Early warning systems for natural hazards and risks

Abstract

Natural hazards pose an increasing threat to society. Processes change in magnitude and frequency and exposures are modified within short time periods over large areas. Despite our increasing knowledge, the damage tolls due to natural hazards seem to be on the rise. Therefore, a comprehensive risk management strategy is needed to reduce the disaster risks. Within a sustainable management of disaster risks, the installation of an early warning system is often a cost-effective risk mitigation measure, and in some instances the only suitable option. Consequently, the guest editors decided to convene a session within the European Geoscience Union conference to present different early warning systems for natural hazards, independent of whether these deal with landslides, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts or hydro-meteorological events. The invited presentations addressed conceptual issues, already operating installations or planned systems. It was highlighted that the session was not explicitly focussing on single hazards, but rather addressing the different approaches taken to install, monitor and analyse the hazards. In addition, any research on the establishment of warning thresholds, the communication chain and the prevention strategies were welcome. In total, six oral presentations and 11 poster presentations were received and presented during the conference. These were structured into the different sections: Integrative Warning Systems, Earthquake Warning Systems, Landslide and Debris Flow Warning Systems and Challenges in Early Warning. Out of the 17 presentations, seven papers that provide an overview of related specific topics have been accepted for this topical volume. The contribution entitled ‘‘The Common Information Platform for Natural Hazards in Switzerland’’ is authored by Benedikt Heil, Ingo Petzold, Hans E. Romang and Josef Hess.