bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Backscattered Scanning Electron Microscopy and Image Analysis of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks
Authors: Mazzullo Jim 
Published: October 2006

The publication of Backscattered Scanning Electron Microscopy and Image Analysis of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks marks a significant point in the history of sedimentary petrology. The evolution of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has now progressed from an interesting but useless machine to a valuable research tool.I began to use the SEM in the 1970s, shortly after this microscopy technology was introduced to sedimentologists by David Krinsley one of this book's authors. In those days, the SEM was a cumbersome, troublesome machine, more likely to be disabled than operating and incapable of identifying the composition of objects and measuring their properties. As such, it was not an especially useful tool for a petrologist. You could not use it to determine the composition of a sandstone, for instance, nor to quantify properties such as grain size and shape, pore geometry, or the density of surface textures. Indeed the SEM of old offered me and other investigators little more than a tantalizing but frustratingly qualitative view of sedimentary rocks and an ability to acquire great numbers of out‐of‐focus, poorly exposed photographs, all of which are now rightfully buried in the back of my files.
Pattern formation gains interest in the Earth sciences
Authors: Durant Dolores G. 
Published: October 2006

A huge diversity of intricate patterns can be found in our environment, ranging from zoned crystals, sand ripples, and columnar basalts to multiringed meteorite impact craters.Fundamental concepts of pattern formation in the Earth sciences can be traced back through time from Jean Perrin to Mandelbrot, and their studies of the lengths of coastlines. Similar concepts of fractal dimensions, multifractals, and diffusion‐limited aggregation models can be applied to the study of many phenomena including the random walk of molecules in gases and liquids, avalanche dynamics, three‐dimensional basin modeling, salt tectonics, and the spontaneous self‐organization of sand grains. The largest terrestrial pattern is that of the Earth itself, forming from an undifferentiated solar dust cloud into the well‐organized Earth of today (P. Ortoleva).
Exposing the U.S. coastal zone
Authors: Pratson Lincoln , Divins David , Butler Tanja , Metzger Dan , Sharman George , Steele Mark , Berggren Todd , Holcombe Troy , Ramos Ricardo 
Published: October 2006

Overdevelopment of shores and wetlands, dwindling sites on land for the disposal of human‐generated waste, contamination of estuaries and nearshore sediments, the disruption of coastal‐water ecosystems by dredging, and the specter of rising sea level due to anthropogenically induced global warming are but a few of the pressures humans are exerting on coastal environments around the world. In the United States, a lot is riding on the response of its coastal environments to these pressures. The majority of the U.S. population resides in the coastal states, where the country's largest cities and most popular recreation areas are located.If the United States is to sustain the health and beauty of its coastal environments, then they must be managed, not only on the federal scale, but also on the state and local scales. One of the most fundamental types of data required to conduct this management will be detailed elevation data. On land, topography dictates the flow of water and the maximum extent of flooding. Offshore, bathymetry is a major control on shallow‐water ocean currents and the dissemination of sediments eroded from the continent.
State of the Union touches on science
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

With the Senate impeachment trial as a backdrop, U.S. President Bill Clinton delivered a State of the Union address on January 19 that included a number of items related to science policy.Calling the threat of global warming “our most fateful new challenge,” the President proposed a package of climate change initiatives to help communities reduce greenhouse and other pollution, and tax incentives and investments to spur clean energy technology. He also offered to work with members of Congress in both parties to reward companies that take early, voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gases.
U.S. response to hurricanes Mitch and George incorporates rebuilding and mitigation efforts
Authors: Showstock Randy 
Published: October 2006

The hurricane rainfall steadily pounded hillsides into mud slides and pushed rivers far beyond their banks. More than 10,000 people lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Mitch, which stomped through Central America and the Caribbean in October and November 1998. The storm also displaced 3 million people, inflicted billions of dollars worth of damage in the region, and created a public health hazard and a number of other problems, according to a U.S. government analysis.Mitch “literally was the worst storm in the history of this hemisphere,” said Tipper Gore, wife of the U.S. vice president, who led a U.S. delegation to the region following the hurricane. And Mitch hit just one month after Hurricane George whipped through the Caribbean.
UNEP head lays out goals
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

“I don't believe that $60 million a year for the global environmental voice is too much to ask for,” Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),said at the opening day of the 20th session of the body's governing council on February 1. The council is considering a proposed biennial budget of $119 million.Toepfer said that a strong UNEP requires adequate financial funding and support and cooperation from environment ministries of the world, nongovernmental organizations, business, and industry.
J‐Array Project seismic data now on CD‐ROM
Authors: Shibutani Takuo , Ando Masataka , Hirahira Kazuro 
Published: October 2006

