This message updates Media Advisory 3 (AGU Release No. 98-38 of November 12). It provides additional information on most of the press-related events listed in that advisory and adds new events.

Please also review Media Advisory 1 (No. 98-33 of October 21) for general information, including eligibility for press registration and a registration form, and Media Advisory 2 (No.98-35 of October 27), for themes and special lectures at Fall Meeting. These advisories may be found on the AGU web site at http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/media.html.

Reminder: If you were sent an Abstract volume, please take it with you to Fall Meeting.

Attention PIO's: If you are not attending Fall Meeting but would like to distribute press releases relevant to Meeting presentations, you may send up to 100 copies to the following address:
Mr. Harvey Leifert (Hold for Arrival December 4)
San Francisco Marriott
55 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-3156

The AGU Public Information Office in Washington, D.C., will be closed from December 4 through December 13, inclusive. We will be able to access and respond to email messages from San Francisco, but cannot provide significant assistance beyond support to journalists attending Fall Meeting.

Schedule

We have organized a series of press conferences and related events designed to help reporters gain maximum value from attendance at Fall Meeting. The following list is offered with the understanding that dates and times, even topics, may change. We do not anticipate significant changes to this schedule between now and Fall Meeting; any that occur will be posted on the message board in the Press Room.

Press Room and Briefing Room

Location: The address of the Moscone Convention Center is 747 Howard Street (between 3rd and 4th Streets), San Francisco, CA 94103-3181.The Press Room is Room 111 and the Briefing Room is Room 112. These two rooms are opposite one another across a corridor.

Phone/Fax: The phone number of the Press Room is 415-905-1007. Messages will be taken at this number for registered media representatives and PIO's when the room is open (see below). The fax number is 415-905-1008.

Hours: The Press Room will open by 8:00 AM on Sunday, December 6, the first day of Fall Meeting. Normal hours will be 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Sunday-Wednesday and 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon on Thursday. Times are Pacific Standard Time.

Badge: Please go to the Press Room first to pick up your press badge, if you have preregistered, or to register if you have not preregistered. In the latter case, you will save a little time by bringing with you a completed Press Registration Form, available on the AGU web site in Fall Meeting Media Advisory 1 of October 21: http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl9833.html. If you will be registering on-site, please bring the required credentials described in Media Advisory 1.

Food: AGU will provide continental breakfast Sunday-Thursday and light lunches Sunday-Wednesday. Press conferences will be held during the lunch hour, when panelists are not available at other times.

Press Conference Format

Press Conferences will be held in the Briefing Room (Room 112). Journalists may use the room at other times, on a first-come basis, for individual interviews.

The general format of press conferences will be the same as at Spring Meeting: an opening statement, usually by one scientist, outlining what is news and providing some background. A panel will be on hand to help respond to media questions. We hope to provide maximum time for journalists to put questions to the scientists.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

*12:00 Noon: Press Excursion to Hayward Fault
Place: Bus leaves from main entrance to Moscone Convention Center on Howard Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets. If you are confirmed on this trip, you should have received an email with detailed instructions. If you did not, contact Harvey Leifert immediately.

(A FEW PLACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE! Contact Harvey Leifert.)

USGS geologist David Schwartz will provide an informative and lively look at a 12-foot trench and several populated areas along the Hayward Fault, the one deemed most likely to produce California's next "big one." We will also visit the USGS facility in Menlo Park to see their earthquake monitoring operation. Followed by dinner at Chevy's Restaurant in Redwood City (excellent tex-mex cuisine). You will receive a menu on the bus and will be able to order prior to arrival at the restaurant, for speedier service. (Box lunch on bus provided by AGU; dinner is no-host.) This event will be held rain or shine. Return to Moscone Center and major downtown hotels approximately 8:00-9:00 PM.

If you are already signed up, you should have received an e-mail with the detailed itinerary. If you did not receive it, please contact Harvey Leifert.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6

*8:00 AM: Breakfast Overview of Fall Meeting

Dr. Bob Duce of Texas A&M, Chair of the Fall Meeting Program Committee, is the person with the broadest and clearest view of the 7,000 oral and poster presentations, special sessions, and lectures that comprise the meeting. He will help you make the most effective use of your time by steering you toward the most interesting and newsworthy sessions.

