bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interdisciplinary group explores seafloor eruption with remotely operated vehicle
Authors: Embley Robert , Baker Edward 
Published: October 2006

One of the most successful open‐ocean, interdisciplinary expeditions using a remotely operated vehicle was conducted last year and is being looked on as a harbinger for future deep submergence expeditions. Unmanned systems have emerged in the past decade as an alternative to manned submersibles for deep‐ocean studies. But until now they have not proven themselves to be equal to manned vehicles in conducting multiple sampling tasks in an interdisciplinary milieu.Last year's expedition involved extensive investigations and sampling using the Canadian Remotely Operated Vehicle for Ocean Sciences (ROPOS) [Shepherd and Juniper, 1997].A team of 33 chemists, biologists, geologists, and engineers, including a number of principal investigators from the United States and Canada, sailed on the Ronald H. Browne National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship, with ROPOS to investigate in detail the aftermath of a diking event in the Pacific Ocean and its effect on hydrothermal chemistry and on seafloor and subseafloor biological communities. The expedition was part of the New Millennium Observatory (NeMO) project and began in earnest the in situ portion of the project in August 1998.
Radar remote sensing proposed for monitoring freeze‐thaw transitions in boreal regions
Authors: Running S. W. , Way J. B. , McDonald K. C. , Kimball J. S. , Frolking S. , Keyser A. R. , Zimmerman R. 
Published: October 2006

New research is finding that satellite‐based radar remote sensing techniques are particularly well‐suited for quantifying the transition of remote boreal regions from a frozen to a thawed condition. The implications for studying global warming are far reaching. If the timing or areal extent of this freeze/thaw transition were to change significantly, measurable changes in boreal climate, hydrology, and biogeochemistry would result.Abrupt transition from frozen to thawed conditions occurs each year over roughly 50 million km2of the Earth's remote terrestrial surface at latitudes above 40°N. Radar remote sensing works well to capture this transition because of the way electromagnetic radiation at radar wavelengths interacts with polar water molecules in solid and liquid states. Also, radar has the substantial advantages at high latitudes of both penetrating through clouds and not requiring solar illumination of the land surface.
New software package available for quantitative paleoenvironmental reconstructions
Authors: Sieger R. , Gersonde R. , Zielinski U. 
Published: October 2006

The Imbrie and Kipp transfer function method (IKM) and the modern analog technique (MAT) are accepted tools for quantitative paleoenvironmental reconstructions. However, no uncomplicated, flexible software has been available to apply these methods on modern computer devices. For this reason the software packages PaleoToolBox, MacTransfer, WinTransfer, MacMAT, and PanPlot have been developed.The PaleoToolBox package provides a flexible tool for the preprocessing of microfossil reference and downcore data as well as hydrographic reference parameters. It includes procedures to randomize the raw databases; to switch specific species in or out of the total species list; to establish individual ranking systems and their application on the reference and downcore databasessemi; and to convert the prepared databases into the file formats of IKM and MAT software for estimation of paleohydrographic parameters.
Satellite animations reveal ocean surface dynamics for shortest timescales ever
Authors: Legeckis Richard , Zhu Paul Chang Tong , Chen Shuangian 
Published: October 2006

Scientists can now monitor the displacement and evolution of ocean surface thermal patterns on a shorter timescale than ever before possible, thanks to a new satellite detection method. Animations of daily composites of sea surface temperature (SST) from GOES [Menzel and Purdom, 1994” are allowing even a first‐time observer to instantly recognize the relevant patterns at timescales from several hours to several months.Meteorologists have used GOES effectively to monitor cloud motions and to track storms, and now oceanographers can benefit too. Each individual daily composite is still partly cloud covered, but rapid display provides the appearance of continuity. So by viewing the composites rapidly the human eye can separate the fast moving residual clouds from the slower moving SST patterns associated with ocean currents, eddies, and upwelling.
Multinational seismic investigation focuses on Rabaul volcano
Authors: Gudmundsson O. , Johnson R. W. , Finlayson D. M. , Nishimura Y. , Shimamura H. , Terashima A. , Itikarai I. , Thurber C. 
Published: October 2006

An improved disaster‐reduction strategy for civil authorities and communities on the Gazelle Peninsula in Papua New Guinea is anticipated as a result of a multinational seismic investigation now under way there. Data collection has been completed but interpretation is at a preliminary stage. Volcanic eruptions in 1994 devastated the town of Rabaul and other communities on the peninsula.The investigation, known as the Rabaul Earthquake Location and Caldera Structure (RELACS) program, is building a seismic tomography image of the Rabaul volcano that will improve the precision with which volcano‐related earthquakes can be located in real time. This will enable the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory (RVO) to interpret seismicity patterns in detail and provide better advice to civil authorities. Among other things, the scientific analytical capacity of RVO will be upgraded by improving knowledge about the subsurface structure of the caldera. Conducting the work are scientists from the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO), the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Hokkaido in Japan, and the University of Wisconsin (UW) in the United States.
Traces of Catastrophe: A Handbook of Shock‐Metamorphic Features in Terrestrial Meteorite Impact Structures
Authors: Grieve R. 
Published: October 2006

