The Kit Salt Gardens is an educational project on coastal geosciences composed of a box containing bricks and miniatures that exemplify the natural elements of the tidal wetlands (such as sediment, water, animal species, and typical vegetation). It allows hands-on activities related to wetlands ecogeomorphology and climate change. The Kit was developed for primary school students, assisted by a teacher/monitor, and the progression in the Kit is made in two levels. In the first level, for children aged 6 to 8 years old, concepts such as habitat composition, sediment, plants, and the effect of the tide on the environment, are explored. The Ria Formosa wetland's diversity inspired the natural elements that compose the Kit. Through storytelling, a narrative is created with various characters (animals) that inhabit the salt marshes (Alex the crab, Sam the seahorse, Cris the flamingo, and Manu the lost turtle) and the iconic plants (Zostera noltei, Spartina maritima, and Limoniastrum monopetalum). The first level guides the children through various games (e.g., building games, matching games) to the construction of the habitat, thus explaining how the marshes are formed. In the second level, for children aged 9 to 10, participants learn about climate change, sea-level rise, and climate scenarios (using climate cards). Students are invited to understand the physical (geomorphological) and ecological processes that regulate the formation of these environments, by constructing wetlands zones, while understanding the main threats (e.g., sediment supply, sea-level rise).

The aim is to promote children's literacy on coastal dynamics as they “build their marsh”, answer quizzes, and play with images and dices. The teacher/monitor can use the kit for other classroom activities. They can use it, for example, to explore the setting and characters for a new story, to serve as an introduction to a field trip to the coastal zone, or as an orientation exercise for group work. The handling of the Kit by the students is intended to generate critical thinking and creativity while empowering them with knowledge about the world around them.

Acknowledgments

The project was funded in 2022 by the British Society of Geomorphology and Wiley. A.R. Carrasco by the contract CEECINST/00052/2021/CP2792/CT0007 funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). The authors also recognize the support of national funds through FCT, under project LA/P/0069/2020, granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET, and project UID/00350/2020 granted to CIMA (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/00350/2020).

How to cite: Carrasco, A. R. and Matias, A.: Exploring the wonders of wetlands with the Kit ‘Salt Gardens’, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-9507, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-9507, 2024.

Climate change constitute one of the main challenges mankind has to come up against, where of crucial importance is the undertaking of initiatives collaboratively by the countries in order to counter the consequences of climate crisis. The deterioration of the environmental conditions due to the alteration of climatic conditions has increased the likelihood of occurrence of various natural hazards (e.g. floods, storms, landslides, drought events, wildfires) from 2000 to 2019 as specified by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), which reinforced the multi-hazard profile of the hazard-prone areas. Greece has been affected by several disastrous events as stated in multiple data sources of natural hazards, where wildfires, floods and earthquakes have induced detrimental effects. However, there is a plethora both of hazard interrelations and types of hazards interactions that can exacerbate the implications caused by natural hazards. On the other hand, education and communication of hazard cascades will contribute substantially to the reduction of disasters, therefore it is indispensable dissemination activities of multi-hazard approaches to be implemented. The purpose of this research is to propose a service that leverages historical geospatial data or spatially referenced data, based on the literature of domino/triggering effect, in order to promote and assist preparedness actions for disaster chains in the context of education.

Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the Research Committee of the National Technical University of Athens (N.T.U.A.), which awarded Michail-Christos Tsoutsos with a Doctoral Scholarship and, thus, enabled him to carry out the research required for this kind of study. Grant number: 65/219100.

How to cite: Tsoutsos, M.-C. and Vescoukis, V.: Cascade effects of Greece using historical data of natural hazards: An operational tool in education, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20521, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20521, 2024.

