Multihazard Simulation and Cyberinfrastructure

Abstract

The integration of multihazard simulations and remotely sensed observations is providing enormous benefits to earthquake and tsunami research. Integrating data and models through cyberinfrastructure is enabling understanding of earthquake and tsunami generation mechanisms in the Asia Pacific region and improving assessment strategies for mitigating risk. Earthquake rupture processes occur on all scales from microns to global and from sub-seconds to millions of years. Earthquakes cause damage, but also generate tsunamis, which create additional damage. Remotely sensed observations coupled with geologic field measurements and simulations contribute to our understanding of earthquake processes, which is necessary for mitigating loss of life and property from these damaging events. Remotely sensed observations play a unique role in the mitigation of natural hazards. Measurements of surface motions can be used to infer strain accumulation and transfer within interacting fault systems, as well as the mechanisms of earthquakes, which is an important input to tsunami generation models and disaster response. Remotely sensed geodetic imaging data include interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), the Global Positioning System (GPS), and other techniques such as lidar or optical imaging. Geodetic imaging can be used to understand aspects of earthquakes including the tectonic plate motions that drive earthquakes (GPS), regional and local crustal deformation associated with faults or other sources (GPS, InSAR lidar, optical), and detailed motions associated with earthquakes at a resolution of 1 Hz (GPS). The United States hosted the 8th International Symposium of the APEC Cooperation of Earthquake Simulation (ACES) October 22‐26, 2012 in Maui, Hawaii. The workshop focused on assimilation of remotely sensed observations to advance multihazards simulation. The APEC Cooperation for Earthquake Simulation (ACES) is a multilateral grand challenge science research cooperation of APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation). ACES aims to develop realistic simulation models for the complete earthquake generation process and to assimilate observations into such models. This capability provides a powerful virtual laboratory to probe earthquake behavior and the earthquake cycle. Hence, it offers a new opportunity to gain understanding of the earthquake nucleation process, precursory phenomena, and space‐time seismicity patterns needed for breakthrough advances in earthquake forecasting and hazard quantification. The project represents a grand scientific challenge because of the complexity of phenomena and range of scales from microscopic to global involved in the earthquake generation process. ACES symposia provide unique opportunities for the APEC economies to work together on the topics important for the hazard mitigation of natural disasters. This volume follows earlier PAGEOPH topical volumes based on ACES Symposia (see references below). This topical volume reflects the 4-day workshop, which consisted of plenary talks, technical sessions, working sessions, and poster sessions. It brought together an interdisciplinary set of researchers. It brings together remote sensing experts, modelers, and computer scientists. The symposium and this