International Partnership for Collaboration and Training in Earthquake Hazard Assessment and Mitigation in the Alpine-Himalayan Belt and Central Asia

正如过去几年发生的一系列高影响地震所表明的那样，今天，富裕国家和发展中国家的地震影响之间存在着鲜明的对比。就人的生命而言，风险绝大多数集中在发展中世界，而且主要集中在大陆内陆，阿尔卑斯山-喜马拉雅地区和中亚受到的威胁尤其严重。众所周知，由于过去的地震，该地区的许多社区和城市都很脆弱，但现在有相当大的受影响人口。减少这一脆弱性的第一步也是至关重要的一步是提高有关危险的知识水平和特征；这远远低于加州或日本的水平。这项任务需要有关国家的科学家参与，但将得到国际科学界现有专门知识的极大帮助，即使在当地科学基础已经雄厚的国家也是如此。(1)大陆内部的地震通常发生在分布广泛的断层上，这些断层鲜为人知，活动相对较少。相比之下，那些与海洋相邻的板块边界上的断层(如日本、智利)发生在更局部化、更为人所知、活动更频繁的断层上。(2)大陆内陆的许多人类住区集中(然后发展)在与地震发震断层有关的位置，这些断层控制着地形、供水或贸易路线。因此，增进对地震灾害的认识和理解不可避免地与大陆构造如何运作这一首要科学问题联系在一起--这是国际科学界最高级别的前沿优先事项，也需要科学界目前拥有的各种观测、理论和技术能力。因此，解决阿尔卑斯山-喜马拉雅地区和中亚地区地震灾害和地震科学所涉及的问题最好是通过国际科学家伙伴关系来解决，这有助于在每个地区或国家发挥专业知识、技术、人力和培训的适当组合。这就是这里提出的伙伴关系的要点。这项建议中的英国调查人员，主要来自COMET+*、英国地质调查局(BGS)和达勒姆大学，处于领导这一伙伴关系的独特地位，他们在几乎所有相关国家的实地或远程参与了十年或更长时间。这一建议源于非英国参与者在2011年举行的一次国际研讨会上提出的这一点，该研讨会专门讨论与提高抗震力有关的问题。该建议旨在通过资助会议、研讨会和培训活动，包括暑期学校和英国与参与国之间的青年科学家交流访问，促进伙伴关系的运作。项目的主要合作伙伴是意大利、哈萨克斯坦和中国，他们也将对成本作出重大贡献。支持成员国包括希腊、土耳其、伊朗、土库曼斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦和吉尔吉斯斯坦。其他人可能会在以后加入。其目的是使伙伴关系的好处和功能在IOF奖励的期限之后继续存在。*COMET+是国家地球观测中心国家地球观测中心的动态地球和地质灾害小组：见(http://comet.nerc.ac.uk)

As a series of high-impact earthquakes has made clear over the last few years, a stark contrast exists today between the effects of earthquakes in rich and developing nations. In terms of human life, the risk is overwhelmingly concentrated in the developing world, and predominantly in continental interiors, with the Alpine-Himalayan region and central Asia being particularly threatened. Many communities and cities in that region are known to be vulnerable because of past earthquakes, but now have considerably larger exposed populations. A first, and essential, step in reducing that vulnerability is to improve the level of knowledge and characterization of the hazard concerned; which is far below, for example, California or Japan. That task requires the engagement of scientists in the countries concerned, but would be greatly aided by the expertise available in the international scientific community, even in countries where the local scientific base is already strong.In particular, two geological effects contribute to continental Asia's special vulnerability. (1) Earthquakes in continental interiors typically occur on widely distributed faults that are poorly known and move relatively infrequently. By comparison, those on plate boundaries adjacent to oceans (such as Japan, Chile) occur on faults that are more localized, better known, and move more often. (2) Many human settlements in continental interiors concentrate (and then grow) in locations related to earthquake-generating faults, which control topography, water supply or trade routes. Improving knowledge and understanding of the earthquake hazard is therefore inescapably linked to the first-order scientific question of how continental tectonics works - a cutting-edge priority at the highest level in international science, which also requires the full range of observational, theoretical and technical capabilities now available to the scientific community. The issues involved in addressing earthquake hazard and earthquake science in the Alpine-Himalayan region and central Asia are therefore best tackled by international partnerships of scientists, which can help bring an appropriate mixture of expertise, technology, man-power and training to bear in each area or country. That is the point of the Partnership proposed here. The UK-based investigators in this proposal, principally from COMET+ *, the BGS (British Geological Survey) and Durham, are in a unique position to lead this Partnership, having been engaged on the ground or remotely in nearly all the countries concerned for a decade or more. This proposal originates from that point being made by non-UK participants at an international workshop in 2011, held specifically to address issues related to increasing resilience to earthquake hazard.This proposal is to facilitate the functioning of the Partnership through funding meetings, workshops and training activities, including a summer school and exchange visits, principally of young scientists between the UK and participating countries. The principal Project Partners, who will also contribute substantially to the costs, are Italy, Kazakhstan and China. Supporting members include Greece, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Others may join later. The intention is that the benefits and functioning of the Partnership continue well beyond the duration of the IOF award.*COMET+ is the Dynamic Earth and Geohazards Group of NERC's National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO): see (http://comet.nerc.ac.uk)