Natural risks

11/05/22

Using gravitational signals for tsunami early warning with AI

IRD researchers publish a study on May 11, 2022 in the journal Nature showing that gravitational signals can be exploited to instantly estimate the magnitude of large earthquakes. These signals, which are very weak and propagate at the speed of light, were discovered in 2017 in data from the 2011...

18/08/21

Initial report on the 14 August 2021 earthquake in Haiti

The 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the south of Haiti on 14 August 2021 is reminiscent of the devastating event of similar magnitude on 12 January 2010, which caused tens of thousands of deaths in the Léogâne – Port-au-Prince region and had severe economic consequences. The recent earthquake...

18/06/21

An acceleration of coastal overtopping around the world

The combination of sea level rise, tides, storm surge and waves has increased the overtopping of natural and artificial coastal protection by nearly 50% in the last two decades. This revelation comes from an international study coordinated by IRD, involving international partners. The study was...

09/11/20

A new model found to predict earthquake propagation speed

In an article published on November 9th in Nature Geoscience, Jean-Paul Ampuero and Huihui Weng, two researchers from Université Côte d'Azur and IRD propose a new model to predict the propagation speed of earthquakes.

07/09/20

Scientific stopovers on the coastline of the Indian Ocean

Imagine yourself travelling along the coasts of the Western Indian Ocean… From the Cape of Good Hope to Zanzibar, via the long beaches of Mozambique and the Reunion Island idyllic lagoons, to the mangroves of Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya. These shores do not only inspire tourists forced into...

11/05/20

We found high UV doses at high-altitude hiking trails in Reunion and Cape Town

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is important for life on earth and especially for humans.

18/02/20

Extreme solar UV radiation exposure in Cape Town

[Research result] Study shows the danger for Capetonians and tourists visiting Table Mountain.

18/12/19

Submarine cables: billions of potential seismic sensors!

Scientists have for the first time shown that it is possible to detect the propagation of seismic waves on the seafloor using submarine telecommunications cables. According to their observations, this existing infrastructure could be used to detect earthquakes, as well as swell and underwater noise...

18/11/19

Botswana's Okavango Delta is created by a delicate balance, but for how much longer?

This article on The Conversation Africa was co-signed by Dr Olivier Dauteuil, CNRS senior researcher at the University of Rennes and Dr Mike Murray-Hudson, Senior Research Fellow at the Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana.