Geo-hydrological hazards pose a serious threat around the world, compromising the safety of human life, the protection of economic activities, ecosystems and biodiversity, environmental and archaeological assets. Among natural disasters, those related to geo-hydrological phenomena, such as floods and slope instabilities, play a particularly critical role in mountainous regions. Surface landslides, rapid earth/debris flows, and soil erosion are the mass wasting phenomena most influenced by rainfall events over the slopes, while overflowing of water onto dry lands and sediment transport during high flow events are processes driven by hydrology at the catchment scale. The variations in intensity, frequency and duration of rainfalls due to climate change could translate into an exacerbation of ground effects and substantial increase in the risk in the urbanised areas, therefore in the costs associated with geo-hydrological phenomena. Gaining insight the factors that influence the development of a weather-related phenomenon and the impact on exposed elements and therefore assessing risk is essential for developing resilient communities capable of facing future climatic challenges.
We invite contributions on all facets of geo-hydrological hazard in the context of climate variability, exploring the theoretical aspects of prediction up to the consequent space-time landscape evolution and risk management. This includes studies on individual hazards, multiple hazards, or interactions and cascades of hazards. We also encourage contributions that explore the application of scientific methods in practice and the effective use of data to mitigate risks.
Contributions focusing on, but not limited to, novel developments and findings on the following topics are particularly encouraged, even presenting case studies:
- Characteristics of weather and precipitation patterns leading to extreme and high impact events;
- Advanced methodologies and cutting-edge techniques for predicting geo-hydrological phenomena, covering elements such as impact location, timing, magnitude, spatial evolution etc.;
- Ground effects assessment and landscape evolution in different risk contexts of both single and multiple events;
- Relationships between the climate change and the increasing hazard phenomena in their complexity and heterogeneity;
- Vulnerability and hazard mitigation procedures;
- Strategies for increasing preparedness, and self-protective response as preventive actions.