The Scout Report for Science & Engineering - May 9, 2001

May 9, 2001

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

The target audience of the 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

Toxicological Sciences Online
http://toxsci.oupjournals.org/
The journal Toxicological Sciences is now available online, thanks to a combined effort of the Society for Toxicology and Stanford University's HighWire Press. Toxicological Sciences publishes "research articles that are broadly relevant to assessing the potential adverse health effects resulting from exposure of human or animals to chemicals, drugs, natural products, or synthetic materials." Manuscripts are published in "all areas of toxicology" including descriptive, mechanistic, interpretive, theoretical, experimental, and observational investigations. The full text (.pdf format) of all articles is available online starting 1999, with abstracts from 1998. The Society has yet to announce when the free trial period will end, but at present, the site allows free access to all online materials, as well as a free sample issue. [LXP]
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Proceedings of the Fifteenth World Conference on Nondestructive Testing
http://www.ndt.net/article/wcndt00/index.htm
The Website of the Fifteenth World Conference on Non-destructive Testing, held in Rome during October 2000, now provides access to the text of many of the papers presented at the meeting. Aeronautics, Civil Engineering, Computer Processing and Simulation, Nuclear Industry, and Transportation are examples of some of the technical sessions. The papers are in HTML format, and many include figures. A wealth of information exists at this site. [HCS]
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Commercial Shark Fishery Observer Program -- FMNH
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/ichthyology/Sharks/csop/csop.htm
A cooperative effort of the Florida Museum of Natural History (FMNH) and the US Atlantic commercial shark fishing industry, the Commercial Shark Fishery Observer Program (CSFOP) "places fishery observers on cooperating commercial shark fishing vessels to observe the composition and disposition of the catch and by-catch." The information collected by at-sea observers is critical in developing realistic management strategies for the shark fishery. The CSFOP homepage gives an overview of the program and provides summary data for the project's entirety, including Final Report Abstracts (1994-1998) and regional data summaries for 1994-2000 (on species composition of catch, catch per unit effort, and disposition of catch). Biological profiles of three shark species and a photo-illustrated description of the shark observer program completes this informative, no-frills site. [LXP]
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Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry
http://www.al.noaa.gov/PALMS/
PALMS (Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry), a laser ion mass spectrometer run by the National Oceanic and Atmospherics Association's (NOAA's) Meteorological Chemistry Group, makes in-situ measurements of the chemical composition of individual aerosol particles. PALMS has a lab version and a flight version, which is carried on the nose of an aircraft. The PALMS Website gives spectral data from the Spring 1998 flight mission and from 1993 measurements from Idaho Hill, Colorado, 1995 measurements from Cape Grim, Tasmania, and a link to a data page for the Atlanta, Georgia station. Throughout the site's data pages are links to other universities and other institutions using PALMS or involved in aerosol spectrometry research. A list of publications related to PALMS is also provided. [HCS]
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Jepson Flora Project
http://ucjeps.herb.berkeley.edu/jeps-list.html
The Jepson Flora Project (Jepson Herbarium, University of California at Berkeley) maintains an updated checklist and distribution maps of plant taxa in California. This information was first published as The Jepson Manual (named after the original author) and is now an extensively illustrated guide to California's plants, refined and updated by over 200 authors. The Manual includes detailed descriptions of plant characteristics, current distributions, and horticultural potential. To search the checklist to examine distribution maps, users may enter scientific name or browse the Family Indices (Ferns and fern allies, Conifers and gnetophytes, Dicots, or Monocots). Typical returns include scientific and common name, status (native or non-native), elevational range, chromosomal number, and California Bioregional Distribution. An additional link points users to other taxa with the same California distribution. [LXP]
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UMIST Physics Pre-prints [PostScript, g-zip]
http://www.phy.umist.ac.uk/Research/preprint.shtml
The physics department at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) maintains a searchable collection of pre-prints, available free online, from different research groups. Although not all of the publications have recent dates, physics researchers will likely find the heap of papers here worth browsing through. Some particularly notable pre-prints from the astrophysics division are "Molecules in High-Mass Star-Forming Regions - Theory and Observation," and "Modeling of Deuterium Chemistry and its Application to Molecular Clouds." The other research divisions besides Astrophysics are Atmospheric, Condensed Matter, Plasma, and Theoretical Physics. Unfortunately for Mac users, the pre-prints are available only as g-zipped .ps files. [HCS]
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Learning Resources

