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  2. Quantifying vulnerability to natural hazards in changing climate patterns. New perspectives and methods

Quantifying vulnerability to natural hazards in changing climate patterns. New perspectives and methods

The virtual component will be preparatory to set the basis for a proper understanding of the physical part by introducing students to the theoretical background of natural hazard dynamics related to climate change and emphasizing the vulnerability of exposed physical systems and human communities. The teaching curricula will start by setting the scene in climate change, reflected in changing hazard dynamics and focusing on changing vulnerability patterns against the change-related uncertainty conditions surrounding human society. The interaction between experts with different but complementary physical and social sciences backgrounds will help students better understand the chained relationships between susceptibility-hazard-impact-vulnerability-resilience. An introductory lesson on risk perception and human behavior before, during, and after disasters will change the approach perspective from human society and help students understand the link between vulnerability, risk perception, and coping behaviors. The virtual component will include live presentations, challenge-based learning approaches, and asynchronous training tools such as multimedia material and recorded lectures. It will also include a virtual field trip and introduction to the site selected for the physical component to familiarize students with issues trickled into the field. This approach aims to help students during the physical component to be more focused on comprehending new methods and techniques and being acquainted with environmental issues. PRE-FIELD ONLINE COURSES Week 1 March 3rd 16:00 – 18:00 CET Lecture: Anthropocene   Stefan Dorondel and Iuliana Armas (University of Bucharest) Week 2 March 10th 16:00 – 18:00 CET Lecture: State of the climate Alasdair Skelton (Stockholm University) Week 3 March 17th 16:00 – 18:40 CET Lecture: Sea level changes – challenges to coastal areas and adaptation methods Niki Evelpidou (EKPA) Anna Karkani (EKPA) Giannis Saitis (EKPA) Lecture: Community vulnerability assessments in Scotland Ria Dunkley (University of Glasgow) Week 4 March 24th 16:00 – 18:40 CET Lecture: Deciphering the climatic and tectonic signals in landscape evolution of active orogens Marta Della Seta (Sapienza Università di Roma) Lecture: Changing geohazards in response to tectonic and climatic forcing Marc-Henri Derron (Université de Lausanne) Week 5 March 31st 16:00 – 18:40 CET Lecture: Dynamics of geohazards and disasters in fragile coupled landscapes under changing climate Bamutaze Yazidhi (Makerere University, Uganda) Lecture: How to increase the resilience of landscapes and communities to climate change impacts Jasper Knight (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) Explore the chained relationships between susceptibility-hazard-impact-vulnerability-resilience in a changing world.
Application Deadline
Virtual Part starting date 2025-03-03
Virtual Part closing date 2025-03-31
Total student workload 130
Specific field of studies Anthropocene, climate and global changes, geosciences, hazards, risks, systemic societal vulnerabilities
Pre-requisite for selection CV Motivation Letter
Academic pre-requisites for applicants The course does not require discipline-specific knowledge, although basic geological and geomorphological notions and computer skills (GIS, RS) are desirable. Good written and spoken English skills are a requirement.
Physical Part starting date 2025-04-07
Physical Part Description The physical part is field-based and will be hosted at the Patarlagele Natural Hazards Research Center (Romanian Academy, Institute of Geography) in the Vrancea seismic region (Curvature Carpathians of Romania). We aim to use the Vrancea seismic region's field ‘lab’ to better understand the emerging vulnerabilities in coping with uncertainty from interactions between environmental and human components. The training programme will fully exploit trainers' complementary expertise and stimulate knowledge transfer within the network. Secondly, the physical component will complete and apply the theoretical achievements to practical situations in the field, in the environmental context represented by slope instabilities and large earthquakes triggered mass movements of the Buzau Mountains, Romania. The research and training activities are strongly interwoven into three main parts: theoretical background, training activities in the form of field trips, and laboratory activities/computer processing. The list below indicates the main subjects that will be discussed and the main activities in the field and the lab. These are organized as Learning Packages that focus on specific risk components:   Learning Package 1: Hazard -     Presenting various techniques available to investigate the environmental conditions contributing to related natural disasters; learning to acquire and verify input data, develop and validate models; using maps to explore, interact with, and understand geographic environments in the hazard domain; assess uncertainties and designs of impact chains for understanding the systemic nature of risk in multi-hazard evaluation. -     Remote sensing and geophysical surveys performed in the target area to enhance spatial analysis using complex GIS and geostatistical software, focusing on the conditions that contribute to natural hazards. -     Understanding hazard chains (cascading hazards) and cascade development of events (seismic effects, mass movements, avalanching-erosion-deposition, dam formation, breaching impact waves, flash floods-debris flows). -     Quantitative field measurements on the prospection of mass movements (RTK-GNSS, UAV, terrestrial, and airborne laser scans).   Learning Package 2: Vulnerability and Societal Impact -     Remote sensing and geophysical surveys will be performed in the target area to enhance spatial analysis using complex GIS and geostatistical software, targeting the acquisition of datasets necessary for vulnerability assessments. -     Mapping and quantifying vulnerability versus perceived risk and vulnerability. -     Simulating risk mitigation measures for identifying important uncertainties in decision-making and developing local coping strategies.   With this dichotomic structure, the students will be able to choose the package that sparks their interest the most or the one they believe will complete their knowledge and skills.
Physical Part closing date 2025-04-11
Language level required B2
Field of studies related to the course Social Science and Humanities Environment and Agriculture Natural Sciences and Mathematics Environmental Sciences Urbanism and Geography
Course location Buzau Mts, Romania
Course language English