EOS,
vol. 63, no. 47,
November
23, 1982
galaxy, were formed, according
to the
team.
Considering that
the
solar system
is
believed
to
be
about
4.6
billion years
old and the
Milky
Way is
believed
to
have formed about
10 billion years
ago,
this
is old
light indeed.
The search that resulted
in
discovery
of
PKS 2000-330 began
10
years
ago,
using
an
tennas
of the
Deep Space Network. Samuel
Gulkis
and
David Jauncey
had
first suggested
that
the
Deep Space Network antennas could
determine accurate positions
of the
radio
sources that might
be
quasars. They linked
the
26-m and 64-m
antennas
at the
Deep
Space Network Tidbinbilla tracking station
in
Australia.
As
part
of a
larger group they
ac
curately measured
the
positions
of a
large
number
of
radio sources that
had
been dis
covered with
the 64-m
Parkes radio telescope
in Australia.
The
radio sources were then
matched with objects
of
photographs.
The
spectrum
of PKS
2000-330
was
measured,
us
ing
the 3.9-m
Anglo-Australian telescope.
On
the
night
of
March 26-26,
1982, the
spectrum
of PKS
2000-330 revealed emission
lines
of
oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen,
and
car
bon
at a red
shift
of 3.78,
greater than
any
red shift ever measured.—PMB
Rain
or
Snow?
PAGE
1187
It's easy
to
look
out the
window
and
decide
whether
it's
raining, snowing,
or
hailing,
right? Well,
not
always—especially when
the
region
of
interest isn't directly outside your
window.
To
help discern
the
difference,
the
National Oceanic
and
Atmospheric Adminis
tration (NOAA)
has
developed
a
laser beam
device that differentiates between
the
precipi
tation types.
The laser weather identifier produces
dif
ferent signals when raindrops, snowflakes,
or
hailstones pass through
the
laser's beam,
ac
cording
to
Ting-i Wang—until recently
a
sci
entist
at
NOAA's Environmental Research
Laboratories
in
Boulder, Colo. These signa
ture signals
can be
read
by
computer
and in
tegrated into present weather networks.
'It
can eliminate human error
or
negligence,
and
can be
cost effective
by
constantly observ
ing
and
monitoring
the
weather,' Wang not
ed. Wang
and his
colleagues
are
developing
several
of the
laser instruments
for
evaluation
by NOAA's National Weather Service.
The
first of these
is
scheduled
to be
installed
in
1984.
Hydrologists
and
airplane pilots could ben
efit from
the
device's potential applications.
The information collected
by the
laser weath
er indentifier would enable hydrologists
to
measure
the
total water falling
on the
ground
over
a
large area.
The
data collected also
could tell airplane pilots destined
for
small,
unmanned airstrips what type
of
precipita
tion,
if any,
they could expect; they could
ex
trapolate from this information
the
resulting
ground conditions
and
what precautions
should
be
taken
for
landing.—
BTR
Search
for ET
PAGE
1187
A
new
commission
of the
International
As
tronomical Union
(IAU) has
been established
to formally coordinate efforts
to
search
for
extraterrestrial life. Commission
51,
Search
for Extraterrestrial Life,
was
approved
at the
18th
IAU
General Assembly held
in
Greece
this past August.
Among
the new
commission's objectives
are
the search
for
planets around other stars;
the
search
for
radio transmissions, intentional
or
unintentional,
of
extraterrestrial origin;
the
search
for
biologically relevant interstellar
molecules
and the
study
of
their formation
processes;
the
examination
of
detection meth
ods
for
potential spectroscopic evidence
of
biological activity;
and the
coordination
of ef
forts
in all
these areas
at the
international lev
el
and the
establishment
of
collaborative pro
grams with other international scientific soci
eties with related interests.
The more than
100
members
of the
com
mission plan
to
publish
a
newsletter
at
regu
lar intervals.
The
first major commission
meeting probably will
be at the IAU
sympo
sium
in
Budapest, Hungary,
in the
summer
of
1984.
The establishment
of the new
commission
will greatly strengthen
the
search
of
astrono
mers
for
life (bios)
in the
universe, according
to
the
newly elected commission president,
Michael
D.
Papagiannis
of
Boston Universi
ty's astronomy department.
A new
chapter
has begun
for
this field
of
astronomy,
he
added. That
new
field
is
bioastronomy.
IAU
members
who
would like
to
join
the
commis
sion should call
or
write
to
Papagiannis
at the
Department
of
Astronomy, Boston Universi
ty, Boston,
MA
02215 (telephone: 617-353-
2626).
Nation's Water
Remains High
PAGE
1187
Streamflow conditions throughout most
of
the nation remained normal
to
above normal
during October,
the
fifth straight month
of
wet conditions across
the
country, according
to
a
month-end check
of
water resources con
ditions
by the U.S.
Geological Survey. USGS
hydrologists said that
86% of the 188 key in
dex gaging stations across
the
country report
ed normal
to
well-above normal flows during
October, with
10
stations
in the
West
and
Midwest reporting record highs
for the
month.
As
a
general indication
of the
nation's
wa
ter resources conditions, combined flow
of
the nation's
"Big
Five" rivers—Mississippi,
St.
Lawrence, Columbia, Missouri,
and
Ohio—
Above
normol
In
normal range
Below
normal
(within
the
highest
25
percent
(within
the
lowest
25
percent
of
record
for
this month)
of
record
for
this month)
averaged
508
billion gallons
a day (bgd)
dur
ing
the
month,
7%
above normal. Individual
ly, only
the
Ohio River
was
running below
normal
for
this time
of
year, averaging about
17
bgd, 27%
below normal.
The
Big
Five rivers, which together drain
more than
one
half
of the
conterminous
United States, provide USGS hydrologists
with
a
quick, useful check
on the
status
of the
nation's water resources.
Two
of the
five
key
index gaging stations
in Iowa
set new
record high averages during
October. Flow
of the Des
Moines River
at
Fort Dodge, Iowa,
for
example, averaged
2.8
bgd, more than
12
times
the
normal flow
for
this time
of
year,
and the
highest October
av
erage flow
in 51
years
of
record.
On
the
negative side, small scattered pock
ets
of low
flow were reported
in
several
states,
including Maine,
New
York, Kansas,
and Louisiana. Streamflow conditions
in New
York were especially varied.
In
upstate
New
York, flow
of the
West Branch Oswegatchie
River near Harrisville,
N.Y.,
averaged
310
million gallons
a day
(mgd),
114%
above nor
mal.
In
central
New
York, however, flow
of
the Susquehanna River
at
Conklin,
N.Y., av
eraged only
140 mgd, 77%
below normal,
and
the
second lowest October average
in 71
years
of
record.
Working
in
cooperation with federal, state,
and local agencies,
the
USGS regularly moni
tors
the
quantity
and
quality
of the
nation's
surface-
and
groundwater resources
at
more
than 43,000 sites across
the
country.
During October, individual flows
of the Big
Five averaged: Mississippi River near Vicks-
burg, Miss.,
211 bgd, 12%
above normal,
but
23%
below that
of
September;
St.
Lawrence
River near Massena,
N.Y., 172 bgd, 5%
above
normal,
but 2%
below last month; Columbia
River
at The
Dalles,
Ore., 5%
above normal,
but 21% below last month; Missouri River
at
Hermann,
Mo., 47 bgd, 21%
above normal,
but
33%
below September;
and the
Ohio Riv
er
at
Louisville,
Ky., 17 bgd, 27%
below nor
mal
and 22%
below last month's flow.
(Map
courtesy
of the U.S.
Geological Survey.)
Rooks
Scanning Electron
Microscopy
and
X-Ray
Microanalysis
J.
I.
Goldstein,
D. E.
Newbury,
P.
Echlin,
D.
C. Joy, C.
Fiori,
and E.
Lifshin, Plenum,
New York,
xii + 673 pp.,
1981, $29.50.
PAGE
1188
Reviewed
by
Arden
L.
Albee
This outstanding volume
has
managed
the
nearly impossible task
of
combining
the ex
pertise
of all six
authors
in a
lucid
and
homo
geneous style
of
writing. Subtitled
'A
Text
for
Biologists, Material Scientists
and
Geologists,'
the book
has
evolved from
a
short course
taught each summer
at
Lehigh University.
The book provides
a
basic knowledge
of (1)
the electron optics
for
these instruments
and
their controls,
(2) the
characteristics
of the
electron beam-sample interactions,
(3)
image
This page
may be
freely copied.
EOS,
vol. 63, no. 47, November 23, 1982
formation and interpretation, (4) X ray spec
trometry and quantitative X ray microanalysis
with separate detailed sections on wavelength
dispersive and energy dispersive techniques,
and (5) specimen preparation, especially for
biological materials.
All of these topics are presented in detail
(note the length of the book) with emphasis
both on fundamental concepts and on practi
cal and instrumental aspects of the tech
niques. One of the most useful aspects is the
similarity to a good review article: There are
extensive references with expert comparison
and evaluation of competitive techniques and
ideas.
Errors are discussed throughout the
book and not relegated to a separate section.
I found their discussion of quantitative analy
sis by means of energy dispersive techniques
particularly useful and balanced in its presen
tation.
The final chapter consists of about 10 case
histories illustrating various applications and
techniques. A useful addition would be an il-
AT,H
Schubert Edits
JGR-Red
PAGE 1191
'As editor, my major
concern will be to main
tain and strengthen the
Journal of Geophysical Re
search's
position as the
preeminent journal in
solid earth and solid
planet geophysics,' as
serted Gerald Schubert,
the new editor of the
red section of JGR. 'I
will endeavor to ensure
that all major subject areas covered by JGR-
Red are adequately represented among the
published papers.' Schubert, professor of
geophysics and planetary physics at the Uni
versity of California, Los Angeles, officially
begins his 4-year term as editor on December
1,
although he has been receiving manu
scripts since October 1.