BCNet: Learning Materials
http://www.bcnet.org/learning.htm
The Biodiversity Conservation Network, maintained by The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP), has developed resources "for conservation practitioners and for others interested in learning about designing, managing, and monitoring enterprise-based conservation projects." The homepage offers information in the following categories: Information for Practitioners, BCN Reports, Literature Reviews, BSP Reports, and Lessons from the Field. Resources at this site, while not brand new, may provide useful insights for those interested in developing new conservation projects or for students seeking insights on some of the ups and downs inherent to working on complex conservation challenges. [LXP]
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Acid-base Without Algebra: Graphical Treatment of Acid-base Systems
http://www.sfu.ca/chemcai/AQCHEM/ABG-ind.html
Stephen Lower of Simon Fraser University presents this site on a visual approach to acid-base problems. Lower says that although he still finds it important to teach students to solve acid-base problems algebraically, more work should be done using graphics. Here are some of the reasons he gives against the algebraic method: "1) It can be an awful lot of work. Have you ever noticed that many of the acid-base systems most commonly encountered (phosphate, citrate, salts such as ammonium acetate, amino acids, EDTA) are rarely treated in standard textbooks? Treating these analytically requires setting up a series of mass- and charge-balance expressions which must be solved simultaneously. 2) Most algebraic treatments are approximations anyway. 3) Equilibrium constants are not really. 4) All you get is a number: Algebraic approaches contribute almost nothing to the larger view of how an acid-base system behaves as the pH is changed." The graphical method provides an overall picture of the acid-base system. At the site, graphically illustrated (.gif) tutorials focus on acetic acid plotting and titration, pH of HAc and NaAc solutions, oxalic acid as a driprotic system, ammonium formate as a "weak-weak" salt, Phosphate, the carbonate system, and glycine as a zwitterion. A brief list of links is also provided. [HCS]
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Two on Sun Angle and Position
SunAngle
http://www.susdesign.com/sunangle/
SunPosition
http://www.susdesign.com/sunposition/
Written by a computer programmer/ environmental consultant with a technical background in science and engineering, these Web tools calculate sun angle and position. SunAngle calculates solar data for a single day and time, using latitude, longitude, elevation, and date/ time inputs. SunPosition calculates values for different days and times throughout the year, providing date, time, altitude, and azimuth outputs. Several brief paragraphs describe the basis for each calculation, enabling the use of these sites as potential teaching tools. [LXP]
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Quantum Experiments and the Foundations of Physics [.pdf, PostScript]
http://www.quantum.univie.ac.at/
The research group of Professor Anton Zeilinger at the University of Vienna posts research news and project descriptions of its prolific activities in quantum physics. Some of the exciting work that the group is doing includes quantum methods of teleportation and cryptography. The site is divided into sections by experiment (Fullerene Interference, A quantum random number generator, Entangled State Quantum Cryptography, Experimental Quantum Teleportation, A Bell-Experiment with independent observers, and The first experimental demonstration of a three-particle entangled state). Within each section is a description of experimental methods and reasoning, data and results, links to pre-prints, and references. A unique feature of this site is the thesis archive, where .pdf or .ps versions of certain dissertations from the group are accessible (a few are in German, but most are in English). The links page lists some good resources as well. [HCS]
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The Official Mad Cow Disease Home Page
http://www.mad-cow.org/
A project of the Sperling Biomedical Foundation, the Mad Cow Disease homepage contains more than 7,600 articles on "mad cow and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, prions, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, scrapie, BSE, CJD, CWD, TME, and TSE." Articles range from highlighting scientific results to heated debates surrounding the politically complex infectious disease challenge. For those wanting to keep a finger on the pulse of regional to global epidemics (such as mad cow disease) or others wanting to learn more about the many aspects of mad cow disease challenges, this is a fine place to get immersed (albeit in a freeform, rather than structured, way). A series of links points users to additional information. [LXP]
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General Interest

