The Scout Report for Science & Engineering - January 6, 1999


The Scout Report for Science & Engineering

January 6, 1999

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The target audience of the new Scout Report for Science & Engineering is faculty, students, staff, and librarians in the life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. Each biweekly issue offers a selective collection of Internet resources covering topics in the sciences, and related fields such as math and engineering, that have been chosen by librarians and content specialists in the given field of study.

The Scout Report for Science & Engineering is also provided via email once every two weeks. Subscription information is included at the bottom of each issue.

In This Issue

Research

Learning Resources

General Interest

Current Awareness

New Data

In The News


Research

Fire Ecology Database
http://www.talltimbers.org/database.html
The Tall Timbers Research Station, a research and conservation organization located in Tallahassee, Florida, has recently made available this searchable Fire Ecology Database. International in scope, the database covers a broad range of fire-related information with emphasis on North America, in particular, the southeastern US. Updated continuously, the Fire Ecology Database currently includes citations for nearly 12,000 "references to books, chapters within books, journal articles, conferences and conference papers, state and federal documents," and abstracts. Users may search the database by author, keywords, periodical, year, or title. Typical returns include full citations of related articles. A 40-page downloadable thesaurus accompanies the database and may also be used to assist in keyword searches. [LXP]
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International Solar-Terrestrial Physics Science Initiative [InterVU, QuickTime]
http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of Japan have collaborated to make available the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) Science Initiative. The ISTP Science initiative has five primary objectives. For example, the initiative seeks to "determine structure and dynamics in the solar interior and their role in driving solar activity." Sections included at the Website are What is the Sun-Earth Connection, Mission Connection, and What's New. Furthermore, the What is the Sun-Earth Connection section is subdivided into sections such as What is Geospace (the space in between the Earth and the Sun), Studying the Invisible Realm, and Hot Pics and Cool Movies. Spectacular colorful images of Northern and Southern Lights from Earth and Space, Sun Spotting, Images of Earth from Space, Space Weather, and movies showing comets flying into the sun, solar eclipses, and solar tornadoes are presented in the Hot Pics and Cool Movies section. [SN]
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WHOI Ocean Acoustics Lab
http://www.oal.whoi.edu/
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
http://www.whoi.edu/
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) (mentioned in the October 29, 1998 Scout Report for Science & Engineering), one of the world's leading research institutes in oceanography, hosts this page on ocean acoustics research. Hyperlinked project descriptions are accompanied by color graphics and cover four main topics: Acoustic Monitoring of Sediment Transport, Ocean Acoustic Tomography (ocean temperature measurements), Shallow Water Acoustic Propagation and Tomography (acoustic scattering caused by coastal internal waves), and Acoustic Scattering caused by Zooplankton. Also at the site are contact lists for OAL staff and students, and links to FTP-based educational resources (such as the Oceans and CSIRO Seawater toolboxes for Matlab v5). A selection of related links to WHOI's Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (OAPE) and other Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering departments round out the site. For complete information on WHOI, see the WHOI homepage. [LXP]
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National Severe Storms Laboratory -- NOAA
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (mentioned in the November 11, 1998 Scout Report) sponsors the National Severe Storms Laboratory. The primary goal of this Environmental Research Laboratory is to improve short-term predictions of hazardous weather events such as blizzards, ice storms, and tornadoes. Ongoing research conducted in the Stormscale (SRAD) and Mesoscale (MRAD) divisions helps improve the forecast services of the National Weather Service (NWS). An excellent tutorial about weather phenomena and weather map analysis is presented in the Weather Room section. [SN]
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Two Clinical Journals From HighWire Press
Liver Transplantation and Surgery
http://lts.aasldjournals.org/
Heart
http://heart.bmjjournals.com/
HighWire Press
http://highwire.stanford.edu/
The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and International Liver Transplantation Society has announced online access to the journal Liver Transplantation and Surgery. Full-text content begins January 1998; online abstracts begin with the 1997 issues. The text is fully searchable by keyword, with hyperlinked references to Medline and other frequently cited journals. The free trial period for Liver Transplantation and Surgery ends March 31, 1999. Also newly online is Heart (formerly the British Heart Journal), "a leading international clinical journal" reporting advances on the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Produced by the BMJ Publishing Group, online full-text content begins October 1997; online abstracts begin with 1970 issues, and tables of contents go back to 1966. The free trial period for Heart ends July 1, 1999. Both journals are made available electronically with assistance from Stanford University's HighWire Press. [LXP]
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Two Statistics Journals -- JSTOR
Annals of Applied Probability
http://www.jstor.org/journals/10505164.html
Statistical Science
http://www.jstor.org/journals/08834237.html
JSTOR: Participating Institutions
http://www.jstor.org/about/participants_na.html
Two journals from The Institute of Mathematical Statistics are now available online. Annals of Applied Probability, Vols. 1-3 (1991-1993) and Statistical Science, Vols. 1-8 (1986-1993) are fully accessible to the hundreds of academic institutions participating in JSTOR. Both journals may be searched by keyword, full-text, title, author, and abstract, or browsed by date of publication. A list of JSTOR participants is provided at the JSTOR site. [LXP]
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Learning Resources

Introductory Biology Laboratories Instructional Website
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/~biosdept/introbioslab/
Ohio University's Biology Department hosts this nice resource for lab instructors (and students) of introductory biology. Currently, the site features labs for three courses: Cellular and Molecular Biology, Animal Organ Systems, and Survey of the Animal Kingdom. In each case, users will find course syllabi, links to an online textbook (Campbell 1998), descriptions of labs, and graphic images. Although not exhaustive, this online resource provides useful background information and ideas for integrating computer technology and basic biology labs. [LXP]
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geologylink
http://www.geologylink.com/
Houghton Mifflin Company publishes the geologylink Website. This is an excellent resource for students, researchers, instructors, or anyone interested in learning more about geology. Sections presented at the site are The Earth Today, Hot Topics, Inside Geology, and Virtual Field Trips, among others. The Inside Geology section is a great learning tool as it links the user to class lectures, Websites, references, news items, organizations, and glossaries on all aspects of geology. Highlights of the site are the Virtual Classroom and Virtual Field Trips sections. These sections connect users to international resources: the first links to numerous physical geology courses, and the second allows users to "visit" sites or access geologic surveys worldwide. Although some sections of Virtual Field Trips are under construction, it is still worth a visit. Registration (only available with purchase) is required to have access to the Physical Geology Interactive and Chernicoff's Geology sections. [SN]
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Fuzzy Set Ordination Web Page
http://www.du.edu/~rboyce/fso/
Commonly used by plant community ecologists, Fuzzy Set Ordination (FSO) is a technique for "find[ing] associations between site factors and species distributions." Richard Boyce, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Denver in Colorado, has put together this Website on Fuzzy Set Ordination. The site offers background descriptions of FSO as well as a dozen suggested key references. Of greatest interest, however, are the sample programs and data sets (written in SAS and free for downloading) for relative abundance data and presence/absence data; users are encouraged to modify the programs as necessary. [LXP]
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The ChemTeam
http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/ChemTeamIndex.html
The ChemTeam provides these chemistry tutorials, geared towards high school students. Sections presented at the site are Acid Base, Radioactivity, Equilibrium, Thermochemistry, Colligative Properties, and Reduction Oxidation, among many others. Furthermore, each section presents diagrams and molecular equations along with an overview to help in understanding the concepts. In addition, links to related sites are provided to help high school or college students with their chemistry homework. While some sections are still under construction, those up and running are worth the visit. [SN]
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Cercopagis pengoi Invades the Great Lakes -- EPA
http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/monitoring/exotics/ceropagis.html
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Great Lakes National Program Office provides this research information page on the recent invasion of the exotic crustacean, Cercopagis pengoi, into the Great Lakes. Cercopagis, a predatory cladoceran, is similar to Bythotrephes cederstroemi, another recent Great Lakes invader; both species occur in freshwater and brackish environments. The site provides background information, images (including figures showing distribution and abundance), links, and selected references regarding this exotic species. [LXP]
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General Interest

