Predicting current and future flood risk continues to be a major challenge for climatologists, hydrologists and hydraulicians. The complex nature of flood risk challenges established risk assessment methodologies and their modelling components, such as hydrologic and hydraulic simulation. Further, flood risk assessment is characterised by considerable uncertainty, which needs to be evaluated and clearly communicated to decision-makers.
This session aims to review state-of-the-art flood hazard, damage, and risk assessment methodologies on different scales from the building scale to the global level, as well as experiences of recent flood events, the physical processes occurring during flood flows, and uncertainties in measurement data and modelling. We welcome submissions in the areas of flood plain and urban risk assessment and uncertainty analysis, flood management including new approaches to hydraulic modelling, model calibration and validation and flood damage estimation.
Also, we are interested in contributions that show what kind of information is particularly helpful for reducing uncertainty, as well as measures for flood mitigation and the cost effectiveness of these measures. Abstracts are sought from those involved in both the theoretical and practical aspects related to these topics.

Worldwide, the frequency and magnitude of extreme flooding are steadily increasing, causing considerable losses of life and property. It hampers well-being and economic growth in many countries, so that flood forecasting and flood risk assessment have become of upmost importance. New and rapidly developing techniques are becoming widespread, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) or satellite-based systems. Combined with fit-for-purpose hydrodynamic models, these techniques pave the way for breakthroughs in flood assessment and flood risk management. This provides a unique platform for the scientific community to explore the driving mechanisms of flood risk and to build up efficient strategies for flood mitigation and enhancing flood resilience.
This session invites presentations on research based on high-resolution aerial and satellite techniques like UAV, SAR, Altimeter, SCATSAT-1, etc. for flood monitoring, including mapping of inundation extent, flow depths, velocity fields, flood-induced morphodynamics, debris transport. It also invites the presentation of innovative modelling techniques of flood hydrodynamics, flood hazard, damage and risk assessment, as well as flood relief prioritization, dam and dike(levees) break floods, and flood mitigation strategies. Studies dealing with the modelling uncertainties and modern techniques for model calibration and validation are particularly welcome.
Furthermore, real-time flood inundation mapping is critical aspect for the evacuation of people from low-lying areas and to reduce casualties. Acquisition of real-time data gained through UAV-based flood inundation mapping and modelling, as well as assessment of uncertainties in real-time aerial surveying are welcome in this session.

Invited speaker:
Frederik Kratzert.
Mr Kratzert holds a MSc in environmental engineering with focus on hydrology and is now doing a PhD in Machine Learning at the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria under the supervision of Sepp Hochreiter. His research is focused around the use of the LSTM neural network for hydrological/environmental modeling and his PhD is funded by Google AI.

Lightning is the energetic manifestation of electrical breakdown, occurring after charge separation processes operating on micro and macro-scales, leading to strong electric fields within thunderstorms. Lightning is associated with severe weather, torrential rains and flash floods. It has significant effects on various atmospheric layers and drives the fair-weather electric field. It is a strong indicator of convective processes on regional and global scales, potentially associated with climate change. Thunderstorms and lightning are also associated to the production of energetic radiation up to tens of MeV on time scales from sub-millisecond (Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes) to tens of seconds (gamma-ray glows).

This session seeks contributions from research in atmospheric electricity on:

Atmospheric electricity in fair weather and the global electrical circuit
Atmospheric chemical effects of lightning and Lightning-produced NOx
Middle atmospheric Transient Luminous Events
Energetic radiation from thunderstorms and lightning
Remote sensing of lightning from space and by lightning detection networks
Results from the Atmosphere-Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM) mission.
Thunderstorms, flash floods and severe weather
Lightning and electrical phenomena on other planets
Lightning, tropical storms and climate
Modeling of thunderstorms and lightning
Now-casting and forecasting of thunderstorms
Laboratory investigation of lightning discharge physics processes

In many parts of the world, weather represents one of the major uncertainties affecting performance and management of agricultural systems. Due to global climate changes the climatic variability and the occurrence of extreme weather events is likely to increase leading to substantial increase in agricultural risk and destabilisation of farm incomes. This issue is not only important for farm managers but also for policy makers, since income stabilisation in agriculture is frequently considered as a governmental task.

The aim of this session is to discuss the state of the art research in the area of analysis and management of weather-related risks in agriculture. Both structural and non-structural measures can be used to reduce the impact of climate variability including extreme weather on crop production. While the structural measures include strategies such as irrigation, water harvesting, windbreaks etc., the non-structural measures include the use of the medium-range weather forecast and crop insurance.

The topic is at the borderline of different disciplines, in particular agricultural and financial economics, meteorology, modelling and agronomy. Thus, the session offers a platform to exchange ideas and views on weather-related risks across these disciplines with the focus on quantifying the impact of extreme weather on agricultural production including impacts of climate change, analysis of financial instruments that allow reducing or sharing weather-related risks, evaluation of risk management strategies on the farm level, development of the theory of risk management and to exchange practical experiences with the different types of weather insurance.

This session has been promoted by:
• Natural hazard Early career scientists Team (NhET, https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/nh/tag/early-career-scientists/)
• Boosting Agricultural Insurance based on Earth Observation data (BEACON, https://beacon-h2020.com/)
• Research Center for the Management of Agriculutral and Environmental Risks (CEIGRAM, http://www.ceigram.upm.es/ingles/)

Severe hydro-meteorological phenomena (i.e. extreme weather in terms of precipitation, heat waves and wind storms) on land and sea have a high impact globally as well as in European territories. The increasing frequency and severity of hydro-meteorological events such as hurricanes, intense cyclones, or destructive thunderstorms appear to be associated with climate change and an increasing number of people is exposed to climate-related hazards each year – particularly the most vulnerable. The science behind these phenomena is complex, but advancement in evidence-based knowledge, together with progress in technology and data-driven measurement systems, allow more detailed monitoring and forecasting capability to target interventions at the appropriate time-scale. The employment of nature-based solutions (NBS) to mitigate the impact of hydro-meteorological phenomena could be a viable approach requiring coordinated efforts.
The session intends to stimulate the international scientific community across several fields to demonstrate how nature-based solutions (NBSs) could contribute to disaster risk reduction in line with the EU Roadmap for achieving the goals of the Sendai Framework. It aims to promote and share experience with the best available science and knowledge to establish a coherent approach towards risk mitigation. Results from the EU H2020 projects NAIAD, OPERANDUM, PHUSICOS and RECONECT are encouraged as well as contributions discussing the main drivers and barriers for NBSs implementation . Also contributions documenting how NBS can be beneficial in land use planning, risk assessment, climate change impact, disaster prevention are welcome.
Specific topics are related to the following questions
- How can we mainstream the adoption of innovative, systemic and locally-attuned nature-based solutions for hydro-meteorological risk reduction at watershed/landscape scale? - What are the required features of comprehensive framework for comparing green and blue/grey/hybrid hydro-meteorological risk prevention and reduction solutions? - What is the evidence on the effectiveness of these solutions? How can we capture the potential (insurance) value of ecosystems?
Additional topics are
- Methods for NBS co-designing and co-development - Methods for the identification and assessment of barriers related to social and cultural acceptance and in regulatory frameworks that hinder the adoption of NBS.

Public information:
Dear Authors,

you are kindly invited to upload material by May 3, 2020. All accepted abstracts will be discussed. We reccommend 3-5 sharp slides with aim - methods - main results and conclusions. We are very excited to hear about your work and findings.
Best regards,
Silvana, Amy, Elena and Zoran

Today, it is almost certain that global climate change will affect the frequency and severity of extreme meteorological and hydrological events. It is necessary to develop models and methodologies for the better understanding, forecasting, hazard prevention of weather induced extreme events and assessment of disaster risk. This session considers extreme events that lead to disastrous hazards induced by severe weather and climate change. These can, e.g., be tropical or extratropical rain- and wind-storms, hail, tornadoes or lightning events, but also floods, long-lasting periods of drought, periods of extremely high or of extremely low temperatures, etc. Papers are sought which contribute to the understanding of their occurrence (conditions and meteorological development), to assessment of their risk and their future changes, to the ability of models to reproduce them and methods to forecast them or produce early warnings, to proactive planning focusing to damage prevention and damage reduction. Papers are also encouraged that look at complex extreme events produced by combinations of factors that are not extreme by themselves. The session serves as a forum for the interdisciplinary exchange of research approaches and results, involving meteorology, hydrology, hazard management and/or applications like insurance issues.

Public information:
NH1.6/AS1.5/HS13.10

Extreme meteorological and hydrological events induced by severe weather and climate change
Display presentations Monday, 04 May, 08:30–12:30

The presentation of Displays during the chat will be made in the following order:

Severe storms/precipitation (8:30-10:15): D1932, D1933, D1934, D1936, D1938, D1940, D1942, D1943, D1944, D1951, D1952, D1953, D1955, D1956, D1957, D1958, D1960, D1962, D1963 (not presented), D1964, D1965, D1966, D1967, D1969, D1974, D1977, D1982

Floods (10:45-11:05): D1935, D1937, D1939, D1941, D1954, D1959

Droughts and other extreme weather events (11:05-12:30): D1945, D1946, D1947, D1948, D1949, D1950, D1961, D1968 (not presented), D1970, D1971, D1972, D1973 (not presented), D1975, D1976, D1977, D1978, D1979, D1980, D1981, D1983, D1984, D1985

Information (video and text) how to use the chats could be found at https://egu2020.eu/sharing_geoscience_online/how_to_use_the_chats.html

The chairpersons will handle and organize the questions and replies of the presentations, following the above line of presentations. Each author is asked for an introduction (please prepare). Then, we will take questions.

Conveners, co-conveners, and chairpersons of the sessions reserve the right to ban participants showing abusive behaviour or violating EGU's Code of Conduct.

The conveners of the session
Athanasios Loukas
Maria Carmen Llasat
Uwe Ulbrich

Heavy precipitation events in small and medium size catchments can trigger flash floods, which are characterized by very short response times and high specific peak discharges, and often occur in ungauged basins. Under appropriate geomorphological conditions, such rainstorms also cause debris flows or shallow landslides mobilizing large amounts of unconsolidated material. Although significant progress has been made in the management of these different hazards and related risks, they remain poorly understood and their predictability is affected by large uncertainties, due to the fast evolution of triggering rainfall events, the lack of appropriate observations, the high variabilities and non-linearities in the physical processes, and the high variability and complexity of societal vulnerability.

This session aims to illustrate current advances in monitoring, understanding, modelling, and forecasting flash floods and associated geomorphic processes, and documenting and anticipating the societal impacts and social responses.

Contributions on the following scientific themes are more specifically expected:
- Development of new measurement techniques adapted to flash floods monitoring (including remote sensing data, weather radar, and lightning), and quantification of the associated uncertainties,
- Identification of processes leading to flash flood events and/or rainfall-induced geomorphic hazards from data analysis and/or modelling, and of their characteristic space-time scales
- Possible evolutions in hazard characteristics and frequency related to climate change.
- Development of short-range (0-6h) rainfall forecasting techniques adapted to heavy precipitation events, and representation of associated uncertainties
- Development of hydro-meteorological forecasting chains for predicting flash floods and/or rainfall-induced geomorphic hazards in gauged and ungauged basins
- Development of inundation mapping approaches specifically designed for an integration in flash floods forecasting chains.
- Use of new criteria such as specific “hydrological signatures” for model and forecast evaluation
- Observation, understanding and prediction of the societal vulnerability and social responses to flash floods and/or associated hydro-geomorphic hazards.

Hydroinformatics has emerged over the last decades to become a recognised and established field of independent research within the hydrological sciences. Hydroinformatics is concerned with the development and hydrological application of mathematical modelling, information technology, systems science and computational intelligence tools. We also have to face the challenges of Big Data: large data sets, both in size and complexity. Methods and technologies for data handling, visualization and knowledge acquisition are more and more often referred to as Data Science.

The aim of this session is to provide an active forum in which to demonstrate and discuss the integration and appropriate application of emergent computational technologies in a hydrological modelling context. Topics of interest are expected to cover a broad spectrum of theoretical and practical activities that would be of interest to hydro-scientists and water-engineers. The main topics will address the following classes of methods and technologies:

* Predictive and analytical models based on the methods of statistics, computational intelligence, machine learning and data science: neural networks, fuzzy systems, genetic programming, cellular automata, chaos theory, etc.
* Methods for the analysis of complex data sets, including remote sensing data: principal and independent component analysis, time series analysis, information theory, etc.
* Specific concepts and methods of Big Data and Data Science
* Optimisation methods associated with heuristic search procedures: various types of genetic and evolutionary algorithms, randomised and adaptive search, etc.
* Applications of systems analysis and optimisation in water resources
* Hybrid modelling involving different types of models both process-based and data-driven, combination of models (multi-models), etc.
* Data assimilation and model reduction in integrated modelling
* Novel methods of analysing model uncertainty and sensitivity
* Software architectures for linking different types of models and data sources

Applications could belong to any area of hydrology or water resources: rainfall-runoff modelling, flow forecasting, sedimentation modelling, analysis of meteorological and hydrologic data sets, linkages between numerical weather prediction and hydrologic models, model calibration, model uncertainty, optimisation of water resources, etc.

The hydrological response to precipitation at the catchment scale is the result of the interplay between the space-time variability of precipitation, the catchment geomorphological / pedological / ecological characteristics and antecedent hydrological conditions. Therefore, (1) accurate measurement and prediction of the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation over a catchment and (2) the efficient and appropriate description of the catchment properties are important issues in hydrology. This session focuses on the following aspects of the space-time variability of precipitation:
- Novel techniques for measuring liquid and solid precipitation at hydrologically relevant space and time scales, from in situ measurements to remote sensing techniques, and from ground-based devices to spaceborne platforms.
- Novel approaches to better identify, understand and simulate the dominant microphysical processes at work in liquid and solid precipitation.
- Applications of measured and/or modelled precipitation fields in catchment hydrological models for the purpose of process understanding or predicting hydrological response.