Once the subject of scientific curiosity by an elite few, the study of impact events and their consequences is receiving greater attention by the larger scientific community and the public. Among the reasons for this in‐creased sensitivity are the scientific debate over the involvement of a major impact event at the Cretaceous‐Tertiary boundary, the witnessing of the impact of the fragments of comet Shoemaker‐Levey 9 on Jupiter in 1994, and the accompanying spate of made‐for‐television and Hollywood blockbuster disaster movies involving the potential demise of humanity because of a wayward asteroid or comet. As noted, however, by the author of Traces of Catastrophe, despite the growing importance of meteorite impact phenomena in terrestrial geology, the topic is not widely addressed in general geoscience textbooks. Although a large body of literature exists, it is, in general, specialized and scattered.The book, subtitled A Handbook of Shock‐Metamorphic Features in Terrestrial Meteorite Impact Structures, is an attempt to fill this gap. It is not intended for the specialist but rather for general geoscientists and academics. It is divided into eight chapters of which only three deal exclusively with shock metamorphic features.The others provide background and details of such topics as cratering mechanics, impact flux, and crater morphology. Each chapter is designed to stand alone. Technical terms are highlighted when they are first defined in the text. The text is simply written and very readable. It is well illustrated, mostly with photographs of shocked lithologies and microscopic thin sections. At the back of the book is an extensive reference list for the reader who wishes to delve further into this fascinating subject.
Seismic predictors of El Ni˜o revisited
Authors: Walker Daniel A. 
Published: October 2006

With the termination in 1998 of the most publicized El Niño in history, it may be appropriate to consider whether El Niños have a discrete triggering mechanism or whether they occur merely as the result of episodic conditions in the atmosphere and ocean. This is an important consideration because the discovery and understanding of a discrete mechanism could lead to predictions that are more reliable than those based only on secondary interactions.Thus far, most Earth scientists agree that a discrete trigger for El Niños has not been found and is unlikely, and that differing atmospheric and oceanic parameters must be considered if there are to be reliable predictions of future El Niños. Contrary to these opinions, the process that triggers episodic seafloor spreading and higher than normal levels of reported seismic activity along portions of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) may also trigger El Niños.
Prediction in the Earth sciences and environmental policy making
Authors: Pielke Roger A. , Sarewitz Daniel , Byerly Radford , Jamieson Dale 
Published: October 2006

The Earth sciences, backed by formidable arrays of data gathering and processing technologies, today offer the apparently credible promise of predicting the future of nature. Policy makers, under pressure as always to deliver public benefit at low cost, have strong incentives to accept this promise as a central response to environmental issues.As environmental problems become more pressing and budgets for research become tighter, the importance of effective prioritization and allocation of research funds and activities will increase, as will the need for timely and effective political decision making. Thus, there is increasing need to enhance the linkages between research in the predictive Earth sciences and the needs of environmental policy makers.
Real time and the virtual outcrop improve geological field mapping
Authors: Xu Xueming , Aiken Carlos L. V. , Nielsen Kent C. 
Published: October 2006

New off‐the‐shelf technologies are providing a quick way for geologists to “capture” observations in the field digitally and may become the standard tools of the early 21st century. A fully contained digital field system capable of decimeter‐level accuracy is available now for less than $10,000 and, since the technologies are rapidly evolving, it should become even more functional, accurate, portable, and cost effective.This system relies on the Global Positioning System (GPS) at various levels of accuracy. Reflectorless laser rangefinders with anglemeasuring capabilities are used to remotely position geologic features with accuracy from centimeters to decimeters relative to the GPS positions. The laser rangefinder can also be used to reference oblique digital photography of outcrops. Data capture with lasers and GPS, integrated with digital photographs and conventional outcrop information, provide a “virtual” outcrop that is fully constrained geometrically and geographically.
Rep. George Brown dies
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

George E. Brown, ranking Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee, died on July 15 at the age of 79 due to complications following a heart valve replacement last May. He was a strong advocate for science and environmental protection measures, and an independent thinker who sometimes found himself alone or far ahead of other people on issues.A congressman for 34 years who represented first the 29th Congressional District and then the 42nd District in California, Brown served on the science committee since 1965 and was chair from 1991 through 1994.
Study explores space weather risk to natural gas pipeline in Finland
Authors: Pirjola Risto , Pulkkinen Antti , Viljanen Ari , Nevanlinna Heikki , Pajunpää Kari 
Published: October 2006