Center for Biodiversity [Frames]
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/main/cbd_home.html
The Illinois Natural History Survey hosts this homepage for The Center for Biodiversity. In order "to protect, manage, and develop the biotic resources of Illinois in accordance with long-term environmental goals," the Center for Biodiversity conducts biological inventories, research on exotic species, long-term monitoring of natural and disturbed communities, and systematic studies of certain organisms. At the homepage, users will find information on the Center's mission, research, and collections. Of special note is the section Information on Plants and Animals. Here, summary information and specific links -- including a list of endangered and threatened species -- are provided for nine taxonomic groups: Astacology (crustaceans), Botany (plants), Herpetology (amphibians and reptiles), Ichthyology (fish), Ornithology (birds), Oligochaetology (worms), Malacology (mollusks), and Mammalogy (mammals). [LXP]
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Windows to the Universe [Shockwave, Java, QuicktimeVR]
http://www.windows.umich.edu/
The University of Michigan, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has made available its newest release of the Windows to the Universe. This site includes an array of documents, images, movies, animations, and data that "explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between science, exploration and the human experience." This amazing site provides spectacular images of planets, comets, and space missions. Users have the option of viewing the material at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced (college student) levels. [SN]
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The Aurora Page
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/
Brought to you by the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences at Michigan Technological University, the Aurora Page is your one stop to "information, links and images about 'the Northern Lights.'" The site offers three tutorials about the aurora borealis, forecasts, and links to aurora sites and institutions and space and sun sites. The images section features many spectacular photographs of the aurora borealis. [KH]
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About Temperature
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/staff/blynds/tmp.html
Beverly Lynds at the Unidata Program Center has made available the About Temperature Website. Here Lynds provides a thorough discussion of temperature along with information about and diagrams of thermometers, heat and thermodynamics, kinetic theory, and radiation temperature. Descriptions are brief but clear and well-illustrated with links throughout. In addition, references are cited along with related links. This site is also available in Spanish. [SN]
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Two On Climate Change Negotiations -- RFF
Trading Post
http://www.weathervane.rff.org/trading_post/index.htm
Comprehensive Summary of COP-4 Decisions and Resolutions Released by UNFCCC
http://www.weathervane.rff.org/negtable/cop4_decisions.html
In the wake of COP-4, Resources for the Future (RFF) (described in the August 28, 1998 Scout Report) has posted these Webpages on climate change negotiations. The first, Trading Post, is "a resource for the analysis and reporting of research and writings on 'flexibility mechanisms' -- the Clean Development Mechanism, emissions trading, and Joint Implementation (or activities implemented jointly) -- authorized by the Kyoto Protocol." The second, a comprehensive summary, includes a 64-page document (10 KB) detailing the two-year "Buenos Aires Plan of Action." [LXP]
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Current Awareness
(For links to additional current awareness on tables of contents, abstracts, preprints, new books, data, conferences, etc., visit the Science & Engineering Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/metapage/).

GNET: The Global Environment and Technology Foundation
http://www.gnet.org/
Built on the controversial belief that "environmental technologies offer the fastest and most effective means to address our planet's urgent environmental needs," the non-profit Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF) "promot[es] the development and use of innovative technology to achieve sustainable development." GNET, the organization's information news source, provides current news stories related to GTEF's mission. Whether one agrees or disagrees with GETF's ideals, this is a useful place to keep tabs on some enviro-technology news. [LXP]
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New Publications

