bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proposed ethics rules blasted
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

The Office of Government Ethics will redraft part of the guidelines it proposed this summer for the conduct of executive branch employees (see Eos, Aug. 13 and Sept. 3, 1991). A wave of negative reaction from associations and Congress has prompted the reexamination, particularly of the section addressing the participation of government employees in professional associations. The rewritten regulations will then be put out for public comment again.

Steven Potts, director of the Office of Government Ethics, expressed surprise that the volume of outside comments about that section had “substantially overshadowed” other responses. Potts spoke before a House hearing on October 22. Approximately 90% of the more than 1,000 responses to the ethics office commented on participation in professional associations. The office now plans to delay issuing the new regulations until next spring.
Defense bill: Earmarking as usual
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Earmarked funds in the $268 billion defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 1991 stirred congressional debate in late October. Senator Sam Nunn (D‐Ga.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, charged that the defense bill contains questionable projects totaling tens of millions of dollars. AGU opposes legislative earmarking of money for particular institutions, maintaining that the practice prevents the best use of federal funding by circumventing competitive review. Nunn noted on the Senate floor that the appropriations bill provided specific funds for cited institutions—contravening a federal law promoting competition. “ If these programs have merit, they will succeed in a fair and competent review in competition,” Nunn said. “If no other institution in the country is able to compete, there should be no fear whatever of competition… But no one else in the world is allowed to compete to work on these projects.”
Ocean bottom seismometer facilities available
Authors: Jocobson R. S. , Dorman L. M. , Purdy G. M. , Schultz A. , Solomon S. C.
Published: October 2006

The Office of Naval Research, together with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Washington, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is pleased to announce the formation of two national Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) facilities. Recent advances in marine seismic and acoustic research, including whole Earth tomography, seismic refraction tomography, detailed passive seismology, high‐resolution seismic refraction, and marine ambient noise studies, require a suite of identical calibrated seafloor instruments for analysis of array data collected by OBS capable of sustained deployment periods. Such instruments require a recording capability that is substantially improved in terms of bandwidth, recording capability, fidelity, and deployment duration over that possible just a few years ago.

Recognizing a deficiency in existing instrumentation, in 1987 ONR embarked on an effort to fund the design and construction of a new generation of OBS. Thirty‐one instruments are now available for general use, and we encourage investigators to use the national OBS facilities as an effective means of acquiring state‐of‐the‐art ocean floor seismic data. The two OBS facilities will be managed and operated on a joint institutional basis by WHOI and MIT, and SIO and UW, respectively. While the instruments will be managed and operated by the OBS facilities, ownership of the OBS will be retained by
AGU Planet Earth Committee Report: Part I
Authors: Kaula William M.
Published: October 2006

In April 1988, AGU adopted a Planet Earth Initiative policy, which stated, in part, that AGU “recommends that the United States take the initiative among nations to establish an international observing system which, in conjunction with an active research program, will allow scientists to understand natural and anthropogenic changes in the Earth's environment and the global‐scale forces that control them …”

In furtherance of this position, a Planet Earth Committee was appointed in October 1988 with the responsibility of defining and helping to get implemented the Planet Earth Initiative (PEI). To do this, its activities were to include the following:
Eruption reported in Aleutian Islands
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

On November 29, an airplane pilot reported the start of an eruption on Mount Westdahl on Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands (54.52°N, 164.65°W), according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Network. The pilot sighted an ash plume rising to more than 7 km altitude at 1705 local time ( = UT‐11 hours). The main portion of the plume, at about 5 km altitude, extended 80–95 km east‐northeast by 0930 the next morning.

About noon, U.S. Coast Guard pilots observed a NE‐SW fissure vent 5–8 km long, with at least one active lava flow traveling down the east flank. The area surrounding the vent was ash‐covered, and increased runoff and possible mudflows were observed. Vigorous steam and ash emission was visible throughout the day from False Pass (90 km NE), which experienced a very fine dusting of ash. A strong sulfur odor at False Pass lasted into the night, and similar odors were reported by pilots up to several hundred kilometers inland. No ashfall has been reported in Cold Bay (145 km NE).
TERRAscope and CUBE project at Caltech
Authors: Kanamori Hiroo , Hauksson, Egill , Heaton Tom
Published: October 2006