The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP)
http://www.BSPonline.org/
A consortium of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and World Resources Institute (WRI), The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) is dedicated to promoting conservation of the world's biological diversity. BSP carries out its mission "by supporting projects that combine conservation with social and economic development, research and analysis of conservation approaches, and information exchange and outreach." The BSP homepage includes background information, news, publications, and links related to biodiversity conservation issues. [LXP]
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Dive and Discover
http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) provides this wonderful educational site about discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover "brings you right on board" oceanographic research cruises to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The latest expedition, now underway, is Expedition 4 to the Central Indian Ridge where researchers are looking for new hydrothermal vent organisms. Visitors to Dive and Discover can read daily updates on research activity weather and view color photographs recently taken by the crew of Expedition 4. The "mail buoy" feature even allows folks to email questions to researchers on board the ship! This site gives detailed information about the physical and biological science of hydrothermal vents, oceanographic tools used in the expedition, and plate tectonics. Three past cruises -- to the Guaymas Basin, the East Pacific Rise, and the Galapagos -- are also featured, and the records of their daily logs, photos, etc. are housed here. This is a fabulous resource for science teachers of all levels. [HCS]
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WetNet: Texas Wetland Information Network
http://www.glo.state.tx.us/wetnet/
This impressive metasite from the Texas General Land Office is a hub for Texas wetland information. From state agencies to universities, the wealth of information provided here will serve many interests. Sections of the site include Data (mostly Geographic Information Systems files), Wetland Species (with links to a wide array of Texas resources), Wetland Publications, Wetland Links (for Texas and nationally), Participating Agencies, and Other Links. Whether seeking information on the Texas Coastal Zone Boundary, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Coastal Natural Resource Areas, or any other Texas wetland topics/ areas, this is a great place to begin -- or return to. [LXP]
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Two from The Alchemist
"Supercool Molecular Behaviour Erratic near Glass Transition"
http://www.chemweb.com/alchem/articles/987788571150.html
"Touchy-Feely Nanostructures"
http://www.chemweb.com/alchem/articles/987788962250.html
The Alchemist is an online magazine of ChemWeb (free registration required) (see the August 22, 1997 Scout Report). Its style is geared toward general audiences. The first article discusses the transition from liquid to glass of rapidly cooled (supercooled) compounds. The exact nature of the transition was enigmatic until recent work by Deschenes et al. (April 13 issue of Science ) refined the use of a microscope equipped with a laser for single-molecule spectroscopy in order to capture the rotation of a molecule as it cooled. The second is about a new type of nanostructure that changes color when touched. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico developed this nanocomposite of polydiacetylene, an organic conjugated polymer, encased in a hard inorganic framework or scaffold of silicon dioxide. [HCS]
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Crayfish Homepage
http://bioag.byu.edu/mlbean/crayfish/crayhome.htm
Maintained by the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University, the Crayfish Homepage serves as an organizational metasite through which users may link to in-depth information on Crayfish identification, phylogeny, species lists, conservation, bibliography, and photographs. In addition to making information on crayfish accessible, the homepage provides lists of scientific societies that study crayfish, as well as links to crayfish-related and other crustacean sites. A Latest News feature highlights current news items of relevance to crayfish science and conservation. [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 The Scout Report for Science & Engineering Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/metapage/).