Data being collected on the Finnish natural gas pipeline are providing a basis for estimating the space weather risk for the pipeline and for designing possible countermeasures. Finland's high latitude location makes such systems prone to problems caused by geomagnetically induced currents (GICs),but so far no harm has been detected.The statistical GIC risk in the Finnish high‐voltage power system has already been estimated [Viljanen and Pirjola, 1989semi;Makinen, 1993],and the recent 8‐month project in 1998 to 1999, involving the Gasum Oy Company and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, has been gathering similar statistics on the pipeline. The work is based on theoretical model calculations of the geoelectric field, on observatory recordings of magnetic variations, on measurements of GICs in the pipeline, and on an extension of distributed‐source transmission line (DSTL) theory.
Accurate Antarctic dating technique sought by Quaternary community
Authors: Domack Eugene , Hall Brenda , Hayes John M. 
Published: October 2006

Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental records from the circum‐Antarctic and Southern Ocean play an increasing role in deciphering the interplay among the atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere climate systems. Correlating such records at increasing time resolution is vital for evaluating the global phasing of scenarios that involve rapid climate changes in the tropics and at one or both poles. Because interhemispheric correlations are subject to greater scrutiny [Crowley, 1999] and a higher level of detail than in the past, we must be certain that our chronologies are both accurate and precise.Although radiocarbon dating remains the single best chronologic tool for marine and terrestrial sequences, the technique has serious problems when applied to Antarctic samples. To assess the state of the problem (s), to consider potential solutions, and to review new continuous time series, a workshop was convened earlier this year.
Analysis links Pacific decadal variability to drought and streamflow in United States
Authors: Nigam Sumant , Barlow Mathew , Berbery Ernesto H. 
Published: October 2006

The two leading patterns of Pacific decadal sea surface temperature (SST) variability are strongly linked to large‐scale patterns of warm‐season drought and streamflow in the United States, recent analysis shows. The predictive potential of this link may contribute to the development of warm‐season hydroclimate forecasts in the United States. Understanding of low‐frequency variations in drought and streamflow would be important for both agriculture and water resources management.The two leading patterns are what we call the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the North Pacific mode. Their link with drought and streamflow patterns was notably expressed in the 1960s when severe drought in the northeast (the 1962–66 “Northeastern” drought) and exceptional positive SST anomalies in the North Pacific Ocean (Figures 1a, 1b) both occurred. Analysis of upper tropospheric circulation anomalies showed the North Pacific to be a source region of wave activity affecting the drought area in these summers. The anomalous circulation was vertically coherent and opposed the climatological low‐level moisture inflow over the eastern United States associated with the western extension of the Bermuda High.
Violent explosions yield new insights into dynamics of Stromboli volcano
Authors: Bertagnini A. , Coltelli M. , Landi P. , Pompilio M. , Rosi M. 
Published: October 2006

Crystal‐poor magma may be a chief factor in the steadiness of activity at the Stromboli volcano in Italy. This was one of the findings to emerge from the documentation of a number of violent explosions there last year. The findings are giving scientists new insights into the dynamics of the volcano.Stromboli, on an island of the same name in the Aeolian Archipelago, is known as “the lighthouse of the Mediterranean” because of its persistent explosive activity, which is visible from great distances. The well‐documented explosions, however, were more violent than normal “strombolian” activity, and we call them “paroxysmal” explosions.
New map lays out global seismic hazard values
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: October 2006

The first‐ever quantitative Global Seismic Hazard Map, issued on December 16, provides updated seismic hazard values for nearly half of the world's nations. The map also adjusts hazard values along some politically charged international boundaries where different methods for determining seismicity had led to dissimilar values on either side of a border.Eight percent of Earth's land mass falls within a range of high or very high seismic hazard zones on the map. That hazard is defined as a 10% or greater probability of violent shaking— which is 25% or more acceleration of gravity— within the next 50 years. About 70% of the land mass lies in a low hazard range.
Oligomerization of EDEN‐BP is required for specific mRNA deadenylation and binding
Authors: Cosson Bertrand , Gautier‐Courteille Carole , Maniey Dominique , Aït‐Ahmed Ounissa , Lesimple Michelle , Osborne H. Beverley , Paillard Luc 
Published: October 2006

