there have been many successful small balloons launched from Antarctica for research on topics such as meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, magnetospheric physics, and astrophysics. Recently, a large balloon (and payload) was successfully launched from McMurdo.

In response to this growing interest, NSF hosted a 1‐day workshop on Scientific Ballooning in Antarctica on March 27. This was well received, as evidenced by the attendance of some 40–50 scientists. At a follow‐up meeting on June 14, 1988, attended by P. Wilkness, Division Director, Polar Programs, NSF, and S. Shawhan, Division Director, Space Physics, NASA, it was decided to solicit community input in the form of brief letters (one or two pages). Therefore if you have aspirations for balloon activities in Antarctica within the next few years, please send a brief description of your plans, including scientific objectives, time frame, launch site(s), logistical requirements, budget estimates (excluding logistics), and special needs, if any. Send this material to J . Lynch, Program Manager, Polar Atmospheric Sciences, Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 1800 G St., N.W., Washington, DC 20550. Send a copy to S. Shawhan, Director, Space Physics Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546.
Solar events and their influence on the interplanetary medium
Authors: Joselyn Jo Ann
Published: October 2006

The unified relationship between solar events and interplanetary disturbances was the primary topic of discussion at this workshop, held March 14–18, 1988, in Colorado Springs. Organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Environment Laboratory and funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solar Maximum Mission Principal Investigators, the workshop made use of the results of a preceding workshop with the same focus held in September 1986 [Eos, 67, 1986]. Three topic groups were formed that met either independently or with one of the other groups according to a prearranged plan.
Aeolian Dust and Dust Deposits
Authors: Rognon Pierre
Published: October 2006

In Earth science history, numerous subjects, such as pollen and freshwater diatoms have been studied from first a geological point of view, then in relation to the presentday environment. This is the case for dust; loess deposit studies began as far back as 1880 and included many international publications on the subject, but scientific works concerning the eolian dust only started toward the middle of the 20th century. Nevertheless, investigators of eolian dust have made great strides, as it is pointed out in the interesting book by Kenneth Pye, which puts together the present studies on dust and its history since the Quaternary and Cenozoic epochs. In addition to loess, the studies also cover the contribution of dust to deep‐ocean sediments, ice, and soils.
History of the Earth's Atmosphere
Authors: Berner Robert A.
Published: October 2006

This book is a synthesis of a series of outstanding research articles by Professor Budyko on climatology and by Professor Ronov on geochemistry and an expansion of their previous collaborative work on the evolution of atmospheric composition. Although other topics are briefly mentioned, the book is mainly devoted to the calculation of the levels of atmospheric CO2 and O2 over Phanerozoic time. Their basic assumption is that the worldwide abundance of carbonate minerals and organic matter in sedimentary rocks as a function of age, based on the exhaustive collection of data by A. B. Ronov and coworkers, can be used to calculate atmospheric composition. The reasoning is quite simple. It is assumed that CO2 given off to the atmosphere by volcanic and metamorphic degassing is removed mainly in the form of carbonate minerals in sediments (organic matter being much less abundant). The total mass of carbonate for each age period, divided by the length of the period, gives the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere via burial in sediments. Since so little CO2 is in the atmosphere, compared to fluxes to and from it on a geological time scale, rates of removal must equal rates of addition and so carbonate burial rates also give rates of addition to the atmosphere via volcanism. Since removal rates are also assumed to be directly proportional to the mass of CO2 present in the atmosphere (linear feedback), by determining the proportionality constant, one can directly calculate CO2 levels from rock abundances. For atmospheric O2 , production rates are calculated from the burial rates for organic carbon, and removal rates (via the oxidation of sulfides, ferrous minerals, and volcanic gases) are again assumed to be directly proportional to the mass of O2 in the atmosphere which, on equating production and removal rates, enables calculation of O2 levels over Phanerozoic time.
Sharing geophysical PC software
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The AGU Personal Computer Committee is organizing an event for sharing of geophysical personal computer software at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. AGU members are encouraged to donate their geotive physical PC software for sharing by other members.

