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Understanding fatal landslides at global scales: a summary of topographic, climatic, and anthropogenic perspectives

Author

Listed:
  • Seçkin Fidan

    (Ankara University
    Istanbul Technical University)

  • Hakan Tanyaş

    (Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente)

  • Abdullah Akbaş

    (Bursa Uludag University)

  • Luigi Lombardo

    (Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente)

  • David N. Petley

    (University of Hull)

  • Tolga Görüm

    (Istanbul Technical University)

Abstract

Landslides are a common global geohazard that lead to substantial loss of life and socio-economic damage. Landslides are becoming more common due to extreme weather events and the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance, and thus, they are threatening sustainable development in many vulnerable areas. Previous studies on fatal landslides have focused on inventory development; spatial and temporal distributions; the role of precipitation or seismic forcing; and human impacts. However, climatologic, topographic, and anthropogenic variables featuring fatal landslides at a global scale have been mostly neglected. Here, using the global fatal landslide database, we evaluate the characteristics of landslides induced by natural and anthropogenic factors with respect to topographic, climatic, and anthropogenic factors, drawing attention to their persistent spatial patterns. The majority of natural (69.3%) and anthropogenic (44.1%) landslides occur in mountainous areas in tropical and temperate regions, which are also characterized by the highest casualty rates per group, 66.7% and 43.0%, respectively. However, they significantly differ in terms of their morphometric footprint. Fatal landslides triggered by natural variables occur mostly in the highest portions of the topographic profile, where human disturbance is minimal. As for their anthropogenic counterpart, these failures cluster at much lower altitudes, where slopes are gentler, but human intervention is higher due to a higher population density. This observation points towards land cover changes being a critical factor in landscape dynamics, stressing the human pressure as a discriminant cause/effect term for natural vs. human-induced landslide fatalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Seçkin Fidan & Hakan Tanyaş & Abdullah Akbaş & Luigi Lombardo & David N. Petley & Tolga Görüm, 2024. "Understanding fatal landslides at global scales: a summary of topographic, climatic, and anthropogenic perspectives," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 120(7), pages 6437-6455, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:120:y:2024:i:7:d:10.1007_s11069-024-06487-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-024-06487-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Emberson & Dalia Kirschbaum & Thomas Stanley, 2021. "Global connections between El Nino and landslide impacts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. David Petley & Gareth Hearn & Andrew Hart & Nicholas Rosser & Stuart Dunning & Katie Oven & Wishart Mitchell, 2007. "Trends in landslide occurrence in Nepal," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 43(1), pages 23-44, October.
    3. Dalia Kirschbaum & Robert Adler & Yang Hong & Stephanie Hill & Arthur Lerner-Lam, 2010. "A global landslide catalog for hazard applications: method, results, and limitations," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 52(3), pages 561-575, March.
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