AGU Spring Research Articles

The EGS‐AGU‐EUG joint assembly, April 2003

The first—and last—joint meeting of AGU, the European Union of Geosciences (EUG), and the European Geophysical Society (EGS) was held 6–11 April in Nice, France. It was AGU's Spring Meeting for this year, and the more than 10,000 participants from over 90 countries made it one of the largest gatherings of geoscientists ever.For AGU, this was more than a Spring Meeting. It was an opportunity to celebrate the success of these European geophysical science societies, and to take pride in AGU's close relationship with both of them. AGU's efforts in fostering cooperation among geophysical science societies support the long‐term goal shown in the text box on next page. These efforts are also consistent with the vision statement in AGU's current strategic plan:“…through cooperative activities with regional, national, and international partner societies, the resources of all are extended, the geophysical sciences are given greater visibility and individual researchers and students are better served.”

Who Broke the Embargo? (It’s the Wrong Question!)

Who Broke the Embargo? (It’s the Wrong Question!)

Tennant receives 2002 Walter Sullivance Award for Excellence in Science Journalism‐Features

Diane Casto Tennant was awarded the Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism ‐ Features at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 29 May 2002, in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes reporting generally produced with deadlines of longer than one week.

Monastersky receives 2002 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism‐News

Richard Monastersky was awarded the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism‐News at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 29 May 2002, in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes excellence in science news reporting, prepared with a deadline of one week or less.

Mueller receives 2002 Waldo E. Smith Medal

Ivan I. Mueller was awarded the Waldo E. Smith Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 29 May 2002, in Washington, D.C. The medal recognizes extraordinary service to geophysics.

Katul receives 2002 James B. Macelwane Medal

Gabriel George Katul was awarded the James B. Macelwane Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 29 May 2002, in Washington, D. C. The medal recognizes significant contributions to the sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability.

Parlange receives 2002 Robert E. Horton Medal

Jean‐Yves Parlange was awarded the Robert E. Horton Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 29 May 2002, in Washington, D.C. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions to hydrology.

Atmospheric scientists examine issues in policy‐driven research

Government funding to support basic research is not “workfare for scientists,” said Daniel Jacob, professor of atmospheric chemistry and environmental engineering at Harvard University. In a talk on “reconciling scientific curiosity and policy needs” on 30 May at the 2002 AGU Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jacob said scientists and policy‐makers often view research funding very differently.

The French Guyana doleritic dykes: geochemical evidence of three populations and new data for the Jurassic Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

A petrographic and geochemical study of 15 Early Jurassic and 7 Proterozoic dolerites of French Guyana, and of one Jurassic dolerite from Ivory-Coast were carried out. The Early Jurassic SSW-NNE trending dykes have doleritic aphyric or gabbroic phyric texture. Their chemical compositions, slightly under-saturated to over-saturated, show moderate to low Mg-ratios (63–36), high TiO 2 contents (1.85–3.56 wt.%), weak rare earth element fractionation [1.8<(La/Yb) n <4.6], negative Sr-anomalies (0.41<Sr* <0.91) and positive TiO 2-anomalies (1.2<TiO 2*<2.15). They correspond to sub-alkaline high-Ti basalts (HTiB). The La/Nb ratio (1.18±0.23) is close to that of the OIB-type Deccan basalts and incompatible element ratios: Rb/Nb n (1.07±0.3), Zr/Y (4.6±0.8) are intermediate between those of HTiB in Deccan and those of HTiB in Paraná. These geochemical signatures and recent isotopic data of Bertrand et al. [Bertrand, H., Liegeois, J.P., Deckart, K., Féraud, G., 1999. High-Ti tholeiites in Guinea and Their Connection with the Central Atlantic CFB Province: Elemental and Nd-Sr-Pb Isotopic Evidence for Preferential Zone of Mantle Upwelling in Cause of Rifting. AGU spring meeting (Abst. p 317)] suggest that their magmatic source is different from that of the other basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). Such signatures are restricted to a central zone coinciding with the Panafrican Rokelides suture. We propose a model of sub-lithospheric preferential channelling of an asthenospheric ascent in this zone. Two other groups of dykes were identified in French Guyana. Compared to the Jurassic ones the Proterozoic dykes have NNW-SSE and E-W trending direction, more important LILE enrichment, low TiO 2 contents (<2 wt%) and Nb–Ta negative anomalies. Their calc-alkaline signature could be the result of a previous subduction and may be related to the 1800 Ma Venturi-Tapajós event, which contaminated the mantle source.

