ASSE-ASsessment of shallow landslides SEdiment sources and delivery hazard at catchment scale

The occurrence of intense and, occasionally, concentrated-in-time rainfall events on slopes can lead to the formation of shallow landslides, which in the past have been to blame for both damages to infrastructures and activities and for the loss of human lives. Overall this work aims to identify different existing gaps in literature regarding the characteristics, occurrence and development of shallow landslides with the goal of providing some possible solutions. This work aims to fill some of the existing gaps in literature regarding shallow landslides by addressing four main questions: i) How can the natural variability of the inputs be taken into account when modelling shallow landslides?; ii) How can land use and land management be exploited as inputs in modelling?; iii) How can the runout be estimated and which factors influence it?; iv) Which factors influence the size of the source area? The first and second questions were addressed through the implementation of the existing physically-based landslide susceptibility model LAPSUS-LS into a probabilistic model to take into account the natural variability of the inputs, improving the reliability of the modelling strategy in identifying the source areas of shallow failures at catchment scale. The third question, regarding how the runout can be estimated and which factors influence it, was tackled, along with the second question, through the development of a methodology to predict the length of the runout in heterogeneous areas, using as inputs a limited amount of remotely-collected data and geological and land use factors. Lastly, given the proven importance of the source area in determining the length of the runout of a shallow landslide, an analysis of the factors which influence its size was carried out, discovering a link between both the land use and the cumulated rainfall and landslide size

Database of subsidence in major coastal cities around the world

This database aims to be an open-source, accurate, peer-reviewed and comprehensive database of coastal cities currently experiencing land subsidence and its main and secondary causes. It aims to facilitate future research regarding subsidence in both priorly identified at-risk areas and in areas where the potential impact of subsidence is still unknown. The selection of the cities is based on the following papers: · Nicholls, R. J. (2008). The Exposure of Port Cities to Flooding: A Comparative Global Analysis. · Hallegatte, S., Green, C., Nicholls, R. J., & Corfee-Morlot, J. (2013). Future flood losses in major coastal cities. Nature climate change, 3(9), 802-806. · Solari, L., Del Soldato, M., Bianchini, S., Ciampalini, A., Ezquerro, P., Montalti, R., ... & Moretti, S. (2018). From ERS 1/2 to Sentinel-1: subsidence monitoring in Italy in the last two decades. Frontiers in Earth Science, 6, 149.This work was developed in the framework of the project RESERVOIR (sustainable groundwater RESources managEment by integrating eaRth observation deriVed monitoring and flOw modelIng Results) funded by the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) programme supported by the European Union (Grant Agreement 1924; https://reservoir-prima.org/)

Comparison between mechanical and hydrological reinforcement effects of cultivated plants on shallow slope stability

Root reinforcement, provided by plants in soil, can be exerted by a mechanical effect, increasing soil shear strength for the presence of roots, or by a hydrological effect, induced by plant transpiration. No comparisons have been still carried out between mechanical and hydrological reinforcements on shallow slope stability in typical agroecosystems. This paper aims to compare these effects induced by sowed fields and vineyards and to assess their effects towards the shallow slope staibility. Root mechanical reinforcement has been assessed through Root Bundle Model-Weibull. Root hydrological reinforcement has been evaluated using an empirical relationship with monitored or modelled pore water pressure. Each reinforcement has been inserted in a stability model to quantify their impacts on susceptibility towards shallow landslides. Considering the same environment, corresponding to a typical agroecosystem of northern Italian Apennines, land use has significant effects on saturation degree and pore water pressure, influencing hydrological reinforcement. Root hydrological reinforcement effect is higher in summer, although rainfall-induced shallow landslides rarely occur in this period due to dry soil conditions. Instead, in wet and cold periods, when shallow landslides can develop more frequently, the stabilizing contribution of mechanical reinforcement is on average higher than the hydrological reinforcement. In vineyards, the hydrological reinforcement effect could be observed also during autumn, winter and spring periods, giving a contribution to slope stability also in these conditions. This situation occurs when plants uptake enough water from soil to reduce significantly pore water pressure, guaranteeing values of hydrological reinforcement of 1-3 kPa at 1 m from ground, in agreement with measured mechanical root reinforcement (up to 1.6 kPa). These results suggest that both hydrological and mechanical effects of vegetation deserve high regard in susceptibility towards shallow landslides, helping in selection of the best land uses to reduce probability of occurrence of these failures over large territories