Each software program package should have at least:

a documentation file showing how to use the program

the executable program file

demonstration files to help users in preparing input data file(s) and see what output file(s) are generated by the program
Satellites show western fires
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Plumes of smoke and bright spots of fire‐dominated satellite images of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho from August and early September. National attention was on fires in Yellowstone National Park in the northwest corner of Wyoming. This NOAA‐9 image was acquired on September 7.

The Yellowstone fires were much larger than typical forest fires in the western United States, which burn dozens to hundreds of hectares at a time. More than half of the 0.9‐million‐hectare park has been burned since the fires were started by lightning in early summer.
Are marine and nonmarine extinctions correlated?
Authors: Rampino Michael R.
Published: October 2006

Recent papers in Eos have debated the possible relationships between marine mass extinctions, comet showers, and volcanism [Alvarez, 1986; Officer and Grieve, 1986], and ail three might be linked [Rampino, 1987]. Moreover, as Officer and Grieve [ 1986] point out, various other causes have been suggested for given extinction events, including changes in climate, ocean circulation, and sea level fluctuations, possibly related to plate tectonics and continental positions. Also under debate is the issue of whether mass extinctions were gradual, stepped, or geologically sudden events (see, for example, Hut et al. [1987]). A missing ingredient thus far in these debates has been the record of faunal diversity of nonmarine animals. Does this show any agreement with the marine extinction record?
Congress finds OTA essential
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

In 1972, when the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment was set up, looking at effects of technology on policies and issues was a new and experimental idea, said James W. Curlin, Senior Associate at OTA. Curlin was speaking September 15 to the Potomac Geophysical Society in Arlington, Va., describing the concept and operation of OTA in the context of a recent study he directed on the feasibility of mining marine minerals in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

“Since 1972 OTA has earned a reputation for hard‐hitting, factual and objective studies. Its role has expanded with each Congress and it is now a functional part of the Congressional process. If mimicry is the highest form of flattery, OTA should be flattered. A number of other countries have created similar organizations adapted to their forms of government—or are considering forming their own OTAs.”
NSCAT funding left to NASA
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

The Eos news article “Conference OKs Science Budgets” (August 23, 1988, p. 801) stated that a House‐Senate conference had agreed to fund the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's scatterometer at the requested and Senate‐approved Fiscal Year 1989 level of $15.7 million rather than the House‐approved level of $5.7 million. However, while the conference report did propose up to $10 million more than the House recommendation, it also said that the money would only be available if “the administrator elects to exercise the option of transferring u p to $30 million of funding from the construction of facilities account” to the research and development account, which includes NSCAT.

According to NASA's William F. Townsend, NSCAT Program Manager, because of other stipulations in the conference report the ultimate source of the proposed funds for NSCAT would not be the construction of facilities account, but would be the research and program management account, which pays NASA employee salaries, not the construction of facilities account. Such a shift of funds is highly unlikely, he said, and the scatterometer will probably receive only $5.7 million for FY 1989, 64% less than the budget request.
Natural hazards society is born
Authors: El‐Sabh M. I.
Published: October 2006

A new professional society for natural hazards is being founded. The objectives of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards (NHS) are to promote research in all aspects of natural hazards, the distribution of preparedness and emergency‐response plans for all countries, and the formulation and implementation of education programs on hazards prevention and mitigation.

