Natural Hazards

Wildfires in the wake of climate change

Sara Mynott May 9, 2018

The 2017 Thomas Fire in California. (Credit: Kari Greer, Forest Service / Wikimedia Commons.)

Last year saw some of the biggest blazes in history, and may be a sign of things to come. 2017 was a record year for wildfires. California and neighboring western states saw the most destructive fire in US history, with an estimated 18 billion dollars worth of damage over the season. In central Portugal, fires caused 115 deaths over the same period. Researchers presenting at a press conference at ...[Read More]

A flood of attention: extreme weather and digital media

Tim Middleton May 2, 2018

Seine river flooding near the Eiffel Tower in 2016. (Image Credit: Guilhem Vellut, Wikimedia Commons)

In June 2016, Paris was transformed. The River Seine burst its banks, submerging some of the nearby roads; floodwater lapped at the tops of street lamps and traffic lights. The event marked the the worst flooding in Paris for more than 30 years. When a flood event hits a major city, numerous researchers are keen to collect data for their work. However, Rosa Vicari, a PhD student at the the École d ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Mount Elgon, a balance between fertility and destruction

Jente Broeckx March 26, 2018

Don't be fooled by the peaceful view . Credit: Jente Broeckx (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

This colourful cropland patchwork is located on the fertile flanks of Mount Elgon, Uganda at an elevation of 2,400 metres above sea level. The extinct shield volcano, the oldest in East Africa, is mostly covered in clouds and provides an infinite flow of wonderful waterfalls. Due to the climate at this elevation, the cultivated crops experience more temperate weather conditions compared to crops m ...[Read More]

GeoTalk: How will large Icelandic eruptions affect us and our environment?

Olivia Trani March 16, 2018

Meet Anja Schmidt, the winner of a 2018 Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists, pictured here in front of Teide volcano in Tenerife, Spain. Credit: Anja Schmidt.

Geotalk is a regular feature highlighting early career researchers and their work. In this interview we speak to Anja Schmidt, an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Cambridge who draws from atmospheric science, climate modelling, and volcanology to better understand the environmental impact of volcanic eruptions. She is also the winner of a 2018 Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Ea ...[Read More]