Isotope Interest Group Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 01:16:22 -0500 To: "E - All WRD Employees" From: "William M Alley, Chief, OGW, Reston, VA" (Bill Alley) Subject: Isotope Interest Group From: William M. Alley Chief, Office of Ground Water David A. Rickert Chief, Office of Water Quality Thomas H. Yorke, Jr. Chief, Office of Surface Water Subject: Isotope Interest Group This memo announces the formation of a USGS Interest Group focusing on applications of isotopes for understanding geological, hydrological, and biogeochemical processes. It is being distributed within both the Water Resources and Geologic Divisions. ISOTOPE INTEREST GROUP OBJECTIVES: 1) Increase the awareness of isotope applications in the USGS. 2) Enhance communication among isotope geochemists and other scientists who use isotopes in interpretive studies. 3) Facilitate the sharing of information and expertise among USGS scientists. MEMBERSHIP: Any USGS employee interested in isotopes. HOW TO JOIN: Send email to ckendall@usgs.gov, with the information below. We are also asking for keywords that describe your particular isotope interests (e.g., sources of nitrate, age-dating waters, mineral deposits, paleoclimatology, etc.). name: email address: postal address: phone number: fax number: keywords describing your particular interests: what you foresee contributing to the group: suggestions: NOTE: Your suggestions as to the type of isotope interest group you would like to have are very welcome. INITIAL INTEREST GROUP ACTIVITIES: 1) Compile email distribution list The information you provide when you join will be used to make an Isotope Interest Group email distribution list for posting items of general interest on a regular basis. 2) Establish interest group email address An Isotope Interest Group email address will be established that will serve as a clearinghouse for questions, answers, comments, and ideas related to isotopes. An ad-hoc scientific advisory group will decide how to handle incoming messages to the clearinghouse address. The advisory group will post short submissions and synopses of longer notes (as appropriate), and will redirect very specific questions to individual experts and then later post the question and answer together to the distribution list. POTENTIAL FUTURE INTEREST GROUP ACTIVITIES: 1) Maintain a USGS-only set of WWW pages. The Isotope Interest Group web pages might include: A) all messages posted to the distribution list by the clearinghouse committee, B) the complete text of notes that were too long to distribute to the group and were posted only as brief summaries, C) the membership directory, searchable by keywords, D) links to other pages of interest, and E) lists of meetings and recent publications of interest. 2) Host a workshop to exchange ideas. The purpose of the first workshop would likely be to bring interested isotope geochemists from all parts of the Survey together to allow for an exchange of ideas and information on the subject. Such an exchange would not only define the current state-of-the-art within the USGS but serve as a guide to the future. Participation could also include those who use isotopes in interpretive studies. 3) Distribute electronic newsletter To inform the group and others in the Survey of particular items of interest, an electronic newsletter could be distributed. A newsletter would highlight new information and point to the web pages containing additional details. Distribution would be irregular, prompted by the need to make others aware of specific topics. 4) Compose guide to isotopes Create a guide to isotopes on the Isotope Interest Group homepage. This is envisioned as a periodic table with "hot links" for each element that will offer more information on such topics as: types of applications in environmental studies, sample collection methods, listings of USGS and outside experts, relevant publications, sources for analyses, analytical costs, other techniques that can be applied, etc. SEND YOUR MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION IN TODAY.