The founding organizational meeting was held August 17, 1988 in Ensenada, Mexico. About 100 scientists from 14 countries were at this meeting. A constitution and bylaws for the society were adopted and the following officers were elected: President, M. I. El‐Sabh, University of Quebec, Canada Vice‐president, G. Pararas‐Carayannis, International Tsunami Information Center, Honolulu, Hawaii Secretary, T. S. Murty, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, Canada Treasurer, S. Venkatesh, Atmospheric Environment Service, Downsview, Canada Representatives‐at‐Large, S. F. Farreras, CICESE, Ensenada, Mexico; S. K. Ghosh, Indian Meteorological Department, New Delhi, India; and F. S. Liu, Academic Sinica, Qindao, PRC.
Elements, Oxides, Silicates: High Pressure Phases With Implications for the Earth's Interior
Authors: Ahrens Thomas J.
Published: October 2006

A vitally important aspect of understanding the composition, structure, and processes acting within the solid Earth is obtaining a complete as possible knowledge of the fields of stability of the Earth's component minerals and their high‐pressure polymorphs with respect to pressure and temperature. Liu and Bassett's book is the first effort which has focused on bringing together the available phase diagrams for the elements, oxides, and silicates that are relevant to the understanding of Earth's and the other terrestrial planetary interiors. Since the book also covers the elements and compounds important to the shallow region of the mantles of the major planets (e.g., H2 , He, C, and H2O), it is an invaluable source of data for scientists studying the interiors of these planets as well.

An initial introductory chapter lays out, in very condensed form, the relation of phase diagrams to thermodynamic properties. Crystal chemical principles are summarized, as well as the main features of the techniques and apparatus employed to obtain the data summarized in the remainder of the book. Although references to apparatus papers are numerous and well chosen, references to works which relate thermodynamic properties to contruction of phase diagrams are lacking. Table 1.3, a summary of the ionic radii of elements in different coordinations appears to me to be the most valuable part of Chapter 1.
Fulbrights for Soviet Lectures
Authors: Packard Craig
Published: October 2006

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars is still accepting applications for Fulbright awards to lecture in the sciences in the Soviet Union for academic year 1989–1990. Because the original deadline, September 15, has passed, applications will be processed immediately, and the 1989–1990 Fulbright Scholar Program Faculty Grants close when an adequate number of applicants is approved for nomination.

Applications can be in the “Any Field” category or in the more specific categories sought by the Soviet Union, including geophysics at Tashkent; geology at the Gubkin Institute of Oil, Chemical, and Gas Industry; environmental sciences (cultivation of microalgae in sewage; continental shelf development, water resources protection, and economic aspects); and forest restoration technology. Awards are also available in chemistry, life sciences, and physics and astronomy.
NRC Continental Margins Workshop
Authors: Katsouros Mary Hope
Published: October 2006

The Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council is organizing a workshop, “Continental Margins: Evolution of Passive Continental Margins and Active Marginal Processes,” to stimulate discussion and longterm planning in the scientific community about the evolution of all types of continental margins. We want to coordinate academic, industry, and government agency efforts in this field, and to enhance communication between sea‐based and land‐based research programs.

The continental margins constitute the only available record of the long‐term dynamic interaction of oceanic and continental lithosphere. Of great interest are the unique structures and thick sedimentary sequences associated with this interaction. A major focus of the workshop will be to define strategies for exploring and understanding the continental margins in three dimensions and through geologic time. The workshop will be divided into 7 working groups, each concentrating on a major issue in continental margins research. A background document is being prepared summarizing recent research in specific continental margin fields and identifying key scientific and technical issues.
Space Geodesy and Geodynamics
Authors: Wilson Clark R.
Published: October 2006

Space Geodesy and Geodynamics is a collection of 15 articles concerned with space‐based technologies for measuring the gravity field, shape, and deformation of the Earth, and the important geophysical problems that can be studied using these technologies. This is an unusual book because it is one of the first to present these technology, geodesy, and geophysics topics under the same cover.

First, to summarize the contents of the book, there are five numbered sections. Section 1 is an overview by Allen Anderson that emphasizes that space‐based techniques have brought about a new field in geophysics.
AGU endorsement strengthens support for Earth science education
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The AGU Council has endorsed “The Importance of Earth Science Education,” a statement by the National Earth Science Teachers Association. The action was taken at the AGU Spring Meeting in May in Baltimore.