Note: Come first to Room 111 to register, or pick up your badge if preregistered, and to pick up breakfast as well. We will then move to Room 112 for the briefing.

*10:00 AM: Long Range Transport of Pollutants
Relates to Sessions A11C, A21C

The latest findings on the intercontinental exchange of pollutants between Asia and America and between America and Europe and Africa. Last year a poster session on this topic, based on modeling, produced significant media interest. This year's presentation is all new and is based on data from actual observations.

Presenter:
Dan Jaffee, University of Washington-Bothell

Panel:
Rich Arimoto, Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, New Mexico State University, Carlsbad (Tentative)
Thomas Cahill, DELTA Research Group, University of California, Davis
John Merrill, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett
Douglas L. Westphal, Marine Meteorology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, Calif.

*12:15 PM: Mars Global Surveyor
Relates to Sessions P71A, P72A

MGS has completed nearly 400 low altitude orbits of Mars' northern hemisphere since Spring Meeting, answering many questions and reopening some old ones. The MGS team has exciting new results on the north polar cap and has received permission from Science Magazine to speak about it, even though Science will publish it one week later (i.e., embargo lifted at time of press conference). There is new infrared imagery resulting from three close encounters with Phobos since May, showing both thick dust and large boulders. The MAG team is continuing to find strong magnetic anomalies that are "fossil" in origin and occur much of the planet. The team has evidence that strong density waves in the atmosphere are stationary and may be related to topographic forcing despite the great altitude at what they are being detected.

Presenter:
Arden Albee, Project Scientist for Mars Global Surveyor, Calif. Institute of Technology, Pasadena

Panelists:
Michael Carr, Member of MOC team, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.
Jack Connerney, Member of MAG team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Gerry Keating, Accelerometer team leader, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and NASA Langley
David Smith, PI for MOLA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Peter Thomas, Member of MOC Team, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

*3:00 PM: El Niño
Relates to Sessions U11C, U12D

The 1997-98 El Niño was the first in history that was closely observed from start to finish and from space, from the ocean, from the atmosphere, and from land, and we have learned a lot. Our panel will seek to provide maximum information in one hour, concentrating on predictions of the 1997-98 El Nñio and the future value of improved models, the impact of SeaWiFS measurements on our knowledge of this El Niño, and a survey of its worldwide impact.

Presenter:
Antonio J. Busalacchi, Chief, Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Panel:
Timothy P. Barnett, Researcher, Climate Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif.
Francisco P. Chavez, Associate Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, Calif.
Randall Dole, Director, NOAA Climate Diagnostics Center, Boulder, Colo.
Ants Leetmaa, Director, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Md.

*5:15 PM: News Media: How They Work; How Scientists Can Work With Them
Place: Room 120 Moscone

This is a 90 minute seminar for scientists, organized for AGU by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. Journalists and PIO's are welcome to attend. Four distinguished journalists will discuss the hows and whys of effective media relations, covering such issues as press releases, interviews, press conferences, and embargoes.

Panel:
Jerry Bishop, Wall Street Journal (Retired); President, Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle; 1997 AGU Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism
Charles Petit, U.S. News & World Report
Paul Raeburn, Business Week; Treasurer, National Association of Science Writers

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7

*8:30 AM: The Great Space Accelerator: New Views of the Van Allen Radiation Belts
Relates to Sessions SM72A, SM11C, SM12C, SM21B

Forty years after Van Allen discovered the radiation belts around Earth, scientists have found that Earth's magnetosphere is a massive particle accelerator, boosting electrons to nearly the speed of light. Discovered in 1958, the radiation belts have long been considered static and stable. But new measurements from spacecraft and ground stations taken during May 1998 show Van Allen's belts changing on scales ranging from seconds to days to solar cycles. Scientists may soon be able to make "weather maps" of the particles in the belts, allowing predictions of their intensity and the location of the most active regions.

