Natural hazards and risks

Geo-risks arise where nature and humankind come into contact with each other. Their control necessitates not only a fundamental grasp of the underlying natural processes and their integration in quantitative risk models, but also a painstaking analysis of vulnerability that integrates the historical dimension, as a means of optimizing data collection and assessment. The extreme dynamics of the risks resulting from the conjunction of hazard and vulnerability demand a new approach that is not exclusively geared to the optimum quantification of present threats, but also factors in their fluctuations over time. Risk identification and control, the prediction of future risk patterns and the development of suitable protective strategies rank among the most urgent challenges currently facing geo-risk researchers.

We conduct research in the following areas:

Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Mass migration
Volcanism
Asteroid impacts
Extreme meteorological events
Flooding
Greenhouse gases
Glacial retreat
Sea level rise
Desertification
Species extinction

Key research areas of Geo.X