Hydro-meteorological extremes such as floods, droughts, storms, or heatwaves often affect large regions therefore causing large damages and costs. Hazard and risk assessments, aiming at reducing the negative consequences of such extreme events, are often performed with a focus on one location despite the spatial nature of extreme events. While spatial extremes receive a lot of attention by the media, little is known about their driving factors and it remains challenging to assess their risk by modelling approaches. Key challenges in advancing our understanding of spatial extremes and in developing new modeling approaches include the definition of multivariate events, the quantification of spatial dependence, the dealing with large dimensions, the introduction of flexible dependence structures, the estimation of their probability of occurrence, the identification of potential drivers for spatial dependence, and linking different spatial scales. This session invites contributions which help to better understand processes governing spatial extremes and/or propose new ways of describing and modeling spatial extremes at different spatial scales.

Target audience: hydrologists, climatologists, statisticians, machine learners, and researchers interested in spatial risk assessments.

The assessment of precipitation variability and uncertainty is crucial in a variety of applications, such as flood risk forecasting, water resource assessments, evaluation of the hydrological impacts of climate change, determination of design floods, and hydrological modelling in general. Within this framework, this session aims to gather contributions on research, advanced applications, and future needs in the understanding and modelling of precipitation variability, and its sources of uncertainty.
Specifically, contributions focusing on one or more of the following issues are particularly welcome:
- Novel studies aimed at the assessment and representation of different sources of uncertainty versus natural variability of precipitation.
- Methods to account for different accuracy in precipitation time series, e.g. due to change and improvement of observation networks.
- Uncertainty and variability in spatially and temporally heterogeneous multi-source precipitation products.
- Estimation of precipitation variability and uncertainty at ungauged sites.
- Precipitation data assimilation.
- Process conceptualization and modelling approaches at different spatial and temporal scales, including model parameter identification and calibration, and sensitivity analyses to parameterization and scales of process representation.
- Modelling approaches based on ensemble simulations and methods for synthetic representation of precipitation variability and uncertainty.
- Scaling and scale invariance properties of precipitation fields in space and/or in time.
- Physically and statistically based approaches to downscale information from meteorological and climate models to spatial and temporal scales useful for hydrological modelling and applications.

Urban hydrological processes are characterized by high spatial variability and short response times resulting from a high degree of imperviousness. Therefore, urban catchments are especially sensitive to space-time variability of precipitation at small scales. High-resolution precipitation measurements in cities are crucial to properly describe and analyses urban hydrological response. At the same time, urban landscapes pose specific challenges to obtaining representative precipitation and hydrological observations.

This session focuses on high-resolution precipitation and hydrological measurements in cities and on approaches to improve modeling of urban hydrological response, including:

- Novel techniques for high-resolution precipitation measurement in cities and for multi-sensor data merging to improve the representation of urban precipitation fields.
- Novel approaches to hydrological field measurements in cities, including data obtained from citizen observatories.
- Precipitation modeling for urban applications, including convective permitting models and stochastic rainfall generators.
- Novel approaches to modeling urban catchment properties and hydrological response, from physics-based, conceptual and data-driven models to stochastic and statistical conceptualization.
- Applications of measured precipitation fields to urban hydrological models to improve hydrological prediction at different time horizons to ultimately enable improved management of urban drainage systems (including catchment strategy development, flood forecasting and management, real-time control and proactive protection strategies aimed at preventing flooding and pollution).
- Strategies to deal with upcoming challenges, including climate change and rapid urbanization.

Earth Systems Models aim at describing the full water- and energy cycles, i.e. from the deep ocean or groundwater across the sea or land surface to the top of the atmosphere. The objective of the session is to create a valuable opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and experiences among members of the Earth System modeling community and especially atmospheric-hydrological modelers.
Contributions are invited dealing with approaches how to capture the complex fluxes and interactions between surface water, groundwater, land surface processes, oceans and regional climate. This includes the development and application of one-way or fully-coupled hydrometeorological prediction systems for e.g. floods, droughts and water resources at various scales. We are interested in model systems that make use of innovative upscaling and downscaling schemes for predictions across various spatial- and temporal scales. Contributions on novel one-way and fully-coupled modeling systems and combined dynamical-statistical approaches are encouraged. A particular focus of the session is on weakly and strongly coupled data assimilation across the different compartments of the Earth system for the improved prediction of states and fluxes of water and energy. Merging of different observation types and observations at different length scales is addressed as well as different data assimilation approaches for the atmosphere-land system, the land surface-subsurface system and the atmosphere-ocean system. The value of different measurement types for the predictions of states and fluxes, and the additional value of measurements to update states across compartments is of high interest to the session. We also encourage contributions on use of field experiments and testbeds equipped with complex sensors and measurement systems allowing compartment-crossing and multi-variable validation of Earth System Models.

River monitoring remains a challenge for hydrologists and environmental agencies. The expansion of the human population, urbanisation, technological advancements and a changing global climate have put forward an ongoing water management agenda. River streamflow is one of the most crucial hydrological variables in terms of 'basin health' description (from an ecological point of view), and for flood risk management and modelling. However, despite significant efforts on river flow monitoring, long-term, spatially dense monitoring networks remain scarce, stressing the need for innovative solutions dealing with the twin challenges of a changing climate. Emerging innovative methods should be tested and benchmarked under different flow conditions to ensure accurate and consistent results and well-understood measurement uncertainties. Furthermore, these methods must be harmonised for promoting good practices and dissemination over the globe. In this context, this session focuses on:

1) The use of remote sensing approaches for hydrological and morphological monitoring;
2) Real-time acquisition of hydrological variables;
3) Innovative methodologies for measuring/modelling/estimating river stream flows;
4) Measuring the extremes of high and low flows associated with a changing climate;
5) Strategies to quantify and describe hydro-morphological evolution of rivers;
6) New methods to cope with data-scarce environments;
7) Inter-comparison of innovative and classical models and approaches;
8) Quantification of uncertainties; and,
9) Guidelines for hydro-morphological streamflow monitoring.

Contributions are welcome with emphasis on image-velocimetry or other velocity measurement techniques, wetted cross-section retrieval from digital surface models (e.g. computed with multi-media photogrammetry/structure-from-motion, or other bathymetric techniques), and quantification of stream flows and related uncertainties. Additionally, presentations of case studies using innovative sensors, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), airborne or satellite-based approaches, and traditional in-situ measurements are encouraged. This session is sponsored by the COST Action CA16219, Harmonisation of UAS techniques for agricultural and natural ecosystems monitoring (HARMONIOUS).
Note: This session is complemented by a field-based short-course, SC2.9, offering attendees the opportunity to experience some of these tools and techniques in a river environment.

Karst environments are characterized by distinctive landforms and unique hydrologic behaviors. Karst systems are commonly extremely complex, heterogeneous, and very difficult to manage because their formation and evolution are controlled by a wide range of geological, hydrological, geochemical and biological processes. Further, karst systems are extremely vulnerable due to the direct connection between the surface and subsurface compartments through conduit networks. The great variability and unique connectivity may result in serious engineering problems: on one hand, karst groundwater resources are readily contaminated by pollution because of the rapidity of conduit flow; on the other hand, the presence of karst conduits that weakens the strength of the rock mass may lead to serious natural and human-induced hazards. The plan and development of engineering projects in karst environments thus require: 1) an enhanced understanding of natural processes that govern the initiation and
evolution of karst systems through both field and modelling approaches, and 2) specific interdisciplinary approaches aiming at better assessing the associated uncertainties and minimizing the detrimental effects of hazardous processes and environmental problems.
This session calls for abstracts on research related to geomorphology, hydrogeology, engineering geology, and/or hazard mitigation in karst environments in the context of climate change and increased human disturbance. It also aims to discuss various characterization and modelling methods applied in each specific
research domain, with their consequences on the understanding of the whole process of karst genesis and functioning.

This PICO session addresses three sub-topics :

Precipitation variability: from drop scale to lot scale:
The understanding of small scale (sec – drop scale to min -km) spatio-temporal variability of precipitation is essential for larger scale studies, especially in highly heterogeneous areas (mountains, cities). Nevertheless grasping this variability remains an open challenge. An illustration of the range of scales involved is the ratio between the effective sampling areas of point measurement devices (rain gauges and disdrometers) and weather radars, which is greater than 10^7! This session aims at bridging this scale gap and improving the understanding of small scale precipitation variability, both liquid and solid, as well as its hydro-meteorological consequences at larger scales.

Hydroclimatic and hydrometeorologic stochastics: Extremes, scales, probabilities:
The departure of statistical properties of hydrometeorological processes from the classical statistical prototype has been established. This session aims at presenting the latest developments on:
- Coupling stochastic approaches with deterministic hydrometeorological predictions;
- Stochastic-dynamic approaches;
- Variability at climatic scales and its interplay with the ergodicity of space-time probabilities;
- Linking underlying physics and scaling stochastics of hydrometeorological extremes;
- Development of parsimonious representations of probability distributions of hydrometeorological extremes over a wide range of scales and states; as well as their applications in risk analysis and hazard predictions
The session is co-sponsored by the ICSH-IAHS, former STAHY.

The atmospheric water cycle under change: feedbacks, land use, hydrological changes and implications :
Traditionally, hydrologists have always considered precipitation and temperature as input to their models and evaporation as a loss. However, more than half of the evaporation globally comes back as precipitation on land. Anthropogenic pressure through land-use changes (and greenhouse gasses) alter, not only, the local hydrology, but through atmospheric water and energy feedbacks also effect the water cycle in remote locations. This session aims to:
- investigate the remote and local atmospheric feedbacks from human interventions, based on observations and coupled modelling approaches.
- explore the implications of atmospheric feedbacks on the hydrologic cycle for land and water management (ex. changing land cover)

Geostatistics is commonly applied in the Water, Earth and Environmental sciences to quantify spatial variation, produce interpolated maps with quantified uncertainty and optimize spatial sampling designs. Extensions to the space-time domain are also a topic of current interest. Due to technological advances and abundance of new data sources from remote and proximal sensing and a multitude of environmental sensor networks, big data analysis and data fusion techniques have become a major topic of research. Furthermore, methodological advances, such as hierarchical Bayesian modeling and machine learning, have enriched the modelling approaches typically used in geostatistics.

Earth-science data have spatial and temporal features that contain important information about the underlying processes. The development and application of innovative space-time geostatistical methods helps to better understand and quantify the relationship between the magnitude and the probability of occurrence of these events.

This session aims to provide a platform for geostatisticians, soil scientists, hydrologists, earth and environmental scientists to present and discuss innovative geostatistical methods to study and solve major problems in the Water, Earth and Environmental sciences. In addition to methodological innovations, we also encourage contributions on real-world applications of state-of-the-art geostatistical methods.

Given the broad scope of this session, the topics of interest include the following non-exclusive list of subjects:
1. Advanced parametric and non-parametric spatial estimation and prediction techniques
2. Big spatial data: analysis and visualization
3. Optimisation of spatial sampling frameworks and space-time monitoring designs
4. Algorithms and applications on Earth Observation Systems
5. Data Fusion, mining and information analysis
6. Integration of geostatistics with optimization and machine learning approaches
7. Application of covariance functions and copulas in the identification of spatio-temporal relationships
8. Geostatistical characterization of uncertainties and error propagation
9. Bayesian geostatistical analysis and hierarchical modelling
10. Functional data analysis approaches to geostatistics
11. Geostatistical analysis of spatial compositional data
12. Multiple point geostatistics
13. Upscaling and downscaling techniques
14. Ontological framework for characterizing environmental processes

In the current context of global change, assessing the impact of climate variability and changes on hydrological systems and water resources is increasingly crucial for society to better-adapt to future shifts in water resources as well as extreme conditions (floods and droughts). However, hitherto, important sources of uncertainties have been neglected in forecasting climate impacts on hydrological systems, especially uncertainties associated with internal/natural climate variability, whose contribution to near-future changes could be as important as forced anthropogenic climate changes at the regional scales. Internal climate modes of variability (e.g. ENSO, NAO, AMO) and their impact on the continent are not properly reproduced in the current global climate models, leading to large underestimations of decadal climate and hydroclimatic variability at the global scale. At the same time, hydrological response strongly depends on catchment properties, whose interactions with climate variability are little understood at the decadal timescales. These factors altogether reduce significantly our ability to understand long-term hydrological variability and to improve projection and reconstruction of future and past hydrological changes on which improvement of adaption scenarios depends.
We welcome abstracts capturing recent insights for understanding past or future impacts of large-scale climate variability on hydrological systems and water resources as well as newly developed projection and reconstruction scenarios. Results from model intercomparison studies are encouraged.

Mountains cover approximately one quarter of the total land surface on the planet, and a significant fraction of the world’s population lives in their vicinity. Orography critically affects weather and climate processes at all scales and, in connection with factors such as land-cover heterogeneity, is responsible for high spatial variability in mountain weather and climate.

Due to this high complexity, monitoring and modeling the atmosphere and the other components of the climate system in mountain regions is challenging both at short (meteorological) and long (climatological) time-scales. This session is devoted to the better understanding of weather and climate processes in mountain and high-elevation areas around the globe, as well as their modification induced by global environmental change.

We welcome contributions describing the influence of mountains on the atmosphere on meteorological time-scales, including terrain-induced airflow, orographic precipitation, land-atmosphere exchange over mountains, forecasting and predictability of mountain weather. Furthermore we invite studies that investigate climate processes and climate change in mountain areas and its impacts on dependent systems, based on monitoring and modeling activities. Particularly welcome are contributions that merge various sources of information and reach across disciplinary borders (atmospheric, hydrological, cryospheric, ecological and social sciences). In this respect the session invites also contributions on outcomes of the WMO "High Mountain Summit" taking place in October 2019.

The understanding of tropical phenomena and their representation in numerical models still raise important scientific and technical questions, particularly in the coupling between the dynamics and diabatic processes. Among these phenomena, tropical cyclones (TC) are of critical interest because of their societal impacts and because of uncertainties in how their characteristics (cyclogenesis processes, occurrence, intensity, latitudinal extension, translation speed) will change in the framework of global climate change. The monitoring of TCs, their forecasts at short to medium ranges, and the prediction of TC activity at extended range (15-30 days) and seasonal range are also of great societal interest.

