bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Meeting focuses on catastrophic Asian earthquakes
Authors: Gupta Harsh K. 
Published: October 2006

The International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IAS‐PEI) and the Asian Seismological Commission met August 1–3, 1996, in Tangshan, China. Twenty years ago, Tangshan was destroyed by the century's worst earthquake, which killed an estimated 243,000 people.It was the first meeting of the Asian Seismological Commission (ASC), a group formed in 1995 by the IASPEI umbrella, to improve understanding of geological processes in Asia and to mitigate earthquake disasters. Because of its widespread seismic activity, the vast, populated territory of Asia has more catastrophic earthquakes than other regions of the world (see Figure 1). During the period from 1892 to 1992, 50 percent of the world's major earthquakes (magnitude greater than 8) occurred in Asia and the Southern Pacific region. Economic losses of more than $100 billion from the most recent major Asian earthquake that occurred in Kobe, Japan, in early 1995, make Kobe the most expensive earthquake in the world. In September 1993, the Latur earthquake in the stable shield region of southern India claimed 10,000 lives, and although of only 6.1 magnitude, was the deadliest stable continental region earthquake.
The debate on protons and electrons in solar flares
Authors: Zurbuchen Thomas H. 
Published: October 2006

The series of articles in Eos (September 10, 1996) on particles in solar flares caught my eye. As I am not directly working in, but certainly am interested in, the field of particle acceleration in solar flares, I expected comprehensive, easy to understand summaries of two conflicting points of view I had read about before. The introduction by Peter Cargill set the stage perfectly for such a discussion.Too bad the debate did not fulfill my expectations. It became very clear as I read the articles that [the authors of the debate] were not dealing with the subject on an equal basis. Clearly, the article by George M. Simnett about protons had been written without prior insight into the opposing view. Unfortunately, the case for the electrons by A. Gordon Emslie was basically a reply to the proton case, sometimes specifically citing parts of the article. This would have been appropriate if Simnett had had the chance to reply, but unfortunately no such reply was added to the series.
Ice flows and floes on Europa
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

Recent images of Europa lend new credence to the possibility of a subsurface ocean on the Jovian moon. This image, collected by Galileo on February 20 when the craft flew within 580 km of Europa, shows chunky ice rafts on the surface. The crustal plates, some as large as 13 km across, seem to have been broken apart and rafted into new positions in much the same manner as pack‐ice on Earth's polar seas. The area depicted is 34 km by 42 km, shown at a resolution of 54 meters per pixel.Ronald Greeley, a geologist from the Arizona State University and member of the Galileo imaging team, believes the ice rafts at the surface suggest that the crust is thin and covers either liquid water or slush. “We're intrigued by these blocks of ice,” said Greeley, “ which are similar to those seen on Earth's polar seas during springtime thaws.”
USGS retrenches, regroups after weathering budget hazards
Authors: Carlowicz Michael 
Published: October 2006

As is the case with many federal science agencies this year, the proposed budget for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is flat. There are few grand initiatives, but few deep cuts either. It is a proposal grounded in realism and stability at a time of national fiscal restraint. But such stability is more than welcome at an agency that has been turned upside down in the past three years.“We survived the threat of abolishment and a painful downsizing that cost us friends and friendships,” said Gordon Eaton, director of the USGS, while addressing agency employees in March. “We operated for half a year without a budget. We have gone through the birth pains of reinvention and re‐organization, and we have taken on new responsibilities… that were unthought of, and were even unthinkable, a decade ago. We have debated long and hard about our mission and our future and our strategic plan … All in all, it has been quite a ride these last three years.”
Weather forecasts from ocean memory
Authors: Friebele Elaine 
Published: October 2006

