VIEWS AND NEWS

International viewpoint and news

Published online: 26 April 2007

� Springer-Verlag 2007

Homer’s Ithaca possibly found thanks to new

geologic research

Andrea Martin

Results of geologic tests released on January 9, 2007, by

British businessman Robert Bittlestone, Cambridge clas-

sicist James Diggle, and University of Edinburgh geologist

John Underhill suggest further evidence to support the

hypothesis that Homer’s Ithaca can be found on western

Kefalonia as reported in the January 2007 issue of Geo-

times magazine, published by the American Geological

Institute (AGI).

This hypothesis, fully explained in Geotimes, suggests

that the western peninsula of the modern-day Greek Island

Kefalonia, called Paliki, was a separate island 3,000 years

ago. Landslides and rockfalls from earthquakes filled in the

valley between Kefalonia and Paliki, thus disguising

the ancient landscape that was described by Homer in the

Odyssey.

Newsletters of the US State Geological Surveys

Philip E. LaMoreaux

International geoscientists should be aware of the wide

variety of geoscience activities in the state geological surveys

in the United States. The state geologist plays an extremely

important role in communication between local, political,

and civic levels, i.e., State legislature, governors, county

commissioners, citizens, and with agencies of the federal

government with special interest in geoscience and society.

Nearly every state survey in the United States has a

newsletter that provides monthly or quarterly information on

the geoscience activities in the state as well as the interre-

lationship of projects between state and federal agencies.

The newsletters also contain interesting summary-type

research papers on activities within a state. For example,

Volume 34, Number 1, January 2007 of the North Dakota

Department of Mineral Resources Newsletter (ND DMR)

contains excellent articles on paleontology, geothermal

energy, oil and gas legal processes, hydrological studies,

lignite resources and reserves, and new publications. Sci-

entists involved in geoscience research around the world

should be aware of this great source of reference material.

The ND DMR Newsletter, under the supervision of State

Geologist Ed Murphy, can be obtained through: Editor,

DMR Newsletter, North Dakota Geological Survey, 600

East Boulevard Ave., Dept. 405, Bismarck, ND 58505-

0840, USA or via: http://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/. The

Newsletter cover photo below depicts a mural of the Cre-

taceous coastal forest habitat in North Dakota 65 million

years ago (Painting by Geoff Elson).

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Environ Geol (2007) 52:1223–1224

DOI 10.1007/s00254-007-0719-5

The International Polar Year 2007–2008

International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World

Meteorological Organization (WMO) coordinates the

International Polar Year (IPY), which involves a large

scientific program that focuses on the Arctic and the Ant-

arctic. IPY occurs at a time of much evidence of changes in

snow and ice that will have a global impact. The changes in

the large ice sheets will impact global sea level, and thus

affect low-lying areas and coastal populations. Changes in

snowfall and shrinkage of glaciers will influence water

supplies and agriculture for millions of people. Alterations

in sea ice together with increased river inputs of freshwater

will lead to major changes in ocean circulation. From

March 2007 to March 2009 hundreds of projects will

involve thousands of scientists from over 60 nations

examining a broad selection of physical, biological, and

social research topics.

A recent look at the official website http://www.ipy.org/

showed that there are 228 proposals: 166 in science and 52

in education and outreach that have been fully endorsed by

IPY. To date, the International Program Office has received

over 1,100 expressions of intent, which have been published

in an online database (see http://www.classic.ipy.org/

development/eoi/index.htm). It is possible to browse

through all these proposals, or browse through those spe-

cifically pertaining to the Arctic, or solely to the Antarctic.

Bipolar searches can also be made on a specific field.

Svalbard, Arctic, Comfortless Glacier � Anne Hormes, Alfred-

Wegener-Institute

The Elephant Foot Glacier, � Hans Oerter, Alfred-Wegener-Institute

Federal TCE review may trigger cleanup and exposure

issues

Excerpt from the Latham & Watkins Client Alert,

No. 533, August 7, 2006 (Environment, Land &

Resources Department)

On July 27, 2006, the National Research Council (NRC) of

the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a

widely-anticipated report (NAS Report) on the toxicity of

trichloroethylene (TCE).

The NAS Report was commissioned by the White

House, Department of Defense, U.S. Environmental Pro-

tection Agency (EPA), and other agencies to offer in-

dependent guidance following a controversial draft TCE

toxicity evaluation EPA issued in 2001. The NAS Report

supports EPA’s finding that TCE is a potential human

carcinogen, based on the NAS’s review of the toxicological

literature on the subject.

The main conclusion of the NAS—Report that the

weight of evidence on cancer and other health risks from

TCE exposure has strengthened since 2001—has significant

legal and policy implications.

1224 Environ Geol (2007) 52:1223–1224

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