The aim of the session is to promote discussions between scientists focusing on the physics and dynamics of tropical phenomena. This session is thus open to contributions on all aspects of tropical meteorology between the convective and planetary scale, such as:

- Tropical cyclones,
- Convective organisation,
- Diurnal variations,
- Local circulations (i.e. island, see-breeze, etc.),
- Monsoon depressions,
- Equatorial waves and other synoptic waves (African easterly waves, etc.),
- The Madden-Julian oscillation,
- etc.

We especially encourage contributions of observational analyses and modelling studies of tropical cyclones and other synoptic-scale tropical disturbances including the physics and dynamics of their formation, structure, and intensity, and mechanisms of variability of these disturbances on intraseasonal to interannual and climate time scales.

Findings from recent field campaigns such as YMC and PISTON are also encouraged.

This session investigates mid-latitude cyclones and storms on both hemispheres. We invite studies considering cyclones in different stages of their life cycles from the initial development, to large- and synoptic-scale conditions influencing their growth to a severe storm, up to their dissipation and related socioeconomic impacts.
Papers are welcome, which focus also on the diagnostic of observed past and recent trends, as well as on future storm development under changed climate conditions. This will include storm predictability studies on different scales. Finally, the session will also invite studies investigating impacts related to storms: Papers are welcome dealing with vulnerability, diagnostics of sensitive social and infrastructural categories and affected areas of risk for property damages. Which risk transfer mechanisms are currently used, depending on insured and economic losses? Which mechanisms (e.g. new reinsurance products) are already implemented or will be developed in order to adapt to future loss expectations?

As the societal impacts of hazardous weather and other environmental pressures grow, the need for integrated predictions which can represent the numerous feedbacks and linkages between physical and chemical atmospheric processes is greater than ever. This has led to development of a new generation of high resolution multi-scale coupled prediction tools to represent the two-way interactions between aerosols, chemical composition, meteorological processes such as radiation and cloud microphysics.
Contributions are invited on different aspects of integrated model and data assimilation development, evaluation and understanding. A number of application areas of new integrated modelling developments are expected to be considered, including:
i) improved numerical weather prediction and chemical weather forecasting with feedbacks between aerosols, chemistry and meteorology,
ii) two-way interactions between atmospheric composition and climate variability.
This session aims to share experience and best practice in integrated prediction, including:
a) strategy and framework for online integrated meteorology-chemistry modelling;
b) progress on design and development of seamless coupled prediction systems;
c) improved parameterisation of weather-composition feedbacks;
d) data assimilation developments;
e) evaluation, validation, and applications of integrated systems.
This Section is organised in cooperation with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme.
This year session is dedicated to the Global Air Quality Forecasting and Information Systems (GAFIS) - a new initiative of WMO and several international organizations - to enable and provide science-based air quality forecasting and information services in a globally harmonized and standardized way tailored to the needs of society.

In recent years, attention was paid to the detection and monitoring of volcanic ash clouds as their impact on the air traffic control system was unprecedented. Volcanic clouds are dangerous for the aviation as they can cause damage of the aircraft systems and engines not only close to active volcanoes but also at large distance from the eruption.
The intensity of the extreme convective events is supposed to increase worldwide due to the climate change and they can also cause large damages and affect air safety.

The recent Anak Krakatau, Raikoke and Ulawun eruptions highlighted the issue on different techniques to distinguish volcanic ash clouds from convective clouds, and the unsolved problem to understand if the cloud top is tropospheric or stratospheric.

The “extreme clouds” detection and estimation of their physical parameters is a highly multidisciplinary and challenging topic since the same techniques and instruments can be used for meteorology, volcanic monitoring, atmospheric physics and climate purposes. There is an urgent need to develop new techniques and instruments for monitoring, detecting and modeling “extreme clouds” to develop early warning systems and to support users, decision makers and policy makers.

This session solicits the latest studies from the spectrum of:
- Volcanic and Convective Clouds (CVC) remote sensing, detection, monitoring, modeling, forecasting and nowcasting
- understanding of CVC structure, including overshooting and ice clouds
- understanding the impact of CVC on climate changes and air safety
- proposal of new products or services focused on the end-users prospective (air traffic management and air safety)
- discussion on the recent Anak Krakatau, Raikoke and Ulawun eruptions

By considering studies over this range of topics we aim to identify new methods, detail current challenges, understand common techniques/methods and identify common discussions within the communities of atmospheric physicists, meteorologists, modelers, air traffic managers, pilots sensors engineers and engines manufacturers.

We particularly welcome and encourage contributions connecting different fields such as:
- forecasting tools to support air traffic management improving the limits of the present science and new products/tools providing better services to the end-users,
- extreme clouds remote sensing with novel techniques and new sensors,
- novel techniques to detect overshooting and their impact on climate.

The multitude of processes of various scales occurring simultaneously under strong winds in the air and sea boundary layers presents a true challenge for nonlinear science. We want to understand the physics of these processes, their specific role, their interactions and how they can be probed remotely, how these processes differ from their counterparts under moderate/weak winds. We welcome theoretical, experimental and numerical works on all aspects of processes in turbulent boundary layers above and below the ocean surface. Although we are particularly interested in the processes and phenomena occurring under strong wind conditions, the works concerned with similar processes under weaker winds which might provide an insight for rough seas are also welcomed. We are also very interested in works on remote sensing of these processes.
The areas of interest include the processes at and in the vicinity of the interface (nonlinear dynamics of surface water, wave-turbulence interactions, wave breaking, generation and dynamics of spray and air bubbles, thermodynamics of the processes in the boundary layers, heat and gas exchange), all the processes above and below the aIr/water interface, as long as they are relevant for strong wind conditions (such as, e.g. inertial waves generated by changing winds). Relevant nonlinear biological phenomena are also welcomed.
The main aims of the session is to initiate discussion of the multitude of processes active under strong winds across the narrow specializations as a step towards creating an integrated picture. Theoretical, numerical, experimental and observational works are welcomed.

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) is a truly interdisciplinary field, including different topics dealing with rotating stratified fluids. It emerges in the late 50s, when scientists from meteorology, oceanography, astrophysics, geological fluid dynamics, and applied mathematics began to mathematically model complex flows and thereby unify these fields. Since then many new aspects were added and deeper insight into many problems has been achieved. New mathematical and statistical tools were developed, standard techniques were refined, classical problems were varied. In this session we primarily focus on contributions from dynamic meteorology and physical oceanography that model flows by mathematical analysis. However, it is also a forum for experimental GFD and for astrophysical and geological aspects of GFD as well.

Recent years have seen a substantial progress in the understanding of the nonlinear and stochastic processes responsible for important dynamical aspects of the complex Earth system. The Earth system is a complex system with a multitude of spatial and temporal scales which interact nonlinearly with each other. For understanding this complex system new methods from dynamical systems, complex systems theory, complex network theory, statistics and climate and Earth sciences are needed.

In this context the session is open to contributions on all aspects of the nonlinear and stochastic dynamics of the Earth system, including the atmosphere, the ocean and the climate system. Communications based on theoretical and modeling studies, as well as on experimental investigations are welcome. Studies that span the range of model hierarchy from idealized models to complex Earth System Models (ESM), data driven models, use observational data and also theoretical studies are particularly encouraged.

Invited Speaker: Anna von der Heydt (Utrecht University)

Taking inspiration from the Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 initiative, this session aims at bringing together contributions from the growing interface between the geophysical, the mathematical, and the theoretical physical communities. Specific topics include: PDEs, numerical methods, extreme events, statistical mechanics, pattern formation and emergence, (random and non-autonomous ) dynamical systems, large deviation theory, response theory, tipping points, model reduction techniques, coarse graining, stochastic processes, parametrizations, data assimilation, and thermodynamics. We invite talks and poster both related to specific applications as well as more speculative and theoretical investigations. We particularly encourage early career researchers to present their interdisciplinary work in this session.

Heat extremes are already one of the deadliest meteorological events and they are projected to increase in intensity and frequency due to rising CO2 emissions. The hazard these events pose to society may therefore increase dramatically, and society will need to adapt if the worst impacts are to be avoided. This session therefore welcomes a broad range of new research addressing the challenge of extreme heat. Suitable contributions may: (i) assess the drivers and underlying processes of extreme heat in observations and/or models; (ii) explore the diverse socio-economic impacts of extreme heat events (for example, on aspects relating to human health or economic productivity); (iii) address forecasting of extreme heat at seasonal to sub-seasonal time scales; (iv) focus on societal adaptation to extreme heat, including (but not limited to) the implementation of Heat-Health Early Warning Systems.

Volcanic islands are built from the sea floor at depths ranging from shallow coastal zones to the deep ocean. They occur in island arc, hotspot and rift zone settings. Submarine volcanic activity with associated magma-water interaction commonly precedes island formation. Recent unrest at oceanic islands and submarine volcanoes exposes the need for further identifications of risk posed to local communities. Many parameters of submarine to emergent volcanic activity are under active investigation, including the relationship between water depth and explosive activity, magma properties and magma composition, and the evolving material properties of their pyroclastic deposits and their influences on fluid, heat and solute fluxes and the initiation and development of authigenic minerals and microbial life. The aim of this session is to bring together experts from diverse disciplines to explore eruption mechanisms, island structure, island stability, hazards posed to coastal communities by unrest and eruption and the long term chemical and physical influences of submarine to emergent volcanic islands on oceanic processes.

The session will include presentations that integrate innovative and emerging technologies to enable focused and multi-disciplinary studies of recent and ancient eruptions and their products, as well as breakthrough developments in understanding the impacts of disastrous submarine volcanic hazards on present and past societies.

We especially welcome abstracts in the following areas:
- Submarine volcanic hazards such as explosive eruptions, volcanic earthquakes, submarine landslides, hydrothermal emissions and volcanogenic tsunamis.
- Mechanics of submarine and emergent volcanic eruptions and formation of oceanic islands.
- Optimal monitoring technologies and state of the art methods that explore submarine to emergent volcanoes, which host hydrothermal systems, mineral deposits and biomediated processes.
- Recommendations for volcanic crisis management, public awareness and preparedness through improved understanding of the hazards and impacts of submarine to emergent volcanoes.

Over the past few years, major technological advances allowed to significantly increase both the spatial coverage and frequency bandwidth of multi-disciplinary observations at active volcanoes. Networks of instruments for the quantitative measurement of many parameters now permit an unprecedented, multi-parameter vision of the surface manifestations of mass transport beneath volcanoes. Furthermore, new models and processing techniques have led to innovative paradigms for inverting observational data to image the structures and interpret the dynamics of volcanoes. Within this context, this session aims at bringing together a multidisciplinary audience to discuss the most recent innovations in volcano imaging and monitoring, and to present observations, methods and models that increase our understanding of volcanic processes.
We welcome contributions (1) related to methodological and instrumental advances in geophysical, geological and geochemical imaging of volcanoes, and (2) to explore new knowledge provided by these studies on the internal structure and physical processes of volcanic systems.
We invite contributors from all geophysical, geological and geochemical disciplines such as seismology, electromagnetics, geoelectrics, gravimetry, magnetics, muon tomography, volatile measurements and analysis; from in-situ monitoring networks to high resolution remote sensing and innovative processing methods, applied to volcanic systems ranging from near-surface hydrothermal activity to magmatic processes at depth.

Magmatic processes occurring at depth within volcanic plumbing systems are complex and play a fundamental role in controlling the tempo and style of volcanic activity. To unravel the structural complexity and temporal evolution of plumbing systems a multidisciplinary approach is necessary. This session aims to bring together scientists working on the understanding of the structural, chemical and temporal evolution of magmatic systems using, for example, fieldwork, petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geodesy, experiments or numerical modelling to diffuse the boundaries between disciplines and lead to a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems (VIPS).

This session is sponsored by the IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems.

Natural fluids mainly escape from the Earth interior in volcanoes and active seismic regions. New attention is recently posed to the quiescent volcanoes since multidisciplinary investigations showed that magma accumulations at depth coupled to high degassing of volatiles still occurs after long time from the last activity highlighting a risk of reactivation after long phases of inactivity. Furthermore, magma accumulations in regions far from volcanism have an active role in seismicity, in fact magma and its volatiles can lubricate faults and generate overpressure in crustal layers.
Fluids have a key role in processes that generate volcanic activity and earthquakes; they transfer messages to the surface about how the natural systems work. The geochemical monitoring allows recognizing these natural processes and their evolution over time. Recently geochemical observations are supported by the advances of technology that also permit to measure at high frequency geochemical parameters in site. Furthermore new experimental works are producing constrains about the origin and migration of fluids and their behavior during rock deformation.
We are approaching an interesting phase where the geochemistry can actively interact in a multidisciplinary context for investigating natural processes. Great interest is towards the use of the new technologies and methods to solve for complex analytical challenges in geochemical investigations and monitoring of volcanoes and seismic regions. Their use coupled to the basic models of rock-fluids interactions and experiments of fluids generation/migration is contributing to improve the understanding of these natural processes, providing fundamental constrains for monitoring.
We welcome abstracts from various backgrounds, including researchers using traditional and non-traditional geochemical tracers, noble gases, stable isotopes and water chemistry. We wish that this session will be of broad interest to researchers studying hydro-geochemistry, isotope geochemistry, volcanic degassing etc. This will lead to a session that reflects a cross-section of researchers who apply these tracers to the monitoring of volcanoes and seismic activity. We hope in this way to highlight the potential scientific advances available through the combination of these complementary areas of study and specific techniques, and to encourage future collaborative efforts to resolve the many outstanding questions in volcanic and seismically active systems.

Snapshots of magma chemistry recorded in magmas and crystal cargoes reflect combinations of processes that operate in the magma source (e.g. metasomatism and tapping of various mantle components) and during differentiation in the crust (e.g. fractional crystallization, crustal assimilation, mixing/mingling, replenishment of magma reservoirs and chambers, and crustal melting). The fundamental questions addressed by this session concern the principal controls on primary, parental and derivative magma compositions as witnessed by the crystalline components of magmas, isotopic records, and experiments that replicate natural systems. We therefore welcome contributions focusing on the generation and differentiation of magmas in the mantle and crust with particular emphasis on crystal-scale studies, experimental petrology, thermodynamic and geochemical modelling, and layered intrusions.

