UNAVCO, INC

The integrated observing systems that comprise the EarthScope Facility can be used to address fundamental questions at all scales from the active nucleation zone of earthquakes, to individual faults and volcanoes, to the deformation along the plate boundary, to the structure of the continent and planet. EarthScope data will be openly available to maximize participation from the national and international scientific community and to provide ongoing educational outreach to students and the public. The intellectual merit of the EarthScope Facility is derived from its link to the support of fundamental research throughout the earth sciences. Through an ambitious data collection scheme and broad geographic coverage, the EarthScope Facility provides the observational resources to encourage cross-disciplinary investigations and stimulate the next generation of research scientists. The design and implementation plan for EarthScope was developed through extensive, decade-long engagement with the scientific and educational communities. Through numerous workshops and working groups, the research community, along with federal and state partners, defined the data and tools required for geoscience to take the next step in exploring the fundamental processes that shape the structure and evolution of our continents. Exciting results are already emerging from the analysis of new EarthScope data, confirming the enhanced resolution provided by this powerful new suite of observational tools. The broader impacts of EarthScope will be achieved through an integrated education and outreach program and applications in hazard assessment, land use, and resource management. While EarthScope is a national program, it is being operated and maintained at local levels through interactions with hundreds of universities, schools, and organizations across the nation. As EarthScope collects data and makes it available, students and the public will be introduced to key unanswered scientific questions and the role that their region or discipline plays in understanding the evolution of the North American continent and the active processes driving deformation and volcanic activity. Improved understanding of the natural environment is the first step toward improved land use, environmentally sound development, and resiliency to natural hazards. Note most obligated funds in this grant are not ARRA. The complete abstract for this award is available in Research.gov at: www.research.gov. Specific description of ARRA Amendments: Amendment 5 PBO FY08 ARRA Core Funding ($1,398,276): Without these funds PBO would not be able to retain its full support staff and implement Alaska fielded operations, as defined in UNAVCO's 2007 EarthScope O&M proposal and budget. The increment of ARRA funds allows UNAVCO to avoid (1) suspending Alaska operations through the end of the year, laying off staff, suspending helicopter operations, and deferring travel, and (2) suspending GPS and BSM operations (in the lower 48 states) and laying off staff. All travel of suspended staff would be deferred. Amendment 6 ARRA Cascadia PBO GPS High Data Rate Upgrade ($2,500,000). Upgrade Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) GPS and data communications infrastructure to accommodate high-rate (1 Hz), real time (latency < 5 sec) GPS data from the Cascadia region in the Pacific Northwest. Real time GPS data streaming will support earthquake, volcano and tsunami hazards research and the future deployment of regional early-warning systems, and will ensure maximum data recovery from PBO instruments at risk of destruction by the geophysical events they were deployed to observe.

Clarification of Codes