A Sampling of Clips for
January 17, 2003
*
UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing
the University
Communications Office
Freeze
and thaw of soil causes formation of graceful, geometric figures,
study shows
Associated Press, Jan. 16 -- Scientists
Mark A. Kessler of UC Santa Cruz and B.T. Werner
of UCSD present a mathematical model that explains
how Mother Nature builds dramatic circles of rocks or stripes
of stones precisely aligned in the Arctic soils. The study appears
in the journal Science.
*
No link available online.
Sulfur
studies: Early Earth’s air was oxygen-poor
Science News, Jan. 4 – UCSD
chemist Mark Thiemens and colleagues analyzed
ancient sulfide minerals and the modern organisms that create
sulfides to gain more knowledge of what Earth’s atmosphere
and oceans may have been like billions of years ago. In the
journal Science, Thiemens and colleagues
argue that a higher-than-normal proportion of sulfur-33 in the
inclusions- can only be explained by certain atmospheric chemical
reactions that are stimulated by specific wavelengths of ultraviolet
light.
*
No link available online.
Los Alamos
lab chief vows crackdown
San Diego Union Tribune, Jan. 16 –
George P. Nanos, interim director of Los Alamos National Laboratory,
told the University of California Board of Regents that he would
“drain the swamp” to fix the problems at the nation’s
premier weapons lab and restore its credibility. UC announced
the formation of an oversight committee for the lab composed
of Regent Richard Blum, Sidney Drell, UCSD
Chancellor Robert C. Dynes, Regent Gerald L.
Parsky and Regent Peter Preuss.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20030116-9999_1n16regents.html
Eavesdropping
on whales
Scripps Howard News Service, Jan.
16 – Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s
Lisa Munger was among 160 scientists giving
presentations on sea lions, climate change, fish biology, oceanography
and the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Biologists
have been collecting the strange, scratchy calls of North Pacific
right whales from the Bering Sea, eavesdropping on life among
the rarest large cetaceans on the planet.
*
No link available online.
Addressing
developments in nature
San Diego Daily Transcript, Oceans
and Earth column, Jan. 16 -- Scripps Institution of
Oceanography senior science writer Robert Monroe
discusses the new California Climate Action Registry, an organization
that certifies audits of the greenhouse gas emissions of corporations
and municipalities. Scripps director Charles
Kennel is a board member. The
MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
will join the Scripps-led University of California
Revelle Program on Climate Science and Policy to co-host an
international conference at the La Jolla Hilton later this month.
*
No link available online.
Editorials:
Border Crossing
San Diego Union Tribune, Jan. 16 --
Editorial on the "Sentri" program for cross-border
commuters. (Quotes Chuck Nathanson, executive
director of the UCSD-based San Diego Dialogue).
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/thu/opinion/news_1ed16top.html
Problems
and promises of recycled water
San Diego Union Tribune, Jan. 16 --
Opinion by Salk Institute for Biological Studies professor David
Schubert on regulatory control of recycled water use. Mentions
"lack of consideration" at the rental properties along
North Torrey Pines Rd. and UCSD when they run
their sprinklers at noon, spraying potentially hazardous recycled
water on those using adjacent sidewalks.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/thu/opinion/news_mz1e16water.html