Background information. mRNA deadenylation [shortening of the poly(A) tail] is often triggered by specific sequence elements present within mRNA 3′ untranslated regions and generally causes rapid degradation of the mRNA. In vertebrates, many of these deadenylation elements are called AREs (AU‐rich elements). The EDEN (embryo deadenylation element) sequence is a Xenopus class III ARE. EDEN acts by binding a specific factor, EDEN‐BP (EDEN‐binding protein), which in turn stimulates deadenylation.Results. We show here that EDEN‐BP is able to oligomerize. A 27‐amino‐acid region of EDEN‐BP was identified as a key domain for oligomerization. A mutant of EDEN‐BP lacking this region was unable to oligomerize, and a peptide corresponding to this region competitively inhibited the oligomerization of full‐length EDEN‐BP. Impairing oligomerization by either of these two methods specifically abolished EDEN‐dependent deadenylation. Furthermore, impairing oligomerization inhibited the binding of EDEN‐BP to its target RNA, demonstrating a strong coupling between EDEN‐BP oligomerization and RNA binding.Conclusions. These data, showing that the oligomerization of EDEN‐BP is required for binding of the protein on its target RNA and for EDEN‐dependent deadenylation in Xenopus embryos, will be important for the identification of cofactors required for the deadenylation process.
Social Class and the New Towns
Authors: Heraud B.J. 
Published: October 2006

The New Towns were designed to avoid mainly working class housing and aimed to bring the social classes together in 'balanced' towns and to achieve actual social mixing at neighbourhood level. In the controversy about changes in social stratification, in particular the so called embourgeoisement of the working class, the New Towns have been held up as models in which this process is at work. This paper examines the occupational class structures of New Towns, in particular Crawley New Town, in the light of such policies. A considerable degree of class balance has been achieved in the town as a whole but neighbourhoods have begun to take on distinctive class characteristics. However, the evidence as a whole does not justify the indiscriminate use of New Towns as 'models' for changes in the class structure. Finally, changes in policy in the New Towns are discussed in terms of the theory that British town planning is characterised by an 'adaptive mechanism' which facilitates such changes.
Threshold Analysis-an Economic Tool for Town and Regional Planning
Authors: Hughes J.T. , Kozlowski J. 
Published: October 2006

This article deals with a method of increasing co-operation between physical planners and economists by development of the technique of threshold analysis. This form of analysis of planning decisions is based on the fact that the development of an urban area encounters obstacles caused by topography, the public utilities network and existing land uses. These obstacles, easily conceived of spatially, also have an economic significance in two respects; (a) capital expenditure will be necessary to overcome the threshold, (b) the threshold may mark a new, higher-cost period of development for the area. The threshold, therefore, is a concept with significance for both planning and economic analysis. It can improve communication between the disciplines because a threshold may be designated by a line on a planning map or an inflexion point on a cost curve. Analysis of costs based on thresholds makes possible a number of insights into the efficiency of investment planning associated with development but, perhaps more important, it accommodates the economists' methodology of comparing alternatives.
Code Enforcement in Urban Renewal
Authors: Case F.E. 
Published: October 2006

The city of Los Angeles has used code enforcement since 1951 to rehabilitate decayed properties and to conserve older neighbourhoods. Analysis of the records from this programme provides an opportunity to examine the costs and the accomplishments of urban renewal based on building code enforcement. Quantification of the costs and benefits of the code enforcement programme indicate that measurable costs do outweigh measurable benefits but no satisfactory methods have yet been developed for measuring many kinds of important but unmeasurable costs and benefits. Code enforcements emerges as a useful supplement to large scale land clearance and as a possible substitute under some conditions. Enforcement is most effective in areas where properties have not been neglected for too long a period of time. In older neighbourhoods of neglected properties code enforcement usually results in a high rate of property demolition. Code enforcements do offer great promise of providing a less costly and somewhat more effective means than 'bulldozer' renewal for halting and curing extensive urban blight.
Decentralisation, Decision Rules and Residential Construction in Yugoslavia
Authors: Smolensky E. 
Published: October 2006

Yugoslav planners have not been able to organise the volume of residental construction to their satisfaction. This paper notes two fundamental reasons for their difficulty. One route to an optimal amount of residential construction requires that decision-making be vested in administrative units which would not accord with political boundaries and which would have no historical antecedents. In the absence of such districts, existing administrative units would always build the correct amount of housing if they followed a particular decision rule, to maximise the social rate of return on the savings, including taxes, of their constituents. Planners have good, economic reasons, however, for choosing a different decision rule, maximising the income of their constituents. Both routes to an optimal housing policy are, therefore, effectively blocked, which is the first reason for the dissatisfaction of the planners. A second reason must lie in the relatively high cost of construction. The empirical estimates of this paper, crude though they are, suggest that the planner must stifle his wish to encourage housing construction, for, at current costs, this would lower the national growth rate.