All 1,120 sessions and 13,023 abstracts for 2006 Fall Meeting have been posted on the AGU web site. (Both figures represent an increase of more than 15 percent over 2005 Fall Meeting.)

This year, oral sessions will be evenly split between Level 3 of Moscone West (MCW) and the mezzanine level of Moscone South (MCS), a half-block to the east on Howard Street, between Third and Fourth Streets. All poster sessions will be on Levels 1 and 2 of Moscone West. Some special events will take place at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Fourth and Mission Streets, one short block north of Moscone West.

The 13,023 Fall Meeting abstracts may be accessed by a search tool: http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06/waisfm06adv.html.

Reporters and public information officers may search for abstracts of particular interest to them, by looking up any the following parameters on the search tool linked above:

• Name of a scientist
• Email domain (e.g., @mit.edu)
• Name of an institution (e.g., university, government agency)
• Geographic location (e.g., city, state, province, or country)
• Topic (e.g., volcano, Cassini, aerosol)

Up to three search parameters may be combined (e.g., presentations on tsunamis by NOAA scientists based in Hawaii). Full instructions are available from the search page.

Hint: In searching for abstracts from an institution, it is often more effective to search by email address than by the name of the institution. The latter may be written in different ways by various authors (e.g., UCLA; University of California, Los Angeles; Univ. of Cal. at Los Angeles; etc.), but all of their email addresses will presumably include "ucla." The search category "Affiliation" covers names of institutions and their locations. Email domains may be found by searching under "E-mail."

The CD of abstracts for this meeting will be available in the Press Room, as will the Program Book, whose contents are also on the CD. There will not be a printed volume of abstracts distributed at this or future AGU meetings.

The names, numerical designations, dates, times, and room numbers of all 1,120 sessions may be seen at: http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06/?content=program&show=glance.

Many sessions are sponsored jointly by two or more Sections, and Union sessions generally have the most interdisciplinary appeal. By clicking on the name of a Section (e.g., Planetary Science, Seismology), all of the sessions under that Section’s auspices will be displayed. Clicking on any of these sessions will open a list of oral presentations or posters associated with that session. Clicking on the name of a particular presentation will open its abstract, including name and contact information for the authors.

Thursday, 14 December
1230h–1330h
San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Fourth and Mission Streets, Salon 8
Session U42D

Former Vice President Al Gore will speak on “Climate Change: The Role of Science and the Media in Policymaking” at a special Union lecture open to all Fall Meeting registrants. This talk will focus on effective use of scientific understanding in the policy-making process. (It is not the lecture underlying Mr. Gore’s recent film.) Although Mr. Gore’s schedule does not allow time for a press conference, reporters are welcome to ask questions in the Q&A period following the talk. We will not schedule any press conferences in this time slot.

The program for the field trip is nearly finalized and will be provided in the next media advisory.

We are currently running a wait list for this event, but if you are interested in participating, please do let us know via email or the News Media Registration Form. In previous years, most wait-listed registrants who showed up prior to departure time have been accommodated, due to last minute cancellations and no-shows.

The Northern California Science Writers Association (NCSWA) will hold its annual holiday dinner on Wednesday, 13 December, and Fall Meeting News Media registrants from afar are invited to join their local colleagues. The program for the event will be provided in our next advisory, which will carry details of time, venue, and cost.

Please note that the deadline for booking hotel rooms at preferential meeting rates is 6 November.

For full information on available hotels, rates, amenities, and a clear map of the area, see http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06/?content=travel.

News Media registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room and Briefing Room. No one will be allowed into the Moscone West Exhibition Hall (Level 1) or up the escalators or elevator to Levels 2 and 3 without a badge.

Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:

• Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of a recognized publication.
• Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of NASW, CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ; or evidence of by-lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2005 or 2006; or a letter from the editor of a recognized publication assigning you to cover Fall Meeting.
• Public information officers of scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies: must present a business card.

Note: Representatives of publishing houses, for-profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees, regardless of possession of any of the above documents. They are not accredited as News Media at the meeting.

Scientists who are also reporters and who are presenting at this meeting (oral or poster session) may receive News Media credentials if they qualify (see above), but must also register for the meeting and pay the appropriate fee as a presenter.

The News Media Registration Form is set up for online submission, but includes a link to a version that can be printed out and faxed or mailed. Go to: http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06/?content=media&show=pressReg_online.

The last day for advance News Media registration, assuring that your badge will be waiting for you when you arrive, is Friday, 1 December 2006. You may also register onsite.

This year, we are posting the Who’s Coming list online. It is updated daily and may be seen at http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06/?content=media.