RCN: A Research Coordination Network for the SZ4D Initiative

GSTDTAP

项目编号	1828096
	RCN: A Research Coordination Network for the SZ4D Initiative
	Harold Tobin
主持机构	University of Washington
项目开始年	2018
	2018-09-15
项目结束日期	2021-08-31
资助机构	US-NSF
项目类别	Standard Grant
项目经费	499900(USD)
国家	美国
语种	英语
英文摘要	The plate tectonic features known as "subduction zones" produce the most devastating seismic, volcanic, and landslide hazards on the planet. They are placed where two tectonic plates collide and form most of the major volcanoes of the world such as the Cascades of the U.S. and Canada or Mt. Fuji of Japan, and subduction zones also host most of the truly giant earthquakes and tsunami that occur on Earth. Unlike other hazards such as hurricanes, nearly all damaging earthquakes and many volcanic eruptions occur without advance warning. The scientific community has identified research into the underlying processes that cause these events as a critical, high-priority future need. Emerging technologies are now providing new ways to make continuous observations in real time of the subtle changes in activity at volcanoes and earthquake faults that reveal what is going on before the disaster strikes. For example, it is now possible to monitor tiny displacements of the sea bed over the offshore faults, or measure gases emitted by volcanoes as magma moves underground. These new technologies need to be deployed in a systematic and comprehensive way that will allow researchers to transform understanding of quakes, tsunamis, eruptions, and landslides. The principal goal of this Research Coordination Network (RCN) is to organize and coordinate activity of the geologists and geophysicists who study subduction zones in order to develop the next generation of observatories and measurements. It is called SZ4D, or "subduction zones in four dimensions" because the objective is comprehensive study of the tectonic processes over three-dimensions of space in the earth and also over time (ranging from seconds during earthquakes to decades - and beyond in the geologic record). Over its three year duration, the SZ4D RCN will bring many dozens of specialists together to talk across discipline boundaries assessing the leading edge of research, devise the best next generation of studies, and develop practical plans for the implementation of a new national research infrastructure. This project is fundamentally organizational - it will not conduct new research itself, but will serve as the central coordination backbone and communication channel for hundreds of U.S. university-based researchers and their international collaborators. The work will be organized thematically into teams addressing three questions: What controls earthquake and tsunami processes along the subduction fault and other related hazardous faults? What processes govern when and how volcanoes erupt? and How are landslides and other surface hazards linked to seismic and/or longer term plate tectonic activity? The RCN's main mission is to develop, by consensus of the researchers active in studying subduction zones, an inclusive and comprehensive plan for coordinated future research. It will integrate both established scientists and early-career investigators, including advanced graduate students, and will be broadly inclusive of the scientific community. The main product, besides the positive impact of the network itself in linking scientists, will be a blueprint for a decade or more of US national effort: an SZ4D Implementation Plan. This will be provided to NSF, NASA and other agencies, as well as the research community, to guide plans for potential major new initiatives to serve science and society in coming decades. Subduction zones produce the most devastating seismic, volcanic, and landslide hazards on the planet, yet critical understanding of the basic physical and chemical processes controlling the occurrence, timing, and magnitude of earthquakes, eruptions, and landslides in these dynamic geographic settings remains sorely lacking. In recognition of the critical research need for science and society, the National Science Foundation sponsored the Subduction Zone Observatory workshop in 2016, where a vision for a new Subduction Zones Through Space and Time (SZ4D) Initiative was developed. This SZ4D Research Coordination Network (RCN) is proposed to provide that integration and turn the vision into a concrete and viable plan over a three-year, highly inclusive planning process that will engage the U.S. subduction zone research community as well as many international partners. It has two major goals: (1) To sharpen and prioritize the scientific and technical challenges for research into how earthquake & tsunami generating faults and volcanic eruptions work, with the ultimate goal of producing an SZ4D Implementation Plan. (2) To act as a central communication channel for the growing activities by multidisciplinary research teams, federal agencies, and others. We seek to define new strategies to attack problems, developing for example new seafloor and volcano observational capabilities, conducting community experiments, and planning for rapid event response. The science of subduction zone hazards is a massive effort in the geosciences today encompassing a vast array of disparate research efforts, and the SZ4D Vision Document makes it clear that there is both need and a community desire to coordinate and integrate research, technological development, and model frameworks to increase our predictive understanding of eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides. This RCN is a key step in turning this vision into a unified community plan. P.I. Tobin will lead a 15 member Steering Committee that will in turn oversee four Working Groups that will build the SZ4D Implementation Plan. The RCN will develop research community engagement and interaction through a website, e-news mailing list, and open meetings at scientific conferences. The RCN Working Groups will be organized around scientific questions including: What controls earthquake and tsunami processes along the subduction fault and other related hazardous faults? What processes govern when and how volcanoes erupt? and How are landslides and other surface hazards linked to seismic and/or longer term plate tectonic activity? Because subduction hazards occur around the globe, the RCN will engage many international partners to develop cooperative plans for field research. This RCN will coordinate the efforts of researchers across many geoscience disciplines. The network, guided by the blueprint in the SZ4D Vision document, will be open to all researchers and emphasize collaboration, consensus-building, and the participation of early-career scientists in the U.S. and internationally. When fully realized, the SZ4D vision will be the vehicle to develop an new generation of multidisciplinary geoscientists and public awareness of subduction zone processes and hazards. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/73470
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Harold Tobin.RCN: A Research Coordination Network for the SZ4D Initiative.2018.