NH
Natural Hazards

Landslide hazard

Lessons learnt, and to be learnt from the Uttarakhand, Himalaya 2021 catastrophic event.

June 14, 2021
Lessons learnt, and to be learnt from the Uttarakhand, Himalaya 2021 catastrophic event.
Google Earth image showing the location of the Ronti peak glacier, source of the 7th February 2021 landslide-induced flooding event, in Uttarakhand, western Himalaya, India

Rising global temperature and melting of glaciers in the Himalaya are changing the Himalayan cryospheric dynamics and causing a dramatic increase in the frequency and magnitude of the natural and anthropogenic hazards. One such example was the 7th February 2021 Uttarakhand landslide-induced floods, which killed almost 200 people and washed away two hydropower dams, amidst when India was dealing wi ...[Read More]

LANDAWARE: the international network on landslide early warning systems

May 17, 2021
LANDAWARE: the international network on landslide early warning systems

For today’s interview, it gives me great pleasure to host Dr Manfred Stähli, who will tell us about a new initiative in the field of Landslide Early Warning Systems (LEWS), which is attracting the attention and participation of researchers from many countries. This initiative is called LandAware. Manfred is a senior scientist in mountain hydrology, slope stability and early warning systems a ...[Read More]

From caves explorer to landslides scientist: Fausto Guzzetti 2021 Soloviev Medal

March 8, 2021
From caves explorer to landslides scientist: Fausto Guzzetti 2021 Soloviev Medal
The photograph shows a rockfall that occurred near Valtopina, Umbria, Central Italy, on an unknown date. Photo Credit: Fausto Guzzetti (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Dr Fausto Guzzetti, current Research Director of the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy, has been awarded the 2021 Sergey Soloviev Medal for “his fundamental contributions to the field of natural hazards and his remarkable efforts to link the scientific community and civil protection authorities to mitigate risk for exposed populations”. From his passion for mountains and caves and his “hope ...[Read More]

2020: The escalation of extreme rainfall events in Brazil

February 22, 2021
2020: The escalation of extreme rainfall events in Brazil
Figure 1. A localized typical summer rainfall near the Serra do Mar in the region of Baixada Santista. Photo credit: Marcelo Fischer Gramani, with permission.

In summer 2020, extreme rainfall events dumped up to 320 mm of rain in a single day in the Baixada Santista metropolitan region, São Paulo state, breaking Brazil’s record for the biggest rainfall in a single event and demonstrating one of the greatest threats of climate change. The damage caused by the associated landslides led to dozens of fatalities and hundreds of homeless people, as well ...[Read More]