Chinese marine geophysicist Lin Jian elected as member of PAS

BEIJING, Dec. 13 – In December 2023, the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) announced its list of newly elected foreign academicians. Lin Jian, distinguished researcher at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, was elected for his outstanding achievements in the field of global earth sciences and his contributions to scientific and technological cooperation between China and Pakistan.

He served as the chief scientist of the IODP drilling expeditions in the South China Sea and participated in over twenty international oceanographic expeditions to the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. Additionally, he led the first China-Pakistan joint Indian Ocean expedition.

During his tenure as Deputy Director of the China-Pakistan Earth Science Research Center and head of the Marine Sub-Center, Lin has made significant contributions to the advancement of earth sciences, academic exchanges, personnel training, and the development of Pakistan’s marine industry.

In collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography Pakistan, Lin and his team developed the most accurate Mokran Trench earthquake and tsunami model to assess the seismic stress state and tsunami risk in the coastal areas of Pakistan.

For the first time, Lin’s team has developed a detailed seismic wave velocity model of the crust and upper mantle across the Mokran Trench. They have also systematically calculated key parameters such as potential wave height, invasion depth, and spatial distribution of tsunamis in Gwadar port. This work provides an important scientific foundation for local disaster prevention and mitigation.

It is reported that PAS elects no more than three foreign academicians each year. So far, it has nominated a total of 34 foreign academics, including Chinese physicist Ding Zhaozhong and chemist Bai Chunli.