Understanding what are the main characteristics of seismic risk communication
practice and research is essential to depict best practices and gaps that can provide
insights for future improvements. Towards this task, and focussing on the European
framework, a scoping review based on the analysis of scholarly literature databases,
was conducted. It reveals that, over the last 20 years, seismic risk communication has
been a research topic of increasing interest, trying to keep up with current risk
communication trends and yet mostly under-researched. Recommendations from
international disaster risk reduction frameworks show up also through the increasing
interest on the communication of seismic risk in Europe. However, it appears to be
practiced in an uneven way in the different European countries and not necessarily
linked to the level of hazard.
It mostly occurs in the pre-crisis phase of the disaster lifecycle when risk awareness
and capacity to cope with hazards can be effectively built.
An increasingly proactive, with an emphasis on a bottom-up strategy that relies on
youths to build the resilience of future generations is another key issue of the
communication of seismic risk in the last 2 decades.
Social media have had an increasing impact to provide timely and actionable
information in times of crisis and to engage citizens, in the pre-crisis and post-disaster
phase.
Our data highlights that the future agenda for the communication of seismic risk
should be set on building trust with the public, tailoring communication to its needs.
Actions are even more necessary to curb the spread of fake news and its negative
impact on disaster management and build the communication practices on a
theoretical background

How to cite: Musacchio, G., Saraò, A., Falsaperla, S., and Scolobig, A.: Two decades of seismic risk communication in Europe: where did we head to?, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-21551, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-21551, 2024.

How to cite: Mantini, M., Rebora, N., Polo, L., Andreaggi, M., Gioia, A., Franciosi, C., Ferraris, L., and Morando, M.: Risk Communication as part of European civil protection mechanism. Roadmap basis from a national to a European Union Civil Protection communication and awareness.  , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-8414, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8414, 2024.

A proper evaluation and an effective communication of flood risk are important aspects to reinforce flood preparedness and to reduce the impacts of future flooding events. In particular, communicating the expected flood risk to different categories of people (i.e., non-technician, of different age and formation) is recognized as a real challenge.

Flood maps typically present flood scenarios using spatially distributed flow depth and velocity, which are unable to convey intelligible information on the associated hazard to the general public. Similarly, hazard indexes meant to express flood hazard by combining flow depth and velocity have important intrinsic limitations. These indexes were developed to identify the critical thresholds for human instability in floodwaters, based on experimental data or conceptual models. Accordingly, they can be used to detect flood-prone areas where pedestrians cannot cope with floodwaters, but they are unable to rate intermediate hazard degrees correctly. This is because a linear relationship between flow velocity and hazard is assumed, which is an oversimplification given that human stability in floodwaters is a matter of forces, which depends on the square of the velocity.

We propose using the concept of loss probability of people in floodwaters, LP, to pursue an intelligible and effective communication of flood risk. Defined as the probability of a pedestrian to be swept away by floodwaters, LP accounts for both hazard and vulnerability in a physics-based and data-consistent fashion. Its spatial distribution can be easily computed as a function of water depth and velocity.

A real case study application highlights that, in slow shallow waters, hazard indexes overestimate the risk perception, whereas LP correctly predicts low risk levels. On the other hand, LP identifies high risk conditions in slow and deep waters, for which hazard indexes generally provide a severe underestimation of the real danger.

How to cite: Lazzarin, T., Chen, A. S., and Viero, D.: Improving flood risk evaluation and communication by mapping the loss probability of pedestrians, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-8051, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8051, 2024.

Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners are increasingly encouraged to strengthen communication and engagement with multiple organisations and citizens to support inclusive and multi-level risk governance (Renn and Schweizer, 2009; Newig and Fritsch, 2009). Knowledge co-production processes and tools can support engagement across a wide range of stakeholders across the science-society interface, representing a diversity of disciplines, sectors, skills and knowledge types (Norstrom et al. 2020; Daniels et al. 2020). Such processes, encourage experimentation, creativity and learning in novel ways to help break down disciplinary barriers, encourage open dialogue, build trust and guide processes towards transdisciplinary solutions.