US Allows Atlantic Scallop Dredging, Limits Groundfishery
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-01-06.html
Last week, the National Marine Fisheries Service ignored advice from fishery scientists and environmental organizations by granting final approval to a measure that allows scallop dredging in ecologically sensitive areas off New England and the Mid-Atlantic. This news brief, from Environment News Service, describes the recent turn of events, including the anticipated impacts on already threatened groundfish stocks. [LXP]
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New Feathered Dinosaur from Liaoning Province, China
http://research.amnh.org/vertpaleo/dinobird.html
A new dinosaur specimen unearthed recently in the Liaoning Province of China demonstrates exceptional preservation of structures appearing to be primitive feathers. This page from the American Museum of Natural History provides some great pictures of the fossil, including close-ups of the feather-like imprints and the skull. [HCS]
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New Publications

"Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-1998" [.pdf]
http://www.gcrio.org/OnLnDoc/pdf/2000_inventory.pdf
In compliance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has produced this annual official US Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. The inventory (.pdf format) lists and describes industrial processes leading to gas emissions, and summarizes the methodology for estimating emissions from different sources. [LXP]

"Eigenvalue estimates of the Dirac operator depending on the Ricci tensor" [PostScript, g-zip]
http://www-sfb288.math.tu-berlin.de/abstractNew/498
This electronic pre-print comes from researchers at the Institute of Mathematics at The Technical University, Berlin. The paper, which is available in .ps gzipped format, demonstrates a new lower bound for the first eigenvalue of the Dirac operator on a compact Riemannian spin manifold by refined Weitzenbock techniques. It is used for manifolds with harmonic curvature tensor and depends on the Ricci tensor. [HCS]

Four from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) [.zip]
"Fall and Winter Foods of Northern Pintails in the Sacramento Valley, California"
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2001/fwfoods/fwfoods.htm
"A Sampler for Quantifying the Vertical Distribution of Macroinvertebrates in Shallow Wetlands"
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2001/macroinv/macroinv.htm
"Accuracy and Precision of Estimating Age of Gray Wolves by Tooth Wear"
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2001/toothage/toothage.htm
"Wildlife Habitat Management on the Northern Prairie Landscape"
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2001/whabmgt/whabmgt.htm
Four newly online resources have been posted at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) homepage. The first resource, by Michael R. Miller, was initially published in the Journal of Wildlife Management in 1987 [Vol 51(2):405-414]; it provides information on winter food habits of northern pintails (Anas acuta) in the western Sacramento Valley during 1979-82. The second resource, by Jeffrey Mackay and Ned H. Euliss, Jr., was first published in California Fish and Game in 1993 [Vol 79(3):126-130]; it describes a technique for characterizing vertical distribution patterns of invertebrates in wetlands, with applications for research on avian botulism epizootiology. Third, this 2000 article by Philip S. Gipson and colleagues was first published in Journal of Wildlife Management [Vol 64(3):752-758] and evaluates aging of gray wolves using tooth wear. Finally, the article by Douglas H. Johnson and colleagues was first published in 1994 in Landscape and Urban Planning [Vol 28:5-21] and briefly describes the Prairie Pothole Region and its habitat alteration with effects on migratory birds. All four articles may be downloaded as .zip files. [LXP]

"Bulk Physics at a Graviton Factory"
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/pubs/slacpubs/8000/slac-pub-8810.html
Provided by the Stanford Liner Accelerator Center (SLAC) Pre-print server, this online pre-print demonstrates that large numbers of light Kaluza Klein (KK) resonances could be produced at a future lepton-collider-based "Graviton Factory." "A general prediction of the 5-d Randall-Sundrum (RS) hierarchy model is the emergence of spin-2 KK gravitons with weak scale masses and couplings. The lowest order effective theory of the RS model is given by 5-d Einstein gravity which uniquely fixes the self-interactions of gravitons." [HCS]

"Encouraging Environmentally Sustainable Growth in Canada"
http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2001doc.nsf/linkto/eco-wkp(2001)16
This OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Working Paper was published in March and analyzes aspects of natural resource and environmental policy in Canada. Topics discussed include the taxation of resource-based activities, the management of water supply, and fisheries management in the Atlantic, among others. [LXP]