Eco‐hydrology's past and future in focus

Lately, something called eco‐hydrology has blazed forth as the next big thing in hydrologic science. A series of four papers on the topic appeared in Advances in Water Research last year [Rodríguez‐Iturbe et al., 2001]. Before that, in 1996, the International Hydrology Programme (IHP) initiated a new project under the title of eco‐hydrology [Zalewski et al., 1997]; and the AGU Spring Meeting, also in 1996, included a special session on eco‐hydrology. Since then, a book of edited contributions has appeared [Baird and Wilby, 1999], and eco‐hydrology was the topic of both a “vision for the future” in Water Resources Research [Rodríguez‐Iturbe, 2000] and the Langbein Lecture at AGU's 2000 Spring Meeting. Another session on the topic will be featured at this year's AGU Spring Meeting, and a Chapman Conference on Eco‐hydrology of Semiarid Landscapes will be held in September 2002.

Stout receives AGU excellence in geophysical education award

Dorothy L. Stout was given the AGU Excellence in Geophysical Education Award at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held May 31, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts. The award acknowledges a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individual, or group.

Cowen receives Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism

Cowen Receives Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism Science Journalism at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held May 31, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts. The award honors lifetime achievement in science journalism

Nielsen Receives 2001 Horton medal

Donald R. Nielsen was awarded the Robert E. Horton Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held May 31, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions to the geophysical aspects of hydrology.

Uman receives 2001 Fleming medal

Martin A. Uman was awarded the John Adam Fleming Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held May 31, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts. The medal honors original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy space physics, and related sciences.

Nominations sought for Sullivan and Perlman Journalism Awards

AGU members are encouraged to submit nominations for two journalism awards that recognize excellence in science reporting for the general public: the Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—Features and the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—News.They are open to science writers, producers, editors, and directors for work in any medium (except books) that was first published during 2000.The difference in criteria for the two awards mainly concerns the amount of time available to produce the work: one week or less for the Perlman Award, and more than one week for the Sullivan Award.The awards consist of a plaque and $2,000, presented at AGU's Spring or Fall Meeting.

Outstanding student paper awards

The Hydrology Section presented six outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 AGU Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., last June.Wade T. Crow presented a poster titled Impacts of Upscaling Soil Moisture During SGP 97. He received a B.A. in physics from Carleton College in 1995, and a M.S.E.in civil and environmental engineering from Princeton University in 1998. Wade is currently completing his Ph.D. at Princeton. His dissertation work, supervised by Eric F Wood, focuses on spatial scale issues surrounding both the retrieval of soil moisture imagery by microwave remote sensors and the eventual assimilation of this imagery into hydrologic models.

Mogk receives 2000 Excellence In Geophysical Education Award

David W. Mogk was awarded the 2000 Excellence In Geophysical Education Award at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on June 2, 2000, in Washington, D.C. The award acknowledges a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individual, or group.

Outstanding student paper awards

The Biogeosciences Section presented three outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 AGU Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., last June.Udaysankar S. Nair presented a paper titled Climatic Impact of Lowland Deforestation on Cloud Forests in Costa Rica. Udaysankar graduated with a B. Tech. in mechanical engineering from the University of Kerala, India in 1988. He obtained his M.S. in meteorology from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1991. Udaysankar is completing his Ph.D. through Colorado State University under the direction of Ronald M. Welch and Roger A. Pielke, Sr, and is currently at the National Space Science and Technology Center, University of Alabama in Huntsville. His research interests include mesoscale modeling, the influence of land use on regional climate, the detection of clouds in satellite imagery, and image processing.

Witze receives 2000 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism

Alexandra Witze was awarded the 2000 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on June 2, 2000, in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes a single article or a radio/television report that makes geophysical material accessible and interesting to the general public.

Outstanding student paper awards

The Volcanology, Geochemistry &amp; Petrology Section presented three outstanding student paper awards at the 2000 AGU Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., last June