In the HyMeX framework, an intercomparison study of two different configurations of the ISPRA hydro-meteo-marine forecasting system (SIMM) has been performed to assess the forecast skill in predicting high precipitations and very intense storm surges over the northern Adriatic Sea (acqua alta). The results show an objective added value of the use of high-resolution meteorological models, and they suggest the opportunity to develop a time-lagged multi-model ensemble for the acqua alta prediction.

Mountain roads in developing countries often increase landslide occurrence. In this study, landslide initiation frequency along interurban highways was investigated in the Ecuadorian Andes across different climates. Using statistical models, landslides were found to be about 20 times more likely to occur in close proximity to highways compared to areas in 200m distance from highways while accounting for other environmental factors. Road effects appear to be enhanced in some geological units.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans’ hurricane protection was improved to withstand a 1/100 per year hurricane. This paper quantifies the risk to life in post-Katrina New Orleans. When compared to risks of other large-scale engineering systems (e.g. other flood prone areas, dams and the nuclear sector) and acceptable risk criteria, results indicate the risk to life is significant. Results and methods of this study can inform future flood protection management and risk communication.

In recent years, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in civilian/commercial contexts is becoming increasingly common, also for the applications concerning the anthropic and natural disasters. In this paper, we present the first results of a research project aimed at defining a possible methodology for the use of micro-UAVs in emergency scenarios relevant to rockfall phenomena.

In this study, we discuss the development of global stochastic search algorithms to enhance the accuracy of tsunami waveform inversion. Such methods are utilized to search for an optimum spatial distribution of unit sources prior to the inversion. The optimized location of unit sources possessing random characteristics facilitate the traditional least squares inversion to produce a more precise approximation of the sea surface deformation.