GLIMS Update: Reprint Request (Documentational)

[kargel at hwr.arizona.edu]

Dear Colleagues,

This message is informational and documentational only.  There is no story here,
it's just a reprint request that was dealt with, but it is a reprint request
with possible significant context, which I provide, FYI and for the record.  I
wish to emphasize that this request for a reprint is just and only that.  This
request for a reprint comes from Senator Inhofe's staff office.

Just as a point of context, and not as a matter directly tied to this request, I
believe that it may be significant that the Senator has made some fairly
declarative statements pertaining to his opinions on climate-change-related
issues, and the following referenced speech earlier this year in particular
suggests that it is necessary to document today's and future dialog carefully,
just as a precaution.  Surely every human is entitled to their opinions, and it
is the duty of Senator Inhofe and his staff to be informed on important issues
(as it is our's in our area of science expertise), as they are attempting to
be.  If interested, please see:

 http://inhofe.senate.gov/pressreleases/climateupdate.htm

I would also remind the recipients of this message that there have been
allegations of coercive or intimidating measures taken against some scientists
who have dealt with climate-change issues.  I would not leap from these points
to the reprint request to any inference beyond the fact that a Senator's staff
has requested a paper, and they deserve to receive it (and have).  In fact, I
implore you not to make this leap.  However, I would urge the utmost caution in
discussions with any governing official regarding the GLIMS project.  It is just
like interactions with the media: stick to the facts and warranted implications,
stick to your knowledge, don't obscure your message, make your key handful of
points clearly in language any intelligent lay person can understand, but
definitely don't be either inflammatory or intimidated; as importantly, don't
be intimidating, and never utilize fear as a tool of communication.  As a part
of my role in monitoring media and public interest in GLIMS, I would also like
to know if you receive any comparable request for information from a high-level
governing entity, if you feel it is significant.  If there is a particularly
special oversight to be given to GLIMS, I will welcome the opportunity to make
our project's points compellingly and objectively.  However, that is a general
welcoming, not tied to this Senate staff's request for information.

I emphasize my duty, which I accepted when I joined the University of Arizona:
to pursue and disseminate the truth as I see it; and my oath when I joined the
USGS before that: To defend the Constitution of the United States, with its
guarantees regarding freedom of expression and other civil liberties.  I
consider both to be binding on my conduct, and considered together, it is
mandatory that I must disseminate the truth as I see it in the area of my
expertise.  In my view, this is every GLIMS researcher's duty, whether they are
U.S. or foreign citizens.  This is Academic Freedom at its best, but what
Academic Freedom does not permit is to remain silent on sociologically
important issues within our areas of expertise.


Sincerely,

Jeff K

> Fox, Elizabeth (EPW) wrote to Hugh Kieffer, who contacted Kargel and Raup:

> > Senator Inhofe's staff has been trying to get ahold of a copy of the
> article you published in 2000 "New eyes in the sky measure glaciers and ice
> sheets." Could you please fax a copy to 202-224-5167. Thank you
> >
> > Elizabeth Fox
> > Staff Assistant
> > Committee on Environment & Public Works
> > 202-224-6176

To which Hugh also responded:
Quoting Hugh Kieffer <hkieffer at charter.net>:

> Dear Ms. Fox:
>
> I am sorry, but I cannot locate a copy in my retired location.
> I have copied this message to two people who were co-authors
> and are still active in GLIMS; hopefully one of them can locate a copy.
> I assume that they will coordinate with each other.
>
> Alternately, that article appeared in EOS (Transactions of the American
> Geophysical Union) vol. 81, No. 24.
>   I expect that the AGU office in Washington could provide you
> with a copy.
>
> Best wishes:  Hugh

I then responded further:

----- Forwarded message from kargel at hwr.arizona.edu -----
    Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 20:26:48 -0700
    From: kargel at hwr.arizona.edu
Reply-To: kargel at hwr.arizona.edu
 Subject: Re: 2000 Article
      To: "Fox, Elizabeth (EPW)" <Elizabeth_Fox at epw.senate.gov>

Dear Ms. Fox,

Subsequent to Dr. Kieffer's retirement I became the principle investigator and
international coordinator of the GLIMS project (the topic of the article you
have requested).  I will be pleased to fax that article and will try to get it
out tonight; please let me know if it is not successfully transmitted.  I and
16 colleagues (including Dr. Kieffer, to whom your original request was
directed)have recently prepared an overview of results and current research
directions in the project.  It is a lengthy paper and it might be best to mail
a copy, if you should so request.  In any case, it is five years updated from
the 2000 article that you should soon receive.

Please offer my kind regards to the Senator, and offer as well my willingness to
interact directly, on behalf of the GLIMS project, with the Senator if he should
so request.  I note the Senator's past positions on climate-change issues, and
it could be that we could have some productive discussions if he should have
some questions or comment pertaining to the wealth of information written in
the world's ice and read by glaciologists.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeffrey S. Kargel
Department of Hydrology & Water Resources
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721

----- End forwarded message -----

Then I noted Bruce Raup's submission to Ms. Fox of scanned copy of the requested
article, and I sent one further note to Ms. Fox:

Dear Ms. Fox,

I note that one of my industrious glaciologist colleagues in GLIMS, Bruce Raup,
has already scanned and sent the requested article to you.  If you should wish
to have the updated, much longer results-oriented article I mentioned, I can
send that, too.  (It is currently "In Press" in the journal REMOTE SENSING OF
ENVIRONMENT.)

I should take this second opportunity to make an offer.  If the Senator or his
Staff should have some specific glacier-relevant climate-change-oriented
questions that I and my GLIMS group (some 92 researchers worldwide) could
address, we would be pleased to do so in writing directly to the Senator or his
Staff, and then include the dialog in an upcoming book on glaciers and GLIMS
results that is being developed at this time.

Sincerely,

Jeff Kargel







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