VOL. 96 • NO. 20 • 1 NOV 2015 Contaminated Sediment and Dam Removals Baseball and Earthquakes Earth & Space Science News Field Data Management Integrating Cyberscience and Geoscience Act Now to Save on Registration and Housing. Housing and Early Registration Deadline: 12 November 11:59 P.M. EST fallmeeting.agu.org Earth & Space Science News Contents 1 NOVEMBER 2015 FEATURE VOLUME 96, ISSUE 20 12 Contaminated Sediment and Dam Removals: Problem or Opportunity? Restoring rivers to their free-flowing state promises a host of environmental benefits, but contaminated sediments may cloud the picture. OPINION 9 My Life in Baseball and Earthquakes How earthquakes interrupted a Royals game and thrust the author into a whirlpool of politics, media, and law. 18 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT COVER Spacecraft Records 36 Rising-Tone Field Data Management: Magnetosonic Waves Integrating Cyberscience and Geoscience A rising tone in wave frequencies suggests a complicated, nonlinear series of The smartphone and tablet revolution has changed how geologists interactions between electromagnetic work in the field, but now the community must come up with sound waves and protons near the standards to tame the flood of data. magnetic equator. Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 1 Contents DEPARTMENTS Editor in Chief Barbara T. Richman: AGU, Washington, D. C., USA; eos_ [email protected] Editors Christina M. S. Cohen Wendy S. Gordon Carol A. Stein California Institute Ecologia Consulting, Department of Earth and of Technology, Pasadena, Austin, Texas, USA; Environmental Sciences, Calif., USA; wendy@ecologiaconsulting University of Illinois at cohen@srl .caltech.edu .com Chicago, Chicago, Ill., USA; [email protected] José D. Fuentes David Halpern Department of Meteorology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pennsylvania State Pasadena, Calif., USA; University, University davidhalpern29@gmail Park, Pa., USA; .com [email protected] Editorial Advisory Board M. Lee Allison, Earth and Space Xin-Zhong Liang, Global Science Informatics Environmental Change Lora S. Armstrong, Volcanology, Jian Lin, Tectonophysics Geochemistry, and Petrology Figen Mekik, Paleoceanography Michael A. Ellis, Earth and Planetary and Paleoclimatology Surface Processes Jerry L. Miller, Ocean Sciences 5 Arlene M. Fiore, Atmospheric Sciences Michael A. Mischna, Planetary Nicola J. Fox, Space Physics Sciences and Aeronomy Thomas H. Painter, Cryosphere Steve Frolking, Biogeosciences Sciences Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Roger A. Pielke Sr., Natural Hazards 22–32 AGU News Earth’s Deep Interior Michael Poland, Geodesy Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Eric M. Riggs, Education Looking Back to 2010: Birth of a Kristine C. Harper, History Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics New Vision for AGU; AGU Sections of Geophysics Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral Keith D. Koper, Seismology and Rock Physics and Focus Groups Announce 2015 Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism Earle Williams, Atmospheric Awardees. and Paleomagnetism and Space Electricity John W. Lane, Near-Surface Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts Geophysics and Policy Sciences 34–36 Research Spotlight Staff To Help Fix the Hole in the Ozone Production: Faith A. Ishii, Production Manager; Melissa A. Tribur, Senior Production Specialist; Liz Castenson, Editor’s Assistant; Yael Fitzpatrick, Manager, Design and Layer, Just Add Ice; Largest Grains Branding; Valerie Bassett and Travis Frazier, Electronic Graphics Specialists 34 Dominate River Bedrock Erosion Editorial: Peter L. Weiss, Manager/Senior News Editor; Mohi Kumar, Scientific Rates; How Powerful Is Jupiter’s Content Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer; JoAnna Wendel, Writer Aurora?; Microbial Communities Marketing: Angelo Bouselli and Mirelle Moscovitch, Marketing Analysts Advertising: Christy Hanson, Manager; Tel: +1-202-777-7536; Email: advertising@ Form Iron Shells in Abandoned 3–7 News agu.org Mines; Spacecraft Records Rising- Report Urges Fewer Regulations Tone Magnetosonic Waves. ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may on Federally Funded Research; be photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific Engineering Climate Change books and journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Resilience into New York Subways; 37–47 Positions Available Office. Birds Ignore Volcano Blast, Puzzle Current job openings in the Earth Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published semi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th of the month Scientists; Charles A. Barth, and space sciences. except the 1st of January 2015 by the American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, 1930–2014. D. C., and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. 