President: Heidi Kreibich
(Emailnh@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Nivedita Sairam
(Email)
ECS Representative: Maria Vittoria Gargiulo
(Emailecs-nh@egu.eu)
The Natural Hazards (NH) Division covers all natural hazards that can produce damage to the environment and to the society. Therefore, it is a place where scientists and researchers of various geosciences disciplines meet with sociologists, economists and people responsible for territorial and urban security and planning policies. The aim is to improve the understanding of the evolution of the processes and to discuss new technologies, methods and strategies to mitigate their disastrous effects. The division is structured in eleven subdivisions as follows: Hydro-Meteorological Hazards, Volcanic Hazards, Landslide and Snow Avalanche Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Sea and Ocean Hazards, Remote Sensing, AI, Data Science & Hazards, Wildfire Hazards, Environmental, Biological and Natech Hazards, Natural Hazards and Society, Multi-Hazards and Climate Hazards. Most of the topics that are treated in the NH Division are also treated in other EGU divisions, which is expected due to the intrinsic transversal nature of the NH Division.
The NH Division is one of the historical Divisions of the EGU that was established when EGU was founded and has been and is one of the largest divisions to which many geo-scientists provide steadily contributions of papers and ideas over the years.
As for all EGU Divisions, an Early Career Scientist Award is established also for the NH Division and is given to young researchers who obtain outstanding results in the assessment and mitigation of natural hazard. In addition, the NH Division awards the Plinius Medal that recognises outstanding interdisciplinary natural-hazard research and the Soloviev Medal that recognises outstanding scientific contributions in fundamental research on natural hazards. Both medals are open for all career stages.
Latest posts from the NH blog
The Geography of Multi-Hazards: Exploring Landscapes Prone to Hazard Cascades
Multi-hazards are “a selection of major hazards that a country faces, and specific contexts where hazards occur simultaneously, cascadingly, and accumulatively considering the interrelationships among them”, based on the UNSDRR definition [7]. Yet, this definition raises two key questions: Where are these specific contexts located, and what characteristics make them susceptible to intersecting hazards? When considering multi-hazards and their interactions, we often look into natural hazards individually and then attempt to link their triggers and outcomes (e.g., earthquakes and their …
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Building Disaster Resilience Through Trust and Risk Awareness: Insights into Natural Hazards
Trust in institutions and scientific experts plays a pivotal role in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). This trust becomes even more critical for natural hazards—events often unpredictable and uncontrollable. Trust can shape individuals’ willingness to heed warnings, adopt precautionary measures, and participate in community preparedness initiatives. Conversely, distrust in institutions may lead to non-compliance, scepticism toward scientific advice, and reduced community resilience. For example, In 2024, the Phlegraean Fields near Naples experienced heightened seismic activity. A civil protection evacuation exercise was …
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Building the Future of Multi-hazard Disaster Risk Reduction in Barcelona
From 23 to 26 October 2024, over 40 early-career researchers and practitioners from across the globe gathered at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona (Spain) for the Multi-hazard Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Academy. Set against the vibrant backdrop of this dynamic city, the Academy offered a unique platform for participants to engage, learn, and collaborate on the complex challenges of multi-hazard risk management. Organised as a joint effort by leading research projects—Paratus, MYRIAD-EU, The-HuT, and Directed—the Academy brought together …
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Recent awardees
The 2025 Plinius Medal is awarded to
Annegret Henriette Thieken in recognition of outstanding contributions to the understanding and mitigation of flood risk, and the design of adaptation management strategies informed by the involvement of affected communities.
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- 2025
- Sergey Soloviev Medal
The 2025 Sergey Soloviev Medal is awarded to
Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano for creating a novel drought indicator, which has become the benchmark for quantifying droughts, and for pioneering studies in the integration of different drought typologies.
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- 2025
- Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists
The 2025 Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists is awarded to
Mariana Madruga de Brito for outstanding contributions to understanding of the socio-economic impacts and risk mitigation of extreme hydrological events, using natural language processing and social science computational methods.
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- 2024
- Sergey Soloviev Medal
The 2024 Sergey Soloviev Medal is awarded to
Hayley J. Fowler for her remarkable scientific contributions in fundamental research on climate change impacts on rainfall extremes, and applications on flood risks for the improvement of climate resilience.
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The 2024 Plinius Medal is awarded to
Jacopo Selva for his transformative research in quantitative seismic, volcanic and tsunami hazard modelling, leading to relevant applied solutions used in civil protection and emergency management.
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- 2024
- Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award
The 2024 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to
Marleen C. de Ruiter for her outstanding scientific work on cascading hazards, multi-risk assessment and management.
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- 2024
- Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award
The 2024 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to
Dominic Sett How are households contributing to flood risk management? Empirical evidence from a highly flood-prone urban region in Central Vietnam
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- 2024
- Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award
The 2024 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to
Kalpana Hamal Quantification of the Physical Process Leading to Day-to-Day Temperature (DTDT) Extremes
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- 2024
- Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award
The 2024 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to
Sara Pini Innovations in Soil Water Bioengineering: A Stakeholder Perception Assessment
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