Review article: Potential of nature-based solutions to mitigate hydro-meteorological risks in sub-Saharan Africa Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-23-481-2023 17 March 2023 In sub-Saharan Africa, there is reported uptake of at least one nature-based solution (NBS) in 71 % of urban areas in the region for mitigating hydro-meteorological risks. These NBSs are implemented where risks exist but not where they are most severe. With these NBSs providing multiple ecosystem services and four out of every five NBSs creating livelihood opportunities, NBSs can help address major development challenges in the region, such as water and food insecurity and unemployment. Read more
Progress and challenges in glacial lake outburst flood research (2017–2021): a research community perspective Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-3041-2022 12 December 2022 Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have attracted increased research attention recently. In this work, we review GLOF research papers published between 2017 and 2021 and complement the analysis with research community insights gained from the 2021 GLOF conference we organized. The transdisciplinary character of the conference together with broad geographical coverage allowed us to identify progress, trends and challenges in GLOF research and outline future research needs and directions. Read more
Reliability of flood marks and practical relevance for flood hazard assessment in southwestern Germany Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-2963-2022 25 November 2022 Encouraging a systematic use of flood marks for more comprehensive flood risk management, we collected a large number of marks along the Kinzig, southwestern Germany, and tested them for plausibility and temporal continuance. Despite uncertainty, the marks appeared to be an overall consistent and practical source that may also increase flood risk awareness. A wide agreement between the current flood hazard maps and the collected flood marks moreover indicated a robust local hazard assessment. Read more
Comprehensive space–time hydrometeorological simulations for estimating very rare floods at multiple sites in a large river basin Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-2891-2022 18 November 2022 Estimating the magnitude of rare to very rare floods is a challenging task due to a lack of sufficiently long observations. The challenge is even greater in large river basins, where precipitation patterns and amounts differ considerably between individual events and floods from different parts of the basin coincide. We show that a hydrometeorological model chain can provide plausible estimates in this setting and can thus inform flood risk and safety assessments for critical infrastructure. Read more
Invited perspectives: Views of 350 natural hazard community members on key challenges in natural hazards research and the Sustainable Development Goals Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-2771-2022 11 November 2022 Here we present survey responses of 350 natural hazard community members to key challenges in natural hazards research and step changes to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Challenges identified range from technical (e.g. model development, early warning) to governance (e.g. co-production with community members). Step changes needed are equally broad; however, the majority of answers showed a need for wider stakeholder engagement, increased risk management and interdisciplinary work. Read more
Lessons from the 2018–2019 European droughts: a collective need for unifying drought risk management Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-2201-2022 19 September 2022 Recent drought events caused enormous damage in Europe. We therefore questioned the existence and effect of current drought management strategies on the actual impacts and how drought is perceived by relevant stakeholders. Over 700 participants from 28 European countries provided insights into drought hazard and impact perception and current management strategies. The study concludes with an urgent need to collectively combat drought risk via a European macro-level drought governance approach. Read more
Data-driven automated predictions of the avalanche danger level for dry-snow conditions in Switzerland Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-2031-2022 12 September 2022 A fully data-driven approach to predicting the danger level for dry-snow avalanche conditions in Switzerland was developed. Two classifiers were trained using a large database of meteorological data, snow cover simulations, and danger levels. The models performed well throughout the Swiss Alps, reaching a performance similar to the current experience-based avalanche forecasts. This approach shows the potential to be a valuable supplementary decision support tool for assessing avalanche hazard. Read more
Invited perspectives: Challenges and step changes for natural hazard – perspectives from the German Committee for Disaster Reduction (DKKV) Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-1969-2022 26 August 2022 The worldwide challenge of the present as well as the future is to navigate the global community to a sustainable and secure future. Humanity is increasingly facing multiple risks under more challenging conditions. The continuation of climate change and the ever more frequent occurrence of extreme, multi-hazard, and cascading events are interacting with increasingly complex and interconnected societies. DKKV)">Read more
Warming of 0.5 °C may cause double the economic loss and increase the population affected by floods in China Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-1577-2022 29 July 2022 The impact of extreme events is increasing with global warming. Based on future scenario data and an improved quantitative assessment model of natural-disaster risk, this study analyses the spatial and temporal patterns of floods in China at 1.5 °C and 2 °C of global warming, quantitatively assesses the socioeconomic risks posed by floods, and determines the integrated risk levels. Global warming of 1.5 °C can effectively reduce the population affected and the economic risks of floods. Read more
Multilayer modelling of waves generated by explosive subaqueous volcanism Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/nhess-22-617-2022 18 May 2022 Volcanic eruptions can produce tsunamis through multiple mechanisms. We present validation cases for a numerical method used in simulating waves caused by submarine explosions: a laboratory flume experiment and waves generated by explosions at field scale. We then demonstrate the use of the scheme for simulating analogous volcanic eruptions, illustrating the resulting wavefield. We show that this scheme models such dispersive sources more proficiently than standard tsunami models. Read more