The TERRAscope project of the California Institute of Technology began in 1988 and now has six very broadband seismic stations (PAS, GSC, PFO, SBC, ISA, and SVD) in southern California (Figure 1). The goal of TERRAscope is to provide high‐quality broadband data needed for significant advances in both regional and global seismology. TERRAscope will replace the old Caltech seismographic network in southern California, which dates back to the 1920s. In many cases, new stations are deployed in cooperation with local institutions. The goal is to encourage involvement of both students and researchers in the operation of the stations and analysis of new data. The station PAS is a joint project between Caltech, the University of Southern California, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). The station SBC was deployed in cooperation with the University of California at Santa Barbara. The station PFO is operated jointly with the University of California at San Diego, and the station SVD was installed and is operated by the USGS. Except for SVD, all of the stations are equipped with a broadband Streckeisen STS‐1 seismometer and Quanterra data logger with a 24‐bit digitizer and a Kinemetrics FBA‐23 strong‐motion sensor. The station SVD has a Streckeisen STS‐2 seismometer and a Guralp CMG‐5 accelerograph. The project is funded mainly by grants from the L. K. Whittier Foundation and the Arco Foundation. In addition to the automatic dial‐up data retrieving system called Caltech Gopher (adapted from the IRIS Gopher system) has been implemented. The Caltech Gopher receives mail from NEIC for teleseisms and the SCSN with origin time, location, and magnitude for regional events. The Gopher retrieves data from all six TERRAscope stations for these events. The TERRAscope data reside in an FTP anonymous account (seismo.gps.caltech.edu; password: “your e‐mail address”) at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory, and are available to users through Internet. Usually the data are available within 30 minutes after a regional event and several hours after a teleseism. In the near future a new version of the Gopher software will be installed, which will also make some of the Gopher data available directly from the IRIS‐DMC Gopher. When the Data Center of the Southern California Earthquake Center begins full operation in early 1992, it will take over the distribution of earthquake data from southern California, including both TERRAscope Gopher data and continuous data from the tape cartridges. The data will also be available from IRIS‐DMC, and future improvements and changes in data access will be posted on the IRIS‐DMC bulletin board.
Paleomagnetic, rock magnetic workshop
Authors:   The Workshop Organizing Committee, Costanzo Vincenzo , Dunlop David , Guo Li , Halls Henry , Özdemir Özden , Xu Song
Published: October 2006

A total of 52 paleomagnetists, rock magnetists, and structural geologists met for the 5th annual Northeastern Paleomagnetic and Rock Magnetic Workshop, held at Erindale College, University of Toronto in Mississauga, Ontario, on November 1–2. The attendees came from as far away as Lamont‐Doherty Geological Observatory, N.Y.; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.; and Memorial University, St. John, Newfoundland; as well as from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of Windsor, Ontario; Sapphire Instruments, Ruthven, Ontario; University of Western Ontario, London; University of Toronto; Syracuse University, N.Y.; University of Ottawa; and the Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa.

Special guests were Jo Lock of Gondwana Consultants in Australia and Mike McElhinny of the University of Michigan. McElhinny officially opened the workshop on Friday afternoon with a keynote lecture on “Paleomagnetism and the Earth's Core.” Most of us had only a rudimentary knowledge of modern ideas about the origin of the Earth's magnetic field and the paleomagnetic evidence bearing on it. We came away from Mike's talk informed, stimulated, and entertained.
Global Paleomagnetic Data Base complete
Authors: McElhinny Mike , Lock Jo
Published: October 2006

In 1989, we announced in Eos (Van der Voo and McElhinny, August 1, page 748) that the global paleopoles data base had gotten off to a good start. We are now pleased to say that this project is complete and the data base is available for everyone's use. Ten countries contributed financially to this 2‐year, international project. On two occasions, the Soviet Union invited us to visit Professor A. N. Khramov to arrange for the transfer of the entire Soviet data base to the project. The data base consists of all the world's data from the start of paleomagnetism to the end of 1988. An update that will include all data through the end of 1992 will appear early in 1993.
Federal “Pork” at record high in 1991
Authors: Leath Audrey T.
Published: October 2006

At approximately $500 million, the total of earmarked funds going to universities and colleges in the fiscal year 1991 federal budget was at an all‐time high. Although the full tally of “pork” in the new 1992 budget is not yet available, the total is not expected to meet or surpass that of 1991, due to the caps on discretionary funding required by the budget agreement.

The following data were taken from a memo prepared by staff of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology for its chairman, George E. Brown, Jr. (D‐Calif.). The top 10 states receiving earmarked funds in 1991 were Pennsylvania ($54.3 million), Iowa ($38.7), Alaska ($35.0), Massachusetts ($32.6), Louisiana ($24.4), Washington, D.C. ($21.0, includes appropriations to Howard University, Gallaudet University, and the University of the District of Columbia, which receive their basic operating budgets through federal appropriations), West Virginia ($19.9), Oregon ($18.9), New Jersey ($18.1), and Hawaii ($16.2).
Yugoslav seismological research threatened
Authors: Allegretti Ivo , Hamburger Michael
Published: October 2006

We in the Western scientific community have had the luxury, throughout most of our careers, of working in an environment insulated from the terrors of war and political violence. Well distanced from these horrors, we are often numbed by headlines reporting political turmoil elsewhere in the world—whether in Afghanistan, South Africa, or Yugoslavia. There are times, however, when personal contact with a colleague caught within one of these political wildfires reminds us of the very human tragedy that underlies these headlines.

