http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/landslides/ Landslides and mudslides. Learn about landslide history, hazards, research, predictions and building practices to minimize risks. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/landslides/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153635.htm An Israeli researcher's "hyperspectral remote sensor" combines sophisticated sensors in orbit with sensors on the ground and in the air to give advance warnings about contamination, pollution and weather disasters. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929181810.htm Researchers and developers have established the first Bahamian project that employs on-site environmental scientists to guide the construction of a sustainable development called the Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club. This case study documents best practices and construction impacts, especially on the marine environment. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929181810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831213002.htm Research suggests that the expansion of rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) in Southern Appalachian mountain hollows may increase the likelihood of landslides during and after intense rain events. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831213002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623090358.htm Scientists have shown that using mud from waste water treatment plants as a partial alternative fuel can enable cement factories to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and comply with the Kyoto Protocol, as well as posing no risk to human health and being profitable. These are the results of an environmental impact assessment. Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623090358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200630.htm An international team of scientists warns that accelerating losses of seagrasses across the globe threaten the immediate health and long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The team has compiled and analyzed the first comprehensive global assessment of seagrass observations and found that 58 percent of world's seagrass meadows are currently declining. Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618124956.htm Aquatic ecologists say this year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" could be one of the largest on record, continuing a decades-long trend that threatens the health of a half-billion-dollar fishery. Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618124956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506121206.htm The desert lands of Abu Dhabi are subjected to various land degradation stresses, including wind erosion, salinization, waterlogging, landfilling and overgrazing. Sustaining these lands has become an urgent matter, a recent article in Soil Survey Horizons suggests better conservation strategies and management options. Tue, 12 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506121206.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080357.htm Up to 30,000 residents and tourists could be under threat from a newly discovered tsunami risk in the Caribbean, according to experts in disaster risk management. The heavily populated coast of Guadeloupe will have little warning if a tsunami is triggered by the collapse of a volcano on the nearby island of Dominica. Geologists have discovered that a flank of the volcano Morne aux Diables ("Devils' Peak") shows signs of collapse and if so, a million-ton chunk of rock could crash into the sea, producing tsunami waves up to almost 3 metres (10 feet) high. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143744.htm In 2008, residents of Hispaniola experienced one of their worst hurricane seasons in recent memory. Hispaniola, the Caribbean island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is located directly within the hurricane belt, and was pummeled by five tropical cyclones last year: Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, and low over the Dominican Republic on Sept. 24 what would become Kyle after moving north. More than 800 people were reported dead or missing from these storms. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090320092249.htm A new study attempts for the first time to measure the extent and severity of land degradation across the globe and concludes that 24% of the land area is degrading -- often in very productive areas. Land degradation -- the decline in the quality of soil, water and vegetation -- is of profound importance but until now there have been no consistent global data by which to assess its extent and severity. Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090320092249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302183250.htm Mudslides that followed the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan, China earthquake may cause a carbon-dioxide release in upcoming decades equivalent to two percent of current annual global carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion, a new study shows. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302183250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219141533.htm Protecting drinking water and preventing harmful coastal "dead zones," as well as eutrophication in many lakes, will require reducing both nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219141533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090131123819.htm Grass filter strips placed in riparian zones not only curb soil erosion, but can help block and degrade the widely used herbicide atrazine, scientists report. Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090131123819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127094040.htm New hazard maps for Northern California delineate the probability of earthquake-induced liquefaction, based on three scenarios: A magnitude 7.8 on the San Andreas Fault comparable to the 1906 event, a magnitude 6.7 on the Hayward Fault comparable to the 1868 event and a magnitude 6.9 on the Calavaras Fault. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127094040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090123111515.htm Significant loss of life, destroyed property and businesses, and repairs to infrastructure could be avoided by replacing Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps with ones that contain high-accuracy and high-resolution land surface elevation data, says a new report from the National Research Council. Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090123111515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210342.htm First came the earthquakes, then the torrential rains. But the relentless march of sand across once fertile fields and bays, a process set in motion by the quakes and flooding, is probably what did in America's earliest civilization. Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216161145.htm The overall condition of the nation's coastal waters has improved slightly, based on a recently released environmental assessment. The overall condition of America's coasts is rated as "fair," based on five indicators. Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216161145.