Year of the Ocean Discussion Papers
http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/papers.htm
The United Nations declared 1998 the Year Of The Ocean (YOTO) (see the February 4, 1998 Scout Report for Science & Engineering). To address issues related to the ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has provided these full-length Discussion Papers covering a wide range of topics including Marine Transport, Sustainability of Ocean Living Resources, Coastal Tourism and Recreation, and Global Climate Changes, among others. [LXP]

Three reports from NSF
National Patterns of R&D Resources: 1998 [Early Release Tables] [Excel]
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?srs99402
Science and Engineering State Profiles: 1998 Data Update
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf99311/start.htm
Research and Development in Industry: 1995-96 [.pdf]
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf99312
The National Science Foundation released three new reports. The National Patterns of R&D Resources report describes the current and historical patterns of research and development in the United States and other industrialized countries. The Science and Engineering State Profiles report provides science and engineering profiles summarizing the varied state-specific data on personnel and finances. The tables for both of these reports are available in Excel format. The Research and Development in Industry report (.pdf, html formats) is divided into six sections: statistical tables, technical notes, and survey documents, among others. [SN]

Unlocking Our Future: Toward a New National Science Policy
http://www.house.gov/science/science_policy_report.htm
This document, a "long-awaited draft of a new proposed national science policy," was released by the House Science Committee. Since then, it has been adopted by the House to be used in the future to guide decisions with respect to Science. At this site, users may browse the report, as well as summary recommendations and a list of references. [LXP]

Standards 2000 Project, NCTM: Standards 2000 Index [.pdf]
http://www.nctm.org/standards2000/
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has recently released a draft of updated Standards, "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics." This draft can be downloaded from the Web or a hard copy can be ordered. [SN]

Marshbird Monitoring Workshop, April 1998: Abstracts
http://www.mp1-pwrc.usgs.gov/marshbird/mmw.html
Abstracts are now available from the April 1998 Marshbird Monitoring Workshop, held at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Refuge in Laurel, Maryland. Talks are listed alphabetically and cover survey/ monitoring techniques, avian community structure, migration chronology and habitat use, and several monitoring programs, among other topics. [LXP]

Recent US Geological Survey Publications On Water Resources in Alaska
http://www-water-ak.usgs.gov/publications/recent.htm
The United States Geological Survey has made available publications on Water Resources in Alaska. Although the actual reports need to be ordered, abstracts of papers on Alaska hydrology and glaciology are available at the Website. [SN]

Four on Wetlands from NPWRC [.zip]
Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States -- NPWRC
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/classwet/classwet.htm
Sedimentation of Prairie Wetlands -- NPWRC
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/sediment/sediment.htm
Sedimentation of Prairie Pothole Wetlands: The Need for Integrated Research by Agricultural and Wildlife Interests -- NPWRC
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/pprwtlnd/pprwtlnd.htm
Prairie Ecosystems: Wetland Ecology, Management and Restoration (Abstracts)
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/wetsympo/wetsympo.htm
In keeping with its high standards, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC, discussed in the October 15, 1997 Scout Report for Science & Engineering) has released four more wetland resources. The Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States is a beautiful document, based on a 1979 publication by Cowardin, et. al. At the site, users will learn about this hierarchical classification system, aided by color photographs, plates, graphics, tables, and descriptive text. The second two resources on the sedimentation of prairie wetlands are by Robert Gleason and Ned Euliss, Jr., and were first released in 1998. The final resource contains abstracts from a 1993 symposium in Jamestown, North Dakota. All files may be downloaded (.zip format). [LXP]

Analytical Method 556: Determination of Carbonyl Compounds in Drinking Water by Pentaflourobenzylhdroxylamine Derivation and Capillary Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detention - EPA
http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/methods/met556.html
The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published Analytical Method 556. The report's sections cover Scope and Application; Summary of Method; Definitions; Interferences; Safety; Equipment and Supplies; Method Performance; Tables, Diagrams, Flowcharts, and Validation Data; and Quality Control Requirements, among other topics. [SN]

