natural hazards

At a global scale, tsunamis are relatively infrequent when compared with hurricanes or storm surges, but they are among our most destructive and deadly natural disasters, and their impact will become greater as human populations continue to rise substantially in coastal cities.

Robotic sensors disguised as boulders, or ‘smart boulders’, have been used to measure the initiation and evolution of huge seafloor avalanches for the first time, revealing some surprising findings that will help inform where best to lay the seafloor cables that keep the internet running.

Large volume submarine landslides, triggered by the inception and growth of submarine volcanoes, represent among the largest mass movements of sediment on Earth’s surface.

The first comprehensive study of the impact of global sea-level rise on tides has implications for future coastal flood risk, harbour management, and the long term planning of tidal energy sites.