Other organizations that have endorsed the statement include the National Science Teachers Association, Council for Elementary Science International, National Association of Geology Teachers, and American Geological Institute.
Time lapse photography of a hydrothermal system: A successful one‐year deployment
Authors: Johnson H. Paul , Tunnicliffe Verena
Published: October 2006

On September 24, 1987, a time lapse camera was deployed by the submersible ALVIN on a high‐temperature hydrothermal system on the central Juan de Fuca Ridge. Eleven months later, the camera was recovered on August 11, 1988, also by ALVIN, after taking 260 sequential photographs with a frame interval of 30 hours. When recovered, the time lapse camera system was still functioning, and the time series of high‐quality photographs provides a unique record of the structural and biological changes of this dynamic system.

The hydrothermal system under study is located at the summit of Axial Seamount, a volcanic structure in the Eastern Pacific that rises to a depth of 1400 m, directly at the intersection of the Juan de Fuca Ridge spreading center and the Cobb‐Eichelberg Seamount Chain. This ridge‐axis seamount has been the focus of intensive surface ship and submersible studies since 1980, and the hydrothermal systems within the central summit caldera are probably among the most extensively mapped and sampled in the world. The camera was deployed 2.5 m from a sulfide mound that was approximately 1 m wide by 2 m high and was venting high‐temperature water from at least six discrete orifices from the summit and flanks of the mound; the highest temperature recorded from this mound was 283°C. As determined by submersible sampling, the mound was composed of sulfide and animal fragments and was cemented into a relatively coherent (and hard) central mass.
GEOSAT vs. SEASAT
Authors: Koblinksky Chet
Published: October 2006

For the first time, a long‐term global view of sea level change has become available to the ocean science community. The U.S. Navy's GEOSAT altimeter satellite has been measuring ocean surface topography with unprecedented precision since March 1985. GEOSAT represents a dramatic improvement over earlier observations from NASA's SEASAT mission primarily because of higher spatial resolution and longer temporal duration (3+ years vs. 3 months), as depicted on the cover of this issue. The measurement of sea level is an important variable in the determination of ocean circulation. A special session of the 1988 AGU Fall meeting will focus on studies of ocean circulation with the GEOSAT measurements.
Boards to combine
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

The National Research Council's Board on Earth Sciences and the Board on Mineral and Energy Resources were eliminated during the summer by a decision of the Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources, which oversees both bodies, and Frank Press, president of the National Academy of Sciences. The responsibilities of the two boards will be merged into a Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, not yet formed.

Raphael Kasper, executive director of the Commission, said that the boards were dissolved for two reasons. “There's been a general trend within the Academy toward bringing together the pure and applied branches of particular sciences.” BES had dealt largely with basic Earth science research, while BMER had addressed questions related to mineral resources, land use, and public policy. The Space Science Board and the Space Applications Board, also under the jurisdiction of the Commission, were combined this fall into a single body (Eos, October 18, p. 961).
Numerical models of climate change
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Scientists at University of California institutions will use large numerical models to try to understand how pollution and other factors cause global climate changes. Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif., and Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N. Mex., and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif., will participate in the new 4‐year effort.

The coordinated research will focus on climate modeling, global atmospheric chemistry, and rates of climate change. Each institution will use its supercomputers for developing and running the numerical models. The project comes under the university's Institutional Collaborative Research Program, which brings together resources of the university campuses and the Department of Energy laboratories that the university manages. Edward A. Frieman, director of Scripps Institution, is the project's principal investigator.
Chapman Conference on Sediment Transport Processes in Estuaries
Authors: Perillo Gerardo M. E. , Lavelle J. William
Published: October 2006