Two CD‐ROMs containing seismic waveform data obtained from the J‐array Project are now available.The J‐array was a large‐aperture seismic array extending over all of Japan. It consisted of 14 regional seismic networks and more than 200 stations. The project was concerned with detecting small‐amplitude waves that are refracted, reflected, converted, or scattered from seismic velocity discontinuities existing deep within the Earth, and with studying the detailed structure and regional variations of the core, lower mantle, and upper mantle.Continuous digital seismic waveform data were recorded at the rate of 20 Hz with short period seismometers developed under Japan's national program for earthquake prediction. The J‐array project began in April 1991 and continued for 3 years at most of the networks. Many studies have been done with the data, including investigations of the structure of the upper mantle, lower mantle discontinuities, D″ layer, and core. Anyone interested in using the data can refer to J‐array Group [1993] for more information.
Clinton administration budget includes mixed bag for science
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

The $1,766 trillion federal budget proposal that the Clinton Administration rolled out on February 1—which promises to protect Social Security and Medicare and work within mandated budget caps—generally provides favorable news for federally funded science research and development.Within the 17% ($592 billion) of the federal budget earmarked for discretionary spending, the Administration's budget proposal increases funding for nondefense research and development for the seventh year in a row. This includes increased funding for a number of science accounts and money for a series of new science initiatives.
Clinton budget proposal would boost some key science programs
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

A number of science agencies and specific research and development accounts would come out as winners under the Clinton Administration's proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2000. And several agencies—including the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—specifically mention the need for sound science to underpin their programs.Congress already is carefully reviewing the Administration's numbers and assumptions, and this week Eos looks at the budget proposals for several key agencies and accounts of interest to the geoscience community, including NASA; the Department of Energy (DOE); DOI, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and EPA.
Tunguska conference participants hear of comet material discovery
Authors: Svetsov Vladimir V. , Kolesnikov Evgeniy M. , Kolesnikova Nataly V. 
Published: October 2006

Material from a comet, which a number of scientists now believe caused widespread devastation in Tunguska in Siberian Russia 90 years ago last summer by exploding in midair, may recently have been found. Geochemical analyses of peat samples from the Tunguska area show high concentrations of volatile elements and unusual isotopic compositions of carbon and hydrogen, which are associated with comets.Results of the study were presented at the Tunguska‐90 International Scientific Conference, which was convened last year near the site on the event's June 30th anniversary date. But there was by no means consensus. Other views, including nontraditional ones, also were presented in an open forum and participants agreed the site must be preserved and the event studied until the mystery is totally solved.
U.S. interagency UV monitoring program established and operating
Authors: Kaye Jack A. , Hicks Bruce B. , Weatherhead Elizabeth C. , Long Craig S. , Slusser James 
Published: October 2006

A network of ground‐based instruments to determine the surface flux of UV radiation and its long‐term changes over the United States has been implemented jointly by a number of U.S. government agencies. The network will provide quantitative information about the flux of UV radiation at the Earth's surface for studies in atmospheric science and to assist human health and ecological effects research. The focus is on the biologically important UVB region (290–320 nm).The network uses three different types of instruments—broadband radiometers, narrowband filter instruments, and highly spectrally resolved spectrophotometers—and has a total of 66 instruments at 55 locations. Consistency is assured across the network through new standard calibration procedures and the collocation of instruments of different types.
Congress considers reauthorizing earthquake mitigation program
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

During the February 23 Congressional hearing to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, known as NEHRR U.S. Representative Gil Gutknecht (R‐Minn.) shifted the discussion to his concern about “the next big one.”“Normally, I'm an incurable optimist,” he said. But Gutknecht added that when he thinks about earthquakes, he wonders what the outcome, after all of the money spent on research, would be, and whether the country could be prepared, if a series of great quakes similar to those centered near New Madrid, Missouri in 1811–1812 struck the United States today. Those tremors—among the biggest on record in the 48 contiguous states—reportedly changed the course of the Mississippi River.
Conference explores El Ni˜o's relationship to the northeast Pacific
Authors: Schwing Franklin B. , Orton Philip , Jay David A. , Batchelder Hal , Rosenfeld Leslie K. 
Published: October 2006

