New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences - New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences - page 41

volcanic processes are also relevant to basic research on dynamic phenomena, especially as
interactions between dynamical systems even at long ranges are now being broadly
recognized.
Natural Laboratory Strategy
Research on faulting and deformation processes can be conducted over a wide
range of efforts, spanning single-investigator theory and laboratory efforts to
integrated field activities. It is essential to sustain the former, while the latter has
become the focus of large-scale community efforts and NSF programs, exemplified
by the SCEC, the Margins and Ridge initiatives, Continental Dynamics projects, and
Earthscope. For the next decade several regions have been identified by GeoPRISMS
as important natural field laboratories for coordinated efforts; these include Alaska
and Cascadia, along with North Island, New Zealand. All of these present
opportunities for increased involvement of EAR over the previous Margins program.
The Alaskan subduction zone provides a second natural laboratory to study
fault zone processes. This zone is complex, with significant variations in geometry
and locking and more frequent magnitude 7 to 8 earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
than Cascadia (see Box 2.5). There is an existing GPS network (~150 stations) in
Alaska, maintained by the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO). The committee
anticipates two significant and complementary research and instrumentation efforts in
Alaska in the next decade. First, the EarthScope Transportable Array will arrive in
Alaska in 2014 if the next phase of EarthScope operations is sustained, extensively
increasing the on-land seismic network, which has been sparse relative to the huge
tectonically active domain. Second, GeoPRISMS recently announced that the
Alaskan subduction zone will be one of its primary scientific targets, which means
that offshore seismic sensors will likely become available. The combination of
seismic and geodetic instrumentation and the synergism with GeoPRISMS science
objectives will allow unprecedented opportunities for fault zone earthquake and
deformation studies. EAR collaboration with the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences
(OCE) could ensure optimal usage of the scientific data collected in Alaska.
While natural laboratories in Cascadia, Alaska, and New Zealand present
excellent opportunities for research on faulting processes, it is desirable to pursue an
ultimate goal of instrumenting all accessible fault zones. Progress can be made by
taking advantage of interdisciplinary collaborations. For example, EAR is co-
sponsoring the installment of a 50-station GPS network in the Caribbean. 2 EAR's
goals for this effort are to assess seismic hazards in the region. The NSF Division of
Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) is co-funding the network because the
same GPS data can be used to help atmospheric scientists predict the intensification
and direction of tropical storms and hurricanes. In addition to partnering within GEO
and with other NSF directorates, EAR can continue collaborations to maintain
networks with other government agencies that use seismic (USGS, DOE) and
geodetic instrumentation (NASA, NOAA). Innovative uses of existing networks and
2 See www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?org=NSF&cntn_id=117808&preview=false.