CAREER: Data-Driven Inversion of Subduction Zone Topography using Tectonic Geomorphology

地球地形的发展影响了地表水、沉积物和营养物质向海洋的通量和路径，影响了固体地球和大气之间的反馈，影响了物种的进化和多样性。地球的地形也是构造活动的主要观察对象。例如，几乎每一个地球科学专业的学生都在学习识别深海海沟和邻近的山带，它们是主动俯冲的表面表现，在那里一个构造板块俯冲到另一个构造板块的下面。因此，原则上，我们应该能够利用俯冲带地形（或任何其他活动造山带地形）来了解其构造中涉及的潜在地球动力学过程。虽然科学家们在这个方向上取得了很大的进步，但直接从地形中恢复构造信号仍然是一个关键的挑战。本研究将通过对意大利南部卡拉布里亚俯冲带的案例研究，开发和应用新的方法来缩小这一知识差距。这项研究将阐明地形作为俯冲带动力学记录者的作用，并通过解开地壳、地幔和地表对地形变化的贡献，提高对地球动力学强迫的景观响应的理解。新的方法和结果将有助于更好地理解沿这些动态板块边界发生地震的背景。通过三管齐下的教育推广计划，该项目将让传统上代表性不足的群体参与初级研究，开发社区教育模块，并举办讲习班，培训专业人员使用所开发的科学和教育材料。本研究将通过开发和应用一种新的数据驱动的构造地貌测量和河流地形贝叶斯反演来实现板块边界尺度的古大地测量实验。这种方法将被用来检验这样一种假设，即卡拉布里亚俯冲带上方地形最近的快速上升是由地幔动力学驱动的，该动力学与板块撕裂和板块撕裂边缘周围的软流圈流动有关。这项研究将编纂现有的数据集，并生成新的数据集，包括长期侵蚀率、海洋和河流阶地隆起的规模和年龄，以及断层滑动和运动学。该项目将通过参与实地和实验室工作、数据分析、建模、外展、写作和国家会议来培养两名博士生和三名本科生。综合教育计划将侧重于三个相关组成部分：(1)本科培训网络（UTN）；(2)社区教育资源的开发；(3)有针对性的外展和培训。UTN将招收三名本科生，重点关注那些来自代表性不足群体的学生，参加一项为期多年的项目，通过参与研究和外展活动，培养下一代地球科学领域的领导者。与社会问题测量工具（GETSI）计划和科学教育研究中心（SERC）的专家合作，开发的社区教育资源将侧重于实地测量和构造地貌学技术以及研究过程中产生的数据集。将通过参加getsi赞助的外联活动和在国家会议上举办讲习班来加强所编制的科学和教育材料的外联和培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The development of Earth’s topography impacts the flux and routing of surface water, sediment, and nutrients to oceans, affects feedbacks between the solid Earth and atmosphere, and impacts the evolution and diversity of species. Earth’s topography is also a primary observable of tectonic activity. For example, nearly every Earth science student learns to identify deep ocean trenches and adjacent mountain belts as the surface expression of active subduction, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another. It follows that we should, in principle, be able to use subduction zone topography (or that of any other active orogen) to understand the underlying geodynamic processes involved in its construction. While scientists have made great strides in this direction, recovering tectonic signals directly from topography remains a crucial challenge. This research will develop and apply new methods to narrow this knowledge gap through a case study of the Calabrian subduction zone in southern Italy. This study will clarify the role of topography as a recorder of subduction zone dynamics and improve understanding of the landscape response to geodynamic forcing by disentangling crustal, mantle, and earth surface contributions to topographic change. The new methods and results will be relevant for better understanding the context of earthquake hazards along these dynamic plate boundaries. Through a three-pronged educational outreach program, this project will engage traditionally underrepresented groups in primary research, develop community education modules, and host workshops to train professionals to use the scientific and educational materials developed.This study will conduct a plate boundary-scale paleo-geodetic experiment realized through the development and application of a novel data-driven Bayesian inversion of tectonic geomorphology measurements and fluvial topography. This approach will be used to test the hypothesis that the recent and rapid rise of topography above the Calabrian subduction zone is driven by mantle dynamics associated with slab tearing and asthenospheric flow around torn slab edges. This study will compile existing and generate new datasets on long-term erosion rates, the magnitude and age of uplifted marine and river terraces, and fault slip and kinematics. This project will train two Ph.D. students and three undergraduates through participation in field and lab work, data analysis, modeling, outreach, writing, and national conferences. The integrated education plan will focus on three related components: (1) an undergraduate training network (UTN), (2) development of community educational resources, and (3) targeted outreach and training. The UTN will recruit three undergraduate students, emphasizing those from underrepresented groups, to participate in a multi-year program to foster the development of next-generation leaders in Earth science through participation in research and outreach. Working with experts at the Geodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) program and Science Education Research Center (SERC), community educational resources developed will focus on field geodesy and tectonic geomorphology techniques and datasets generated during this study. Outreach and training of the generated scientific and educational materials will be bolstered through participation in GETSI-sponsored outreach and the hosting of workshops at national conferences.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.