Landslides pose significant threats to life and property, particularly in mountainous regions. To address this, this study develops a landslide susceptibility model integrating Earth Observation (EO) data, historical data, and Multi-Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (MT-InSAR) ground movement results. The model categorizes areas into four susceptibility classes (from Class 1 to Class 4) using a multi-class classification approach. Results indicate that the Xtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) model effectively predicts landslide susceptibility with area under the curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.93 to 0.97, with high accuracy of 0.89 and a balanced performance across different susceptibility classes. The integration of MT-InSAR data enhances the model’s ability to capture dynamic ground movement and improves landslide mapping. The landslide susceptibility map generated by the XGB model indicates high susceptibility along the Pacific coast. The optimal model was validated against 272 historical landslide occurrences, with predictions distributed as follows: 68 occurrences (25%) in Class 1, 142 occurrences (52%) in Class 2, 58 occurrences (21.5%) in Class 3, and 4 occurrences (1.5%) in Class 4. This study highlights the importance of considering temporal changes in environmental conditions such as precipitation, distance to streams, and changes in vegetation for accurate landslide susceptibility assessment.

Findings from a four-year monitoring study of the Tensar mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) walls and adjacent roads along the Fujairah Freeway in the United Arab Emirates are presented in this article. The study area covers the mountainous terrain of the ten-lane freeway that connects Dubai on the west to Fujairah on the east coast. Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, the interferometric stacking technique with Persistent Scatterers (PS) was applied to detect and measure the surface displacements of the Tensar walls and adjacent roads. Three specific areas of interest were studied in detail, revealing varying degrees of displacement over the four-year monitoring period, with the largest movements observed in the embankment 550m east of Wall 20. These findings provide valuable insights into the performance and stability of the Tensar MSE walls and adjacent roads, which can inform future design and maintenance decisions for similar infrastructure projects.

The use of an inventory map of past landslide events in the derivation of susceptibility models is considered common practice. However, evidence of landslide activity may be lost due to various degrees of modification by subsequent landslides, erosional processes, vegetation growth and anthropic influences. The timely detection of active landslides can form an effective supplement to landslide records for improving the accuracy of landslide susceptibility maps. In this paper, we present a landslide susceptibility assessment carried out in a southwestern region of Cyprus using a synergy of differential interferometry and evidential statistics. A measurement of the vertical and horizontal displacements for the period 2016–2018 was done using the Small BAseline Subset multi-pass Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar technique. Based on the results, a total of 8859 raster cells/pixels were classified as active landslides. The weight-of-evidence technique was applied to determine the weights of seven geomorphological and hydrological factors to landslide occurrence and compile a susceptibility model. The success and prediction rates of the derived model were calculated as 79.6% and 78.9%, respectively. The validation of the results against the existing landslide inventory indicates an 84% agreement with respect to the moderate and high landslide susceptibility zones. The proposed methodology can complement existing conventional landslide inventories as a means of providing updated landslide activity at frequent intervals and can provide valuable information regarding the distribution of landslides to support a detailed landslide assessment.

The main aim of this work was to investigate the availability and capacity of educational programmes at different levels at European Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) that are directly related to disaster resilience. This investigation was important since education in disaster resilience for citizens, communities, public administrators and decision makers is vital for improving preparedness, mitigation, resistance, absorption and recovery as a result of natural disasters. For this purpose, a study on the capacity of HEIs across Europe to address the threats imposed by natural hazards has been carried out. The study was performed by using a web-based survey tool which ran for 1 year with participants from 28 European countries. Findings of this work showed a great lack of educational programmes in disaster resilience across Europe. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in such programmes mainly at postgraduate level. At undergraduate level, there is only a very limited number of such programmes, which might be related to the multidisciplinary nature of these programmes. The cohort size of the ongoing programmes indicates that they are in good health despite their young age, suggesting the potential and need for many more. The results of this study are valuable for HEIs, policy makers, decision makers and governments as it provides an insight into the existing situation across Europe with regard to educational programmes directly related to disaster resilience which can help them to focus, direct and promote education in disaster resilience according to the needs at national and European level.