Predicting the weather more than a few weeks ahead is nearly impossible because atmospheric conditions change so rapidly. But results of a new computer model suggest that scientists may be able to predict 10‐year climatic trends for Europe and western Asia. The model, developed by Stephen M. Griffies of NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., and Kirk Bryan, of Princeton University, showed that long‐term forecasts can be made using data from the ocean's “memory” of climatic changes.The North Atlantic and the overlying atmosphere are major influences on the climate of Europe and western Asia. In contrast to the atmosphere, the oceans react slowly to physical fluctuations and retain a memory of climatic changes. Because the historical record of oceanic conditions is short, the researchers used a coupled ocean‐atmosphere model to generate a suite of possible climate scenarios in the North Atlantic.
Conference on the magnetization of the oceanic crust steers future research
Authors: Johnson H. Paul , Kent Dennis V. , Tivey Maurice A. , Gee Jeffrey S. , Largon Roger L. , Embley Robert W. 
Published: October 2006

Because marine magnetic anomalies arise from the combination of seafloor spreading and geomagnetic polarity reversals, they delineate a history of global plate motions and geomagnetic field behavior. Thirty years ago, interpretation of sea surface magnetometer profiles led to the plate tectonics revolution. Recent developments in high resolution magnetic studies are similarly changing our view of the structure and evolution of oceanic crust and beginning to answer basic questions concerning geomagnetic field behavior.In response to these developments, the Conference on the Magnetization of Oceanic Crust was held September 21–24,1996, on Orcas Island in Washington State. Forty‐seven scientists representing 20 institutions in seven countries attended the conference, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ridge Interdisciplinary Global Experiment (RIDGE), and the United States Science Advisory Committee (USSAC).
NSF panel calls for new polar station, lower costs
Authors: Carlowicz Michael 
Published: October 2006

Calling the Amundsen‐Scott Station at the South Pole the “crown jewel of NSF's scientific activities in Antarctica,” a blue‐ribbon panel of scientists, engineers, and business leaders has endorsed a National Science Foundation proposal to build a new facility on the Antarctic ice. But at the same time, the U.S. Antarctic Program External Panel recommended that NSF scale back its plans and budget for the station by one‐third.In recognition of the lean budgets that NSF and other science agencies are expected to receive over the next 5 years, the panel advocated the start of construction on a $120 million “optimized” South Pole station in the 1998 fiscal year, rather than the $150–180 million “enhanced” station that NSF has been proposing since 1994. Furthermore, the group suggested that the new station could be paid over the next 5 years by trimming $20 million per year from the current $193 million per year Antarctic science program. Recognizing perhaps the recent difficulties with the space station, the panel advised against using international partnerships to pay for the new station.
Partial picture of methyl bromide demands more pieces
Authors: Friebele Elaine 
Published: October 2006

Consider the vast area and volume of the Earth's oceans as a large reservoir that produces, removes, and, to some degree, regulates gases—including some ozone‐eating chemicals released into the atmosphere by human activities. New modeling studies based on recent monitoring data suggest such a picture, with the oceans taking from the atmosphere more methyl bromide, a source of ozone‐destroying bromine, than previously thought. This rapid removal by the ocean shortens the average estimated lifetime of methyl bromide to just 0.7 of a year— much briefer than its former calculated lifetime of 2 years.“Measurements show that in most of the oceans, methyl bromide is undersaturated, which suggests that sinks outweigh sources in the water,” said James Butler, coauthor of the modeling study, which appeared in the May 15 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. Butler, of NOAA's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) in Boulder, and Shari Yvon‐Lewis, of the University of Colorado, used latitude‐dependent degradation rate constants based on monitoring data to model methyl bromide flux between the atmosphere and ocean. They found that the undersaturation of methyl bromide in the ocean requires a great deal more degradation than chemical reactions alone could accomplish.
New “small comet” Images challenge researchers
Authors: Carlowicz Michael 
Published: October 2006