48 Postcards from the Field Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; 8 Meeting Report The weather is fine for sampling Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; Email: [email protected]. Sharing Climate Information in the Icelandic dust. Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system to submit a Himalayas. manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official positions of the On the Cover American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated. 9–11 Opinion Digital data management systems Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO My Life in Baseball and in the field.©Brad Wrobleski/ Earthquakes. Masterfile/ Corbis. facebook.com/AmericanGeophysicalUnion @AGU_Eos linkedin.com/company/american-geophysical-union youtube.com/user/AGUvideos 2 // Eos 1 November 2015 NEWS Some of these regulations, Rabb said, can be Report Urges Fewer Regulations traced back to a single isolated incident and not problematic trends. Besides tightening on Federally Funded Research controls on spending and safety, funders have sought to combat scientific misconduct. “Our committee found that this continuing growth of the federal regulatory system require ments diminishes the effectiveness of the nation’s investment in research,” Rabb said. Analysis and Recommendations The report addresses grant writing and report- ing requirements of universities and federal agencies as well as agency policies and laws related to research funding. Among its main findings, the report con- cludes that continuing to expand regulations is harming rather than helping academic research by shifting researchers’ time from scientific endeavors to administrative tasks. Oftentimes, researchers apply for federal funding from multiple agencies, which can have redundant requirements, forcing researchers to redo the same work multiple times. “These expanding requirements are divert- Tony Oney Tony ing investigators’ time away from research Researchers work with seismic equipment to track meltwater running through Alaska’s Yahtse Glacier. Federal funds and education and directing it instead to support a vast array of research, including partially supporting this University of Texas at Austin project. A new report administrative tasks that may be inconsistent, by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for reducing regulations on federally sup- duplicative, or unclear,” Rabb said. ported research because of excessive bureaucratic burdens they place on scientists. Possible Solutions he United States must reevaluate its “In effect, we may jeopardize our nation’s The committee laid out ways in which Con- requirements for researchers to win and leadership in science, technology, and the gress, federal agencies, research institutions, T keep federal funding, says a new report social and behavioral sciences, all of which con- and universities could relieve research fund- released on 22 September by the National tribute to the nation’s security, health, educa- ing applicants of excessive administrative Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Med- tion, and well- being,” Faulkner continued. burdens. icine. The report recommends extensive Congres- The report, titled “Optimizing the Nation’s Expanding Regulations sional review of agency grant proposal forms Investment in Academic Research: A New “In a general sense, I find it kind of a breath of and a one-size- fits- all conflict of interest pol- Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century: fresh air,” John Geissman, head of the Depart- icy for all agencies. It urges streamlining and Part 1,” addresses concerns among the ment of Geosciences at the University of Texas coordination of regulations among federal nation’s scientists that cumbersome regula- at Dallas, told Eos. Geissman, who is editor in agencies to dispel redundancies and save time. tions for acquiring federal funding take too chief of Tectonics, an AGU journal, views the Additionally, the report calls on Congress to much time away from the research itself as National Academies report as a well- deserved create an entirely new body, the Research Pol- well as from teaching and from interacting “recognition of the problem of far too much icy Board, tasked with guiding and coordinat- with the public with regard to science (see time being spent on a lot of bizarre rules and ing how federally funded research is regulated. http://bit.ly/Regs- Report). regulations that are associated with conduct- The report recommends that institutions and Although the report stresses that govern-