"NCSE Recommendations for Improving the Scientific Basis for Environmental Decisionmaking" [.pdf]
http://www.cnie.org/2000conference/
The National Council for Science and the Environment presented this report at the first National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment held during December 2000 with over 450 scientists and decision makers attending. The report is now available online from the National Library for the Environment. Contents of the report include recommendations on maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem health, human health, sustainable resources, and development of educational programs and information systems. This fourteen-section report with five appendices can be viewed in HTML or downloaded in .pdf format. [HCS]
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Jobs

Job Openings in Science and Technology from The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://jobs.chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/scitech/links.htm

Society for Glycobiology Jobs
http://www.glycobiology.org/General/jobs/jobs.asp

Biolinks: Career Opportunities
http://www.biolinks.com/career/
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Funding

COS Funding Opportunities
http://fundingopps.cos.com/
Various opportunities: searchable site

Synthesis and Modeling Project of the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux
Study (U.S. JGOFS)
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf01103
Deadline: August 16, 2001

International Research Fellowships: Microbiology
http://www.sgm.ac.uk/PA/gran_fun/irf.htm
[.pdf] application form:
http://www.sgm.ac.uk/PA/PA_forms/IRF.pdf
Deadlines remaining in 2001: July 30 and November 30

Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf01109
Preliminary deadline: September 10, 2001
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Conferences

Australian Ornithological Conference
http://clio.mit.csu.edu.au/aoc2001/
December 4-7, 2001, Bathurst, New South Wales (Australia)
Abstract Deadline: June 1, 2001

MODSIM 2001: International Congress on Modelling and Simulation
http://cres.anu.edu.au/~tony/modsim2001.htm
December 10-13, 2001, Canberra, Australia
Abstract Deadline: August 31, 2001

ASM Conference on Biodegradation, Biotransformation, and Biocatalysis (B3)
http://www.asmusa.org/mtgsrc/B3g.htm
October 2-6, 2001, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Abstract Deadline: July 11, 2001

International Conference on Linear Algebra and Applications
http://www.worldses.org/wses/conferences/cairns/laa/
December 17-21, 2001, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Papers Due: September 30, 2001
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New Data

Atmospheric carbon dioxide record from flask measurements at Lampedusa Island -- CDIAC
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/co2/lampis.htm
The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) has posted these recent CO2 data from Lampedusa Island (central Mediterranean Sea). Air samples at Lampedusa Station are collected each week. Since 1993, CO2 levels have risen from 360.80 to 371.27 (in 2000). The data show an average trend of +1.5 ppmv/y. Further details are provided at the site. [LXP]
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Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA) [PostScript, .pdf, Excel]
http://nsidc.org/NASA/PARCA/index.html
The Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA), in operation since 1993, is a consortium of 25 investigations using in situ measurements and satellite and aircraft remote sensing to study the Greenland Ice Sheet. The National Snow and Ice Data Center's (NSIDC's) Website provides links to the data pages of the different investigators involved. data available include Modeled Precipitation Over Greenland, Elevation Change of the Southern Greenland Ice Sheet from 1978-88, Ice Sheet Melt Characteristics Derived from Passive Microwave Data, Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) Automatic Weather Station Data, Ice Velocities Around the 2000-meter Traverse in Greenland, Mass Balance Estimates by Comparing Ice Discharge Across the 2000-m Traverse, Greenland Ice Sheet Mass Balance Using Precision GPS, and Greenland Ice Surface Elevations from NASA ATM Airborne Lidar. Because the data come from several sources, they are in a variety of formats (.ps, .pdf, Excel, .gif, HTML). [HCS]
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Ribosomal Database Project (RDP)
http://www.cme.msu.edu/RDP/html/index.html
Michigan State University's Center for Microbial Ecology hosts the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP), offering "ribosome related data services to the scientific community, including online data analysis, rRNA derived phylogenetic trees, and aligned and annotated rRNA sequences." Data, which may be used "for your own non-commercial research purposes," include Organism lists, Sequences (unaligned), Sequence alignments, and Phylogenetic trees; to download data, click on Download Area. [LXP]
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"Potential Priority Watersheds for Protection of Water Quality from Contamination by Manure Nutrients" [.pdf]
http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/pubs/wshedpap_w.html
Provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), this online report (.pdf) lists areas of the lower 48 states most sensitive to contamination of groundwater and surface water by manure applied to the land. A series of color maps, most from 1997, accompany the report (.gif). They include Percolation Factor, Annual Runoff Factor, Rate of Soil Loss from Erosion (Sheet and Rill Erosion), Watershed Estimates of Manure Nitrogen Available for Application, Watershed Estimates of Manure Phosphorus Available for Application, Leaching Vulnerability Index for Manure Nitrogen, Runoff Vulnerability Index for Manure Nitrogen, Soil Adsorbed Runoff Vulnerability Index for Manure Phosphorus, Potential Priority Watersheds for Protection of Water Quality from Contamination by Manure Nutrients, and Potential Priority Water Resource Subregions (4-Digit Code) for Protection of Water Quality from Contamination by Manure Nutrients. [HCS]
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In The News