A decade ago, he was bombarded by criticisms and objections in the court of scientific opinion. Now Lou Frank thinks that he has enough evidence to warrant a new hearing. The challenge is for other scientists, using other instruments, to verify the observations.Eleven years after he wrote in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) that he had detected holes in ultraviolet images of Earth's upper atmosphere and that they were caused by previously unknown comet‐like objects, space physicist Louis Frank of the University of Iowa now asserts that he has found new evidence for his once‐discredited theory. Using the Visible Imaging System (VIS) on NASA's Polar spacecraft, Frank and University of Iowa researcher John Sigwarth have gathered new images of what appear to be comet‐like objects streaking toward Earth, breaking up at high altitudes, and depositing clouds of water vapor that make short‐lived "holes" in the upper atmosphere.
Rethinking the chemical heterogeneity of the mantle
Authors: Bohrson Wendy A. , Davidson Jon P. , Wolff John A. 
Published: October 2006

Mantle‐derived magmas are among the best sources of information about the chemistry of the Earth's mantle. For the past two decades, geochemists have used ratios of certain trace elements and isotopes of these magmas, considered to be largely unaffected by crystal‐liquid separation, to argue that the mantle is compositionally heterogeneous. This development has led to models of crust‐mantle evolution that involve dynamic processes such as recycling of oceanic lithosphere.Hard data supporting mantle heterogeneity come from ocean island and mid‐ocean ridge basalts and are rapidly accumulating, particularly as our analytical capabilities improve. These high quality data allow us to rigorously test a fundamental assumption of geochemical mantle models: that oceanic basalts faithfully reflect particular geochemical characteristics of their mantle sources. Recent work suggests that interaction between ocean island magmas and ocean crustal material may be more common than previously thought and that such interaction may compromise chemical characteristics that were assumed to represent the mantle.
Solar‐terrestrial observations meet models at Alabama workshop
Authors: Winglee R. M. , Peterson W. K. 
Published: October 2006

The space environment around the Earth is often thought of as a quiescent vacuum, while in reality it is filled with plasma or ionized particles with energies that range from a few eV to above a MeV. The solar wind—which is plasma escaping from the Sun—can warp the terrestrial magnetic field, producing a magnetosphere filled with this solar wind plasma as well as plasma from the portion of the upper atmosphere called the ionosphere. The entry of the solar wind plasma is modulated by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) that is carried by the solar wind from the Sun.The entry of this solar wind plasma and its energy into the magnetosphere can have many significant effects on human activity. For example, the solar wind interaction produces large currents in the ionosphere. Surges in these currents can disrupt terrestrial power grids. The precipitation of energetic particles into the ionosphere can modify its conductivity and thereby affect communications. The induced heating of the ionosphere can create enhanced outflows of plasma from the ionosphere, which in turn can increase drag on satellites and alter their position relative to their desired orbits. The presence of energetic particles that form the radiation belts and the ring current are also important as they are a significant radiation hazard to spacecraft electronics.
Community input requested
Authors: Fine Rana A. , Walker Dan 
Published: October 2006

In June 1996, the National Research Council (NRC) formed the Committee on Major U.S. Oceanographic Research Programs to foster coordination among the large programs (e.g., World Ocean Circulation Experiment, Ocean Drilling Program, Ridge Interdisciplinary Global Experiment, and others) and examine their role in ocean research. In particular, the committee is charged with (1) enhancing information sharing and the coordinated implementation of the research plans of the major ongoing and future programs; (2) assisting the federal agencies and ocean sciences community in identifying gaps, as well as appropriate followon activities to existing programs; (3) making recommendations on how future major ocean programs should be planned, structured and organized; and (4) evaluating the impact of major ocean programs on the understanding of the oceans, development of research facilities, education, and collegiality in the academic community.The activity was initiated at the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, is overseen by the NRC's Ocean Studies Board (OSB), and is funded by both NSF and the Office of Naval Research.
Strategic plans open for comment
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