Presenters:
Daniel N. Baker, Director, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder
Terry G. Onsager, Research Scientist, Space Environment Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Secretary of AGU's Space Physics Section
Geoffrey D. Reeves, Space Physicist, Los Alamos National Laboratory

*12:15 PM: Latest Galileo highlights from Jupiter, Europa, and Callisto
Relates to Sessions P11B, P12B, P22B

On the third anniversary of the Galileo spacecraft's arrival at Jupiter, we will hear the latest on Galileo's observations of a San Andreas-size fault on Europa, on whether oceans may exist beneath the surfaces of Jupiter's icy moons, and on the rare merging of two white ovals in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere. Recent images from Europa including Astypalaea Linea, a strike-slip fault on Europa that is the size of the San Andreas fault, and Agenor Linea and its implications about Europan history will be discussed. Magnetic field measurements give clues to the internal structure of Jupiter's moons, indicating that Callisto may have a thin layer of salty water one or two hundred kilometers beneath a layer of ice. Images of huge crater scars on Callisto could indicate the presence of liquid water or icy slush at a shallow depth at the time of impact. New data and images from Jupiter, Europa, and Callisto will be discussed. Dr. Torrence Johnson of JPL is organizing this press conference, assisted by Dr. Robert Pappalardo of Brown University.

Presenter:
Torrence Johnson, Galileo Project Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Panelists:
Ronald Greeley, Galileo Solid State Imaging team member, Regents' Professor of Geology, Arizona State University, Tempe
James W. Head, Galileo Solid State Imaging team member, Professor of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, R.I.
Andrew Ingersoll, Galileo Inter-Disciplinary Scientist, Professor of Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Margaret Kivelson, Galileo Magnetometer PI, Professor of Space Physics, University of California, Los Angeles
David Stevenson, Professor of Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Randy Tufts, Galileo Solid State Imaging team affiliate, Research Associate, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson

*3:00 PM: Atmospheric impact of large fires
Relates to Sessions A22D, A42B

Scientists look beneath the smoke clouds of recent fires in Indonesia and Central America to analyze the pollution produced by these large-scale events. The May 1998 Central American fires, for example, boosted smog levels throughout the eastern United States. Results will also be presented on new capabilities to track active fires from satellites.

Presenter:
Sundar Christopher, University of Alabama, Huntsville

Panelists:
Gregory R. Carmichael, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa city
Yoram J. Kaufman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Herbert W. Kroehl, NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, Solar-Terrestrial Physics Division, Boulder, Colo.
Carl J. Popp, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, N.M.
Anne M. Thompson, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8

*8:30 AM: Briefing by NOAA Director D. James Baker
Relates to Session H21E

The mission of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to observe and predict changes in the environment and foster environmental stewardship. Through its weather and climate services, NOAA plays a key role in protecting life and property and in providing decision-makers with the best available scientific information. Dr. D. James Baker, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of NOAA, will discuss his agency's programs and plans.

*10:00 AM: Polar Mass Ejection
Relevant Sessions: SM22A, SM22B

For the first time ever, researchers have measured oxygen and other ions flowing out of Earth's atmosphere in response to a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun. Using instruments on NASA's Polar and Wind spacecraft, they have detected that the flow of "polar wind" increased substantially in response to a CME that hit Earth on September 25, 1998. In effect, pressure from the CME and solar wind squeezed ions out of the ionosphere.

Presenter:
Thomas E. Moore, Head, Interplanetary Physics Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Panelists:
Michael R. Collier, Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Barbara L. Giles, Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
William K. Peterson, Space Physicist, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, Palo Alto, Calif.
Craig J. Pollock, Space Physicist, Southwest Research Institute
[James Spann of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., may substitute for one of the above panelists.]

*12:15 PM: Natural Disasters, El Niño, and Public Policy
Relates to Sessions U21C, U22C

The 1997-98 El Niño and the disasters caused by the 1998 hurricane season have focused public attention on the damage associated with natural hazards, which also include earthquakes, floods, fires, and volcanoes. The geophysical community's new models and technologies have improved understanding of these phenomena, but how valuable is the information to policy makers and society? The AGU Committee on Public Affairs has organized an all-day session today to explore this question. The press conference, covering highlights of the session, will be led by Dr. Gregory van der Vink of the IRIS Consortium, and panelists include scientists, social scientists and policy makers.

Presenter:
Gregory van der Vink, Director of Planning, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), Washington, D.C.