Dramatic shifts in extratropical Pacific conditions in early 1997 appeared to precede the development of the 1997–1998 equatorial Pacific El Niño, researchers at last fall's Eastern Pacific Ocean Conference (EPOC) reported. Evidence indicated, however, that anomalous ocean conditions observed in the northeast Pacific were largely the result of anomalous regional atmospheric forcing rather than tropical El Niño signals.Some model results suggested that unusual conditions in the tropics generated planetary waves capable of propagating strong sea surface height anomalies up the North American west coast, but the observations were ambiguous. Coastal sea level appeared to contain a Kelvin wave signal during the El Niño, but it is not certain whether equatorial Kelvin waves or midlatitude wind events were their source.
Artifacts in global atmospheric modeling: Two recent examples
Authors: Lawrence Mark G. , Landgraf Jochen , Jöckel Patrick , Eaton Brian 
Published: October 2006

To what extent can we trust the results of global atmospheric models? It is well known that a substantial degree of uncertainty exists in the parameters used in these models, for instance in parameterizations of complex physical processes such as convection and in reaction rates for photochemical models. Anyone familiar with computer work is also well aware of occasional “bugs,” such as an “l” typed where a “j” was intended.However, many newcomers to the field of atmospheric modeling (or other similar Earth systems modeling endeavors) are not yet very familiar with the technical side of modeling, have little or no formal education in computer programming, and are instead expected to learn the art of programming on the job. These researchers are often unaware of some of the types of artifacts that can be generated by the software and hardware they use.
The Earth's Mantle: Composition, Structure, and Evolution
Authors: Pulliam Jay 
Published: October 2006

Former colleagues at the Australian National University (ANU) prepared The Earths Mantle: Composition, Structure, and Evolution and dedicated it to the late Professor A. E. (“Ted”) Ringwood. Ringwood's efforts were critical to the formation of the Research School of Earth Sciences at ANU, so a volume of topical research conducted at the school is a fitting tribute. The editor's stated goals for the book are that it “be up‐to‐date, and forward‐looking, yet thoroughly readable.” The authors have succeeded admirably in reaching these goals and the result should prove helpful to graduate students and interested researchers.The Earth's Mantle consists of 11 papers divided into three sections: Accretion and Differentiation of the Earth, Dynamics and Evolution of the Earth's Mantle, and Structure and Mechanical Behaviour of the Modern Mantle. In the first, and longest, paper, the authors review the evidence for models of the Earth's bulk composition, from initial accretion through the formation of the core. The authors of the next paper explore the timeline of accretion and differentiation from an isotopic perspective, and those of the next discuss the noble‐gas component of the Earth and evidence for the existence of distinct chemical reservoirs in the mantle.
Unsaturated Zone Hydrology for Scientists and Engineers
Authors: Parkin Gary 
Published: October 2006

A thin layer of soil at the surface of the unsaturated zone supports much of the life on Earth. Processes occurring in the unsaturated zone affect the environment on a global scale. For instance, modifications to the soil nitrogen and carbon cycles may contribute to global climatic change. Characterizing flow and transport in the unsaturated zone is vital to understanding the hydrologic cycle.A wide variety of scientists and engineers ply their trades within the unsaturated zone. Interests range from studying agricultural sustainability to bioremediation of contaminated soils. Regardless of their discipline, all workers in this field require a solid background in the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of unsaturated zone hydrology.
Satellite imagery gives clear picture of Russia's boreal forest fires
Authors: Kasischke Eric S. , Bergen Kathleen , Fennimore R. , Sotelo F. , Stephens G. , Janetos Anthony , Shugart H. Hank 
Published: October 2006

Boreal forest fires in Russia in 1998 may have covered a much larger area than originally reported and may have been mostly crown fires, releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than surface fires. These conclusions are based on analysis of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data and discussions with Russian fire officials. A more complete analysis of AVHRR data collected since 1980 is underway to determine overall fire patterns in Russia's boreal forests.The year 1998 was an extreme fire year throughout the boreal forest regions of both North America and Eurasia. Over 11 million hectares burned. In Alaska and Canada alone, 4.7 million hectares of boreal forests burned in 1998, according to estimates by national fire monitoring systems in those places.
Lario receives F. L. Scarf Award
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

David Lario was awarded the E. L. Scarf Award for his thesis titled “Propagation of Low‐Energy Particles through the Interplanetary Medium: Modeling their Injection from Interplanetary Shocks.” He will be formally presented during the AGU 1999 Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, May 31–June 4, 1999. The award is given annually to a recent Ph.D. recipient for outstanding dissertation research that contributes directly to solar planetary science.David was born in Badalona, a 2000‐year‐old Roman town on the banks of the Mediterranean sea, near Barcelona, Spain. His interest in physics started very early, when as a child he spent hours and hours playing basketball (only a matter of parabolic shooting) or throwing stones toward the sea making them bounce on the water or surf on the waves. When he finished high school he decided to study physics at the University of Barcelona.
1999 Fellows Citations
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

