This article looks at how science connects with policy to reduce disaster risks. Although the Sendai Framework says science is key, current efforts to bring together scientists and share their perspectives with other stakeholders are not as effective as they could be. We suggest three ways to improve this: include more voices, better share research, and create spaces to discuss key topics.

We highlight an important conceptual difference between the duration used in intensity-duration thresholds and the duration used in the intensity-duration-frequency curves that has been overlooked by the landslide literature so far.

On 17 August 2024, a thunderstorm in Vienna led to a record-breaking rainfall of 107 mm in two hours. An analysis of the exceptionally long hourly rain gauge time series (since 1941) estimates this event's return period at 700 years. The extremity of the event is further confirmed by neighboring weather stations and rain-radar data. Linking the return period to atmospheric temperature shows that such events might occur more often with rising temperatures.  

As climate change escalates, the Berlin-Brandenburg region faces new challenges. Climate change-induced extreme events are expected to cause new conflicts to emerge and aggravate existing ones. To guide future research, we co-develop a list of key questions on climate and water challenges in the region. Our findings highlight the need for new research approaches. We expect this list to provide a roadmap for actionable knowledge production to address climate and water challenges in the region.

Advanced 3D numerical models can simulate alpine mass movements at the slope scale, but their use in natural hazard mapping remains challenging. We present a tool that converts 3D simulation results into 2D maps, making them more accessible and useful for hazard assessment and mitigation. Applied to an ice avalanche simulated with the Material Point Method, it reveals key features such as slope-normal velocities and flow detachment from terrain, which are often overlooked in simpler models.

In volcanic fields, the location of an eruptive vent controls the hazards, their intensities, and ultimately the impact of the eruption. Estimates of where future eruptions are likely to occur inform evacuation plans, the (re)location of vital infrastructure, and the placement of early-warning monitoring equipment. Current estimates assume that locations with more past-vents are more likely to produce future-vents. We provide the formulae for an alternative hypothesis of magma depletion.

This study constructs an indicator-based composite framework and assesses urban resilience to typhoons in China's seven major river basins. The results verified the spatial heterogeneity, and the calculated resilience score in certain circumstances did not match the strength of city economy. The analysis is helpful for the government to enhance capability of comprehensive resilience in specific dimensions and provides a reference in probing resilience assessment confronting typhoon disasters.

The Mediterranean Sea has been warming rapidly since 1980, and its basic thermodynamic effect acts to boost hail in the higher-risk parts of Europe. Climate model experiments indicate the Mediterranean warming is mainly caused by rising greenhouse gases, with reduced anthropogenic aerosols contributing too. A review of research and data revealed hail losses rising at around 2 % per year over the same period. Moreover, the trajectory of anthropogenic forcings suggests hail risk will keep rising.