During the week of June 13–17, 1988, 72 sediment transport researchers “aggregated” at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Bahfa Blanca, Argentina, to participate in an AGU Chapman Conference on Sediment Transport Processes in Estuaries. The main goals of the meeting were to discuss recent advances in estuarine science, to appraise promising future research directions, and to develop contacts and establish working relationships between Latin American and non‐Latin‐ American estuarine researchers. The meeting drew participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, the U.S., Canada, Britain, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, The Netherlands, and South Africa. Meeting cosponsors were UNESCO, Secretaria de Ciencía y Técnica, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas, Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Universidad del Sur, Municipalidad de Bahia Blanca, Asociaciôn Argentina de Geofisicos y Geodestas (AGU sister organization), and the Instituto Argentino de Oceanografia (IADO).
NASA Mars Project: Evolution of climate and atmosphere
Authors: Clifford Stephen M. , Greeley Ronald , Haberle Robert M.
Published: October 2006

Mars has long fascinated scientists and the public. As a result, it has been the target of a number of ambitious spacecraft missions, the most recent being that of Vikings 1 and 2 in 1976. Following an initial period of intensive study, it became clear by the late 1970s that the Viking data could still yield important clues about the nature and evolution of Mars. In recognition of this potential, NASA established the Mars Data Analysis Program (MDAP) in 1979 to coordinate the funding and direction of Mars research. The first major investigation supported by MDAP was a focused 3‐year study project on the origin and evolution of martian volatiles. The project, entitled “Mars: Evolution of its Climate and Atmosphere” (MECA), was initiated in 1984 under the direction of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Tex.
Hydrothermal activity on the Gorda Ridge
Authors: Rona P. , Denlinger R. , Fisk M. , Howard K. , Klitgord K. , McClain J. , McMurray G. , Taghon G. , Wiltshire J.
Published: October 2006

Were port our discovery of the first hydrothermal field on the northern Gorda Ridge located only 200 km off southern Oregon within the proclaimed U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (Figure 1). The discovery was made with the U.S. Navy Deep Submergence Vehicle Sea Cliff and her support ship the DSVSS Laney Chouest on a dive series between September 15 and 30, 1988.

The northern Gorda Ridge is characterized by an intermediate spreading rate (2.8 cm/yr half‐rate), although the high relief of the sediment‐free rift valley a n d distribution of volcanic rock types resemble the slow‐spreading Mid‐Atlantic Ridge more than other intermediate‐ to fast‐spreading centers in the Pacific. The hydrotheral field extends several hundred meters along the east wall at water depths between 2700 and 2800 m, about 300 m above the floor of the rift valley.
Toward a time‐dependent magnetic reconnection model
Authors: Lee L. C.
Published: October 2006

Magnetic field reconnection plays a crucial role in determining the topology of magnetic fields in cosmic plasmas and also provides an efficient way for the conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy. Much work has been done on this topic in many interrelated fields of interest by many researchers. The author's primary field of interest is magnetospheric physics, in particular, magnetic reconnection processes in the dayside magnetopause and the magnetotail. Understanding of these processes has improved greatly over the past 3 decades, but there is still much work to be done.
Chemical Transport Metasomatic Process, NATO ASI Series C: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, vol. 218
Authors: Seyfried W. E.
Published: October 2006

This book is an outgrowth of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Chemical Transport in Metasomatic Processes which was held in Greece, June 3–16, 1985. Seventeen invited lectures (papers), a field excursion guide, and poster session papers (10) and abstracts (6) are included in the volume. The lecture papers, field guide, and poster session papers/abstracts constitute approximately 60, 6, and 34% of the volume, respectively.
Spectra show scapolite on Mars
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The mineral scapolite, rare on Earth, appears be to present on the surface of Mars. If the identification proves correct and scapoliteis found to make up a significant part of the or constituents of the martian soil or regolith in these areas

The recognition of drainage channels on Mars has led to the view that liquid H2O flowed on the planet at one time. The atmospheric pressure on Mars today is too low (0.07 bar) to support liquid water, and the Viking landers found the surface material very dry. A small amount of water may exist as ice in Mars' northern polar cap. Some water has also been destroyed by solar radiation, but many planetologists believe that much of the water once on the surface is now in the subsurface of the planet as ice or groundwater.
Lidar shows air at its most empty
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

In the past few weeks, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration atmospheric scientists have used lidar instruments trained on some of the cleanest air on Earth to measure what may be the global background concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere.

