[OBSIPtec] SZO Workshop Report - Draft Available for Comment

[Andy Frassetto]

In response to the current energy and optimism for a major push for 
scientific advancement and risk reduction in subduction zones, the U.S. 
scientific community convened a workshop in September 2016 to discuss 
potential Subduction Zone Observatories. The community interest was 
overwhelming and 243 scientists from 21 countries were able to attend. 
Many ideas were discussed during the workshop for how best to advance 
subduction zone science in the coming decade. The scope of subduction 
zone science is extremely broad intellectually, geographically, and 
temporally, and the workshop attempted to cover this diverse range of 
perspectives.

The workshop writing committee has developed a report, “The SZ4D 
Initiative: Understanding the Processes that Underlie Subduction Zone 
Hazards in 4D”, that presents the range of views discussed at the 
workshop on the high-priority science targets, the critical gaps that 
are holding back subduction zone science, the need for interdisciplinary 
in-reach and capacity-building outreach, and the promising paths forward 
that the academic, national agency, and international communities could 
pursue in the coming years to transform subduction zone science. Taken 
together, these views lead to a vision for a new SZ4D Initiative to 
capture and model the 4D evolution of subduction zones.

The document is now available through the “Workshop Report” tab here: 
https://www.iris.edu/hq/workshops/2016/09/szo_16/

Through May 1st, public comment by any interested scientist can be input 
there as well. After that deadline, the writing committee will address 
the comments and finalize the report in early May.

Sincerely,
Jeff McGuire and Terry Plank
SZO Workshop Co-chairs