In studying a number of large earthquakes that took place in Central Asia in the 1930s and 1940s, we have been collecting seismograms from the well established European seismic observatories that recorded the events. Among them was the Zagreb Observatory, operated by the Mohorovicic Geophysical Institute of the University of Zagreb. The city of Zagreb—along with its scientific and cultural institutions—is now under siege, a result of the violent military conflict between the Yugoslav federal government and the Republic of Croatia. The following letter, which accompanied the Zagreb seismograms, provides a vivid picture of the daily hardships that our colleagues in Yugoslavia must be facing and a call to members of the international scientific community to help put an end to the rapidly escalating violence in Yugoslavia.
Biogeochemical processes in model estuaries
Authors: Church Thomas M.
Published: October 2006

Sixty researchers met to evaluate the effects of global change on estuaries and to improve estuarine modeling at the Second International Symposium on the Biogeochemistry of Model Estuaries, held April 15–19, 1991, at Jekyll Island, Ga. The importance of successful sampling in evaluating chemical fluxes and establishing records of estuarine change was articulated, as was the need for tracer tools for improved modeling. The symposium was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy.

Participants discussed particles and sedimentology, trace elements and metals, organic chemistry, and nutrient cycling of estuarine processes. Four days of presentations were followed by a half‐day of discussion on advances in these topics and the overall goal of assessing estuarine processes in global change. What follows is a synopsis of this discussion.
UV radiation decrease noted in urban areas
Authors: Blue Charles
Published: October 2006

Scientists expect that as the Earth's ozone layer decreases, the amount of biologically harmful solar radiation reaching the Earth increases. New research reveals, however, that this may not always be the case. In an article in the December 1991 Geophysical Research Letters, scientists reveal that the amount of solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface has decreased by as much as 5–18% in non‐rural areas of industrialized countries, despite a global ozone loss. This decrease has been occurring since the Industrial Revolution.

According to S. C. Liu of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, S. A. McKeen of the University of Colorado, and S. Madronich of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, sulfate aerosols, which are formed from industrial sulfur dioxide emissions, are scattering the incoming solar radiation in the atmosphere and reducing the actual amount of biologically active ultraviolet radiation (UVB) that reaches Earth.
1991 AGU Fellows
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

AGU congratulates the 26 distinguished scientists who were selected by a committee of their peers to be AGU Fellows in 1991. This selection was based on the individual attaining acknowledged eminence in a branch of geophysics. The number of Fellows selected annually is limited to no more than 0.1% of the AGU membership. The new Fellows are listed below along with the citation recognizing their specific achievement.
Planetary Mapping
Authors: Mouginis‐Mark Peter J.
Published: October 2006

Planetary Mapping is a wonderful find for both the researchers who use the planetary and satellite maps and for historians of planetary exploration.

Planetary cartography—the art and science of making maps of the moon, planets, and their satellites—represents a crucial step in the exploration of the solar system. Without detailed and accurate maps, the scientific objectives for orbiter missions such as Magellan (now in orbit around Venus) and Galileo (en route to Jupiter) could not be planned in detail, nor could surface landers such as Apollo (Moon) and Viking (Mars) be directed accurately to their chosen targets. For the last 500 years, the exploration of our own planet has depended vitally on the availability of detailed maps of the oceans and New World. Today much pioneering planetary exploration depends on similar types of maps generated not from ground surveys or air photography, but from data obtained by robot and manned missions using both digital and film camera systems.
The Pioneer 8 Earth‐Moon encounter
Authors: Moses Stewart L.
Published: October 2006

In the May 7, 1991, Eos, F. M. Neubauer and K.‐H. Glassmeier took up the cause of “historical correctness” in a comment on the conarticle by F. Fanale (Eos, November 20, 1990, p. 1803) about the Galileo encounter with the Earth‐Moon system in December 1990. The 1991 article pointed out that Fanale was incorrect in claiming that Galileo was to perform the first “encounter by a spacecraft from deep space with the Earth‐Moon system,” since Giotto encountered the Earth in July 1990.

While this event certainly invalidates the claim of primacy for the Galileo spacecraft, it does not award it to Giotto. The October 1987 Journal of Geophysical Research contains a paper by the late Fredrick L. Scarf describing results from the Pioneer 8 encounter with the geomagnetic tail in April and May 1985. At that time, the Pioneer 8 solar arrays' long exposure to space had so degraded the power levels of the spacecraft that Scarfs plasma wave instrument was the only one that could be operated.
U.S. National Report to IUGG wins praise
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

The U.S. National Report to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, which was distributed at the IUGG General Assembly in Vienna last week, has been lauded by members of the scientific community. “As someone who has been responsible for similar—if perhaps not quite as exhaustive—reports in the past,” wrote D. Allan Bromley, science advisor to President Bush, in a letter to AGU, “I know the amount of care and work that goes into them. My congratulations to everyone involved.”