The observations are part of an effort to determine if air at its most clear still contains sufficient numbers of aerosol particles to allow a planned satellite‐based lidar to use them to track upper atmospheric winds all over the world.
Tomography finds waste sites
Authors: Bush Susan M.
Published: October 2006

Geophysical diffraction tomography (GDT), a remote sensing method, is being developed for hazardous waste site characterization by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., with the support of the U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

More accurate assessment of hazardous sites translates into more efficient and less costly cleanup efforts by defining parameters such as waste site boundaries, geophysical site characteristics, buried container leakage, and hazardous material migration. Remote sensing devices eliminate the potential for environmental damage, safety hazards, or high costs associated with intrusive site characterization techniques.
International research
Authors: Fucugauchi J. Urrutia
Published: October 2006

Often at lectures and seminars we are told just how little is known about a far‐away region on Earth. Such a remark is seldom printed in papers but is implied in bibliographies, which frequently contain very few references to the far place.

This is particularly the case for works on countries whose language differs from that of the author. This lack of reference to previous works may be due to the absence of related literature, or to the work's having been reported in local journals of restricted circulation, mostly written in the language of the country, or to the previous work's not being referred to in the bibliography although it was consulted. Not only am I concerned with giving proper credit to previous work, I want also to emphasize that in some instances, limited access to relevant local literature, including unpublished information, may be critical to doing good science.
13th EGS Assemlby
Authors: Barton P. J.
Published: October 2006

world met in March in Bologna at the European Geophysical Society's 13th General Assembly. The meeting sessions were divided among the joint sessions and the three sections of EGS: Section I, Solid Earth and Planets; Section II: Hydrospheres and Atmospheres; and Section III: Upper Atmospheres, Ionospheres, Magnetospheres, and External Geophysics.
Principles of Ocean Physics
Authors: Malanotte‐Rizzoli Paola
Published: October 2006

This book is an excellent textbook for an undergraduate course in physical oceanography, and some of its chapters can also be used in a graduate introductory course. The book is clearly written from the perspective of a physicist, as the title itself declares. Therefore, it gives a different and interesting approach to physical oceanography, complementary to that of the vast majority of introductory textbooks, which are much more descriptive and phenomenologically oriented.

After the introduction, with an historical review of the evolution of physical oceanography, Chapter 2 is devoted to a review of t he major forces driving the ocean's general circulation. This chapter contains well‐organized and clear discussions of radiative forcing a nd of the basics of atmospheric circulation and the ocean response, both for wind‐driven and thermohaline components of the circulation, on the global scale. This chapter also offers an informative section on the sea floor and its dynamics, thus enclosing the oceanic layer between its two natural boundaries, the atmosphere above and the ocean floor below.
Structure of the core‐mantle transition zone
Authors: Lay Thorne
Published: October 2006

A remarkable diversity of geophysical techniques is being used to probe the transition zone between the outer core and the lower mande. This inaccessible region, 2900 km below the Earth's surface, is now recognized to profoundly influence the style of mantle convection, thermal and chemical plume formation, secular variation, and possibly reversals of the magnetic field, core‐mantle exchanges of angular momentum, long‐wavelength gravitational variations, and chemical evolution of the Earth. Establishing the thermal and chemical structure of the lowermost mande and outermost core is critical to our understanding of the dynamic processes near this transition zone, and progress is now accelerating as a result of an interdisciplinary approach. Recent contributions from seismology, mineral physics, geomagnetism, and geodynamics are synthesized in this article, and a model with a combined thermal and chemical boundary layer at the core‐mantle boundary is proposed. The recent formation of the IUGG and AGU committees for SEDI (Studies of the Earth's Deep Interior) is facilitating communication in this and related interdisciplinary efforts to understand how the interior of the planet works.
Better dates for Arctic dinosaurs
Authors: McKee Edwin H. , Conrad James E. , Turin Brent D.
Published: October 2006