Worldwide Decline in OH: Can Atmospheric Chemistry Withstand Increasing Pollution?
1. "Earth Losing Air-Cleansing Ability, Study Says"
http://www.latimes.com/news/asection/20010504/t000037688.html
2. "Nature's atmospheric cleanser needs closer look, MIT-led research team finds"
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2001/aircleaner.html
3. "Evidence for Substantial Variations of Atmospheric Hydroxyl Radicals in the Past Two Decades"
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1058673
4. Ozone Depletion -- EPA
http://www.epa.gov/docs/ozone/
5. The ALE/ GAGE/ AGAGE Network
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ndps/alegage.html
6. Current Greenhouse Gas Concentrations -- CDIAC
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/pns/current_ghg.html
7. National Center for Atmospheric Research
http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/ncar/
8. Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change -- MIT
http://web.mit.edu/globalchange/www/
Last week, researchers reported in Science the first evidence of a worldwide decline in OH, a key molecule critical to the cleansing of the atmosphere. Large expanses of North America, Europe, and Asia are shrouded in an aerosol haze, a result of emissions from vehicles, factories, and power plants. Hydroxyl radicals (OH), the cleaning agents, are formed in part by nitrous oxides from lightning strikes. These energized oxygen compounds react with many of the gases they bump into, transforming them into less harmful forms. Yet over the last 22 years, OH concentrations have decreased an average of 10 percent worldwide, with higher levels present over the less-industrialized Southern Hemisphere. While the origins of these OH declines are still poorly understood, the findings imply that the natural ability of the atmosphere to cleanse itself may be decreasing. In an OH-reduced atmosphere, smog could spread and accelerate the accumulation of greenhouse gases and global warming. Although some scientists are quick to point to the uncertainties associated with the interpretation of these results, others, such as atmospheric chemist Chris Cantrell of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, worry that "the atmosphere will get to the point where it will be taxed beyond its ability to clean itself." This week's In The News discusses the recent findings and provides resources for further reading.

The first two news briefs, from the L.A. Times(1), provide helpful overviews of the recent findings and implications related to declining OH levels. Further details are given in the May 3, 2001 research paper published in Science by researchers Ronald G. Prinn and colleagues; note that non-subscribers will be able to access the abstract only (3). For educational information on the chemistry of air pollution, and specifically on ozone depletion, this site from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers scientific and popular information related to the topic (4). For researchers interested in accessing data on atmospheric chemical levels related to OH, the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) features data specific to the ALE/ GAGE/ AGAGE global network program (5) as well as to other CDIAC programs (6). Finally, the homepages of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (7) and MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change (8) point viewers to additional information on the science (and politics) of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. [LXP]
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