Natural Hazards

More than meets the eye: What can we learn from non-visual science

Manuela Gialanella May 7, 2026

Tracy Arm, the Alaskan fjord where a massive tsunami took place in the summer of 2025. Credits: Stephen Hicks, University College London.

Many people exhibit a strong visual orientation, as a significant portion of human neurobiology is dedicated to processing light; however, this reliance is usually as much a product of our visually-centered environments as it is our biology. Science, however, reminds us that important information can come from different senses as well: sound, smell and tactile information all have something to say ...[Read More]

A trial by fire: Can we learn how to read a burning planet?

Lucia Perez-Diaz May 5, 2026

Boreal forest fire in Canada. Credit: Stefan Doerr (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

I grew up watching my dad come home covered in soot. For most of his life, he worked as a firefighter in a natural reserve in Galicia, in northern Spain, a region of green mountains and steep terrain, almost Lord of the Rings in its landscape, but also a place where fire moves quickly and is notoriously difficult to control. Firefighting crews there are used to the fact that, to even begin work, t ...[Read More]

GeoTalk: meet Thanushika Gunatilake, researcher of earthquake impacts on geothermal energy

Simon Clark October 28, 2025

Thanushika Gunatilake

Hello Thanushika – welcome to GeoTalk! Before we delve deeper, could you introduce yourself to our readers? Thank you for having me! I’m Thanushika Gunatilake, an Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. My research connects natural and human-induced processes in the Earth’s crust; from earthquake nucleation in the central Apennines, subduction dynamics, and volcanic activity, to geoth ...[Read More]

The importance of building early warning systems from the ground up

William Veness July 23, 2025

A landslide near Medellín, Colombia on a steep and heavily weathered section of hillslope on 13 July 2022, resulting in two fatalities. Source: Imaggeo

As the Early Warnings for All (EW4ALL) initiative gathers pace with its 1st Multi-Stakeholder Forum last month in Geneva, we have welcomed a recognition by experts of the importance of tailoring early warning systems to local needs. The ambition to ensure everyone on Earth is protected by a multi-hazard early warning system by 2027 is bold and demands an urgent setup of systems around the world. D ...[Read More]