Eleven New CRS Reports -- NLE
http://www.cnie.org/nle/crsnew.html
Eleven new Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports and 28 updated CRS reports have been posted at the National Library for the Environment site. The reports cover US International Trade, Pacific Salmon and the Endangered Species Act, Animal Waste Management Initiatives, Environmental Risk Analysis, and EPA's New Air Quality Standards, among several other topics. [LXP]
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Jobs

Job Openings in Science and Technology from the Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/scitech/links.html
Formerly an entirely free service, the Chronicle of Higher Education now charges a fee to access the current week's job listings. Extensive postings for the previous week are freely available, however. [LXP]

Technology Job Source
http://database.sddt.com/jobsource/
This page offers current listings of high-tech, biotechnology, and telecommunications jobs in San Diego County, California. Also at the site are resources for relocating to San Diego. [LXP]
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Funding

Environmental Research: Environmental Statistics -- EPA/ NSF
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9940/nsf9940.txt
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have announced the continuation of support for extramural grants in "fundamental environmental research." The four research areas targeted this year are Water and Watersheds, Technology for a Sustainable Environment, Decision-making and Valuation for Environmental Policy, and Environmental Statistics. Proposals emphasizing Environmental Statistics are due March 10, 1999. [LXP]

Scientific Computing Research Environments for the Mathematical Sciences (SCREMS)
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9948/nsf9948.htm
The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation has announced a new funding opportunity. The objective of this opportunity is to support computing environments for research in the mathematical sciences. Proposals will be accepted from US educational institutions with ongoing research in mathematics, applied mathematics, or statistics. The target date for submitting SCREMS proposals is February 16, 1999. [SN]

Five Star Restoration Challenge Grants
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star/
An outgrowth of President Clinton's Clean Water Action Plan, the Five-Star Restoration Program "provides modest financial assistance to support community-based wetland and riparian restoration projects, to build diverse partnerships, and to foster local natural resource stewardship." Applications should be sent to EPA (instructions on-site) and must be postmarked by February 1, 1999. [LXP]

Large Scale Facility For Arctic Environmental Research
http://www.npolar.no/nyaa-lsf/
The Norwegian Polar Institute has announced a new call for project proposals within research fields such as Atmospheric Climate and Biological Research, Atmospheric Air Research, Ozone/ Stratospheric and Climate Research, Space Geodetic Research and Natural Environment Research. Detailed information on the eligibility of research teams is provided at the Website. The proposal deadline is February 15, 1999. [SN]
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Conferences

Ecology and Management of Ungulates: Integrating Across Spatial Scales
http://wildlife1.uwsp.edu/ungul99/
The conference on Ecology and Management of Ungulates will be held in Nelson, British Columbia, August 25-27, 1999. Targeting biologists and managers, the conference will focus "on topics related to foraging at the scale of the individual, ungulate use of heterogeneous landscapes, linking populations to landscape management, and the role of ungulates in ecosystems." Abstracts are due February 1, 1999. [LXP]

Eleventh ACM Symposium on Parallel Algorithms and Architectures
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/SPAA/
The Eleventh ACM Symposium on Parallel Algorithms and Architectures (SPAA) will be held in Saint-Malo, France, June 27-30, 1999. The primary objective of this conference is to "foster communication and cooperation among the diverse communities involved in the theory and practice of parallel computing, and involved in systems, algorithms, languages and applications." This conference will present contributed papers, a talk by James Demmel of University of California-Berkeley, and an SPAA session including presentations, posters, and demonstrations of current research. The deadline for submitting papers is January 19, 1999. [SN]

Society for Human Ecology: Living With the Land
http://felix.geog.mcgill.ca/SHE
The tenth international conference of the Society for Human Ecology will be held at McGill University in Montreal, May 27-30, 1999. Entitled "Living with the Land: Interdisciplinary Research for Adaptive Decision Making," the conference will focus on "ways in which interdisciplinary research can contribute to decisions -- at the local and at the global level -- that promote human well-being and ecological sustainability." The deadline for abstracts, organized session proposals, and roundtable preferences is January 15, 1999. [LXP]

Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) Conference on Artificial Neural Networks
http://www.iee.org.uk/Conf/ICANN/Welcome.html
The Institute of Electrical Engineers Conference on Artificial Neural Networks will be held September 7-10, 1999 at the University of Edinburgh, England. The conference hopes to bring together researchers from academia, industry, and commerce in the field of neural computation, "spanning disciplines from computational neurobiology to engineering." The event could be relevant to academics, post-graduate students, industrial-commercial researchers, or end-users of artificial neural techniques. The deadline for submitting papers is February 1, 1999. [SN]

The Fifth Latin American Congress of Herpetology (V Congreso Latinoamericano de Herpetologia)
http://fcien.edu.uy/~zvert/clh/index.htm
The Fifth Latin American Congress of Herpetology will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, December 12-17, 1999. The congress emphasizes Neotropical Herpetology and will cover bioacoustics, biodiversity, genetics, conservation and management, population and community ecology, wildlife education, ethology, reproduction and development, and systematics, among other topics. Registration information and a preliminary program are posted, in Spanish, at the Website. [LXP]

The Oceanography Society 1999 Scientific Meeting: Extreme and Unexpected Phenomena in the Ocean
http://www.tos.org/reno/
The Oceanography Society's 1999 Scientific Meeting on Extreme and Unexpected Phenomena in the Ocean will be held in Reno, Nevada, April 27-30, 1999. The program will feature speakers, two question and answer sessions, contributed posters, and educational and commercial exhibits by industry representatives, public and private institutions, and federal agencies. The poster abstract deadline is February 15, 1999. [SN]
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New Data

Atlas Florae Europaeae Database (AFE) [Windows95/ Windows98/ NT]
http://www.helsinki.fi/kmus/afe/database.html
Initiated in 1992, the primary goal of the Atlas Florae Europaeae (AFE) Database project is to make plant distribution data available in digital format. Currently, AFE includes "preliminary maps for all European vascular plants" (based on the time period 1972-1996), examples of distribution statistics (colorful summary maps), and Biogeographical analyses; digital data are expected in 1999. PC users can download an evaluation copy of the current database (which will be available for sale in 1999) on-site. [LXP]
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First Three-Dimensional View of the North Polar Region of Mars from MOLA
http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/agu_f98.html
The first three-dimensional view of the North Polar Region of Mars is now available. The measurements by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft are providing views of the north pole of Mars and the processes that have shaped it. The images along with information about MOLA and the ice cap are provided at the site. [SN]
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SGD ORF additions based on SAGE
http://genome-www.stanford.edu/Saccharomyces/newORF.html
SAGE Data (ftp):
ftp://genome-ftp.stanford.edu/pub/yeast/tables/
Saccharomyces Genome Database (SacchDB)
http://genome-www.stanford.edu/Saccharomyces/
The Genome Databases Group at the Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine has recently released SGD ORF data from the Saccharomyces Genome Database (discussed in the March 18, 1998 Scout Report for Science & Engineering). Published in print by Velculescu, et. al., entitled "Characterization of the yeast transcriptome" (in Cell 88:243-251, 1997), the data include a "tabular list of the 27 new ORFs added by SGD." The data are also available via anonymous FTP. Further information on SGD is posted at the homepage. [LXP]
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Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (E-GRID) -- EPA [.pdf, Excel, WordPerfect]
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/egrid/egrid.htm
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently published the Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (E-GRID). This database contains emission data from resources such as coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, solar, and wind of nearly every power plant in the United States for 1996. The factsheet is available in .pdf format or can be downloaded as a WordPerfect file. In addition, the E-GRID User Interface (Windows 95/98), E-GRID Spreadsheets (Excel), E-Grid Users Manual (WordPerfect), and Technical Support Document (available shortly) can also be downloaded. [SN]
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In The News