Panelists:
Jon B. Davis, First Vice President and Meteorologist, Salomon Smith Barney, Chicago, Ill.
Robert Hamilton, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.
William Hooke, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
Elaine Padovani, National Science and Technology Council, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, D.C.
Andrew Solow, Director, Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass.

*3:00 PM: Influence of land use on climate change
Relates to Sessions H31E, H32C

Recent research has demonstrated that landscape changes and vegetation dynamics have an influence on weather and climate that is at least as significant as what would be caused by a doubling of greenhouse gases. Dr. Roger Pielke of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and his panel will report on a range of recent research covering, for example, the effect of tropical deforestation on Northern Hemisphere weather (equal to that of El Niño), the effect of soil moisture conditions on the extended drought in the southern U.S. earlier this year, and climatic changes throughout Africa resulting from increasing desertification of the Sahel region.

Presenter:
Dr. Roger Pielke, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.

Panelists:
Roni Avissar, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
Elfatih A. B. Eltahir, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Jonathan Foley, Climate, People and Environment Program, Center of Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Yongkang Xue, Department of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park

*6:00 PM: NCSWA Dinner Meeting
(Note: This is not an AGU event. It is included here solely for the information of science writers and PIO's attending Fall Meeting.)
Place: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. You can reach CAS by public transit or car. For recorded directions, call 415-750-7145.

Speaker: Dr. Cynthia Robbins-Roth, a former biotechnology research scientist who changed careers to become a biotech industry consultant and editor-in-chief of BioVenture View, a biotechnology industry newsletter, and Biopeople Magazine. She'll talk about her career change, how she covers the biotech industry, and future trends.

Cost: $25 for dinner. No-host bar. Free door prizes. Program: Cocktails at 6 p.m.; Dinner at 6:45; Speaker at 7:30; Conclusion at 9:00 P.M.

RSVP DEADLINE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3!!! Please send check to: Sally Stephens, 127 Quintara Street, San Francisco, CA 94116. If you are not an NCSWA member, please also send an email message to Jane Stevens ([email protected]) to advise her that you will be attending. Her phone and fax are 707-785-1739.

While at CAS, you will have an opportunity to visit the touring exhibit, "Microbes: Invisible Invaders, Amazing Allies," sponsored by Pfizer. It examines the microbial world through 3D animation, video games, holograms, models, artifacts and a simulated electron microscope.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

*10:00 AM: The Vostok Ice Core
Relates to Session A32B

The long term Russian-American-French collaborative effort at Vostok Station (Antarctica) achieved both a technical and scientific "first" by extracting a 3,623 meter [2.25 miles] long ice core. Dr. Claude Lorius of LGGE-CNRS Grenoble, with researchers from the three countries, will cover major findings on such issues as temperature, greenhouse gas, environmental changes, and existing links with marine records over the last 400,000 years. Ice core data also provides insights into ice physics and air bubble evolution. The future of research at Vostok will also be discussed.

Presenter:
Claude Lorius, Doctor Emeritus, Laboratory of Glaciology and Environmental Geophysics (LGGE), CNRS, Grenoble, France

Panelists:
Michael Bender, Professor, Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
Vladimir Kotiakov, Academician, Institute of Geography, Moscow, Russia
Vladimir Lipenkov, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Julie Palais, Program Manager, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.
John Robert Petit, Laboratory of Glaciology and Environmental Geophysics (LGGE), CNRS, Grenoble, France

*12:15 PM: Mitigation of Volcanic Hazards to Aviation
Relates to Session V31D

The flight paths over the northern lands of the Pacific are among the busiest in the world. Ninety-three percent of all cargo flights between Asia and the U.S. fly along the "great circle route" or the shortest distance between Asia and the U.S. This region is also home to many volcanoes of the "Ring of Fire" that erupt ash clouds hazardous to aviation. USGS Deputy Director Thomas Casadevall, a well-known expert in the field of volcanic ash and aviation safety, will discuss efforts by scientists worldwide to mitigate this and other volcanic hazards, through creation of the International Airways Volcano Watch.

Presenter:
Thomas J. Casadevall, Deputy director, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va.

Panel:
To be announced