AGU congratulates the thirty‐seven distinguished scientists who were selected by a committee of their peers to be AGU Fellows for 1999. This selection was based on the individuals' attainment of 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 names of the new Fellows are listed below along with citations recognizing their specific achievements.
Outstanding student papers awards
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: October 2006

The Hydrology Section presented 12 outstanding student paper awards at the 1998 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December.William T. Anderson presented a poster titled “Constraining Recent Environmental Changes Through the Reconstruction of the Stable Isotopic Composition of Precipitation From Central Europe (1931–1995): A Tree Ring Approach.” William received a B.A. in geology from the University of Kansas in 1992, and a M.S. in geology from Syracuse University in 1995. During his M.S. work, he received a traveling fellowship sponsored by the Research Training Group “Paleorecords of Global Changes: Understanding the Dynamics of Ecosystem Response” at the Limnological Research Center of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota. William is presently finishing his Ph.D. dissertation under the direction of Judith McKenzie and Stefano Bernasconi, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. The major focus of his thesis research is the application and development of newer continuous‐flow stable isotopic ratio mass spectrometry (CF‐IRMS) methods to determine the oxygen isotopic composition of organic matter.
Conflict in the Balkans affects the geosciences
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

The leaves on the plants on Snezana Komatina's balcony have turned yellow from toxic fumes. All of the windows are broken and the walls are cracked from nearby explosive blasts. From her flat on a hill in the upscale Filmsky Grad section of Belgrade, Serbia, Komatina, a geophysicist with the Geophysical Institute of the Naftagas oil and gas company watches the night fires flare across the city.In their attempt to stop the Serbian killing and driving out of ethnic Albanians from the southern province of Kosovo, NATO airplanes bomb and light up the skies in the Serbian capital and at strategic targets throughout the country.
[Comment on “A misuse of public funds: U.N. support for geomagnetic forecasting of earthquakes and meteorological disasters”] Comment: Earthquake prediction is worthy of study
Authors: Freund Friedmann 
Published: October 2006

Imagine a densely populated region in the contiguous United States haunted over the past 25 years by nine big earthquakes of magnitudes 5.5 to 7.8, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Imagine further that in a singularly glorious instance a daring prediction effort, based on some scientifically poorly understood natural phenomena, led to the evacuation of a major city just 13 hours before an M = 7.8 earthquake hit. None of the inhabitants of the evacuated city died, while in the surrounding, nonevacuated communities 240,000 were killed and about 600,000 seriously injured. Imagine at last that, tragically, the prediction of the next earthquake of a similar magnitude failed, as well as the following one, at great loss of life.If this were an American scenario, the scientific community and the public at large would buzz with the glory of that one successful, life‐saving earthquake prediction effort and with praise for American ingenuity The fact that the next predictions failed would likely have energized the public, the political bodies, the scientists, and the funding agencies alike to go after a recalcitrant Earth, to poke into her deep secrets with all means at the scientists' disposal, and to retrieve even the faintest signals that our restless planet may send out prior to unleashing her deadly punches.
Interdisciplinary environmental project probes Chesapeake Bay down to the core
Authors: Cronin T. , Colman S. , Willard D. , Kerhin R. , Holmes C. , Karlsen A. , Ishman S. , Bratton J. 
Published: October 2006

Interrelated environmental concerns about Chesapeake Bay are being addressed in an interdisciplinary project using paleoecological and geochemical records from sediment cores to investigate Holocene climate and human encroachment. The research is looking at interannual through millennial‐scale variability of bay salinity,sediment accumulation, and dissolved oxygen, temperature, and faunal and floral trends. Current and planned research is expected to result in better restoration strategies by improving our understanding of the linkages between the bay's ecosystem, climate, and land use.Chesapeake Bay, the United States' largest and most productive estuary, faces several complex environmental issues, including eutrophication and anoxia in the main channel and tributaries, high turbidity and rates of sedimentation, outbreaks of the toxic dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida, and coastal erosion and submergence tied to sea‐level rise. Such problems often are attributed to human activities in the bay's watershed, including pollution, urbanization, and deforestation, but it now is recognized that climatic factors also strongly influence bay salinity, temperature, and water quality.