The 10‐volume report, published by AGU, was compiled under the supervision of Editor in Chief Margaret A. Shea. The U.S. National Committee to the IUGG and AGU recognized Shea's “outstanding leadership in the compilation and publication” of the report on May 27 during the AGU Spring Meeting in Baltimore.
Meeting Abstracts hard to read
Authors: Savage James C.
Published: October 2006

The print in the abstract volumes of Eos is too damn small. Although one can read one or two abstracts without much trouble, most people find that the size of the print makes reading several pages of abstracts unnecessarily difficult. Without doubt, age is a factor in my case. But if print that small is not a detriment to communication, why is it not more generally used in publications? Inasmuch as some abstracts are reasonably legible in Eos (Vol. 72, No. 44, Supplement), perhaps simply imposing strict standards on author‐prepared copy might suffice. Other remedies (for example, two volumes for the abstracts in a single meeting) will involve greater cost.
Paleoceanography, Tectonics editors named
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Sierd Cloetingh joined the Tectonics editorial board as the European editor on January 1. Tectonics manuscripts should be sent to one of the following editors: Kevin C. Burke, Editor‐in‐Chief, Tectonics, AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009; Paul Hoffman, North American Editor, Tectonics Office, RR 3 Kemptville, Ontario K0G 1J0; Sierd Cloetingh, European Editor, Vrije Universiteit, Institute for Earth Studies, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Internal gravity waves and mixing
Authors: Müller Peter , D'Asaro Eric , Holloway Greg
Published: October 2006

Oceanic internal gravity waves span a range between mesoscale eddies and smallscale turbulence, providing an important link in the overall energy cascade from the large scales of generation to the small scales of dissipation. Progress in the understanding of internal‐wave dynamics was discussed at the sixth ‘Aha Huliko'a Hawaiian Winter Workshop, held January 15–18, 1991, in Honolulu. The workshop brought together oceanographers and meteorologists, who came to the following conclusions on the topic. Considerable progress is being made in predicting the diapycnal mixing rates associated with the shear instability of small‐scale internal waves (Figure 1). Large‐scale internal waves are forced by the atmosphere and (possibly) other oceanic flows. These waves are the most energetic and can propagate over distances of O(1000 km).
U.K. signs on to next ODP phase
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

The Natural Environment Research Council has announced the United Kingdom's commitment to the next phase of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). The news was made public at a NERC meeting January 9 in London.

This next phase of ODP will begin in 1993 and will run until 2002. Projected research in the next phase will include studying oceanic crustal evolution at the mid‐Atlantic ridge and glacial/interglacial cycles through ocean sediments. The United Kingdom will play a broader role in the program in the future, especially in the area of global environmental research.
Federal role in science will grow, NSF Director predicts
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo
Published: October 2006

Walter Massey, director of the National Science Foundation, recently called for a fundamental reassessment of the relationship between the federal government and research institutions. On January 15, Massey, now in his ninth month at NSF, described great changes in the government‐university “partnership” since the “golden age” of the 1960s. Speaking in Washington, D.C. at a seminar of George Washington University's Center for International Science and Technology Policy, he predicted that his own term at the foundation would not be “business as usual.”

Science and technology have shifted from being a peripheral concern of the government to a central policy issue, Massey said. The United States now sees science as too important to leave its agenda for scientists to set themselves. In response, the federal government is launching the initiatives of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology. Some of last year's FCCSET budget initiatives, spanning a number of federal agencies, dealt with math and science education, global change, and high‐performance computing. Such programs “are research agenda put forth from the federal side—they are not things put forth from the [research] community,” Massey pointed out.
Impact of Mid‐Atlantic sewage sludge probed
Authors: Blue Charles
Published: October 2006

Every year since 1986, 8 million tons of raw sewage has been dumped into the ocean at the Mid‐Atlantic Bight, an area 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. Originally, this location was thought to be a safe dump site because of its considerable depth and strong ocean currents, which would prevent sewage from accumulating on the ocean floor. Recently, several scientists tested that assumption and found evidence for significant amounts of sewage accumulation at the dump site.

Scientific studies of the dump site, coordinated by NOAA's National Undersea Research Program, will be presented at the 1992 AGU Ocean Science Meeting in New Orleans, January 27–31. The studies reveal the extent of sewage sludge accumulation at the Mid‐Atlantic Bight and determine the environmental impact that significant accumulations of this material has on the ocean environment.
Atmospheric effects of smoke from the Kuwaiti oil fires
Authors: Hobbs Peter V.
Published: October 2006

As the Iraqi army fled Kuwait in March 1991, it damaged or destroyed 749 oil wells, 610 of which were ignited. The resulting fires produced an extraordinarily large plume of black smoke which affected weather and air quality in the Gulf region. Some scientists also postulated that the smoke might have global effects.

