We identified 21 spatial variables, 19 spatial indicators and four spatial indexes. Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, statistical analysis and programming languages are tools used by the scientists for the assessment of socio-economic vulnerability. We concluded that it is not sufficient to only estimate the specific level of vulnerability per unit area; it is also necessary to determine the influence of the spatial component in this degree of socio-economic vulnerability.

This paper provides infrasound data analysis, modeling and interpretation of the source characteristics of the 28 September 2018 Magnitude 7.5 Sulawesi earthquake. Epicentral ground movement by the earthquake rupture as well as the secondary shaking of nearby mountaineous topography is responsible for the strong infrasound generated. Findings allow to improve the knowledge about infrasonic and seismoacoustic source processes and the monitoring capabilities of the infrasound arrays used.

In this paper we evaluate geologic, geomorphic, and anthropogenic controls on rockfall hazard and highlight the complexity of interpreting future rockfall hazard based on former boulder distributions. To evaluate how past rockfall deposits relate to contemporary rockfall hazard, we mapped then compared the locations, physical characteristics, and lithologies of rockfall boulders deposited during the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence (n = 185) with their prehistoric counterparts (n = 1093).

To limit the losses due to floods, people can adopt measures to protect their dwellings. We assessed the cost and efficacy of such measures using computer modelling. We found that the benefits of most of the measures studied are unlikely to exceed their cost when they are taken in dwellings that are not exposed to frequent floods (probability of occurrence of less than 1/100 by year). Besides, it is often less expensive to use building materials adapted to floods than other common materials.

In 1876, 1910 and 2005, Switzerland was impacted by extreme rainfall and floods. All events were linked to a Vb cyclone. We test a range of weather model setups (short spin-up and standard physics are best) to understand the sensitivity of atmospheric dynamics. The simulated Vb cyclones are (not) well defined for 2005 and 1910 (1876). To reproduce the events, intense moisture flux from the right direction is needed. Storms that slightly deviate from an ideal path produce erroneous precipitation.

Very often hazardous sea waves approach to the coast having irregular structure. They should be characterized by the statistical characteristics. They are found here within analytical theory of shallow-water wave runup on a beach without breaking. Obtained distribution functions can be used for estimates of the flooding zone characteristics in marine natural hazards.

In this investigation we study the effects of high sediment concentrations on the dynamics of flash floods in mountain regions, with an application to a river in the Andes that has produced catastrophic events in the city of Santiago, Chile. We develop an advanced computational model to understand the effects of floods with high sediment loads on steep channels. These new insights can be used to design early warning systems and contribute to urban planning in cities near mountain rivers.

This paper exploited the advantages of smartphone location data to study the human responses to rainstorm disasters. Intense rainstorms disrupt city residents’ behaviors as reflected in anomalies of location-based service request. Anomaly identification from fine-scale smartphone location data facilitates monitoring social responses to rainstorms. Resident’s collective geo-tagged behaviors in different cities show different sensitivities to rainstorms.

The North Atlantic coast of Morocco has been historically affected by marine submersion events resulting from storms or tsunamis and causing economic losses and human fatalities. To establish adaptation and mitigation strategies, it is essential to study these events in terms of spatial and temporal variability. Using a geological archive (sediment core) retrieved from this coastal area of Morocco, we present a reconstruction of past marine submersion events over the last 4000 years.

Landslide occurs when the safety factor (SF), defined as ratio of shear strength and acting force less than 1. Those parameters are influenced by soil properties. We found that many civil laboratories have this information. We are curious if we can identify landslide prone area using soil properties. This study is initial phase of our entire study to develop translational landslide model which will be useful to map landslide prone area based on on its safety factor.

This study proposes a system for the scientific selection of evaluation indices and priority areas for non-point source control. We developed a framework to prioritize catchments in terms of the risk of non-point source pollution considering the characteristics of polluted runoff from a non-point source using a multi-criteria decision-making method.

