Comprehensive landslide susceptibility map of Central Asia
<p>Central Asia is an area characterized by complex tectonics and active deformation; the related seismic activity controls the earthquake hazard level that, due to the occurrence of secondary and tertiary effects, also has direct implications for the hazard related to mass movements such as...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/2229/2023/nhess-23-2229-2023.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>Central Asia is an area characterized by complex tectonics and active deformation; the related seismic activity controls the earthquake hazard level that, due to the occurrence of secondary and tertiary effects, also has direct implications for the hazard related to mass movements such as
landslides, which are responsible for an extensive number of casualties
every year. Climatically, this region is characterized by strong rainfall
gradient contrasts due to the diversity of climate and vegetation zones.
The region is drained by large, partly snow- and glacier-fed rivers that
cross or terminate in arid forelands; therefore, it is also affected by a
significant river flood hazard, mainly in spring and summer seasons. The
challenge posed by the combination of different hazards can only be tackled by
considering a multi-hazard approach harmonized among the different
countries, in agreement with the requirements of the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction. This work was carried out within the framework of
the Strengthening Financial Resilience and Accelerating Risk Reduction in Central Asia (SFRARR) project as part of a multi-hazard approach and is
focused on the first landslide susceptibility analysis at a regional scale
for Central Asia. To this aim the most detailed landslide inventories,
covering both national and transboundary territories, were implemented in a
random forest model, together with several independent variables. The
proposed approach represents an innovation in terms of resolution (from 30
to 70 m) and extension of the analyzed area with respect to previous
regional landslide susceptibility and hazard zonation models applied in
Central Asia. The final aim was to provide a useful tool for land
use planning and risk reduction strategies for landslide scientists,
practitioners, and administrators.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |