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20 December 2009
On the perils of Lake Sarez (Usoi) in Tajikistan
Science this week has an article (Stone 2009) on the perils associated with Lake Sarez in the Pamirs. Sarez is a huge lake (56 km long and with a volume of 17 billion cubic metres of water) that was formed by a landslide triggered by the 1911 earthquake in Tajikistan (see image below). Google Earth image of Lake Sarez. The landslide dam is to west (left). Google Earth image of …
28 November 2009
The link between rainfall intensity and global temperature
The aftermath of a landslide in Taiwan caused by very heavy rainfall One of the most interesting aspects of the global landslide database that we maintain at Durham is the way in which it has highlighted the importance of rainfall intensity in the triggering of fatal landslides. Generally speaking, to kill people a landslide needs to move quickly rapid, and rapid landslides appear to be primarily (but note not always) …
23 November 2009
The ten greatest landslide papers?
Whilst pushing my five year old daughter on the swing the other day (a task that leaves plenty of time to think!), I was pondering upon the greatest landslide papers of all time. I thought that it would be interesting to compile a list and invite suggestions of alternatives. So, here is my list, in no particular order: 1. Terzaghi on the principle of effective stressIn 1936 Karl von Terzaghi …
3 September 2009
On the dangers of Rhododendrons!
Rhododendrons are one of those plants that, when planted well, can create an amazing garden: (from: http://www.kelleriisgaarden.dk/rhododendron-eng.html) However, it might surprise you to hear that they can be a major cause of landslides. As the image below shows, rhododendrons are increasingly grown on the mountain slopes of the Appalachians: (from: http://toursinthesmokymountains.com/SmokyMountainsInDepth.aspx) As well as creating a somewhat beautiful landscape, rhododendrons have been grown in the Appalachians as a result of …
3 June 2009
Are satellite-based landslide hazard algorithms useful?
In some parts of the world, such as the Seattle area of the USA, wide area landslide warning systems are operated on the basis of rainfall thresholds. These are comparatively simple in essence – basically the combination of short term and long term rainfall that is needed to trigger landslides is determined, often using historical records of landslide events. A critical threshold is determined for the combination of these two …
6 March 2009
The role of landslides in global warming
A rather extraordinary paper has just been published in Geophysical Research Letters about landslides triggered by the Wenchuan (Sichuan) earthquake. Why is it extraordinary – well, let me quote from the abstract. The paper suggests that the landslides caused destruction of vegetation such that “the cumulative CO2 release to the atmosphere over the coming decades is comparable to that caused by hurricane Katrina 2005 (~105 Tg) and equivalent to ~2% …
9 January 2009
Future British seasonal precipitation extremes – implications for landslides
One of the great questions of the age is of course the ways in which climate change will affect the weather patterns that we are likely to see in the future. In the case of landslides the key issue is the ways in which precipitation patterns will alter, especially the most intensive rainfall events that are responsible for many of the most damaging landslides. One of the most significant steps …
18 December 2008
Spatial patterns of deaths from natural hazards in the US
There is a very interesting paper in press in the International Journal of Health Geographics on the spatial patterns of mortality (deaths) from Natural Hazards in the United States. The paper, entitled “Spatial Patterns of Natural Hazards Mortality in the United States” by Borden and Cutter is in pre-print form but can be downloaded as a PDF here. First up, lets be clear that the authors are reputable – Susan …
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
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