We are presently facing the 6th mass extinction, what can be learnt from the past ?
The session will focus on the six major Phanerozoic mass extinctions including the Anthropocene one, but contributions from other environmental crises (e.g. OAEs, PETM) are also welcome.

Seismology is fundamental for monitoring and investigating volcanic systems.
Volcanoes are complex systems comprising both time-varying processes and structural heterogeneity. This combination of wide-ranging complex processes, extreme geomechanical heterogeneity, frequently rapid changes in time, leads to challenges in interpreting seismic observations in terms of physical processes at depth. In addition, the link between the variety of physical processes beneath volcanoes and their seismic response (or lack of) is often poorly understood, making it difficult to develop a detailed understanding of the physical processes at work in volcanic systems.
To address these challenges, this session aims to bring together seismologists, volcano and geothermal seismologists, and wave propagation and source modellers working on different aspects of volcano seismology including but not limited to: (i) seismicity catalogues (statistics & spatio-temporal evolution of seismicity), (ii) innovative methods for source locations (iii) source inversions (iv) seismic wave propagation & scattering, (v) small scale deformation studies, (vi) new developments in volcano imagery, (vii) time-lapse studies – including the use of noise, multiplets and high-rate GPS. Studies on geothermal systems in volcanic environments are also welcome.
By considering interrelationships between these complementary seismological areas, we aim to develop a coherent picture of the latest advances, successful applications and outstanding challenges in volcano seismology.

The session deals with the documentation and modelling of the tectonic, deformation, and geodetic features of any type of volcanic area, on Earth and in the Solar System. The focus is on advancing our understanding on any type of deformation of active and non-active volcanoes, on the associated behaviours, and the implications for hazards. We welcome contributions based on results from fieldwork, remote-sensing studies, geodetic and geophysical measurements, analytical, analogue and numerical simulations, and laboratory studies of volcanic rocks. We also welcome multidisciplinary studies, especially those that integrate data collected at different scales (e.g. laboratory and field data).
Studies may be focused at the regional scale, investigating the tectonic setting responsible for and controlling volcanic activity, both along divergent and convergent plate boundaries, as well in intraplate settings. At a more local scale, all types of surface deformation in volcanic areas are of interest, such as elastic inflation and deflation, or anelastic processes, including caldera and flank collapses. Deeper, sub-volcanic deformation studies, concerning the emplacement of intrusions, as sills, dikes, and laccoliths, are most welcome.
We also particularly welcome geophysical data aimed at understanding magmatic processes during volcano unrest. These include geodetic studies obtained mainly through GPS and InSAR, as well as studies that model these data to image sources.


The session includes, but is not restricted to, the following topics:
• volcanism and regional tectonics;
• formation of magma chambers, laccoliths, and other intrusions;
• dyke and sill propagation, emplacement, and arrest;
• earthquakes and eruptions;
• caldera collapse, resurgence, and unrest;
• flank collapse;
• volcano deformation monitoring;
• volcano deformation and hazard mitigation;
• volcano unrest;
• mechanical properties of rocks in volcanic areas.

Large slope instabilities have been recognised in mountainous areas in different lithological and geological domains, and on other planets. Slow to extremely fast moving, complex mass movements have been recognized and sometimes described as strongly interrelated. Many types of slope instabilities can be grouped within this broad class, each presenting different types of hazard and risk. Some major aspects of these slope instabilities are still debated:
- regional distribution and relevance;
- presence, distribution and significance of phenomena on other planets;
- triggering and controlling factors;
- dating of initial movements and reactivation episodes;
- style and state of past and present activity;
- passive and/or active control by structural-tectonic elements;
- hydrological boundary conditions;
- possible evolution and modelling;
- assessment of related hazard;
- influence of anthropogenic factors and effects on structures;
- role on the erosional and sediment yield regime in drainage catchments and mountain belts;
- technologies for monitoring and warning systems, and the interpretation of monitoring data.
Study of these instabilities involves geology, geomorphology, geomechanics, hydro-geochemistry, and geophysics. For landslides on other planets a few of these approaches can be adopted making more difficult the interpretation of the phenomena, the identification of triggerings and controlling factors.
Trenching and drilling can be used for material characterization, recognition of activity episodes, which can be combined with monitoring data for establishing of warning thresholds and systems.
Geophysical survey methods can describe both the geometrical and geomechanical characteristics of the unstable mass. Dating techniques can be applied to determine the age of movements. Modelling can be applied to evaluate instability and failure, triggering (rainfall, seismicity, volcanic eruption, deglaciation), failure propagation, collapse (rock avalanches, debris avalanches and flows), and secondary failures (rockfall, debris flows).
Different hydraulic and hydrologic boundary conditions and hydrochemistry are involved, both at failure and during reactivations. The impacts of such instabilities on structures and human activities can be substantial and of a variety of forms. Furthermore, the local and regional sediment yield could be influenced by the landsliding activity and different landslides (e.g. type, size) can play different roles.

Rockfalls, rockslides and rock avalanches are fundamental modes of erosion on steep hillslopes, and among the primary hazards in steep alpine terrain. To better understand the processes driving rock slope degradation, mechanisms contributing to the triggering, transport, and deposition of resulting rock slope instabilities, and mitigation measures for associated hazards, we must develop insight into both the physics of intact and rock mass failure and the dynamics of transport processes. This session aims to bring together state-of-the-art methods for predicting, assessing, quantifying, and protecting against rock slope hazards. We seek innovative contributions from investigators dealing with all stages of rock slope hazards, from weathering and/or damage accumulation, through detachment, transport and deposition, and finally to the development of protection and mitigation measures. In particular, we seek studies presenting new theoretical, numerical or probabilistic modelling approaches, novel data sets derived from laboratory, in situ, or remote sensing applications, and state-of-the-art approaches to social, structural, or natural protection measures.

This session aims to discuss precipitation-induced hydrological and geomorphological processes such as different types of landslides on local and regional scale in natural and human-modified landscapes. Landslides and mobilized in-stream sediment represent an important source of hazard for economic activities, infrastructures and population living on the slopes and in adjacent lowland areas.
Precipitation-induced hydro-geomorphological processes can deliver large volumes of sediment to the stream network and are often associated with the occurrence of shallow landslides and channelized debris flows. Water circulation within a catchment and the resultant transient changes in both shallow and deep hydrological systems is the most common controlling and triggering factor of slope movements and debris flows. However, incorporation of hydrological process knowledge in these processes, such as water-rock interaction, water storage, dynamic preferential flows or the influence of frost conditions to name a few, still lags behind. Detailed monitoring, analysis and modelling of hydro-geomorphological processes are required to improve our understanding and prediction of the spatio-temporal patterns of the hydro-geomorphological processes.
The purpose of this session is to gather contributions aimed at understanding the influence of environmental and anthropic factors on the hydro-geomorphological response of natural and human-modified slopes and catchments. We invite research ranging from unsaturated zone, hillslope processes and regional hydrology which are applied to landslide research in a broad sense: ranging from soil slips, debris flows and to large scale deep-seated slope deformation. The session wishes to represent an opportunity for sharing and exchanging knowledge, approaches and achievements between experts and young scientists that may be useful in scheduling proper landslide risk prevention and mitigation strategies in human-modified catchments.

Debris flows are among the most dangerous natural hazards that threaten people and infrastructures in both mountainous and volcanic areas. The study of the initiation and of the dynamics of debris flows, along with the characterization of the associated erosion/deposition processes, is of paramount importance for hazard assessment, land-use planning and design of mitigation measures, including early warning systems.
A growing number of scientists with diverse backgrounds are studying debris flows and lahars. The difficulties in measuring parameters related to their initiation and propagation have progressively prompted research into a wide variety of laboratory experiments and monitoring studies. However, there is a need of improving the quality of instrumental observations that would provide knowledge for more accurate hazards maps and modeling. Nowadays, the combination of distributed sensor networks and remote sensing techniques represents a unique opportunity to gather direct observations of debris flows to better constrain their physical properties.
Scientists working in the field of debris flows are invited to present their recent advancements. In addition, contributions from practitioners and decision makers are also welcome. Topics of the session include: field studies and documentation, mechanics of debris-flow initiation and propagation, laboratory experiments, modeling, monitoring, hazard and risk assessment and mapping, early warning, and alarm systems.

Landslides are ubiquitous geomorphological phenomena with potentially catastrophic consequences. In several countries, landslide mortality can be higher than that of any other natural hazard. Predicting landslides is a difficult task that is of both scientific interest and societal relevance that may help save lives and protect individual properties and collective resources. The session focuses on innovative methods and techniques to predict landslide occurrence, including the location, time, size, destructiveness of individual and multiple slope failures. All landslide types are considered, from fast rockfalls to rapid debris flows, from slow slides to very rapid rock avalanches. All geographical scales are considered, from the local to the global scale. Of interest are contributions investigating theoretical aspects of natural hazard prediction, with emphasis on landslide forecasting, including conceptual, mathematical, physical, statistical, numerical and computational problems, and applied contributions demonstrating, with examples, the possibility or the lack of a possibility to predict individual or multiple landslides, or specific landslide characteristics. Of particular interest are contributions aimed at: the evaluation of the quality of landslide forecasts; the comparison of the performance of different forecasting models; the use of landslide forecasts in operational systems; and investigations of the potential for the exploitation of new or emerging technologies e.g., monitoring, computational, Earth observation technologies, in order to improve our ability to predict landslides. We anticipate that the most relevant contributions will be collected in the special issue of an international journal.

Public information:
EGU Session NH3.7

Welcome to the Session NH3.7 on Space and Time Forecast of Landslides

The chat session will proceed by maintaining the original order provided by the session program. However, only the presentations with actually uploaded material will be listed in the session chat list.

Authors will be introduced In groups of 3 and will have 1-2 minutes each, in sequence, to briefly introduce their work by copy-pasting some brief sentences that summarise the research

Afterwards, there will be 5-6 minutes devoted to questions by the audience to the 3 authors. Since Q&A will concern 3 different presentations at the same time, we ask both presenters and questioners to always state who is the recipient of each question and each answer, to avoid confusion.
For example, a correct question style could be: “@MarkSmith: could you please say something more on the landslide database?”

Conveners, acting as session chairs and moderators, will signal when question time is over. They will also collect and resubmit possible questions that have gone unanswered during the chat, if possible.

After each round of 3 author presentations and Q&A, the conveners will introduce the next three speakers.

At the end of the list, if additional time remains, the conveners will open a final discussion on the general topics of the session and on integrated questions transversal to 2 or more presentations.

We remember that participants are encouraged to keep discussing mutual interests on research topics also after the Session, by emailing each other.
Please note that in the Session Displays page, each abstract has a link icon where it is possible to directly email the abstract main author.

Best
FC, XF, FG, BT

This session covers an overview of the progress and new scientific approaches for investigating landslides using state-of-the-art techniques such as: Earth Observation (EO), close-range Remote Sensing techniques (RS) and Geophysical Surveying (GS).

A series of remarkable technological progresses are driven new scientific opportunities to better understand landslide dynamics worldwide, including integrated information about rheological properties, water content, rate of deformation and time-varying changes of these parameters through seasonal changes and/or progressive slope damage.

This session welcomes innovative contributions and lessons learned from significant case studies and/or original methods aiming to increase our capability to detect, model and predict landslide processes at different scales, from site specific to regional studies, and over multiple dimensions (e.g. 2D, 3D and 4D).

A special emphasis is expected not only on the particularities of data collection from different platforms (e.g. satellite, aerial, UAV, Ground Based...) and locations (e.g. surface- and borehole-based geophysics) but also on new solutions for digesting and interpreting datasets of high spatiotemporal resolution, landslide characterization, monitoring, modelling, as well as their integration on real-time EWS, rapid mapping and other prevention and protection initiatives. Examples of previous submissions include using one or more of the following techniques: optical and radar sensors, new satellite constellations (including the emergence of the Sentinel-1A and 1B), Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) / Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) / drones, high spatial resolution airborne LiDAR missions, terrestrial LIDAR, Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, time-lapse cameras, multi-temporal DInSAR, GPS surveying, Seismic Reflection, Surface Waves Analysis, Geophysical Tomography (seismic and electrical), Seismic Ambient Vibrations, Acoustic Emissions, Electro-Magnetic surveys, low-cost sensors, commercial use of small satellites, Multi-Spectral images, etc. Other pioneering applications using big data treatment techniques, data-driven approaches and/or open code initiatives for investigating mass movements using the above-described techniques will also be very welcomed.

GUEST SPEAKER: this year, we invited professor Jonathan Chambers, team leader of the geophysical tomography cluster at the British Geological Survey (BGS).

The global increase in damaging landslide events is raising the attention of governments, practitioners and scientists to develop functional, reliable and (when possible) low cost monitoring strategies. Several case studies have demonstrated how a well-planned monitoring system of landslides is of fundamental importance for long and short-term risk reduction.
Today, the temporal evolution of a landslide is addressed in several ways, encompassing classical and more complex in situ measurements or remotely sensed data acquired from satellite and aerial platforms. All these techniques are adopted for the same final scope: measure landslide motion over time, trying to forecast its future evolution or at least to reconstruct its recent past. Real time, near-real time and deferred time strategies can be profitably used for landslide monitoring, depending on the type of phenomenon, the selected monitoring tool and the acceptable level of risk.
The session follows the general objectives of the International Consortium on Landslides, namely: (i) promote landslide research for the benefit of society, (ii) integrate geosciences and technology within the cultural and social contexts to evaluate landslide risk, and (iii) combine and coordinate international expertise.
Considering these key conceptual drivers, we aim to present successful monitoring experiences worldwide based on both in situ and/or remotely sensed data. The integration and synergic use of different techniques is welcome, as well as newly developed tools or data analysis approaches (focusing on big data management). We expect case studies in which multi-temporal and multi-platform monitoring data are exploited for risk management and Civil Protection aims with positive effects in social and economic terms.

