Singapore's S$150m observatory aims to study natural disasters better

Channel NewsAsia 28 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE: A research centre called the Earth Observatory of Singapore will be set up to study more about natural disasters in the region.

The observatory, located at Nanyang Technological University, has received funding of S$217 million over the next ten years.

It will focus its research on natural disasters such as tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and climate change.

NTU President, Dr Su Guaning said initial research programmes include refining tsunami forecasts for western Sumatra and analysing the impact of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on the Southeast Asia region.

A database of earthquake faults in Southeast Asia is also planned.

Dr Su Guaning said the benefits of the observatory in the coming years are the modelling and forecasting of possible damage from natural disasters.

While Singapore has been free of such natural disasters, it is surrounded by neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, which lies in the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ – an area where such calamities happen frequently.

Professor Kerry Sieh who heads the observatory believes that this facility will bring the scientific community closer to society.

Professor Sieh hopes that more scientific work can be turned into workable ideas to help mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

The centre is expected to be ready in the first quarter of next year but research will begin later this year. - CNA/vm

$150m to better understand natural disasters
Sheralyn Tay, Today Online 29 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE may not be disaster-prone, but that does not mean we are spared when a natural calamity hits our neighbours.

The occasional tremors that have sent Shenton Way workers scurrying down the stairs from their high-rise offices in recent years, have not been forgotten.

Plus the fact that Singapore is located in a region of tumultuous volcanic activities and geological fault lines; it is not surprising that the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education have granted $150 million for a Research Centre of Excellence dedicated to earth sciences.

This makes the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), based at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), one of the most well-funded research facilities of its kind in the world.

Led by a "dream team" of three world-renowned scientists, Professors Kerry Sieh, Paul Tapponier and Chris Newhall, the EOS will propel Singapore to the forefront of earth sciences, said NTU president Su Guaning.

Headed by Prof Sieh, who hails from the prestigious California Institute of Technology, the centre will focus on the big four of the region's natural disasters: Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and climate change.

And with the greatest "earthquake experiment" happening right now in Sumatra, the present offers an "unparalleled" chance for its study, said Prof Sieh.

While earthquake occurrences tend to be uncommon, we are in the middle of a "flurry" of them as we witness a cycle that occurs about once every 200 years, he said.

"There is no better place to be right now to study earthquakes than Singapore because it is happening in our own backyard."

And while Singapore is relatively safe from volcanic and tectonic activity, it will still be affected by regional disasters, said Prof Sieh, pointing to the 2004 Boxing Day tremblor that unleashed devastating tsunamis.

"We do not usually worry about things that happen once every 200 years, but it is these things that can kill a quarter of a million people in Aceh, so we have to understand these things as we emerge from 10,000 years of stable climate and head into unstable climate."

The EOS will not only be critical in understanding these geographical changes but also predicting them with more lead time, so that, most importantly, this knowledge and data can be translated into political, economic and social action that saves lives and livelihoods.

So far, warnings for earthquake and volcano eruptions have been ad hoc, but better long-term predictions will pave the way for much better responses, said Prof Sieh, as policy-makers can factor these issues into urban planning and formulating emergency systems.

A few projects have been identified in the pipeline. One seeks to refine tsunami forecasting in Western Sumatra and the South China Sea, and another will evaluate the impact of the future Sumatran earthquakes on Singapore and the region.

The data EOS collects will also be useful in studying the impact of earthquakes on our buildings in a more integrated way and help narrow the gaps in current prediction models, explained Prof Pan Tso-Chien, dean of NTU's college of Engineering.

With the "powerful faculty", Prof Pan is optimistic that the EOS would, in time, draw "like a magnet" more junior faculty and bright students, to build a stellar research hub for earth sciences.

According to Dr Su, the EOS may start a graduate programme from late-2009, and possibly an undergraduate programme in two to three years.

New earth sciences lab to study natural disasters
Located at NTU, it will research earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and climate change
Tania Tan, Straits Times 29 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE is an island of tranquillity in the middle of one of the most volatile earthquake zones in the world: South-east Asia.

Now, researchers are hoping to use the country's prime location to study the effects of tremors and other natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and climate change at the new Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS).

The centre, set to begin operations in August, will focus its research on 'serious environmental challenges', said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

'These are issues which affect Singapore,' said Mr Lee. 'We are in South-east Asia - far away from the earthquake zone but, at the same time, in the middle of an earthquake zone which surrounds us and with volcanoes also along the rim of the plate.

'It is important for us to understand what can happen, and how it can affect us.'

He was speaking at the Pan Pacific Hotel yesterday at the third Research Innovation and Enterprise Council meeting.

Located at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the observatory will cost about $287 million over 10 years. Construction of the EOS laboratories will begin later this year.

Half of the funds will come from the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education, making EOS the first 'well-funded' research institute of its kind, said founding director Professor Kerry Sieh.

As one of the world's leading geologists, Prof Sieh has spent the last five years studying earthquakes in Indonesia. He also successfully predicted the 2005 earthquake in Sumatra.

'South-east Asia is the best place in the world for an earthquake experiment,' said Prof Sieh. 'There is no other place in the world with such a high frequency of earthquakes.'

The 57-year-old professor will make a permanent move here from the California Institute of Technology in August.

Joining him are Professor Paul Tapponnier and Professor Chris Newhall, experts in the fields of earthquakes and vulcanism respectively.

A Frenchman, Prof Tapponnier discovered the great active geological faults of Tibet early in his career and their effect on India and Asia.

Currently based in the Philippines, Prof Newhall invented a scale for volcanic eruptions, similar to the Richter scale used to measure earthquakes.

'We've got ourselves a dream team of scientists,' said NTU president Su Guaning.

It is a team which Prof Sieh hopes to expand; at full strength, the centre will have about 20 faculty staff, including climate change specialists.

Among the centre's early projects are studies on the impact of earthquakes on places in the region, including Hong Kong and Singapore.

'We hope to do good research, and from there help our neighbours be better equipped,' said Prof Sieh.

And though the centre is a step away from the usual research drives - namely medicine, green technology and information technology - it represents an invaluable addition to Singapore's, said Dr Su.

'The economic benefits of this centre are not immediately obvious,' conceded Dr Su. 'But it'll be a boost to our reputation, which is something money cannot buy.'