Creating spaces for play has been recognised to encourage, stimulate and facilitate creativity in organisational settings by creating a diversion and temporarily suspending obligations and pressures (Mainemelis and Ronson, 2006). Here we present the use of a Creative Play approach within knowledge co-production workshops for Real World Labs Risk-Tandem training as part of the Directed project (EU Horizon) and a workshop exploring risk communication strategies in Cork city as part of the Promoting Resilient Cities through Community Participation and Communication of Climate and Disaster Risks (PROCOMMS) UNIC seed-funded project. Creative play in this context involves the use of tactile materials, such as lollypop sticks, play doh, pipe cleaners and coloured card, to support the participants in their discussions and idea generation, to enable unstructured exploration of issues at hand. The Real World Lab training application helped identify target groups, knowledge capacities and needs and communication solutions. The PROCOMMS workshop also generated information on target groups and co-explored risk communication strategies to meet the needs of specific target groups including elderly, members of the Traveller community, businesses, and local residents. The results included 3D creations of risk communication solutions, such as awareness raising fridge magnets for the elderly. In both cases, the creative play approach enabled a fun and dynamic atmosphere, helping to encourage participation, break down disciplinary barriers, overcome formalities, communicate similarities and differences, and help frame and focus emerging ideas.

The session will also highlight plans for Directed Real World Labs to implement knowledge co-production processes and the ‘living’ good practices guide on risk communication and community engagement being developed by the PROCOMMS project.

References:

Daniels, E., et al. (2020). Refocusing the climate services lens: Introducing a framework for co-designing “transdisciplinary knowledge integration processes” to build climate resilience. Climate Services, 19. 100181. DOI: 10.1016/j.cliser.2020.100181

Directed Project (EU Horizon, 2022- 2026). Real World Labs. Available at: https://directedproject.eu/about/#real-world-labs

Mainemelis, C., & Ronson, S. (2006). Ideas are born in fields of play: Towards a theory of play and creativity in organizational settings. Research in organizational behavior, 27, 81-131.

Newig, J., and O. Fritsch. (2009). ‘Environmental Governance: Participatory, multi-level – and effective?’ Environmental Policy and Governance 19(3):197–214

Norström, A. V., Cvitanovic, C., Löf, M. F., West, S., Wyborn, C., et al. (2020). Principles for knowledge co-production in sustainability research. Nature Sustainability, 3(3). 182–90. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0448-2

Renn, O., & Schweizer, P.-J. (2009). Inclusive risk governance: concepts and application to environmental policy making. Environmental Policy and Governance, 19(3), 174–185.

How to cite: Cumiskey, L., Cubie, D., Parviainen, J., Bharwani, S., Schweizer, P.-J., Hofbauer, B., and Steinhausen, M.: Exploring creative play to enhance multi-stakeholder climate and disaster risk communication and knowledge co-production, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19048, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19048, 2024.

Merapi volcano in Central Java, Indonesia, is one of the most hazardous volcanoes in Southeast Asia, yet humans have inhabited the area around Merapi since ancient times. Responses to official hazard warnings are not always taken up by all community members, and some groups actively resist  engaging in protection measures initiated by official authorities. A relatively new strategy to raise hazard awareness and to improve communication with interest groups involves cultural communication tools, such as the use of local wisdom and ancient oral traditions. The local legends around Merapi volcano describe the interaction of the spirit kings that reside within Merapi volcano and the Queen of the South Sea, who resides in the Indian Ocean near Parangtritis, some 50 km SSE of the volcano. The royal palace in Yogyakarta is located half-way between Merapi volcano and Parangtritis beach and is believed to balance these opposing forces. In 2006 and 2010, Merapi erupted explosively and on both occasions, earthquakes shook the region and caused the eruptions to grow more intense. Notably, the 2006 earthquakes clustered along the Opak River fault system to the south of the volcano that reaches the sea at Parangtritis beach, the fabled residence of the Queen of the South Sea. We argue that local legends developed to rationalise the dynamic interaction between the volcano and the frequent regional earthquakes through the rich oral traditions and ceremonies in the districts around Merapi. These legends can thus be thought of as comprising an ancient hazard catalogue with respect to local eruptive behaviour and seismic phenomena. This realisation is now finding increasing use in communicating volcanic hazard knowledge to diverse local resident and interest groups, including local primary schools, showing considerable (and measurable) effects on hazard awareness and hazard preparedness (1). The use of cultural communication tools can thus help to further reduce casualties in times of future volcanic crisis.