In many parts of the world, landslide phenomena are a direct response to rapid environmental changes caused by global warming, human influences or other natural or technological hazards. The development of methods and strategies to evaluate hazard and risk posed by different types of landslides with different magnitudes in different environments has significantly progressed in the last decades due to rapid advance of computational and monitoring technologies. However, prognostic hazard and risk evaluations are highly challenged by the fact that local and regional environmental and meteorological conditions are subjected to rapid changes due to global warming and its consequences, modifying the local terrain susceptibility to landslides. Additionally, global change leads to significant changes in patterns of objects-at-risk due to population changes and concurring infrastructural developments.
This session aims to collect papers dealing with the advancement of methods and strategies for the prognostic spatio-temporal development of landslide hazard and risk scenarios and potentials in times of rapid global environmental change. Contributions dealing with the preparation and use of event-based landslide inventories for landslide hazard scenario assessments are welcomed as well as papers describing new advancements in process-oriented techniques for landslide hazard modelling at different spatial scales. Of particular interest are contributions concerned with the assessment of changing patterns of landslide-related risk posed to developing population and infrastructure in times of rapid environmental change.

Among the many mitigation measures available for reducing the risk to life related to landslides, early warning systems certainly constitute a significant option available to the authorities in charge of risk management and governance. Landslide early warning systems (LEWS) are non-structural risk mitigation measures applicable at different scales of analysis: slope and regional. Systems addressing single landslides at slope scale can be named local LEWS (Lo-LEWS), systems operating over wide areas at regional scale are referred to as territorial systems (Te-LEWSs). An initial key difference between Lo-LEWSs and Te-LEWSs is the knowledge “a priori” of the areas affected by future landsliding. When the location of future landslides is unknown and the area of interest extends beyond a single slope, only Te-LEWS can be employed. Conversely, Lo-LEWSs are typically adopted to cope with the risk related to one or more known well-identified landslides.

Independently by the scale of analysis, the structure of LEWS can be schematized as an interrelation of four main modules: setting, modelling, warning, response. However, the definition of the elements of these modules and the aims of the warnings/alerts issued considerably vary as a function of the scale at which the system is employed.

The session focuses on landslide early warning systems (LEWSs) at both regional and local scales. The session wishes to highlight operational approaches, original achievements and developments useful to operate reliable (efficient and effective) local and territorial LEWS. Moreover, the different schemes describing the structure of a LEWS available in literature clearly highlight the importance of both social and technical aspects in the design and management of such systems.

For the above-mentioned reasons, contributions addressing the following topics are welcome:
• rainfall thresholds definition;
• monitoring systems for early warning purposes;
• warning models for warning levels issuing;
• performance analysis of landslide warning models;
• communication strategies;
• emergency phase management;
• landslide risk perception.

Climate change (CC) is expected affecting weather forcing regulating the triggering, reactivation, and severity of slope failures and soil erosion. In this view, the influence of CC can be different according to the area, the time horizon of interest and to the specific trends of weather variables. Similarly, land use/cover change can play a pivotal role in exacerbating or reducing such hazards.
Thus, the overall impacts depend on the region, spatial scale, time frame and socio-economic context addressed. However, even the simple identification of the weather patterns regulating the occurrence of such phenomena represents a not trivial issue, also assuming steady conditions, due to the crucial role played by geomorphological details. To support hazards’ monitoring, predictions and projections, last-generation and updated datasets with high spatio-temporal resolution and quality - like those from the Copernicus Services’ Portals - are useful to feed models, big-data analytics and indicators’ frameworks enabling timely, robust and efficient decision making.
The Session aims at presenting studies concerning ongoing to future landslide dynamics and soil erosion hazards across different geographical contexts and scales (from slope to regional, to global scale) including analyses of historical records and related climate variables, or modeling approaches driven by future climate exploiting downscaled output of climate projections. Studies assessing variations in severity, frequency and/or timing of events and consequent risks are valuable. Finally, tested or designed adaptation strategies can be discussed.

Snow avalanches range among the most prominent natural hazards which threaten mountain communities worldwide. Snow avalanche formation is a complex critical phenomenon which starts with a failure processes at the scale of snow crystals and ends with the release of a large volume of snow at a scale of up to several hundred meters. The practical application of avalanche formation is avalanche forecasting, requiring a thorough understanding of the physical and mechanical properties of snow as well as the influence of meteorological boundary conditions (e.g. precipitation, wind and radiation).

This session aims to improve our understanding of avalanche formation processes and to foster the application to avalanche forecasting. We therefore welcome contributions from novel field, laboratory and numerical studies on topics including, but not limited to, the mechanical properties of snow, snow cover simulations, snow instability assessment, meteorological driving factors including drifting and blowing snow, spatial variability, avalanche release mechanics, remote avalanche detection and avalanche forecasting. While the main focus of this session is on avalanche formation, detection and forecasting, it is closely linked to session ‘CR3. Snow avalanche dynamics: from basic physical knowledge to mitigation strategies’, which addresses avalanche dynamics, risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

This session is devoted to the dynamics of dense and powder snow avalanches and their accompanying transitional regimes. One focus is their interaction with, and impact on, vulnerable elements, such as buildings, protection dams, forests, and roads. We welcome novel experimental and computational contributions including, but not limited to the topics of avalanche dynamics and related processes, physical vulnerability of structures impacted by snow avalanches, avalanche hazard zoning and avalanche mitigation strategies. These include field, laboratory and numerical studies that rely on new methods and techniques (radars, drone, satellite, etc.) as well as practical case studies.

Furthermore, we solicit novel contributions from the area of granular flows, viscoplastic flows, density currents, turbulent flows, as well as contributions from other gravitational mass flows communities, which can improve our understanding and modeling of snow avalanche propagation and their interaction with natural or man-made structures.

While the main focus of this session is on snow avalanche dynamics from basic knowledge to mitigation strategies, it is closely linked to session CR3.4 entitled "Snow avalanche formation: from snow mechanics to avalanche detection" which addresses avalanche formation, detection and forecasting.

Physical erosion and chemical weathering dominate the evolution of surface and subterranean mountain landscapes over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Signals from processes such as glacial and periglacial erosion, chemical and mechanical weathering, rockfall, debris flow, and hillslope failure are preserved in downstream patterns of river and/or valley aggradation and incision as well as in the development of karst systems and their sediment deposits. These processes react to a wide spectrum of external and internal forcings (e.g. climatic variability, tectonic activity, spatial patterns of vegetation or sudden internal failure) often making it difficult to relate these records back to specific causal mechanisms.

Measuring the dynamical interplay of erosion, weathering and sedimentation as well as quantifying the rates and fluxes associated with the evolution of mountainous landscapes, is a crucial but challenging component of source-to-sink sediment research. Many of these processes also pose serious threats to the biosphere, mountain settlements and infrastructure. Understanding and quantifying these processes from both a societal and engineering point of view will lead to better preparation and responses to such threats.

We welcome contributions that (1) investigate the processes of production, mobilisation, transport, and deposition of sediment in mountain landscapes, (2) study the development of cave systems and their sedimentary archive in relation to external base-level conditions and internal dynamics (3) explore feedbacks between erosion and weathering due to natural and anthropogenic forcings, (4) address the role these processes play in the larger source-to-sink context, and (5) consider how these processes contribute to natural hazards specific to mountain landscapes. We invite presentations that employ observational, analytical or modelling approaches in mountain environments across a variety of temporal and spatial scales. We particularly encourage early career scientists to apply for this session.

Geomorphometry and geomorphological mapping are important tools used for understanding landscape processes and dynamics on Earth and other planetary bodies. Recent rapid growth of technology and advances in data collection methods has made available vast quantities of geospatial data for such morphometric analysis and mapping, with the geospatial data offering unprecedented spatio-temporal range, density, and resolution. This explosion in the availability of geospatial data opens up considerable possibilities for morphometric analysis and mapping (e.g. for recognising new landforms and processes), but it also presents new challenges in terms of data processing and analysis.

This inter-disciplinary session on geomorphometry and landform mapping aims to bridge the gap between process-focused research fields and the technical domain where geospatial products and analytical methods are developed. The increasing availability of a wide range of geospatial datasets requires the continued development of new tools and analytical approaches as well as landform/landscape classifications. However, a potential lack of communication across disciplines results in efforts to be mainly focused on problems within individual fields. We aim to foster collaboration and the sharing of ideas across subject-boundaries, between technique developers and users, enabling us as a community to fully exploit the wealth of geospatial data that is now available.

We welcome perspectives on geomorphometry and landform mapping from ANY discipline (e.g. geomorphology, planetary science, natural hazard assessment, computer science, remote sensing). This session aims to showcase both technical and applied studies, and we welcome contributions that present (a) new techniques for collecting or deriving geospatial data products, (b) novel tools for analysing geospatial data and extracting innovative geomorphometric variables, (c) mapping and/or morphometric analysis of specific landforms as well as whole landscapes, and (d) mapping and/or morphometric analysis of newly available geospatial datasets. Contributions that demonstrate multi-method or inter-disciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged. We also actively encourage contributors to present tools/methods that are “in development”.

Rock deformation at different stress levels in the brittle regime and across the brittle-ductile transition is controlled by damage processes occurring on different spatial scales, from grain scale to fractured rock masse. These lead to a progressive increase of micro- and meso-crack intensity in the rock matrix and to the growth of inherited macro-fractures at rock mass scale. Coalescence of these fractures forms large-scale structures such as brittle fault zones and deep-seated rock slide shear zones. Diffuse or localized rock damage have a primary influence on rock properties (strength, elastic moduli, hydraulic and electric properties) and their evolution across multiple temporal scales spanning from geological times to highly dynamic phenomena as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides. In subcritical stress conditions, damage accumulation results in brittle creep processes key to the long-term evolution of geophysical, geomorphological and geo-engineering systems.

Damage and progressive failure processes must be considered to understand the time-dependent hydro-mechanical behaviour of faults (e.g. stick-slip vs asesismic creep), volcanic systems and slopes (e.g. slow rock slope deformation vs catastrophic rock slides), as well as the response of rock masses to stress perturbations induced by artificial excavations (tunnels, mines) and static or dynamic loadings. At the same time, damage processes control the brittle behaviour of the upper crust and are strongly influenced by intrinsic rock properties (strength, fabric, porosity, anisotropy), geological structures and their inherited damage, as well as by the evolving pressure-temperature with increasing depth and by fluid pressure, transport properties and chemistry. However, many complex relationships between these factors and rock damage are yet to be understood.

In this session we will bring together researchers from different communities interested in a better understanding of rock damage processes and consequence. We welcome innovative contributions on experimental studies (both in the laboratory and in situ), continuum / micromechanical analytical and numerical modelling, and applications to fault zones, reservoirs, slope instability and landscape evolution, and engineering applications. Studies adopting novel approaches and combined methodologies are particularly welcome.

Invited speakers:
- Brian Collins  (U.S. Geological Survey)
-  Jérôme Aubry  (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris)

The study of active faults and deformation of the Earth's surface has made, and continues to make, significant contributions to our understanding of earthquakes and the assessment of seismic related hazard. Active faulting may form and deform the Earth's surface so that records are documented in young sediments and in the landscape. Field studies of recent earthquake ruptures help to constrain earthquake source parameters and to identify previously unknown active structures. The insights gleaned from recent earthquakes can be applied to study past earthquakes. Paleoseismology and related disciplines such as paleogeodesy and paleotsunami investigations still are the primary tools to establish earthquake records that are long enough to determine recurrence intervals and long-term deformation rates for active faults. Multidisciplinary data sets accumulated over the years have brought unprecedented constraints on the size and timing of past earthquakes and allow deciphering shorter-term variations in fault slip rates or seismic activity rates, as well as the interaction of single faults within fault systems. This wide range of methods leads to a wide range of uncertainties in the definition of what is an active fault, which parameters are entered in fault databases, which consequently conditions the strategy used to transfer earthquake-fault data into fault models suitable for probabilistic SHA. Which uncertainty can be quantified by geologists and how can it be made easily accessible for proper usage in hazard computation is a fundamental question that the FAULT2SHA ESC working group (www.fault2sha.net) is attempting to tackle.
This FAULT2SHA session aims to spark a discussion between field earthquake geologists, crustal deformation modellers and fault modellers/seismic hazard practitioners around fault-related uncertainty issues and their inclusion in fault-based PSHA. We welcome contributions describing and critically discussing approaches used to study active faults as well as presentations discussing existing efforts on how fault-related information is translated into dedicated databases of primary surface information and then into 3D fault models. We particularly encourage contributions related to local studies of fault systems where specific issues could be debated on either fault data collection aspects, databases questions and/or fault hazard modelling

The scientific base of the process of seismic risk mitigation involves various seismic hazard models, developed at different time scales and by different methods, as well as the use of information as complete and reliable as possible about past seismicity. Some recent large earthquakes caused extensive damage in areas where some models indicated low seismic hazard, leading to an increased demand for criteria to objectively assess how well seismic hazard models are performing. This session aims to tackle theoretical and implementation issues, as well as aspects of science policy and diplomacy, which are all essential elements towards effective disasters mitigation, and include:
⇒ earthquake hazard and risk estimation at different time and space scales, including extreme seismic events;
⇒ methods for assessing performances of seismic hazard and risk models;
⇒ discussions of the pros and cons of deterministic, neo-deterministic, probabilistic, and intensity-based seismic hazard assessments
⇒ long-term evidences about past great earthquakes, as well as evidences of lack of them, including unconventional seismological observations (e.g. impact on caves, ancient constructions and other deformations evidences);
⇒ earthquake hazard assessment in terms of macro-seismic intensity;
⇒ seismic hazard and risk assessment and their temporal variability, including the contribution of aftershocks and earthquake-induced cascading effects (e.g. landslides, tsunamis, etc).
We invite contributions related to: hazard and risk assessment methods and their performance in applications; verification methods that are suitable to quantify seismic hazard estimates and that can be applied to limited and/or heterogeneous observations (ranging from recent records of ground shaking parameters to past intensity data); seismic hazard/risk monitoring and modeling; and risk communication and mitigation.
The session will provide an opportunity to share best practices and experience gained with different methods, highlighting existing gaps and future research directions. Also, the session would like to discuss issues related to disaster science policy and diplomacy, providing opportunities to advance our understanding of disaster risk in "all its dimensions of vulnerability, capacity, exposure of persons and assets, hazard characteristics and the environment", while simultaneously building bridges between nations, where relationships could otherwise be strained.

This session results from a merge of:
NH3.3 - Earthquake-induced landslides: mechanisms, modelling and related hazards
NH4.3 - Seismic microzonation: site effects and ground failures in urban areas.

Field evidence collected after past earthquakes worldwide demonstrated that damage and death toll depend on both the transient and the permanent deformations. They, in turn, are related to earthquake source and path, local geological and geotechnical conditions, structural design and construction features. Seismic microzonation (SM) focuses on the assessment of the first two factors and therefore represents the basis of a sustainable policy for earthquake risk mitigation. It deals with the assessment of ground shaking amplification, but also with the ground failures as landslides, soil liquefaction and ground subsidence. The multiple hazards resulting from these processes commonly are treated separately even though an integrated approach to the problem clearly is desirable. The purpose of this session is to provide a forum for discussion among researchers and other professionals who study amplification of the ground motion and the related ground failures caused by both seismic and volcanic activity and to encourage multidisciplinary research in these fields. Topics of interest include the following:
- Subsoil investigation and characterization for SM mapping;
- Multi-level SM mapping
- Evaluation of seismic site response (1D-2D-3D)
- Case histories of earthquake-triggered landslides, analysed at either local or regional
- Analysis of factors associated with seismically/volcanically-induced landslide occurrence;
- Slope stability and runout modelling of seismically/volcanically-induced landslide;
- Assessments of landslide and other ground-failure hazards in relation to deterministic earthquake and volcanic event scenarios or to regional probabilistic evaluations;
- Application of GIS techniques to evaluate and portray seismic and volcanic ground-failure hazards and risks;
-User requirements regarding risk assessment and persisting challenges.
- Studies on Soil liquefaction

A focused special issue in an EGU-journal will be edited based on the contributions of this session.

Over the last years, significant progress has been made towards understanding spatio-temporal correlations of earthquake occurrence, scaling laws, earthquake clustering, and the emergence of seismicity patterns. Background and clustered seismicity occur with great spatio-temporal variability. New models being developed in statistical seismology and pattern recognition have direct implications for time-dependent seismic hazard assessment, probabilistic earthquake forecasting and for analyzing the evolution of seismicity clusters. In many regions where complex fault systems exist, clusters are characterized by multiple mainshock sequences, with large aftershocks, which increase the overall hazard.
In this session, we invite researchers to present their latest results and insights on the physical and statistical models (either theoretical or based on laboratory and numerical experiments on rock fracture and friction) for the occurrence of earthquakes, foreshocks and aftershocks. Particular emphasis will be placed on:

- physical and statistical models of earthquake occurrence;
- analysis of earthquake clustering;
- spatio-temporal properties of earthquake statistics;
- quantitative testing of earthquake occurrence models;
- implications for time-dependent hazard assessment;
- methods for earthquake forecasting;
- data analyses and requirements for model testing;
- pattern recognition in seismology;
- machine learning applied to seismic data.

Confirmed solicited speaker: Ilya Zaliapin (University of Nevada, Reno, USA)

From the real-time integration of multi-parametric observations is expected the major contribution to the development of operational t-DASH systems suitable for supporting decision makers with continuously updated seismic hazard scenarios. A very preliminary step in this direction is the identification of those parameters (seismological, chemical, physical, biological, etc.) whose space-time dynamics and/or anomalous variability can be, to some extent, associated with the complex process of preparation of major earthquakes.
This session wants then to encourage studies devoted to demonstrate the added value of the introduction of specific, observations and/or data analysis methods within the t-DASH and StEF perspectives. Therefore studies based on long-term data analyses, including different conditions of seismic activity, are particularly encouraged. Similarly welcome will be the presentation of infrastructures devoted to maintain and further develop our present observational capabilities of earthquake related phenomena also contributing in this way to build a global multi-parametric Earthquakes Observing System (EQuOS) to complement the existing GEOSS initiative.
To this aim this session is not addressed just to seismology and natural hazards scientists but also to geologist, atmospheric sciences and electromagnetism researchers, whose collaboration is particular important for fully understand mechanisms of earthquake preparation and their possible relation with other measurable quantities. For this reason all contributions devoted to the description of genetic models of earthquake’s precursory phenomena are equally welcome. Selected papers will be proposed for publication in a dedicated Special Issue of Frontiers in Earth Science (i.e. Achievements and New Frontiers in Research Oriented to Earthquake Forecasting https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/11302)

The analysis of the spatiotemporal evolution of seismicity and the development of physical
and statistical models of seismicity have substantially improved our understanding of
earthquake occurrence. Such endeavor has considerably benefited from the availability of
new techniques and high-resolution, high-quality datasets. However, our forecasting skill of
large earthquake is still bounded to the "low-probability" environment. Additional
challenges are posed by issues such as missing data, catalog quality, biases affecting the
estimation of model parameters.
This session focuses on the most recent developments of models and techniques for
seismicity analysis, together with the main issues we need to be aware of. Specifically, it
will address the following topics:
• Advances in earthquake forecasting at different time scales;
• Advances in the analysis of spatiotemporal properties of seismicity;
• Earthquake statistics;
• Challenges affecting the analysis and modeling of spatiotemporal earthquake
occurrence;
• Future perspectives in seismicity modeling;
• Is there life beyond ETAS?

Faults are complex three-dimensional geological objects that grow and change their properties over time (i.e., fourth dimension). Therefore, their thorough understanding intrinsically requires a three- and four- rather than two-dimensional analysis. In this session, we invite contributions that address the geometrical, kinematical, and the underlying mechanical characteristics of faults, by considering their inherent three- and four-dimensional nature. Considerations in this new light will bring us closer to fully address some of the fundamental questions in fault analysis: how do faults initiate? How do they evolve in space and time? How do they accommodate displacement and at what slip rates? Ideally, contributions should arise from analysis of a broad spectrum of data such as, among others, geophysical imaging, earthquake seismicity, outcrop (including novel virtual outcrop geology), and analogue and numerical modelling data. The integration of these different data types will provide insights on characteristics of faults at different scales and resolutions, and on their evolution at different time frames. We encourage contributions that explore the repercussions that a three- and four- rather than two-dimensional approach to the study of faults can have on a broad range of practical problems such as, among others, earthquake hazard assessment and fluid flow.

Numerical modeling of earthquakes provides new approaches to apprehend the physics of earthquake rupture and the seismic cycle, seismic wave propagation, fault zone evolution and seismic hazard assessment.
Recent advances in numerical algorithms and increasing computational power enable unforeseen precision and multi-physics components in physics-based earthquake simulation but also pose challenges in terms of fully exploiting modern supercomputing infrastructure, realistic parameterization of simulation ingredients and the analysis of large synthetic datasets while advances in laboratory experiments link earthquake source processes to rock mechanics.
This session aims to bring together modelers and data analysts interested in the physics and computational aspects of earthquake phenomena and earthquake engineering. We welcome studies focusing on all aspects of seismic hazard assessment and the physics of earthquakes - from slow slip events, fault mechanics and rupture dynamics, to wave propagation and ground motion analysis, to the seismic cycle and inter seismic deformation - and studies which further the state-of-the art in the related computational and numerical aspects.

Recent advances in deformation sensing have led to new applications in various geophysical disciplines such as earthquake physics, broadband seismology, volcanology, seismic exploration, strong ground motion, earthquake engineering and geodesy.
New developments in translation, rotation and strain sensing enable the complete observation of seismic ground motion and deformation. Applications are manifold, ranging from the reduction of nonuniqueness in seismic inverse problems to the characterization, separation and reconstruction of the seismic wavefield.
Among others, fibre optic technologies is bound to become a standard tool for crustal exploration and seismic monitoring thanks to: (i) easier installation (low cost, simpler installation and maintenance, robustness in harsh environment); (ii) high spatial and temporal resolution over long distance; (iii) broader frequency band. There have been significant breakthroughs, applying fibre optic technologies to interrogate cables at very high precision over very large distances both on land and at sea, in boreholes and at the surface.
These developments overlap with considerable improvements in optical and atom interferometry for inertial rotation and gravity sensing which has led to a variety of improved sensor concepts over the last two decades.
We welcome contributions on theoretical advances and applications of novel sensing methodologies in seismology, geodesy, geophysics, natural hazards, oceanography, urban environment, geothermal investigations, etc. including laboratory studies, large-scale field tests and modelling.

We are happy to announce Nathaniel J. Lindsey as invited speaker.

The largest earthquakes globally occur along plate boundaries, producing intense shaking and associated secondary hazards over broad regions. In the past few years, there have been significant improvements in the quantity and quality of geodetic, seismological, and geological observations of the slow accumulation and rapid release of strain at these plate boundaries. At the same time, improvements in modeling techniques are providing new insights into the geodynamic processes controlling the occurrence of major earthquakes. With these advances, it is now becoming possible to address outstanding issues about both seismic and aseismic deformation at plate boundaries, such as time-variable locking and unlocking of the plate interface, the extent and role of slow slip events, the links between earthquake cycles and permanent deformation, and the behavior of complete cycles revealed by paleo-seismic and paleo-geodetic observations.

We invite contributions that investigate the spectrum of deformation occurring throughout the earthquake cycle at plate boundaries, from aseismic to seismic and across a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Submissions that utilize improved remote and field observational capabilities, developments in data analysis, or innovations in analog and numerical modeling to advance the understanding of the underlying physical processes are encouraged.

We focus on the aspect of combining frontier science with high-density ground and building measurements and large open data pools to better predict ground-shaking and building behavior but also to better quantify and visualize the potential impact of earthquakes.
The aim of this session is to give an up-to-date view of new ideas and methods using dense seismological networks, the latest generation of ground-motion databases, data-mining analyses, crowd-sourcing data, and smart-city technologies to evaluate ground-shaking and assess earthquake hazard and risk.
We invite papers related to:
(1) Site-specific and ultra-high-density earthquake ground-motion prediction (e.g. non-ergodic ground-motion models, use of machine learning in engineering seismology, high-resolution site conditions)
(2) Scenario-based or probabilistic earthquake hazard and risk assessment
(3) Exposure models from open data (e.g. use of OpenStreetMap data)
(4) Structural health monitoring of buildings for dynamic vulnerability modeling during earthquake sequences or dynamic exposure modeling
(5) Transparent and innovative hazard/risk visualization methods

This session covers the broad field of earthquake source processes, and
includes the topics of imaging the rupture kinematics and simulating
earthquake dynamics using numerical methods, to develop a deeper
understanding of earthquake source physics. We also invite presentation
that link novel laboratory experiments to earthquake dynamics, and
studies on earthquake scaling properties.

Earthquake sources are imaged using seismic data and surface deformation
measurements (e.g.GPS and InSAR) to estimate rupture properties on
faults and fault systems. Each data set and each method has its strength
and limitations in the context of the source-inversion problem, but the
uncertainties are often not well quantified and the robustness of the
source models not well known.
The session invites contributions that address the source-inversion
problem and provide new methods, innovative applications, and
thought-provoking new ideas. Contributions are welcome that make use of modern
computing paradigms and infrastructure to tackle large-scale forward
simulation of earthquake process, but also inverse modeling to retrieve
the rupture process with proper uncertainty quantification.

Earthquake source imaging, numerical modeling of rupture dynamics, and
source-scaling relations help to understand earthquake source processes.
Furthermore, new numerical modeling approaches for multi-scale
earthquake physics, including earthquake-cycle simulations, may include
fault-zone evolution and even target seismic hazard assessment. The
question that these lines of research are targeting are profound and of
first-order socio-economic relevance:

Which first-order physical processes control, at a given space-time
scale, the macroscopic evolution of dynamic rupture and its seismic
radiation? Is the physics of fault rupture the same for large and small
earthquakes? How can modern earthquake hazard assessment profit from a
deeper understanding of rupture dynamics? Which source processes need to
be considered to better understand, and then model, tsunami generation,
triggering phenomena, induced seismicity and earthquake cycles?

Within this framework our session also provides a forum to discuss case
studies of kinematic or dynamic source modeling of recent significant
earthquakes.

The broad scale tectonics of the Eastern Mediterranean are dominated by the interaction of the Nubian and Arabian plates with the Eurasian plate. This complex tectonic frame exhibit almost all type of plate boundary conditions such as continental convergence and extension, oceanic subduction, and continental transform. The evolution and present deformation are constrained by diverse geological, geophysical, and geodetic observations and have been explained by different hypotheses, such as (a) tectonic escape system caused by the post-collisional convergence of Eurasian and Arabian plates creating forces at its boundaries with gravitational potential differences of the Anatolian high plateau (b) asthenospheric flow dragging the circular flow of lithosphere from the Levant to Anatolia in the east and the Aegean in the west, (c) slab pull of the Hellenic subduction, (d) mantle upwelling underneath Afar and with the large-scale flow associated with a whole mantle, Tethyan convection cell, (e) or combinations of these mechanisms for the Eastern Mediterranean. Naturally, this tectonic setting generates frequent earthquakes with large magnitudes (M > 7), forming a natural laboratory on understanding the crustal deformation, and crust-mantle interactions for various disciplines of active tectonics.
Multi-disciplinary studies, especially within the last three decades, have made significant contributions to our understanding of the processes on the crustal deformation, and interaction of the mantle with the crustal processes of this region. With this session, we aim to bring together the recent findings of these studies, thus we welcome/invite contributions from a wide range of disciplines including, but not limited to, neotectonics, seismology, tectonic geodesy (e.g. GNSS, InSAR), paleoseismology, tectonic geomorphology, remote sensing, structural geology and geodynamic modelling, which geographically cover the Eastern Mediterranean region, including Anatolia-Aegean Block, Caucasus, Iran, Middle East and Greece.