Under the Government Performance and Results Act (the Results Act), agencies of the U.S. government are required to submit a 5‐year strategic plan to the U.S. Congress by September 30, 1997 explaining how, when, and why they are spending tax dollars.Enacted in 1993, the Results Act is in tended to "improve efficiency and effective ness of Federal programs by establishing a system to set goals for program performance and to measure results." Thus according to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, the aim is for agencies to measure their performances by the results of their task and services, not by the number of tasks and services performed. Toward that goal, the Act requires that federal entities complete the following 3‐step process:
Is ozone doomed by supersonic plume?
Authors: Briebele Elaine 
Published: October 2006

The simple desire to save time is reviving interest in supersonic flight. Travelers' demands for faster travel have compelled Congress to fund NASA's High Speed Research Program, which aims to overcome the obstacles that sent full development of the supersonic passenger plane to its demise over 25 years ago.Removing those obstacles presents substantial challenges. The current $6,000 to $9,000 fare for a supersonic trans‐Atlantic trip on the Concorde lends credence to the view of supersonic aircraft as “chariots of the rich.”
NRC makes recommendations for watershed research
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

A recently published National Research Council (NRC) report, “Watershed Research in the U.S. Geological Survey,” details the importance of understanding hydrologic processes in watersheds for better management of watersheds and the environment. Noting that knowledge about processes affecting the quantity and quality of water in small, relatively pristine watersheds has not always been transferred to larger and/or more urban watersheds, the report identifies research areas that merit increased attention.The four research areas that warrant further investigation are relatively larger watersheds, urban and urbanizing watersheds, restoration of damaged watersheds, and erosion and sedimentation processes in watersheds.
Next‐generation spectrometer aids study of Mediterranean
Authors: Abrams M. J. , Bianchi R. , Buongiorno M. F. 
Published: October 2006

The Mediterranean region's highly diverse topography, lithology, soils, microclimates, vegetation, and seawater result in a variety of ecosystems. Remote sensing techniques, especially imaging spectrometry, have the potential to provide data for environmental studies on a regional scale in this part of the world.A test deployment of the multispectral infrared and visible imaging spectrometer (MIVIS), a new 102‐channel imaging spectrometer, was carried out in Sicily in July 1994. Active volcanoes were surveyed to differentiate volcanic products and determine SO2 emissions in plumes (Figure 1), coastlines were imaged jointly with LIDAR to study pollution, ecosystems at several ocean areas were monitored, vegetated areas were imaged to determine the health of the biota, and archeological sites were studied to reconstruct ancient land use practices. For sites, refer to Figure 2.
Hydrate habitat
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

Whoever said there is nothing new under the sun did not delve deeply enough to the bottom of the ocean. There in the Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles south of New Orleans, scientists have just discovered what could be a new species of centipede—like worms living on or within gas hydrates— mounds of methane ice— rising from the ocean floor.Scientists have previously recognized an association between some bacteria and these hydrates. However, this is the first discovery of a higher life form there.
George A. Kolstad (1919–1996)
Authors: Luth W. , Heiken G. , Weill D. , Wang H. , Gilbert C. , Mitterer R. , Duba A. , Goldstein N. 
Published: October 2006

George A. Kolstad, creator and leader of the U.S. Department of Energy's Geosciences Research Program, died of an aneurysm August 7, 1996, in Baltimore, Md. He is survived by Chris, his wife of 52 years, three children, Martha Rae Kolstad Wilhelm of Grinnell, Iowa, Charles D. Kolstad of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Peter K. Kolstad, of Los Angeles, Calif., and four grandchildren. George is also survived by three brothers and a sister.George was born in Elmira, N.Y., on December 10, 1919. Following high school graduation in 1937, he worked at Eastman Kodak while enrolled in night courses at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester. He entered Bates College in 1939 and completed his B.S. in physics and mathematics in 1943. During World War II, he worked on piezo‐electricity, radar countermeasures, and information flow from radar systems in combat environments. Following his Ph.D. in physics at Yale and brief service on the faculty there, he joined the Atomic Energy Commission in 1950. He began a career of fostering and nurturing basic research efforts, first in physics and mathematics, and then in the geosciences. He was a guest staff member at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Copenhagen, in 1956–1957, and served as a trustee of Bates College from 1958 to 1964.
New radar technology may improve flash flood forecasting
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

