These blazes can cause ecological shifts even in fire-adapted forests.
Hazards & Disasters
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 23 September 2025 landslide dam breach on the Matai’an River in Taiwan
A new paper (He et al. 2026) in the journal Landslides describes the breach of a massive landslide dam in Taiwan, which killed 24 people. On 23 September 2025, a large landslide dam (located at [23.715, 121.299]) on the Matai’an River in Hualien County in Taiwan catastrophically breached, releasing a flood that left 24 people […]
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Presumed Role of Chorus Waves Out of Tune with New Data
Distinctive plasma ripples are thought to play a big role in electron loss from Earth’s radiation belts, but a new study suggests a more limited influence.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Multiple fatal landslides from Typhoon Dujuan in Japan
In Japan, record breaking rainfall associated with Typhoon Dujuan has triggered at least six fatal landslides in the Kanto region. Over the last 24 hours or so, rainfall associated Typhoon Dujuan has swept across the Kanto Region in Japan, bringing exceptional (and in some cases record breaking) rainfall. There are multiple reports of landslides, some […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslides in a changing climate – my forthcoming inaugural lecture
On Wednesday 7 October 2026 at 6 pm I will deliver my NTU inaugural lecture entitled “Landslides in a changing climate”. This is a public lecture, so all are welcome. In UK universities, there is a long tradition of inaugural lectures for newly appointed professors. Wikipedia describes an inaugural lecture as follows:- “An inaugural lecture is a […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Precursory deformation for the 26 August 2026 Nepal landslide disaster
A new paper (Wang et al. 2026) suggests that the bedrock failure that initiated the Nepal landslide disaster may have displayed measurable precursory deformation. Inevitably, one of the key discussion points in the aftermath of the 26 August 2026 Nepal landslide disaster is whether the failure could have been anticipated. Opinions differ, but a key […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Updates on the 2026 Nepal-Tibet landslide and the 2023 Teesta Valley GLOF
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. In the last few days, two really interesting and useful updates have been published covering the 3-4 October 2023 GLOF in the Teesta Valley in India and the 26 August 2026 landslide […]
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Remote Sensing Mitigated the Impact of the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires
Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer 3 (AVIRIS-3) observations supported situational awareness, inspections, infrastructure assessment, and debris-flow management.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How the 2024 Solar Superstorm Drained Earth’s Radiation Belt
Researchers dig into storm processes linked to dramatic electron loss from the outer Van Allen belt.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Understanding Landslides Through Case Studies
A guest post by Serge Leroueil and Luciano Picarelli A new book, Understanding Landslides Through Case Studies by Serge Leroueil and Luciano Picarelli seeks to report and summarise contemporary knowledge on slope movements and mechanisms. As is well-known on this Blog, landslides are a major natural hazard in many countries of the world. The annual […]