Trouble Brewing in the Bering Sea
1. Dramatic Changes in Bering Sea Ecosystem Noted by NOAA
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/foci/bs_98workshop/press_release.html
2. Trouble brewing in the Bering Sea -- ENN
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/1999/01/010599/beringsea.asp
3. Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean Theme Page
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/bering/
Environmental Atlas: The Bering Sea
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/bering/pages/geog.html
4. FOCI International Workshop on Recent Conditions in the Bering Sea [.pdf]
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/foci/bs_98workshop/workshop_report.pdf
5. Draft Science Plan for the Bering Sea Ecosystem (revised 9/98) [.pdf]
http://www.refm.noaa.gov/reem/sciencer.pdf
6. Bering Sea Ecosystem Biophysical Metadatabase
http://hilo.pmel.noaa.gov/bering/mdb/
7. Bering and Chukchi Sea Databases -- USGS
http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/bering/index.htm
8. Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity (SEBSCC) -- NOAA
http://hilo.pmel.noaa.gov/sebscc/index.html
9. Fisheries Oceanography and Bering Sea Ecosystem Studies -- CIFAR
http://www.cifar.uaf.edu/fisheries.html
10. Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/pmelhome.html
Earlier this week, just after the conclusion of the "Year Of The Ocean" (1998), scientists sounded an alarm about the health of an entire ocean ecosystem -- the Bering Sea. Located between Alaska and Russia in the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea provides nearly half of the fish and shellfish caught in the US. However, unusual atmospheric and oceanic conditions during the summers of 1997 and 1998 (including El Nino) gave rise to warmer ocean temperatures, changes in ocean currents and atmospheric conditions, several typically-rare algal blooms, extensive seabird die-offs, and unprecedented low salmon runs. While alarming, some of these changes are not new to the Bering Sea. Over the past three decades, scientists have documented 50 to 90 percent declines in Steller sea lions and harbor seals in some areas, and populations of seabirds (common and thick-billed murres, red-legged and black-legged kittiwakes) have also fared poorly. Given the potential significance of these changes, increased attention is being paid to the processes, linkages, and organisms in the Bering Sea ecosystem. This week's In The News focuses on recent changes in the Bering Sea ecosystem. The eleven resources listed above offer background information, current research, and commentary.

News releases from (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and (2) Environmental News Network (ENN) highlight the trouble brewing in the Bering Sea. For background and detailed information on the recent changes in the Bering Sea ecosystem, visit NOAA's excellent Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean Theme Page (3); useful basics are provided in the site's Environmental Atlas section. Proceedings from the November 1998 Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI) workshop on recent conditions in the Bering Sea (4) are available in .pdf format. The Draft Science Plan for the Bering Sea Ecosystem (revised September 1998) (5), produced by scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (NOAA), Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Department of the Interior, received much support at a recent international Bering Sea conference in Seattle, Washington. For those interested in gaining access to metadata, the Bering Sea Ecosystem Biophysical Metadatabase project (6) aims "to locate and assemble an inventory of the extensive biological and physical data collected on the Bering Sea Ecosystem, develop these into an indexed annotated catalog (metadatabase) and make the metadatabase available through various mechanisms." The Alaska Biological Science Center (US Geological Survey) maintains the Bering and Chukchi Sea Databases (7), including Bathymetry Coverages (GIS layers of seafloor topography) and a Benthic Invertebrate Bibliography. NOAA's Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity (SEBSCC) program aims "to increase understanding of the southeastern Bering Sea ecosystem," particularly with respect to juvenile walleye pollock survival. The SEBSCC homepage (8) offers background information, publications, and research summaries of its Bering Sea studies. Another research program, the Fisheries Oceanography and Bering Sea Ecosystem Studies (9), is spearheaded by the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research (CIFAR), a partnership between NOAA and the University of Alaska. Finally, viewers may wish to visit the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory homepage (10), for access to a wide array of information (research projects, publications, related sites, etc.) regarding the Bering Sea ecosystem. [LXP]
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