Invited talks:
- Jonathan Weiss - Measuring Anatolian plate velocity and strain with InSAR: Implications for fault-locking, seismic hazard, and crustal dynamics.
- Pierre Henry - Contrasting seismogenic behaviors on the North Anatolian Fault in the Sea of Marmara

Typical practice for seismic hazard assessment (SHA) in stable continental regions (SCRs) uses a global-analogues approach to amalgamate seismicity data from SCRs globally. This approach is premised on all SCR crust sharing the same seismogenic potential. Is this approach valid? How can we better define seismogenic analogues in low strain regions? Are earthquake recurrence and long-term slip rates meaningful concepts in these settings for the purpose of seismic hazard analysis?
This session seeks to integrate paleoseismic, geomorphic, geodetic, geophysical and seismological datasets to provide insight into the earthquake cycle in low-strain regions. It will draw upon recent advances in high-resolution topography, geochronology, satellite geodesy techniques, subsurface imaging techniques, longer seismological records, high-density geophysical networks and unprecedented computational power to explore the driving mechanisms for earthquakes in low-strain settings. A comparison of the range of seismic behavior as a function of the different geodynamic attributes of these settings (e.g., crustal age, structure, stress, geology, antecedent
tectonics (inheritance); evolving boundary conditions; Quaternary processes (glaciation), etc), may provide a means to better refine and constrain the types of features or active processes that warrant treatment as analogues for seismic hazard assessment. We welcome contributions that (1) present new observations that place constraints on earthquake occurrence in low-strain regions, (2) explore patterns of stable or temporally varying earthquake recurrence, and (3) provide insight into the mechanisms that control earthquakes in regions of slow deformation via observation and/or
modeling.

Ambient seismic noise-based monitoring and imaging techniques have matured into a core part of the seismological toolkit. The advantages are based on the commonly obtained robust reconstruction of empirical Green’s function estimates that allows seismic imaging and continuous monitoring of a wide range of subsurface structures.

In this session, we focus on open questions and methodological advances in seismic interferometry and ambient noise based seismology. We invite (A) contributions on new methodological approaches in seismic interferometry and noise processing, (B) studies of time variations of elastic material properties, and (C) investigations of the sources of the ambient seismic noise.

This could, for example, include contributions that...
... further extend the resolution capabilities and sensitivities of methods using the continuously recorded wavefield and its applications;
... propose ideas that aim to push the imaging resolution of multiple scattered wavefields;
... report on case studies of established techniques that are applied to data collected by unconventional solid earth and acoustic acquisition systems such as distributed acoustic sensing cables, rotation sensors, or infrasound installations;
... investigate causes of temporal variations of medium properties, including suggestions for the upscaling of laboratory configurations to local and regional scales;
... show monitoring applications that connect the obtained velocity change signals with complementary observables such as seismicity rates, geodetic signals, or meltwater drainage to better constrain underlying physical processes and model parameters;
... study the excitation of the ambient field over the entire frequency range and implications for the stability of the reconstructed signals;

Solicited presentation by Dr. Eileen Martin (Virginia Tech, USA) on ambient noise interferometry with fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS).

Characterizing and monitoring Earth surface processes often requires the development of challenging scientific approaches leading to the rise of innovative techniques. From the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, passive to active monitoring techniques are in constant progress and push further terra incognita boundaries. In particular, seismic techniques are becoming widely used to detect and quantitatively characterise a wide variety of natural processes occurring at the Earth’s surface. These processes include mass movements such as landslides, rock falls, debris flows and lahars; glacial phenomena such as icequakes, glacier calving/serac falls, glacier melt and supra- to sub-glacial hydrology; snow avalanches; water storage and water dynamics phenomena such as water table changes, river flow turbulence and fluvial sediment transport. Where other methods often provide limited spatial and temporal coverage, seismic observations allow recovering sequences of events with high temporal resolution and over large areas. In addition to seismic techniques, recent advances in other in-situ geophysical instrumentation (e.g. Doppler radar, sub bottom profilers, etc.) or remote sensing techniques (e.g. inSAR, unmanned aerial systems, unmanned maritime systems, etc.) have made remote monitoring and data acquisition a reality. These novel techniques represent more affordable, practical solutions for the collection of spatial and temporal data sets in challenging environments.
These observational capabilities allow establishing connections with meteorological drivers, and give unprecedented insights on the underlying physics of the various Earth’s surface processes as well as on their interactions (chains of events). These capabilities are also of first interest for real time hazards monitoring and early warning purposes.
This session aims to bring together research on seismic methods as well as holistic, novel and/or in-development monitoring solutions to study Earth surface dynamics, particularly in challenging and hostile areas. We welcome contributions from a broad range of disciplines (including geomorphology, cryospheric sciences, seismology, natural hazards, volcanology, soil system sciences and hydrology) and applications (from landslides, snow avalanches, glaciers, cave systems, marine/lake and submarine systems, to volcano and permafrost monitoring).

Solicited presenter: Zack Spica - University of Michigan (USA)

Tsunamis can produce catastrophic damage on vulnerable coastlines, essentially following major earthquakes, landslides or atmospheric disturbances. After the disastrous tsunamis in 2004 and 2011, tsunami science has grown significantly, opening new fields of research for various domains, and also in regions where the tsunami hazard was previously underestimated.
Numerical modeling, complemented with laboratory experiments, are essential to quantify the tsunami hazard. To this end, it is essential to rely on complete databases of past tsunami observations, including both historical events and results of paleotsunami investigations. Furthermore, a robust hazard analysis has to take into account uncertainties and probabilities with the more advanced approaches such as PTHA.
Because the vulnerability of populations, of infrastructures and of the built environment in coastal zones increases, integrated plans for tsunami risk prevention and mitigation should be encouraged in any exposed coastline, consistent with the procedures now in place in a growing number of Tsunami Warning System.

The tsunami session welcomes multidisciplinary contributions covering any of the aspects mentioned here, encompassing field data, regional hazard studies, observation databases, numerical modeling, risk studies, real time networks, operational tools and procedures towards a most efficient warning.

A focus on recent tsunami events all over the globe is encouraged, as well as on the achievements of recent research and operational projects.

The scope of this session includes different aspects of large-amplitude wave phenomena in the ocean such as freak or rogue waves, surface and internal waves, as well as waves trapped by currents and bathymetry. The session is focused on the understanding of the physical mechanisms which cause extreme events, and the derivation of appropriate mathematical models for their description and advanced methods for their analysis. An essential part of such studies is the validation of new models and techniques versus laboratory and in-situ data. Special attention is paid to the description of wave breaking processes, and the interaction of large-amplitude waves with coastal structures.

Tsunamis and storm surges pose significant hazards to coastal communities around the world. Geological investigations, including both field studies and modelling approaches, significantly enhance our understanding of these events. Past extreme wave events may be reconstructed based on sedimentary and geomorphological evidence from low and high energy environments, from low and high latitude regions and from coastal and offshore areas. The development of novel approaches to identifying, characterising and dating evidence for these events supplements a range of established methods. Nevertheless, the differentiation between evidence for tsunamis and storms still remains a significant question for the community. Numerical and experimental modelling studies complement and enhance field observations and are crucial to improving deterministic and probabilistic approaches to hazard assessment. This session welcomes contributions on all aspects of paleo-tsunami and paleo-storm surge research, including studies that use established methods or recent interdisciplinary advances to reconstruct records of past events, or forecast the probability of future events.

This session welcomes contributions presenting advances in, and approaches to, studying, modelling, monitoring, and forecasting of internal waves in stratified estuaries, lakes and the coastal oсean.

Internal solitary waves (ISWs) and large-amplitude internal soliton packets are a commonly observed event in oceans and lakes. In the oceans ISWs are mainly generated by the interaction of the barotropic tides with the bottom topography. Large amplitude solitary waves are energetic events that generate strong currents. They can also trap fluid with larvae and sediments in the cores of waves and transport it a considerable distance. ISWs can cause hazards to marine engineering and submarine navigation, and significantly impact on marine ecosystems and particle transport in the bottom layer of the ocean and stratified lakes. Contributions studying flows due to internal waves, their origin, propagation and influence on the surrounding environment are of great importance.
The scope of the session involves all aspects of ISWs generation, propagation, transformation and the interaction of internal waves with bottom topography and shelf zones, as well as an evaluation of the role of internal waves in sediment resuspension and transport. Breaking of internal-waves also drives turbulent mixing in the ocean interior that is important for climate ocean models. Discussion of parameterizations for internal-wave driven turbulent mixing in global ocean models is also invited.

Coastal areas are vulnerable to ocean, atmospheric and land-based hazards. This vulnerability is likely to be exacerbated in future with, for example, sea level rise, changing intensity of tropical cyclones, increased subsidence (e.g. from groundwater extraction, tectonics), and increasing socio-economic development coupled to coastal squeeze in, particularly, the urbanised low elevation coastal zone. This calls for a better understanding of the underlying physical processes and their interaction with the coast. Numerical models therefore play a crucial role in characterizing coastal hazards and assigning risks to them. Drawing firm conclusions about current and future changes in this environment is challenging because uncertainties are often large, such as coastal impacts of likely and unlikely (also called high-end) sea level changes for the 21st century. Furthermore, studies addressing coastal impacts beyond this century pose new questions regarding the timescale of impacts and adaptation activity. This session invites submissions focusing on assessments and case studies at global and regional scales of potential physical impacts of tsunamis, storm surge, sea level rise, waves, and currents on coasts. We also welcome submissions on near-shore ocean dynamics and also on the socio-economic impact of these hazards along the coast.

Subaqueous mass movements include landslides, debris flows and turbidity currents. Their far-reaching impacts threaten densely-populated coastal regions, global economies and the environment. They have the potential to generate devastating tsunamis, severely damage seafloor infrastructure and transport vast amounts of sediment and microplastics to the ocean floor. They also play an important role in the deep sea burial of organic carbon.

Although often compared to their subaerial counterparts, run-out distances of subaqueous mass movements may be substantially greater (hundreds of kilometres), and can occur at remarkably lower gradients (

The study of active tectonic structures in offshore areas has been hampered by the scarcity of direct observations and by the limited resolution of indirect data. Nevertheless, in the last years, the development of new geophysical instrumentation and the acquisition of high-resolution bathymetric and active and passive seismic data (i.e., chirp, parametric sounder, multichannel profiles or OBS information) has allowed making major advances in the study of active faults in offshore areas. These new data have become fundamental not only to identify and describe active tectonic structures but also to characterize their Quaternary activity and seismogenic potential. Together with these developments, our understanding of marine active tectonics and our knowledge about their associated hazards have also improved.
The aim of this session is to compile studies which focus on the use of geophysical data to identify and characterize offshore active structures (i.e., faults and folds), their seismogenic and tsunamigenic potential and possibly related features such as submarine landslides, and to estimate the related hazards. Studies can be focused at regional or local scale and the session includes but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Active faulting identification and description and/or 3D modeling.
- Contribution of seismicity analysis to the seismotectonic characterization of offshore areas.
- Seismogenic characterization of active structures and estimation of their tsunamigenic potential.
- Active tectonics processes related to landslides triggering.
- Contribution of marine active tectonic study to the hazard assessment.

Oceanographic monitoring and modeling are both widely used to study the pathways and fate of marine pollutants such as hydrocarbons, marine litter, POPs, HNS, radionuclides, etc. In this session, advanced sampling methods, models, operational applications and techniques related to tracing pollutants on local, regional and global scales, as well as the coupling with met-oceanographic transport fields from operational oceanography products such as Copernicus Marine Monitoring Environment Service will be discussed. State-of-the-art observational techniques and protocols, ensemble and multi-model methods, risk assessment algorithms and decision support systems are solicited topics. Integration of modelling and observing systems for both data assimilation and model validation are also very welcome.
Key questions of the session are identified as follows: Which factors affect the dispersion of the pollutants in the marine environment? What happens to the contaminants on the ocean’s surface, in the water column and sediments? How do marine pollutants interact with marine habitats? How do they influence marine and maritime resources? How should Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) protocols be optimized to minimize negative impact on the coastal zone?
Impacts of pollutants, including light and noise pollution, on the marine ecosystems and resilience to pollution events are also important subjects for discussion: What is the behavior of oil, marine litter, heavy metals, and other pollutants in the water column, on various beach sediments, rocks and seabed? e.g., what is the biodegradation rate of oil droplets in the water column and what are the controlling factors? What is the rate of fragmentation, biofouling, and sedimentation of plastics? What are the mechanisms of beaching, seabed deposition, and resuspension of marine pollutants and what are the ways of entering the marine food chains (including human consumption)? What is the impact of light and noise pollution on the marine environment and habitats?

This session is open to science on the tides of the ocean, atmosphere and solid earth; on spatial scales from global to coastal, estuarine and river; and on all timescales. Tides can cause flooding, particularly in combination with storm surge, and tidal currents and water levels can be both a help and a hindrance to shipping and energy generation. There is a critical role for tides in ocean mixing and the cryosphere, and accurate tide models are required for the processing of remote sensing and satellite geodesy data.
We welcome presentations on progress in modelling of past, present, and future tides, assessment of the accuracy of tide models, novel methods for tide predictions, advances in instrumentation and data processing, new findings from the analysis of historical tide gauge data, and understanding of secular changes in tides due to sea-level change and other environmental forcing factors. We also invite submissions on tides of lakes and of other planets.
Déborah Idier of BGRM, the French Geological Survey, will give the invited presentation for this session, on the mechanisms of changes to tides on the European Shelf under sea-level rise.

This session provides a platform for cross-disciplinary science that addresses the continuum of the river and its catchment to the coastal sea. We invite studies across geographical borders; from the source to the sea including groundwater, and across the freshwater-marine water transition. The session welcomes studies that link environmental and social science, address the impacts of climate change and extreme events, and of human activities on water and sediment quality and quantity, hydromorphology, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services of River-Sea systems, and that provide solutions for sustainable management of the River-Sea social-ecological system.
We need to fully understand how River-Sea-Systems function. How are River-Sea-Systems changing due to human pressures? What is the impact of processes in the catchment on marine systems function, and vice versa? How can we discern between human-induced changes or those driven by natural processes from climate-induced variability and extreme events? What will the tipping points of socio-ecologic system states be and what will they look like? How can we better characterise river-sea systems from the latest generation Earth observation to citizen science based observatories. How can we predict short and long term changes in River-Sea-Systems to manage them sustainably? What is the limit to which it is possible to predict the natural and human-influenced evolution of River-Sea-Systems? The increasing demand to jointly enable intensive human use and environmental protection in river-sea systems requires holistic and integrative research approaches with the ultimate goal of enhanced system understanding.