Desertification is influenced by different factors that relate to climate, natural resources and human pressure. In south-east Vietnam nearly 15 % of the area is desertified and another 35 % is at severe risk. With climate change and population growth the desertified area is projected to increase with 122 % towards 2050. We developed a framework that allows for decision support in a what-if structure, and that can be extended to regions that experience similar sensitivities.

Owing to their material, personnel and time-saving characteristics, sandbag replacement systems (SBRS) can make an essential contribution to flood protection. In order to foster confidence in the systems, systematic test set-ups were carried out with the focus on functionality, stability and handling of SBRS. Experience from the tests shows that SBRS have the potential to make flood protection more efficient than the use of sandbags alone.

In fictitious realistic scenarios, the use of sandbag and sandbag replacement systems for flood defence is compared in terms of costs, time, helpers and logistics. The use of mostly reusable sandbag replacement systems (SBRS) entails higher investment costs and lower costs for helpers and logistics. All of the SBRS considered clearly show time saving and logistical advantages. Under the assumed conditions, the higher investment costs of the SBRS are already amortised with one subsequent reuse.

We demonstrate a method of tsunami risk assessment for two buildings using copulas of tsunami hazards that can consider the nonlinear spatial correlation of wave heights. As a result, the maximum value of expected aggregate damage probability was approximately 3.0 % higher in the case of considering the wave height correlation. We clearly showed the importance of considering wave height correlation and the usefulness of copula modeling in evaluating tsunami risk of building portfolio.

Tropical cyclones wind models are often used in engineering applications. However, these models lack the required accuracy when the size of the tropical cyclone is not known. In this paper, new relationships are derived to describe parameters affecting the size. These relationships are formulated using observed data and make it possible to estimate tropical cyclones size and to use this information in tropical cyclone wind models to get more reliable estimates of the tropical cyclone winds.

In operational flood risk management, the best-model is used to assess the impact of flooding, which might misrepresent uncertainties in the modelling process. This study uses the quantified uncertainties in flood forecasting to generate flood hazards maps that were combined based on exceedance probability scenarios. The purpose is to differentiate the impact of flooding depending on the building use, which plays a significant role in flood impact assessment, spatial planning and early warning.

This work examines relationships between coastal hazard, exposure, and vulnerability to describe trajectories of risk at the county scale along the US Atlantic Coast over the past five decades. Our findings suggest that modelling efforts to predict future coastal risk need to address feedbacks between hazard, exposure, and vulnerability to capture emergent patterns of risk in space and time.

The Amazon rainforest is being destroyed, resulting in negative ecological and social impacts. We explore how stakeholders perceive the causes of the Amazon’s degradation in Bolivia and Brazil and develop a series of scenarios to help strengthen the balance between human development and environmental conservation. The results suggest that the application of governance and well-integrated technical and social reform strategies encourage positive regional changes even under climate change.

With the aim of improving resilience to flooding, this paper presents a methodology to create a wide database of hypothetical levee-breach scenarios obtained from 2D numerical modelling. The results can support civil protection activities during emergency planning and management, increasing preparedness against floods. The methodology is applicable to any lowland area protected by river levees. An example of the outcome concerning a pilot area in Northern Italy is here presented.

This paper summarizes and classifies the accumulated landslide of Wenchuan earthquake disaster, and puts forward a classification method that takes into account the topography, movement speed, and material, which is helpful to the prevention and control of similar geological disasters in strong earthquake areas.

Climate change is likely to affect the different factors driving dam failure risks. This article analyses the impact of climate change on the safety of a Spanish dam. Results show a progressive deterioration of the dam failure risk, mainly due to an alteration of the hydrological regime. The approach followed in this paper can serve as a useful guidebook for dam owners and dam safety practitioners in the analysis of other study cases.

For the first time we explore the influence of environmental conditions (wave and weather conditions, tide elevation, beach morphology) on surf zone injuries (e.g. drowning incident, spine injuries). Serious injuries are caused by the two primary hazards found along high-energy surf beaches: shore-break waves and narrow seaward flowing rip currents, which have different environmental controls. Results have strong implications towards future beach safety management and education of beach users.

