NH
Natural Hazards

Natural 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]

Mitigating Soil Erosion After Wildfires

and May 31, 2021
Mitigating Soil Erosion After Wildfires
2020 Sobral de São Miguel wildfire (Serra da Estrela, Portugal). Credit: Diana Vieira

Wildfires are a natural element in many ecosystems and play a central role in their dynamics. For example, they clear forest floors and liberate nutrients that can replenish the soil. However, changes in fire regimes induced by anthropogenic factors (such as climate change and land uses) have resulted in fire patterns that harm ecosystems [1]. Let’s see together the issues and the mitigation solut ...[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]

Diagnosing drought in northeast Brazil

and May 3, 2021
A dam, an almost empty water reservoir and a small abandoned boat
Figure 1. An almost completely dry reservoir at Quixeramobim in the state of Ceará, northeast Brazil, during the 2012-2018 drought. Photo credit: Juliana Lima Oliveira (FUNCEME), with permission.

Worldwide, drought has put lives and livelihoods under serious threat. People are increasingly suffering from drought, but we often also aggravate drought ourselves. Fortunately, solutions to drought problems are mainly in our own hands as well. Drought is not just a water problem. It is a societal problem.   Droughts: a local problem with global relevance In recent years, droughts seem to be ...[Read More]