Since 2004, there have been a number of large subduction earthquakes whose unexpected rupture features contributed to the generation of devastating tsunamis. The impact that these events have had on human society highlights the need to improve our knowledge of the key mechanisms behind their origin. Advances in these areas have led to progress in our understanding of the most important parameters affecting tsunamigenesis.

With increasing geophysical data, new descriptions of faulting and rupture complexity are being hypothesized (e.g., spatial and temporal seismic rupture heterogeneity, fault roughness, geometry and sediment type, interseismic coupling, etc.). Rock physicists have proposed new constitutive laws and parameters based on a new generation of laboratory experiments, which simulate close to natural seismic deformation conditions on natural fault samples. In addition, advances in numerical modelling now allow scientists to test how new geophysical observations, e.g. ocean drilling projects and laboratory analyses, influence subduction zone processes over a range of temporal and spatial scales (i.e., geodynamic, seismic cycling, earthquake rupture, wave propagation modelling).

In light of these advances, this session has a twofold mission: i) to integrate recent results from different fields to foster a comprehensive understanding of the key parameters controlling the physics of large subduction earthquakes over a range of spatial and temporal scales; ii) to identify how tsunami hazard analysis can benefit from using a multi-disciplinary approach.

We invite abstracts that enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and integrate observations, rock physics experiments, analog- and numerical modeling, and tsunami hazard.

Modelling the interaction of water waves with varying current is an important issue, especially in nearshore and coastal areas and for a variety of engineering applications.
These applications include wave structure interactions, with the problematics related to oil and naval industries, but also renewable energies.
The problematic is also important when considering coastal management, and harbour maintenance and exploitation.
Also, this interaction often leads to the formation of extreme wave events with detrimental effects.
Significant scientific effort was undertaken during the last fifty years to model linear, weakly or strongly nonlinear water waves with constant, or slowly varying currents.
When variations are stronger, the difficulty remains important.
In this session, contributions are invited relating experimental, numerical and theoretical works designed to improve the understanding of water waves and current interactions, including wave and current stability, wave dynamics, and energy propagation.
Contributions describing the specific problematics, from the point of the applications, are also deeply welcome.

Scientific drilling through the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) continues to provide unique opportunities to investigate the workings of the interior of our planet, Earth’s cycles, natural hazards and the distribution of subsurface microbial life. The past and current scientific drilling programs have brought major advances in many multidisciplinary fields of socio-economic relevance, such as climate and ecosystem evolution, palaeoceanography, the deep biosphere, deep crustal and tectonic processes, geodynamics and geohazards. This session invites contributions that present and/or review recent scientific results from deep Earth sampling and monitoring through ocean and continental drilling projects. Furthermore, we encourage contributions that outline perspectives and visions for future drilling projects, in particular projects using a multi-platform approach.

The nature of science has changed: it has become more interconnected, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and data intensive. The main aim of this session, now in its third edition, is to create a common space for interdisciplinary scientific discussion where EGU-GA delegates involved in recent and ongoing COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)* Actions can share ideas and present the research activities carried out in their networks. The session represents an invaluable opportunity for different Actions and their members to identify possible synergies and establish new collaborations, find novel links between disciplines, and design innovative research approaches. So far, this session has hosted contributions stemming from 26 Actions, covering different areas of the geosciences (sky, earth and subsurface monitoring, terrestrial life and ecosystems, earth's changing climate and natural hazards, sustainable management of resources and urban development, environmental contaminants, and big data); we are looking forward to receiving new contributions this year.

Same as in past editions, part of this session will be dedicated to presenting and discussing activities carried out in further national and international scientific networks, associations, and collaborative projects.

Moreover, this session is of course open to everyone and abstracts authored by individual scientists or small research teams are most welcome, too. Actually, in 2018 and 2019 we received a very good number of such abstracts, submitted by researchers who wanted to disseminate the results of their studies in front of the multidisciplinary audience that characterizes this session, as an alternative to making a presentation in a thematic session. In fact, contributing to this session can be a productive way to broaden the perspective and find new partners for future interdisciplinary research ventures.

-- Notes --

* COST (www.cost.eu) is funded by the EU and enables researchers to set up their interdisciplinary and international scientific networks (the “Actions”). Academia, industry, public- and private-sector laboratories work together in the Actions, sharing knowledge, leveraging diversity, and pulling resources. Every Action has a main objective, defined goals and deliverables. This session is a follow-up initiative of COST Action TU1208 “Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar” (www.gpradar.eu).

Remote sensing and Earth Observations (EO) are used increasingly in the different phases of the risk management and in development cooperation, due to the challenges posed by contemporary issues such as climate change, and increasingly complex social interactions. The advent of new, more powerful sensors and more finely tuned detection algorithms provide the opportunity to assess and quantify natural hazards, their consequences, and vulnerable regions, more comprehensively than ever before.
Several agencies have now inserted permanently into their program the applications of EO data to risk management. During the preparedness and prevention phase, EO revealed, fundamental for hazard, vulnerability and risk mapping. EO data intervenes both in the emergency forecast and early emergency response, thanks to the potential of rapid mapping. EO data is also increasingly being used for mapping useful information for planning interventions in the recovery phase, and then providing the assessment and analysis of natural hazards, from small to large regions around the globe. In this framework, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) has been working from several years on disasters management related to natural hazards (e.g., volcanic, seismic, landslide and flooding ones), including pilots, demonstrators, recovery observatory concepts, Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratory (GSNL) initiatives and multi-hazard management projects.

The session is dedicated to multidisciplinary contributions focused on the demonstration of the benefit of the use of EO for natural hazard and risk management.
The research presented might focus on:
- Addressed value of EO data in hazard/risk forecasting models
- Innovative applications of EO data for rapid hazard, vulnerability and risk mapping, the post-disaster recovery phase, and in support of disaster risk reduction strategies
- Development of tools for assessment and validation of hazard/risk models

The use of different types of remote sensing (e.g. thermal, visual, radar, laser, and/or the fusion of these) is highly recommended, with an evaluation of their respective pros and cons focusing also on future opportunities (e.g. new sensors, new algorithms).
Early-stage researchers are strongly encouraged to present their research. Moreover, contributions from international cooperation, such as CEOS and GEO initiatives, are welcome.

Space-based geodetic techniques including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and SAR-based change detection have become essential tools for high-quality mapping and analysis of the damage, change and deformation induced by natural and anthropogenic processes. Processing of these data have led to many new insights into understanding of geophysical and geological processes related to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, sinkholes, floods, glaciers, and groundwater exploitation. They are also extremely useful for civil protection authorities for post-disaster response, detecting precursors of failure, and planning warning systems for areas prone to risk.
All scientists exploiting SAR/InSAR data to address challenges in the areas of the geosphere, cryosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere are cordially invited to contribute to this session. We welcome contributions from innovative processing algorithms, interpretation and modelling methods that are used for generating high-level products from SAR data for applications in earth and environmental sciences. Submissions are encouraged to cover a broad range of topics, which may include, but are not limited to, the following activities: SAR/InSAR algorithm development including cloud-based computing, deep learning and big data analysis, crustal deformation and earthquake cycle, landslides, volcanic processes, land subsidence, sinkholes, mining activities, infrastructure monitoring, flood monitoring, forest biomass and agriculture, glacier and ice dynamics, and permafrost

The use of UAV (also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems - RPAS) for natural hazard characterization and hazard assessment has strongly increased in the last years. Nowadays, the massive diffusion of mini- and micro-RPAS is becoming a valuable alternative to the traditional monitoring and surveying techniques, opening novel and interesting viewpoints. The advantages of the use of RPAS are particularly important in areas characterized by hazardous natural processes, where the acquisition of high resolution remotely sensed data could be a powerful instrument to quickly assess the damages and plan effective rescues without any risk for operators.
In general, the primary goal of these systems is the collection of different data (e.g., images, LiDAR point clouds, gas or radioactivity concentrations) and the delivery of various products (e.g., 3D models, hazard maps, high-resolution orthoimages).
The use of RPAS has promising perspectives not only for natural hazards, but also in other fields of geosciences, to support a high-resolution geological or geomorphological mapping, or to study the evolution of active processes. The high repeatability of RPAS flights and their limited costs allows the multi-temporal analysis of a studied area. However, methodologies, best practices, advantages and limitations of this kind of applications are yet unclear and/or poorly shared by the scientific community.
This session aims at exploring the open research issues and possible applications of RPAS in particular for natural hazard but also for geosciences in general, collecting experiences, case studies, and results, as well as defining methodologies and best practices for their practical use. The session will concern the contributions aiming at: i) describing the development of new methods for the acquisition and processing of RPAS data, ii) introducing the use of new sensors developed or adapted to RPAS, iii) reporting new data processing methods related to image or point cloud segmentation and classification and iv) presenting original case studies that can be considered an excellent example for the scientific community.

Public information:
We decided to propose an online web meeting using the WEBEX platform.
The link to participate to the meeting is the following: https://trialcnrirpi.webex.com/trialcnrirpi/j.php?MTID=ma799e3fe9bad1d36a1ef1a0094573590
PSW: EPsqQ3Yvt29
We will also check the EGU chat to assure that everybody can participate to the session discussion, using Webex or the chat.
Please, download the detailed program

Tangible Cultural Heritage (TCH) plays a key role in building the memory and roots of human society. Unfortunately, TCH sites are often threatened by soil erosion and natural hazards (e.g. landslides, earthquakes, flooding, tropical storms, forest fire); further damage can also arise from the fragility of the site’s structures and materials with respect to anthropogenic hazards (destructive sabotage, war) and incorrect urban planning. The protection and conservation of TCH sites are pressing issues not only for the conservators/scientist’s community but for the whole society. For a correct conservation strategy it is necessary to implement a specific inter-disciplinary approach, that should be planned considering the site characteristics (topography, geomorphological-geological setting) and typology of the related hazard. In this perspective the use of remote sensing (RS) techniques applied from spaceborne, airborne and ground-based to UAV platforms (including, but not limited to, Radar interferometry, Lidar, Digital photogrammetry, Optical and Infrared imaging) combined with detailed field surveys, sample laboratory analysis, geotechnical and geophysical analysis, can provide the fundamental data for the implementation of mapping products and geodatabases, especially in developing countries with limited data, to be used as a starting point for TCH management plans. The goal of this Session is to gather high-quality original contributions and case studies applications on the use of RS techniques for protection and conservation of tangible Cultural and Natural Heritage sites (these include but are not limited to the UNESCO World Heritage and Tentative Lists) for risk mitigation practices and management plans.

Smart monitoring and observation systems for natural hazards, including satellites, seismometers, global networks, unmanned vehicles (e.g., UAV), and other linked devices, have become increasingly abundant. With these data, we observe the restless nature of our Earth and work towards improving our understanding of natural hazard processes such as landslides, debris flows, earthquakes, floods, storms, and tsunamis. The abundance of diverse measurements that we have now accumulated presents an opportunity for earth scientists to employ statistically driven approaches that speed up data processing, improve model forecasts, and give insights into the underlying physical processes. Such big-data approaches are supported by the wider scientific, computational, and statistical research communities who are constantly developing data science and machine learning techniques and software. Hence, data science and machine learning methods are rapidly impacting the fields of natural hazards and seismology. In this session, we will see research from natural hazards and seismology for processes over a broad range of time and spatial scales.

Dr. Pui Anantrasirichai of the University of Bristol, UK will give the invited presentation:
Application of Deep Learning to Detect Ground Deformation in InSAR Data

Remote sensing, numerical models, and machine learning have been widely used for investigating environmental risks under climate change. It is known that they tend to do an excellent job in mapping, simulating, and projecting the long-term changes in average conditions. However, damages associated with extreme weathers by droughts, floods, forest fires, heat-related mortality, and crop yield loss are often more devastating than those caused by gradual climate changes. How remote sensing, numerical models, and machine learning can be used for assessing the impacts of extreme weathers on the natural and human systems remains uncertain.
This session aims to summarize current progress in assessing the ability of remote sensing, numerical models, and machine learning for quantifying climate risks in multiple sectors, such as water, agriculture, and human health.
We especially welcome investigations focusing on the inter-comparison of methodologies, as well as multi-sectoral, cross-sectoral, and integrated assessments.

A remote sensing signal acquired by a sensor system results from electromagnetic radiation (EM) interactions from incoming or emitted EM with atmospheric constituents, vegetation structures and pigments, soil surfaces or water bodies. Vegetation, soil and water bodies are functional interfaces between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. The physical types of EM used in RS has increased during the years of remote sensing development. Originally, the main focus was on optical remote sensing. Now, thermal, microwave, polarimetric, angular and quite recently also fluorescence have been added to the EM regions under study.
This has led to the definition of an increasing number of bio-geophysical variables in RS. Products include canopy structural variables (e.g. biomass, leaf area index, fAPAR, leaf area density) as well as ecosystem mass flux exchanges dominated by carbon and water exchange. Many other variables are considered as well, like chlorophyll fluorescence, soil moisture content and evapotranspiration. New modelling approaches including models with fully coupled atmosphere, vegetation and soil matrices led to improved interpretations of the spectral and spatio-temporal variability of RS signals including those of atmospheric aerosols and water vapour.
This session solicits for papers presenting methodologies and results leading to the assimilation in biogeoscience and atmospheric models of cited RS variables as well as data measured in situ for RS validation purposes. Contributions should preferably focus on topics related to climate change, food production (and hence food security), nature preservation and hence biodiversity, epidemiology, and atmospheric chemistry and pollution (stratospheric and troposphere ozone, nitrogen oxides, VOC’s, etc). It goes without saying that we also welcome papers focusing on the assimilation of remote sensing and in situ measurements in bio-geophysical and atmospheric models, as well as the RS extraction techniques themselves.
This session aims to bring together scientists developing remote sensing techniques, products and models leading to strategies with a higher (bio-geophysical) impact on the stability and sustainability of the Earth’s ecosystems.