As part of the United States interagency effort (coordinated by the National Science Foundation) to assess the effects of the Kuwaiti fires on the atmosphere, the University of Washington and the National Center for Atmospheric Research mounted an airborne study of the smoke from the Kuwaiti fires during the period May 16–June 12, 1991. The primary goals of this study were to determine the chemical and physical nature and the radiative properties of the smoke, the fluxes of various materials in the smoke plumes, and the potential effects of the smoke on air quality, weather, and climate.
Time variations in the Earth's gravity field
Authors: Shum C. K. , Eanes R. J.
Published: October 2006

At the present time, the causes and consequences of changes in the Earth's gravity field due to geophysical and meteorological phenomena are not well understood. The Earth's gravity field represents the complicated distribution of all of the matter that makes up our planet. Its variations are caused by the motions of the solid Earth interacting with the gravitational attraction of the Sun and the Moon (tides) and with the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, polar ice caps and groundwater due to changing weather patterns. These variations influence the rotation of the Earth, alter the orbits of Earth satellites, cause sea level fluctuations, and indirectly affect the global climate pattern.
Ulysses probes solar wind, interstellar gas
Authors: Goldstein Bruce
Published: October 2006

The Ulysses mission, a joint collaboration of the European Space Agency and NASA, was successfully launched on October 6, 1990, to investigate the regions of interplanetary space at high solar latitudes. Much has been learned by spacecraft at low solar latitudes, but the heliosphere (the region dominated by the Sun and the solar wind) is still unexplored at latitudes above 30°. As the properties of the corona and solar wind vary with latitude, important advances in our understanding of the solar corona and the interplanetary environment are anticipated.

To reach these high latitudes, Ulysses will use the gravitational force of Jupiter to deflect the spacecraft out of the ecliptic into a highly inclined orbit that cannot be provided by conventional rockets. The Jupiter flyby will occur on February 8, 1992; the high‐latitude passes over the solar poles will occur in mid‐1994 and mid‐1995 at a distance of about 2.3 astronomical units. (One AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun.)
The western Pacific warm pool observed from space
Authors: Yan Xiao‐Hai , Klemas Victor V. , Chen Dake
Published: October 2006

Over the past decade, significant observational, theoretical, and modeling efforts have been made to understand the coupled ocean‐atmosphere system, especially in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, most oceanographic research on the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has focused on the eastern and central Pacific because of the large interannual SST (sea‐surface temperature) anomalies and ecosystem disruptions in these regions. Less attention has been paid to the western Pacific even though the early stages of ENSO events may originate there. As a new component of the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) research program, the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) focuses on the physical processes that play important roles in the coupling between the ocean and atmosphere in the western Pacific warm pool.
Volcanic alert in antarctica
Authors: Bush Susan
Published: October 2006

On January 14, members of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) were alerted to possible volcanic activity on Deception Island, Antarctica. The island, located at latitude 62%57′S, longitude 60'40′W, attracts many tourists.

COMNAP is a group of national program managers of 25 countries that have government programs in the Antarctic. Its function is to implement measures adopted by the Antarctic Treaty parties, including fostering international cooperation in scientific research.
The International Equatorial Electrojet Year
Authors: Abdu M. A.
Published: October 2006

During its sixth scientific assembly in Exeter, United Kingdom, the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) designated September 1991–March 1993 as the International Equatorial Electrojet Year (IEEY). During this period, intensive and coordinated campaigns on the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) and related aeronomic phenomena are being conducted using a variety of observational techniques at low latitudes. IAGA urges all concerned scientific communities to participate actively in this program. The IEEY is an international cooperative project to improve our understanding of the geophysical, aeronomic, electrodynamic, and plasma processes that control the EEJ current, especially its spatial structure, space and time variations, instabilities, and induced effects. It offers interesting opportunities for EEJ study groups around the world to intensify their activities in a coordinated way. Here, we describe the scientific perspectives and goals of the IEEY, which is coordinated by IAGA's Inter‐Divisional Commission on Developing Countries.
New education coalition formed
Authors: Watt Ireto M. Frank
Published: October 2006

The Coalition for Earth Science Education (CESE) was recently formed to promote Earth science education at all levels. Earth science is a diverse group of sciences and as a result, professional and academic organizations from the various areas, though united in their goal to stimulate student enthusiasm for the Earth sciences, have not had an effective way of reaching students or their precollege teachers. Over the past year, meetings sponsored by the National Academy of Science's Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the National Science Foundation have paved the way for this coalition. Victor Mayer, Director of the Program for Leadership in Earth Systems Science (PLESE) project at the University of Ohio, has been the leader in initiating and promoting this effort for the last several years.