Exploiting the land use to predict shallow landslide susceptibility : a probabilistic implementation of LAPSUS-LS

Due to the significant role of land use on the occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides, this factor is commonly employed as a landslide susceptibility predictor. However, the land use classification is oftentimes very broad, neglecting the proven mechanical and hydrogeological role of the land management on slope stability. Given the necessity of including spatially distributed and management-specific inputs, the process-based landscape evolution model LAPSUS-LS was chosen and adapted to achieve a probabilistic approach which takes into account land management as an input by adopting management-specific values of root cohesion. The model was applied to four test sites in the Oltrepò Pavese (Italy), where different vineyard management techniques play a significant role in triggering landslides. The results for the four test areas had, cumulatively, an Area Under the Roc curve greater than 0.73, with false negative cells being < 1 % of the total for all simulations. In the model’s application, land use practices characterised by higher root cohesion proved to benefit slope stability, whereas tilled vineyards, shrublands and abandoned vineyards were more prone to the formation of shallow landslides. In addition, we found that the inclusion of management-specific input parameters produced more accurate outputs and that in catchments characterised by average slope angles lower than 15°, varying the vineyard management, did not appear to affect the landslide susceptibility. Due to the model’s high dependency on the land use and its ability to include land management, it can take into account the spatial variability of input values such as the root cohesion. Additionally, it can be applied i) to manage current conditions, ii) to explore future land use change, iii) to study less invasive yet beneficial land use management change scenarios and iv) provide farmers of at-risk areas insight on how to improve slope stability

2020 Dataset on local gambling regulations in Italy

The dataset provides the complete enumeration of gambling policies implemented by Italian Municipalities between 2003 and 2021. The dataset comprises information on all municipalities existing in 2017 and following years (thus considering also merging). The following variables are available: Municipality ISTAT Code (ID), Municipality Name (Name) Province, Region, Researcher, and a series of variables identifying the number and the type of rulings adopted ('regolamento', 'ordinanza' and 'delibera'). The rulings are distinguished between identified and downloaded or only identified (because the document is no longer available). Additional variables describe municipal activism with other administrative acts (Anti-gambling Manifesto, events, projects or tax reductions). Overall, the dataset comprises 8031 units

Where is the EU headed given its current climate policy? A stakeholder-driven model inter-comparison

Recent calls to do climate policy research with, rather than for, stakeholders have been answered in non-modelling science. Notwithstanding progress in modelling literature, however, very little of the scenario space traces back to what stakeholders are ultimately concerned about. With a suite of eleven integrated assessment, energy system and sectoral models, we carry out a model inter-comparison for the EU, the scenario logic and research questions of which have been formulated based on stakeholders' concerns. The output of this process is a scenario framework exploring where the region is headed rather than how to achieve its goals, extrapolating its current policy efforts into the future. We find that Europe is currently on track to overperforming its pre-2020 40% target yet far from its newest ambition of 55% emissions cuts by 2030, as well as looking at a 1.0–2.35 GtCO2 emissions range in 2050. Aside from the importance of transport electrification, deployment levels of carbon capture and storage are found intertwined with deeper emissions cuts and with hydrogen diffusion, with most hydrogen produced post-2040 being blue. Finally, the multi-model exercise has highlighted benefits from deeper decarbonisation in terms of energy security and jobs, and moderate to high renewables-dominated investment needs

2020 Dataset on local gambling regulations in Italy

The dataset provides the complete enumeration of gambling policies implemented by Italian Municipalities between 2003 and 2021. The dataset comprises information on all municipalities existing in 2017 and following years (thus considering also merging). The following variables are available: Municipality ISTAT Code (ID), Municipality Name (Name) Province, Region, Researcher, and a series of variables identifying the number and the type of rulings adopted (“regolamento”, “ordinanza” and “delibera”). The rulings are distinguished between identified and downloaded or only identified (because the document is no longer available). Additional variables describe municipal activism with other administrative acts (Anti-gambling Manifesto, events, projects or tax reductions). Overall, the dataset comprises 8031 units