How to cite: Troll, V., Deegan, F. M., and Seraphine, N.: Employing ancient oral traditions in Central Java to warn of volcano–earthquake interaction, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-5663, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-5663, 2024.

Comprehensively addressing adaptation requires raising the awareness on climate change, recognising the factors influencing engagement and adoption of adaptation options, and understanding perceptions of climate change. However, while there is an extensive literature on public (individual and social) awareness and perspectives on hazards, risk, and impacts, as well as the broader concern for climate change, there are limited insights on organisational perceptions. Nevertheless, there is an inherent importance of focusing on organisational preparedness, adaptation and resilience given the differential impacts of climate change on organisational structure and operations and noting that organisational adaptive capacity is poorly understood.

This research offers unique organisational insights through an analysis of a national survey of UK-based organisations’ perceptions about adapting to a changing climate. Administered in spring 2021, the survey examines the responses of 2,400 persons with organisational planning roles on awareness of climate change and its physical risks, as well as ongoing action and perceived challenges to adaptation by organisations in the UK. In this research phase, we focus on the specific awareness of climate information by organisations, including the private sector, local authorities, public health and education sectors, as well as the volunteer sector, and note the indicated frequency, ease of use, and reliability of specified climate information sources across the different sectors. This research offers a platform for dialogue on the need to increase and improve risk communication to interest groups including a variety of organisations, as well as balancing organisational concerns relating to uncertainty and financial bottom-line.

How to cite: Dookie, D. S., Conway, D., and Dessai, S.: Informing adaptation: how do UK organisations view and use climate information?, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19082, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19082, 2024.

The communication of coastal issues and other scientific themes relies on the efforts of scientists and other professional groups such as science communicators working in universities, research centres, media outlets, and museums. Coastal Geoscience and Engineering (CGE) is a scientific field that addresses crucial issues of risk related to natural hazardous processes such as beach erosion and coastal flooding. These concerns have become increasingly relevant in the current global scenario marked by socio-demographic development along coastal areas facing the effects of climate change. Furthermore, communication by scientists and engineers in this field can contribute to informed participatory decision-making. In this study, the objective was to quantify and characterize science communication activities by experts on CGE. Using emails from experts pooled from three international conferences on coastal dynamics, data was collected using an online questionnaire, between September 2022 and March 2023. Socio-demographic data and insights were obtained into experts’ practices and perspectives on communication, including frequency, formats, topics, motivations, and barriers.

The number of valid responses was 133, primarily researchers from Europe, North America, and Oceania, mostly male (n = 71, 53.4%), with a mean age of 45.4 (SD = 11.2). Results revealed that nearly all participants (≈ 95%) actively engage in public communication, which is a high number compared with other studied groups, where rates of scientists that did not engage in public communication range between 11% and 27%. For most of the analysed aspects of science communication in the current study, differences in opinion according to gender, age, and professional category were not significant. Notably, a preference was observed for direct interaction with audiences at local and regional scales, such as through lectures, talks, and seminars (74%), over indirect ways of communicating, like media and social media. This preference is likely related to the heightened familiarity many audiences hold on the communicated themes, with a focus on coastal risk (75%) and climate change impacts (69%), and the preferred audiences that include the public sector (55%) and school students (43%). These findings align with the prevalent altruistic motives for communication pointed out by respondents: to engage with society (76%) and to help citizens take informed decisions (68%). While the current study provides valuable insights into CGE communication, further research is necessary to delve deeper into the analysis and further enhance our understanding of this important interconnection between coastal experts and society.

How to cite: Matias, A., Pinto, B., Areia, N. P., and Carrasco, A. R.: How do coastal experts communicate science? Insights from an international survey, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17037, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17037, 2024.