The new editor brings to JGR enthusiasm
and dedication. 'I will try to make it the type
of journal that the readers want it to be in
terms of both rapid publication time and
publication of the best papers.' He expects to
continue the traditions that his predecessor,
Thomas J. Ahrens, has established. In partic
ular, Schubert wants to continue publishing
special issues that focus on specific research
topics. He welcomes suggestions for such is
sues from the research community.
Schubert is on sabbatical as a visiting pro
fessor in the geology department at The He
brew University of Jerusalem in Israel until
June 1983. Both personal and professional
reasons beckoned him to the Middle East: He
wants to learn more about the country and its
people and he wants to broaden the direc
tions of his research, which presently sweep
across planetary and solar system physics and
geophysical fluid dynamics. His major re
search areas have included the electrical and
lustration of a modern multi-element analysis
(including F and CI) for a complex silicate
such as hornblende. Students would find use
ful a detailed worked example of a full ZAF
correction and a more-extended section on
preparation techniques for polished sections
of ceramics and geologic materials. Currently,
when every instrument comes with an at
tached computer, the volume is somewhat
light on automation. Case histories could il
lustrate applications such as point counting or
shape analysis, which demonstrate the power
of computer-controlled interactions between
analytical results and instrument parameters
such as beam or stage position.
Scanning electron photographs and X ray
microanalyses are now used in a wide variety
of fields, and I strongly recommend this vol
ume as a single comprehensive reference for
the professionals who use them.
Arden L. Albee is professor of geology, Califor
nia Institute of Technology, Pasadena,
Calif.
magnetic properties of the moon; the dynam
ics,
circulation, and structure of the Venus at
mosphere; heat transfer, temperature, and
flow in the earth's interior and in geothermal
systems; and mantle convection and the ther
mal histories of the earth and planets.
'I want to get closer to the field of structur
al geology and generally to the problems of
deformation and heat flow in the very near
surface regions of the earth, in the earth's
crust, and in the lithosphere,' he explained.
'These days, I'm interested in the processes
of rifting, for example. Israel is located right
at the Dead Sea rift (transform). It's a good
place to be if you're interested in rifting.'
He became interested in rifting through his
studies of mantle dynamics. 'Our attempts to
understand plate tectonics on earth provide a
great stimulus for studying rifting because it
is the process that is responsible for the
breakup of continents and for the initiation
of continental drift,' he said. 'I am interested
in the earth and the way the plates move and
what drives them. It's important to under
stand rifting from this point of view.' His in
terests in the other planets and involvement
as an interdisciplinary scientist for the Pio
neer Venus multiprobe and orbiter help to
Focus his attention on rifting because, as he
notes,
'the data from numerous spacecraft
missions show that rifting is an important
process on other planets as well as the earth,
although it has not apparently initiated plate
motions anywhere but on earth.'
While he is in Israel, Schubert will maintain
the standard editorial activities, and will be
assisted by the associate editors, by Tanya
Harter at UCLA (the new editor's assistant),
and through telephone and mail communica
tion. William M. Kaula, professor in the earth
and space sciences department at UCLA, has
been appointed deputy editor
(Eos,
October
12,
1982, p. 812) and will handle situations
requiring immediate attention during Schu
bert's sabbatical.
No stranger to the AGU editorial process,
Schubert's previous editorial responsibilities
include associate editorships both for JGR
and for
Geophysical Research Letters.
He also
has been a member of the editorial commit
tee for the
Annual Reviews of Earth and Plane
tary Sciences.
His dedication to hard work shines clearly
through his academic record: He was award
ed Bachelor of Engineering Physics and Mas
ter of Aeronautical Engineering degrees
from Cornell University in 1961; 3 years later
he received a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Sciences
from the University of California, Berkeley.
While serving as a lieutenant in the U.S.
Navy from 1961 to 1965, he taught nuclear
reactor physics, heat transfer, and fluid me
chanics at the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power
School. He was then awarded a postdoctoral
fellowship to visit the Department of Applied
Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the
University of Cambridge.
In 1966, he joined UCLA's planetary and
space science department as an assistant pro
fessor. He received several promotions within
the department until, in 1974, he became a
professor of planetary physics. The James B.
Macelwane Award of AGU, which he re
ceived in 1975, is but one of the many awards
bestowed upon him.
Schubert will not have too many opportuni
ties to visit the United States in the next 6
months, but he will be at the AGU Fall Meet
ing in San Francisco in December and is anx
ious to talk with anyone about anything con
cerning JGR.—
BTR
This page may be freely copied.