The work represents one of the first attempt to extract damaged buildings through the fusion of three types of data with different features at the scale of object. It addresses multivariate regression methodologies, and discusses the potentials of different features for application in this field of damage detection.

Wildfires result in billions of dollars of losses each year. Most wildfire predictions have a 10-day lead time prediction of wildfires. This study introduces a framework for 1-month lead time prediction of wildfires based on Vapor Pressure Deficit and Surface Soil Moisture in the US. The results show that the model can successfully predict burned area with relatively small margins of error. This is especially important for the operational wildfire management such as national resource allocation.

We present a methodology for mapping faults that constitute far-field (ground motion) and near-field (surface rupture) hazard to structures, particularly for vulnerable facilities. For categorising faults, the criteria is adjusted to local tectonic characteristics, combining data of geological maps, instrumental seismicity, geodesy and past earthquakes. Our results adhere to international standards of hazard assessment for nuclear power plants, and improves the regional tectonic understanding.

This study examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of nighttime satellite-derived human settlement in response to different levels of hurricane proneness in a period of 1992–2013. It confirms the Snow Belt-to-Sun Belt U.S population shift trend. The results also suggest that hurricane-exposed human settlement has grown in extent and area with more hurricane-exposure has experienced larger increase rate in settlement intensity.

The accuracy of tsunami hazard assessments is highly dependent on the reliability of earthquake source models. In this study, we combine the most updated geological and geophysical data of the Manila subduction zone to propose a series of possible rupture scenarios. These rupture models facilitate an improved understanding of the potential tsunami hazard in the South China Sea. The results highlight the grave consequences faced by the SCS, one of the world’s most densely populated coastlines.

We used the RUSLE model and geographical detector method to evaluate and identify the dominant factors and variability in the Yellow River basin. We found that in the period of low rainfall and vegetation coverage, the interaction of rainfall and slope can enhance their impact on the distribution of soil erosion, while the combination of vegetation and slope was the dominant interacting factor in other periods, and the dominant driving factors of soil erosion variability were rainfall.

During severe thunderstorms, cold outflows can eject pollen and dust particles from the surface, releasing allergens and causing Thunderstorm Asthma epidemics in sensitive populations. We report the first case in Israel on October 25th 2015. The ER admission records from three hospitals showed clear increase in patients with respiratory complaints. Such public-health events associated with thunderstorms will be affected by population growth, urbanization and climate change.

This article aims to provide a critical review of the literature and to indicate some directions for future research based on the current knowledge gaps in the area of Nature-Based Solutions for hydro-meteorological risk reduction. The review process started by analysing 1381 articles sourced from Scopus from 2007 onwards. The final full analysis was performed on 159 closely related articles.

A new combined drought indicator (CDI) is proposed that integrates rainfall, soil moisture and vegetation dynamics. The performance of this indicator was evaluated against crop damage data from agricultural insurance schemes in 5 different areas in SW Spain. Results show that this indicator was able to predict important droughts in 2004–2005 and 2011–2012, marked by crop damage of between 70 and 95 % of the total insured area. This opens important applications for improving insurance schemes.

This work represents the extension of a previous investigation on the 1783 lethal landslide-tsunami, provoking more than 1,500 casualties in the coastal town of Scilla. The effects of the tsunami are here assessed on a wider domain, and compared with the available observations from historical reports. The eastern end of Sicily, named Capo Peloro, is the most affected site in the far-field. A tentative reconstruction of the coeval topography of the area is also realized, with interesting results.

The relationship between geomorphic evolution and landslides distribution can reveal the landslides distribution characteristics of tributaries, 81 tributaries and 908 landslides are taken, it is found that the LD increases exponentially with EI and the LA_p is concentrated in EI between 0.5 and 0.6, it means that sufficient material for debris flows can be provided, which explains the reason that JJG has the debris flow of high frequency.