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117082239.htm Rock avalanches and landslides, rock falls and slope slips are all contained in the concept of mass movements. The ever more intensive usage of the mountainous regions and the climate change are some of the causes for these natural erosion processes from high alpine regions to the hill country, and they are not insignificant causes. Engineering geologists are modeling mass movements with specially adapted computer programs. Their know-how is helpful for the risk assessment of imminent landslides and slope slips. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117082239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106065555.htm To be effective, flood warning systems use rainfall data available in real time. These data come from the ground observation network and estimations made based on the national network of climate radars operated by Météo France. Today, mountain zones are only partially covered by this rain detection technology. Within the INTERREG project, a new generation of radars is being tested by Cemagref in the Var department, a mountainous region with a high flood risk. The radar is currently located in the countryside immediately inland from Nice. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106065555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013195322.htm Many agricultural products can be converted into feedstocks for alternative fuel. Now analysis from the Agricultural Research Service suggests that they can be used this way without reducing the nation's food supply, soil production capacity or environmental quality. Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013195322.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924085543.htm Extreme flood events in floodplain grasslands affect carabid beetles and molluscs more than plants. Biologists did several years of observations before and after the Elbe floods of August 2002 in this study. Flow variations are known to be most important drivers in structuring riverine communities. However, until now, the effects of extreme flood events on the flora and fauna of floodplains have been largely unknown, despite the fact that such events are likely to become more frequent as a result of climate change. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924085543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904115121.htm Up to 20 million people, thousands of whom are already displaced from their homes following the devastating Chinese earthquake, are at increased risk from flooding and major power shortages in the massive Sichuan Basin over the next few decades and possibly centuries. A geographer from Durham University makes the observations on returning from carrying out investigative fieldwork in the China earthquake zone. Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904115121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901084854.htm A new assessment more than doubles previous estimates of the amount of carbon stored in permafrost, and indicates that carbon dioxide emissions from microbial decomposition of organic carbon in thawing permafrost could amount to roughly half those resulting from global land-use change during this century. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901084854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133417.htm A linear string of mud pots and mud volcanoes suggest surface evidence for a southern extension of the San Andreas Fault that runs through the Salton Sea, according to a paper published in the August issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723101956.htm A small but significant find made during a geological survey provides evidence of the oldest human presence yet discovered along the northernmost margin of Egypt's Nile delta. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723101956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714112956.htm Use of biosolids (treated municipal sewage sludge) on crops is a common practice because biosolids are a rich source of plant nutrients and organic matter. However, these biosolids can contain dangerous dioxins. Scientists investigated the effects of continuous and long-term application of biosolids on the levels of dioxins in soil and corn tissues. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714112956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630130116.htm Running for more than 1,000 kilometers along picturesque coastline, California's Highway 1 is easy prey for many of the natural hazards plaguing the region, including landslides. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630130116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416214912.htm Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in the ocean with new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup the most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris. The mission of Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is to engage people to remove trash from the world's beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris and to change the behaviors that cause pollution. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416214912.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403152742.htm Proximity to a flood zone lowers property values. By law, a property is considered in a “flood zone” if any part of the structure falls within a floodplain, an area that is adjacent to a stream or river that experiences periodic flooding. It has been acknowledged that the level of risk associated with a property may be associated with natural hazards. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403152742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225343.htm The bad news is that the Mississippi Delta is sinking as much as one fifth of an inch per year and sometimes even more. But the good news is that the sinking is mostly limited to the uppermost layer of sediment and the land underneath is much more stable. These findings have implications for the post-Katrina rebuilding of Louisiana. For example, the large flood-control structures under consideration can be more stable than previously believed, provided that foundations penetrate entirely through the soft shallow deposits. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124132431.htm Commercial fisheries play an important but declining role in removing terrestrial nitrogen from coastal waters. Accounting for this withdrawal is crucial; terrestrial-derived nitrogen can stimulate coastal phytoplankton growth, leading to eutrophication. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124132431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204180537.htm Every year geohazards -- such as volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis -- claim thousands of lives, devastate homes and destroy livelihoods. In an effort to reduce their impact, more than 250 scientists from around the world gathered to adopt a declaration for an internationally coordinated program to help save lives and reduce human suffering worldwide. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204180537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121145010.htm An enormous submarine landslide that disintegrated 60,000 years ago produced the longest flow of sand and mud yet documented on Earth. The massive submarine flow traveled 1,500 kilometers -- the distance from London to Rome -- before depositing its load. Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121145010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831150753.htm "A hard rain's a-gonna fall," Dylan sang. But when rain and storm surges fall on lands protected by weak levees, this means trouble...big trouble. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were devastating reminders of this frightening fact. How then can we limit trouble when a levee breaches or, better yet, prevent such a break from ever happening again? There's another issue at play here besides horrendous storms. We are witnessing the slow death of our natural buffer zones -- which protect us from powerful sea surges. Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831150753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070626140346.htm Engineers have devised a simple yet effective system for determining an area's landslide risk, a tool that could help planners improve building codes, determine zoning and strengthen mitigation measures in mountainous tropical regions frequently hit by typhoons. Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070626140346.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070222104624.htm Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes, according to researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070222104624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061106111400.htm Following a series of well documented natural disasters with grave human and economic consequences, the ability to predict these devastating events has once more come to the fore as a research priority for the European scientific community. This, amongst other things, is what leading scientists in ocean margin research came together to discuss at the recent EUROMARGINS conference in Bologna, Italy. Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061106111400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060908192659.htm The latest advances in computer flood modeling and animation that could help to improve the way we protect the UK's towns and cities from flooding will be highlighted at this year's BA Festival of Science in Norwich. Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060908192659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524222230.htm Using NASA's advanced Earth-observing satellites, scientists have discovered a new opportunity to build early detection systems that might protect thousands from floods and landslides. This potential breakthrough in disaster monitoring and warning links satellite observations of soil type, vegetation and land slope with observations of rainfall, rivers and topography. Wed, 24 May 2006 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524222230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060517175614.htm Low-elevation coastal zones, those regions of the planet within 100km of a coast and below 10m in elevation, account for only about 2 percent of the world's land area, but are home to roughly 10 percent of the world's population, more than half of which live in urban areas. These regions are in danger of flooding in the face of rising sea level and increasing storm activity. Wed, 17 May 2006 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060517175614.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060316193118.htm There is evidence that the McGinnis Glacier, a little-known tongue of ice in the central Alaska Range, has surged. Assistant Professor of Physics Martin Truffer recently noticed the lower portion of the glacier was covered in cracks, crevasses, and pinnacles of ice--all telltale signs that the glacier has recently slid forward at higher than normal rates. It has not been determined whether the glacier continues to surge. Fri, 17 Mar 2006 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060316193118.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051122211225.htm Envisat ASAR Global Monitoring Mode rapid-revisit images -- employed as part of ESA's Dragon Programme -- have charted the hydrological cycle of China's largest freshwater body, Poyang Lake, whose area fluctuates more than three-fold annually. Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051122211225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051023123104.htm The deadly landslide that killed 10 people and destroyed 30 homes in La Conchita, California last January is but a tiny part of a much larger slide, called the Rincon Mountain slide, discovered by Larry D. Gurrola, geologist and graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The slide started many thousands of years ago and will continue generating slides in the future, reported Gurrola at the national meeting of the Geological Society of America today. Mon, 24 Oct 2005 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051023123104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050902072414.htm Scientists have recently recognized an imbalance in the flow of salty groundwater into the coastal ocean: considerable saltwater discharge into the ocean has been observed, but little or no return flow has been seen. Now it appears that the timing of the discharge may be key to the health of our coastal waters. Fri, 02 Sep 2005 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050902072414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050326101939.htm An inspection of Thai villages and ports struck by tsunami waves has uncovered some engineering lessons that might reduce casualties and destruction in future oceanic upheavals, a Johns Hopkins researcher said. Sun, 03 Apr 2005 03:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050326101939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050325143726.htm The potential for devastating tsunamis in the northern Caribbean is high, say marine scientists, based on their analysis of historical data since the arrival of Columbus. Several natural phenomena could trigger giant tsunamis, they say, with effects felt in the islands of the Greater and Lesser Antilles and along the east and Gulf coasts of the United States. Mon, 28 Mar 2005 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050325143726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050121110549.htm Some massive earthquakes like the one that generated the recent tsunami in South Asia are preceded by slight sinking along nearby coastlines two to five years before the rupture, according to a new study by scientists from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Sun, 23 Jan 2005 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050121110549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040815234801.htm What is the reality behind stories of mega-tsunamis wiping out the American east coast and southern England? Very little, according to Dr Russell Wynn and Dr Doug Masson from Southampton Oceanography Centre, who have been studying Canary Islands landslides for many years. Thu, 19 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040815234801.htm