A disaster resilience education and research roadmap for Europe 2030 has been launched. This roadmap represents an important output of the ANDROID disaster resilience network, bringing together existing literature in the field, as well as the results of various analysis and study projects undertaken by project partners.The roadmap sets out five key challenges and opportunities in moving from 2015 to 2030 and aimed at addressing the challenges of the recently announced Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.This roadmap was developed as part of the ANDROID Disaster Resilience Network, led by Professor Richard Haigh of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre (www.hud.ac.uk/gdrc ) at the School of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Huddersfield, UK. The ANDROID consortium of applied, human, social and natural scientists, supported by international organisations and a stakeholder board, worked together to map the field in disaster resilience education, pool their results and findings, develop interdisciplinary explanations, develop capacity, move forward innovative education agendas, discuss methods, and inform policy development. Further information on ANDROID Disaster Resilience network is available at: http://www.disaster-resilience.net

Southern and Eastern European countries exceed WHO and EU air quality standards very often, and are influenced by both local and external sources from Europe, Asia and Africa. However, there are limited data on particle composition and source profiles. We collected PM2.5 and PM10 samples (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 and 10 mu m, respectively) in four cities in Cyprus using Harvard Impactors. Measurements were conducted between January 2012 and January 2013. We analyzed these samples for mass concentration and chemical composition, and conducted a source apportionment analysis using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF).All sites complied with PM2.5 and PM10 WHO daily standards for most of the days. As in other Eastern European countries, we found higher sulfate contribution and less organic carbon than in the Western and central Europe. For PM2.5, seven source types were identified including regional sulfur, traffic emissions, biomass, re-suspended soil, oil combustion, road dust, and sea salt. In all four sites, regional sulfur was the predominant source (>30%). High inter-site correlations were observed for both PM2.5 component concentrations and source contributions, may be because a large fraction of PM2.5 is transported. Finally, for PM10-2.5 (coarse particles with aerodynamic diameter between 2.5 and 10 pm) three sources were identified, which include road dust, soil, and sea salt. Significant inter-site correlations were also observed for coarse particles. All dust storm samples, except one, had PM levels below the daily standard. However, mineral dust, defined as the total mass of crustal metal oxides, increased up to ten times during the dust events. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The objective of the paper is to review already published scientific papers and other relevant documents to identify hazards, their intensities and probability of occurrence in the Venice territory. In order to achieve the objective, the authors have selected relevant research papers and state of the art documents. Since the Venice and its territory are prone to various hazards, multi-hazard scenarios have been taken into consideration. Hazard impacts are the following: earthquake, tsunami and meteotsunami, flooding/“acqua alta”, subsidence, coastal erosion, salt wedge intrusion, pollution. The paper classifies potential impacts and recognises possible combinations of hazards that may occur in case study territory. A multi-hazard scenarios analysis considers impacts which, either occurring at the same time or shortly following each other, are dependent from one another or because they are caused by the same triggering event or hazard, or merely threatening the same elements at risk (vulnerable or exposed elements) without chronological coincidence (EU, 2010). The research presented in the paper serves as a support for cross-border multi-hazard assessment in other North-Eastern Adriatic Sea areas.

based on relative differences in temperature. After the recording of the measurements, the ArcGIS was used to plot the data. Several interpolation methods were used, including the inverse distance to the power (IDW).

Natural disaster events are continuously increasing in number and severity in recent years. In 2010, 263 million people were affected by disasters – 110 million more than in 2004, the year of the Asian tsunami. There is a need for citizens as well as public administrators to be educated in disaster resilience issues for better prevention, mitigation, preparedness and recovery from such events. Education in disaster resilience is of great importance for administrators forming policies and planning disaster response, managing post disaster actions and performing risk and vulnerability assessments. This paper presents the results from a study aimed to explore, analyse, compare and describe disaster resilience related higher education programmes in Europe in order to establish the existing capacity among European Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to address the threats posed by hazards of natural and human origin. Results showed that there has been growth in disaster resilience higher education programmes in recent years, particularly at masters level, but there remains great potential for many more.

very near infrared range of the spectrum can be used on areas with bare soil or with vegetation. The findings from this pipeline were therefore compared with data from actual cases studies of water leakage in the Freanaros-Choirokoitia pipeline.

Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Argyro Nisantzi, Natalia Kouremerti, Adrianos Retalis, Dimitris Paronis, Filippos Tymvios, Skevi Perdikou, Souzana Achilleos, Marios A. Hadjicharalambous, Spyros Athanasatos, Kyriacos Themistocleous, Christiana Papoutsa, Andri Christodoulou, Silas Michaelides, John S. Evans, Mohamed M. Abdel Kader, George Zittis, Marilia Panayiotou, Jos Lelieveld and Petros Koutrakis

In the frame of ‘AIRSPACE’ project, ground-based measurements were conducted in the four main cities of Cyprus. Limassol, comprises the main test site as Lidar and CIMEL sun photometer (NASA/AERONET network) are located at the premises of CUT, while the other cities (Nicosia, Larnaca and Paphos) are used as validation sites. During data collection campaign, measurements from handheld sun-photometers, DustTrak (PM10), Lidar and meteorological stations were used to extract an algorithm for relating satellite MODIS AOD retrievals and ground-based PM10 data for different types of geographical areas. For this purpose, the vertical distribution of atmosphere after the processing of daily lidar signals and meteorological parameters such as relative humidity, wind speed and direction were used.

In this paper, Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Crop Height (CH) are modeled to the most known spectral vegetation index — NDVI — using remotely sensed data. This approach has advantages compared to the classic approaches based on a theoretical background. A GER-1500 field spectro-radiometer was used in this study in order to retrieve the necessary spectrum data for estimating a spectral vegetation index (NDVI), for establishing a semiempirical relationship between black-eyed beans’ canopy factors and remotely sensed data. Such semi-empirical models can be used then for agricultural and environmental studies. A field campaign was undertaken with measurements of LAI and CH using the Sun-Scan canopy analyzer, acquired simultaneously with the spectroradiometric (GER1500) measurements between May and June of 2010. Field spectroscopy and remotely sensed imagery have been combined and used in order to retrieve and validate the results of this study. The results showed that there are strong statistical relationships between LAI or CH and NDVI which can be used for modeling crop canopy factors (LAI, CH) to remotely sensed data. The model for each case was verified by the factor of determination. Specifically, these models assist to avoid direct measurements of the LAI and CH for all the dates for which satellite images are available and support future users or future studies regarding crop canopy parameters.

Water allocation to crops has always been of great importance in agricultural process. In this context, and under the current conditions, where Cyprus is facing a severe drought the last five years, purpose of this study is basically to estimate the needed crop water requirements for supporting irrigation management and monitoring irrigation on a systematic basis for Cyprus using remote sensing techniques. The use of satellite images supported by ground measurements has provided quite accurate results. Intended purpose of this paper is to estimate the Evapotranspiration (ET) of specific crops which is the basis for irrigation scheduling and establish a procedure for monitoring and managing irrigation water over Cyprus, using remotely sensed data from Landsat TM/ ETM+ and a sound methodology used worldwide, the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL). Finally Crop Water Requirements derived from the specific research are disseminated to crop producers through a network of 3rd generation mobile phones.

Remote sensing may be used for quick and cost effective detection and monitoring of water leakages, since traditional field survey methods for detection of water pipeline leakages are costly and time consuming. Vegetation indices are widely used by researchers for many applications. Among them, NDVI, RVI and SAVI are indices that can be used for pipeline leakage detection. In this study, the above vegetation indices were evaluated based on Landsat ETM+ multispectral images in a multi-temporal mode. The evaluation was performed in the semiarid environment in Cyprus, in order to detect the position of points/areas where water leakage occurs and to examine the accuracy of the vegetation indices in detecting such events. In addition, a low altitude system was used to record spectral differences before and after a leakage event. The results showed that there are leakage points that could be detected using satellite images due to the increasing and decreasing of the surrounding vegetation affected by the water leaked of the pipeline. Other characteristics such as the soil type and precipitation were also examined. Finally, the low altitude system highlighted the advantages of using such non contact techniques for monitoring water leakages.

Transportation is vital for the economic and social development and prosperity of every country. Weather phenomena can significantly affect transportation, having huge impacts on the economy and transport user safety. Research indicates that the road transportation system is the most vulnerable system to weather effects. Results from a nine-year period in Cyprus showed that extreme weather conditions resulted in a 5.8 % increase in fatalities on the roads. On the other hand, there is pressure to develop more environmentally sustainable materials to be used in roads, considering the availability of natural aggregate resources and the amount of waste concrete material arising from construction and demolition. This paper describes the use of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) as a paving material in roads and its properties related to weather effects. Eight different concrete mixtures containing recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) were tested for the weather-related parameters of sorptivity, porosity and permeability. Results showed that the use of RCA and eventually RAC will affect the behaviour of road pavements, due to their higher sorptivity, porosity and permeability. However, it is believed that this will not be detrimental to the quality of road surfaces.