Will it fail? Investigating landslides by connecting Near Surface and Natural Hazard sciences

Abstract:

Landslides are a major and common natural hazard. They endanger communities and critical infrastructure worldwide, and have caused more than 28,000 fatalities and more than $1.8 billion in direct damage within the last decade. Although seismic events and prolonged and intense precipitation are known to be triggering mechanisms for failure, the subsurface characteristics and dynamics leading up to those events are equally important. Hence, thorough characterization and monitoring of changes in the subsurface are critical to reducing the risk that are posed by those natural hazards. This is where near surface geophysics can close a data gap of conventional landslide investigations, which rely either on point measurements, or remotely sensed deformation estimates. In this talk, we will highlight recent advances in characterizing and monitoring landslides using near surface geophysical techniques. We will show how geophysical data together with sensor networks can be used to better understand the triggering mechanisms for landslide initiation, in particular with regards to moisture induced landslides. We will also highlight how inherent complexities of landslides, such as movement of sensors, can be corrected for and how this then actually opens the opportunity for using geophysical sensor networks as displacement sensors. While near surface geophysical methods have evolved tremendously in the last decade, current research is focusing on how the geophysical data can be integrated into predictive hydro-geomechanical modelling. We will show initial results on how such an integrated data-modelling approach can be used to improve the reliability of landslide early warning systems and to design effective remediation measures. This shows the interdisciplinary nature of landslide investigations that link hydrological, geotechnical, geophysical and social sciences to achieve the goal of making communities more resilient to natural hazards.