The purpose of CESE is to promote communication among the member organizations and to coordinate projects in Earth science education. Individual organizations will continue to develop and run projects, but will be able to find out what types of projects others are working on or have completed through a coalition clearinghouse. The clearinghouse should aid organizations as they design projects and should afford opportunities for collaborative efforts. This will directly benefit teachers, who will be able to contact one source for information on the multitude of projects in the Earth and space sciences. The new coalition's steering committee is working on goals and guidelines, and will give a report at the next coalition meeting at the National Science Teachers Association annual convention in Boston.
1991 Fall Meeting Report
Authors: Chapman David S.
Published: October 2006

The AGU 1991 Fall Meeting, held in San Francisco December 9–13, was the largest national AGU meeting ever held. Meeting participation continued the steady growth trend set throughout the previous decade. A total of 4,037 papers and posters were presented, and by Friday noon of the meeting over 5,500 members had registered.

Several special events were scheduled to inform and engage members on societal and programmatic aspects of our science. AGU's Committee on Education and Human Resources sponsored an open forum that addressed opportunities and problems associated with dual‐career couples. A discussion of NASA's strategic plan by Berrien Moore and Joseph Alexander drew a large audience, and a special session on societal aspects of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption drew an overflow crowd. Two special lectures— “Plumes, Plates, and Deep Earth Structure” by Don L. Anderson and “New Frontiers in Aeronomy: Effects of Global Atmospheric Change” by P. M. Banks‐also drew overflow crowds.
The impact of solar flares and magnetic storms on humans
Authors: Joselyn Jo Ann
Published: October 2006

The Sun shines, and Earth and its inhabitants benefit. But the Sun radiates more than light, and these radiations are variable over time scales of seconds to days. The consequences for people range from glorious celestial displays—auroras—to subtle but potentially damaging effects on the technological systems that are increasingly important for daily living. For example, electric power transmission systems and communication links have proven vulnerable to solar phenomena. And outside of Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic shield, there is a small but genuine risk of a solar energetic particle burst that would be lethal to satellite sensors and command and control systems and astronauts.
New budget highlights coordinated science ventures
Authors: Simarski Lynn Teo , Ireton M. Frank Watt
Published: October 2006

Five presidential initiatives highlighted in the new federal budget proposal reflect the growing role of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology in setting the nation's science funding agenda. “This marks the greatest involvement of FCCSET to date in shaping federal R&D spending,” said D. Allan Bromley, the president's science advisor, when the fiscal year 1993 budget was released.

FCCSET committees drawn from various federal agencies developed interagency budget programs in five areas this year: High Performance Computing and Communications, Advanced Materials and Processing, Biotechnology Research, Global Change Research, and Mathematics and Science Education. All the programs have long‐range goals, and some are interrelated. Three of these initiatives are discussed here.
NCAR to archive Kuwait oil fire data
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

In early 1991, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) initiated a large‐scale, international effort to assess the atmospheric effects of pollution introduced by the burning of more than 500 oil wells in Kuwait. This effort resulted in a myriad of measurements from aircraft, satellite, and surface stations. In coordinating these programs, WMO assumed responsibility for integrating and disseminating these measurements to international research organizations in a systematic and timely fashion. As a first step in addressing this responsibility, a workshop was convened at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) July 22–24. It was decided there that NCAR would serve as the central archival site for the Kuwait oil fire data.

Since that time, the NCAR Research Aviation Facility has hired new staff and begun development of the Kuwait Data Archive (KuDA). Examples of data resident in KuDA include various measurements from the NCAR Electra sensors, satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, lidar data, and the National Meteorological Center model output. Other aircraft data sets and surface measurements are still undergoing processing and quality control before being submitted to the archive.
Causes of changes in reversals of the Earth's magnetic field: Inside or outside the core?
Authors: Jacobs J. A.
Published: October 2006

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the possibility of a relationship between events at the Earth's surface and those in the core. In the past, it has always been considered unlikely that the solid, rocky mantle and the fluid, mainly iron outer core could influence one another. Some people are now beginning to wonder.

Laj et al. [1991] and Clement [1991] have examined records of reversals of the Earth's magnetic field over the last 10 m.y. and found that the poles tend to follow one of two paths—one through North and South America and the other about 180° away through eastern Asia and Australia. This is very surprising, since motions in the Earth's fluid core are of the order of tens of kilometers per year, while motions in the solid mantle are unlikely to exceed a few centimeters per year. A possible connection lies in conditions at the CMB (core‐mantle boundary). Seismic studies have shown that the bottom ∼200 km of the mantle (the so‐called D″ layer) is anomalous. There are conflicting opinions as to whether this layer is a thermal and/or chemical boundary layer (see, for example, Lay [1989]). There is also topography on the CMB, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that this could distort flow in the core.
West Antarctic ice coring: A high‐resolution study of climate change
Authors: Alley Richard B.
Published: October 2006

How do ice ages end? Is it a carefully phased process, with orbital variations of the Earth causing carbon dioxide to rise in the atmosphere, Southern Hemisphere ocean temperatures to rise, then ice sheets to melt and Northern Hemisphere oceans to warm [Imbrie et al., 1989]? Or does something throw a switch, causing a change from “glacial” to “interglacial” mode in a few short years or decades [Broecker and Denton, 1989]? And does the switch jiggle a few times first, giving rise to the Younger Dryas and the older Dansgaard‐Oeschger events?
Antarctica and global change research
Authors: Weller Gunter , Lange Manfred
Published: October 2006

The Antarctic, including the continent and Southern Ocean with the subantarctic islands, is a critical area in the global change studies under the International Geosphere‐Biosphere Program (IGBP) and the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). Major scientific problems include the impacts of climate warming, the ozone hole, and sea level changes. Large‐scale interactions between the atmosphere, ice, ocean, and biota in the Antarctic affect the entire global system through feedbacks, biogeochemical cycles, deep‐ocean circulation, atmospheric transport of heat, moisture, and pollutants, and changes in ice mass balances. Antarctica is also a rich repository of paleoenvironmental information in its ice sheet and its ocean and land sediments.
Japanese submersible explores the North Fiji Basin
Authors: Auzende J. ‐M. , Urabe T. , Tanahashi M. , Ruellan E. ,   Shipboard Scientific Party
Published: October 2006

Since 1987, Japanese and French geologists, geophysicists, and biologists have been studying the North Fiji Basin Ridge within the framework of a joint project named STARMER (Science and Technology Agency of Japan—IFREMER of France). This ridge was first geologically, geophysically, and geochemically surveyed during the 1985 SEAPSO 3 cruise of the R/V Jean Charcot [Auzende et al., 1988]. At that time, water sampling and morphotectonic analysis indicated that the North Fiji Basin Ridge was technically and hydrothermally active. Within the STARMER project, four surface ship cruises have been conducted {Kaiyo 87‐88‐89 and Yokosuka 90).

One significant result of these surveys is the complete mapping of the entire ridge between 14°S and 22°S (Figure 1), an area approximately 900 km long and more than 50 km wide (Sea Beam and Furuno multibeam swath‐mapping systems were used). During the Kaiyo 87 cruise, the presence of active hydrothermalism (sulfide deposits, chimneys expelling shimmering water, and associated living animal colonies) was discovered through water sampling and video deep towing.
U.S. involvement in IDNDR discussed
Authors: Benson William E.
Published: October 2006

The possibility of the U.S. seismological community participating in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) was discussed at the semiannual meeting of the Committee on Seismology, a committee of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, held November 7–8 in Washington, D.C.

The intent of the IDNDR as viewed by NAS/NRC's U.S. National Committee for the Decade is to reduce future vulnerability to natural disaster by using existing knowledge now, said Stephen Rattien, Executive Director of the Commission on Geosciences. Numerous cases illustrate that lives could have been saved and property damage reduced if existing knowledge had been used in advance of the earthquake. While it is recognized that additional knowledge in selected research areas is badly needed, the most effective way to mitigate future earthquake disasters worldwide is to apply in a practical way what we already know.
The last SPR dinner awards
Authors: Tsurutani Bruce
Published: October 2006

Because the Solar‐Planetary Relationships section of AGU has officially changed its name to Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA), the December 10, 1991, section dinner award ceremony at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco was the last of the series. Presumably an SPA dinner award series will be started under President‐elect Andy Nagy.

We have followed our tradition of recognizing the special talents of section members at the annual dinner. This year we had eight awardees. These awards are given in fun and are intended to be humorous. The selection committee defining the awards (the awards are changed regularly to keep people from trying to win one) and selecting the awardees will have to remain anonymous. (The committee is similar to Skull and Bones, but we are politically correct in that we allow women as members.)
House Panel comments on science budget
Authors: Jones Richard M.
Published: October 2006

A recent report from the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee entitled ‘Views and Estimates … on the Fiscal Year 1993 Budget for Civilian R&D” proposes new approaches to federal science policy and a shift in funding from defense to civilian R&D to stimulate economic growth.