Between rain and hail lies the story. Recognizing the difference between the two forms of precipitation could provide more accurate—and possibly earlier—warnings of flash floods, such as those that have plagued parts of the U.S. West this summer.The NEXRAD, or WSR‐88D, Doppler National Weather Service (NWS) radars, which measure only the horizontal polarity of the precipitation, cannot distinguish between the two. But an experimental type of radar with dual‐polarimetry technology can tell the rain from the hail. While this polarimetric technology is no magic pill for protecting people and property from flash floods, it could make a big difference, according to some weather experts. Scientists currently are conducting field tests of the devices, and hope to convince federal funding agencies that the technology offers social and economic benefits significant enough to justify retrofitting NWS radars within a few years.
Was Cambrian explosion the result of wandering continents?
Authors: Carlowicz Michael 
Published: October 2006

An ancient, colossal burst in the diversity of life may be attributable to an equally colossal shift in the distribution of Earth's land masses, researchers from the California Institute of Technology have proposed. Using paleontologic, geochemical, and geomagnetic data, magnetogeobiologist Joseph Kirschvink and colleagues have theorized that the “Cambrian Explosion” of life—a period about 500 million years ago when new types of plants and animals emerged at a rate 20 times the normal evolutionary rate—may have been caused by dramatic changes in the positions of Earth's continents.“Life diversified like crazy about half a billion years ago, and nobody really knows why,” said Kirschvink. “It began 530 million years ago, and about 15 million years later life's diversity had stabilized at much higher levels. What actually happened is one of the outstanding mysteries of the biosphere.”
Rivers of sunlight
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

Scientists have discovered rivers of hot, electronically charged plasma flowing beneath the surface of the Sun, which may help to explain the sunspot cycle and associated increases in solar activity that can cause power and communications disruptions on Earth. The scientists also found features similar to trade winds that transport gas beneath the Sun's surface.In late August the Solar Oscillations Investigation Group at Stanford University announced observations they made using an instrument aboard the joint European Space Agency/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft.
Bales reflects on Eos editorship
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

Roger C. Bales, currently professor of hydrology and water resources at the University of Arizona, began a 3‐year term as hydrology editor for Eos in February, taking over from Hugo Loaiciga.Bales seeks to continue the high standards set by Hugo Loaiciga and previous hydrology editors in bringing the latest in hydrologic science and news to Eos readers. “I am also eager to see AGU make more effective use of electronic media as a complement to material printed in Eos, building especially on the Eos Electronic Supplement and the 2‐year old hydrology section Web page,” he commented.
Hurricane tracking
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

New hurricane forecasting that provides more accurate pictures of storms and their movement through the atmosphere could increase warning time and cut down on false alarms that cost millions of dollars in unnecessary evacuations, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).NOAA's new Gulfstream‐IV jet produced “the most complete and detailed portrait of a hurricane ever seen” when it flew near Hurricane Guillermo in a test‐run last August, according to the agency. Since then, the plane — that can fly to the upper troposphere at an altitude of 13,716 m (45,000 ft) — has helped to dramatically improve the forecasts for Hurricanes Erika and Linda.
Scientific treasure hunt to Saturn
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

When the Cassini spacecraft reaches the Saturnian neighborhood in the year 2004 after a 7‐year journey, the scientific discovery portion of its mission begins in earnest. The Cassini orbiter will circle and study the planet for 4 years, and the Huygens probe will deploy from Cassini and run a battery of tests as it plunges through Titan's thick atmosphere.Cassini mission scientists speak excitedly about the mission, and about how Saturn, its rings, and the moon Titan may provide insights into the early days of the solar system.