The Prince Creek Formation near Ocean Point on the Arctic coastal plain of northern Alaska contains hadrosaur (duck‐billed dinosaur) bones, as well as an abundant fauna of mollusks, ostracodes, brachiopods, foraminifers, and palynomorphs. Evaluation of the marine mollusks and ostracodes suggested a Paleocene age for these strata to Marincovich et al. [1985]. A fission‐track age on zircon of 50.9 +/− 7.7 Ma from an interbedded tephra [Carter et al., 1977] suggested that they could be as young as early Eocene. If the mollusk, ostracod, and fission‐track ages are correct, the hadrosaurs would be of early Cenozoic age—one of the few recorded occurrences of dinosaurs younger than Cretaceous. The foraminifers, pollen, and spores, however, strongly suggest a Late Cretaceous age for their beds [Brouwers et al., 1987].
1988 Fleming Medal to Michael W. McElhinny
Authors: Merrill Ronald T.
Published: October 2006

It is a great honor and pleasure to deliver the citation for the 1988 Fleming Medal given to Michael W. McElhinny, an outstanding scientist and a close personal friend. I know that there are always several exceptional scientists in competition for this medal; one expects only the true giants in our field to be selected. As in the recent past, that expectation has again been realized this year with the selection of McElhinny. Mike McElhinny has published more than 130 papers and authored or coauthored six books. Therefore I have found the task of singling out a few highlights in his career to be a very difficult one. Instead of discussing particular contributions of Mike's in the few minutes I have here today, I plan to present a broad overview in terms of stages in Mike's career.
Congress tackles human‐induced climate change
Authors: Maggs William Ward
Published: October 2006

A stream of new bills related to climate change is rising during the first days of the 101st Congress, following a summer of drought that focused national attention on the possible consequences of human‐induced global warming.

The bills share the broad goal of cutting emissions of gases that add to the greenhouse effect, but they reflect very different views both of the role the federal government should have in creating the reductions, and of the gases themselves—are they the necessary waste products of an industrialized society or just pollutants?
Changing of the guard
Authors: Eichelberger John C.
Published: October 2006

With this VGP News column, I conclude my 3.5 years as VGP Editor of Eos and turn the job over to William H. Casey. As a convenience to our readers, the address to which your cards and letters should be sent remains the same. But while the editor's abode is unchanged, the personal scientific focus of the editor changes from magma to muck.

Bill concerns himself with fluids and rocks and mixtures thereof at low temperature, and he is a vigorous researcher and prolific writer in this area. I know his scientific preference will come as a relief to those of you who think that if you've seen one volcano, you've seen them all. Seriously though, the change will help to give an overall balance to Eos' coverage. Volcano news is now rolling in without the need of encouragement from the VGP Editor.
Ancient works, monuments and historical sites
Authors: Reddy Michael M.
Published: October 2006

The International Association of Engineering Geology sponsored the symposium Engineering Geology as Related to the Study, Preservation, and Protection of Ancient Works, Monuments and Historical Sites on September 19–23, 1988, in Athens, Greece. The symposium was organized by the Greek National Group of the International Association of Engineering Geology in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Culture. Official cosponsors of the symposium included the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Commission of the European Communities, and International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Subjects of the papers presented at the symposium included soil and rock mechanics; foundation engineering; structural geology; geomorphology; geophysics; seismology; weathering, erosion and decay; and preservation techniques. In part, the symposium indicates the concern of national and international organizations over an apparently accelerating rate of deterioration of cultural treasures in many parts of the world as a result of anthropogenic and natural causes. Several of these causes are related directly to rapid urbanization.