In this report the committee's Democratic members recommend increasing civilian R&D spending by an additional $2 billion in fiscal year 1993, followed by a $3 billion transfer in each of the next four years. The increase would be funded by cutting weapons programs and the Strategic Defense Initiative request.
IAHS Symposium on Large River Basins
Authors: Frick David M.
Published: October 2006

The flow regime of large rivers is significantly influenced by man's activities, such as land use or river development. In other cases, there is evidence that climate change is the reason for modified flow regime. When basins are shared by a number of countries, the problems of hydrologic change become even more critical. Therefore, the social and economic consequences of changes in the flow regime of large river basins is far reaching,

To improve the understanding of hydrologic processes and to investigate the availability of tools and methods that can be used to analyze the hydrological impacts of changes in flow, the International Association of Hydrologic Sciences (IAHS) and International Commission on Surface Water (ICSW) devoted its symposium, held at the August 1991 XXth General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) in Vienna, Austria, to the theme “Hydrology for Water Management of Large River Basins.” The theme was divided into the four subtopics of water management and cooperation in large and/or international river basin: flow regimes and water management in relation to changes in climate, river development, and land use; water quality and sediment transport management in a large river environment; and operational flow and water quality forecasting. Both the general problem and organizational and operational aspects were investigated.
Baja California Sur map underway
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2006

Through a cooperative effort by geophysicists interested in the geology of Baja California, a map of the southern state of the peninsula will be compiled and published in three sheets at a scale of 1:250,000.

At the April 1991 First International Meeting on the Geology of the Baja California Peninsula, held at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico, the more than seventy‐five participants recognized the need for a geologic map of the southern state of the peninsula, whose northern half was mapped and published in 1975 by Gordon Gastil. On January 29, 1991, a planning committee met at Stanford University to learn about tried and true procedures of map compilation and publication from U.S. Geological Survey Circum‐Pacific Council cartographer Fran Mills.
The solar, anomalous, and magnetospheric particle explorer
Authors: Mason Glenn M.
Published: October 2006

The Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) is one of two small explorer missions selected for flight by the Space Physics Division of NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications. The small explorers are roughly 400‐ lb. spacecraft that will be launched on Scout‐class expendable launch vehicles.

The SAMPEX instruments will measure the electron and ion composition of energetic particle populations from ˜0.4 MeV/ nucleon to hundreds of MeV/nucleon from a zenith‐pointing small satellite in near‐polar orbit. They will use a coordinated set of detectors with excellent charge and mass resolution and higher sensitivity than previous instruments. While over the magnetic poles, the instruments will obtain the elemental and mass composition of anomalous cosmic rays, solar energetic particles, and galactic cosmic rays. At lower magnetic latitudes, geomagnetic cutoff effects will allow the ionization state of these particles to be determined at energies much higher than can be studied from interplanetary spacecraft. At sub‐auroral latitudes, SAMPEX will observe precipitating relativistic magnetospheric electrons, which undergo important interactions within the middle atmosphere.
Hydrology highlights: AGU 1991 Fall Meeting
Authors: Bales Roger
Published: October 2006

The AGU 1991 Fall Meeting in San Francisco offered attendees a mix of special theme and general sessions that covered the full range of subjects represented by the Hydrology section's technical committees. We received 660 abstracts, up 50% from 1990. This number includes 50 papers in sessions organized by the Union Committee on Snow, Ice, and Permafrost. Within AGU, the number of abstracts received by the Hydrology section was second only to the tectonophysics section, which received 667. We presented 41 oral and 20 poster sessions. Despite having 3–5 concurrent oral sessions and 1–3 poster sessions each half‐day, session chairs across the board reported good attendance throughout the meeting. The full range of subjects presented, strong attendance, and the cosponsoring of many hydrology sessions with other sections all support the AGU tradition of a broad‐based, all‐Union meeting.
Space physics exhibits underway
Authors: DeVito M. Catherine
Published: October 2006

AGU is planning a new space science exhibit for the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington that will help visitors come to an understanding of space science as a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and exciting field. The title of the exhibit is “Electric Space: Our Earth‐Sun Environment.” The exhibit's five modules will include demonstrations of the effects of particle and field radiation on humans and satellites in space and on human technology on the ground. The project also includes a larger traveling version that will visit science and technology centers throughout the United States. The first exhibit is planned to open at the Air and Space Museum in late summer or early fall 1992, in time for International Space Year activities; the traveling exhibit will begin touring in early 1993.
Mount Rainier: A decade volcano
Authors: Swanson Donald A. , Malone Stephen D. , Samora Barbara A.
Published: October 2006

Mount Rainier, the highest (4392 m) volcano in the Cascade Range, towers over a population of more than 2.5 million in the Seattle‐Tacoma metropolitan area, and its drainage system via the Columbia River potentially affects another 500,000 residents of southwestern Washington and northwestern Oregon (Figure 1). Mount Rainier is the most hazardous volcano in the Cascades in terms of its potential for magma‐water interaction and sector collapse. Major eruptions, or debris flows even without eruption, pose significant dangers and economic threats to the region. Despite such hazard and risk, Mount Rainier has received little study; such important topics as its petrologic and geochemical character, its proximal eruptive history, its susceptibility to major edifice failure, and its development over time have been barely investigated. This situation may soon change because of Mount Rainier's recent designation as a “Decade Volcano.”