Research briefs

Keep up to date with the latest research on disaster risk and resilience on the PreventionWeb knowledge base.

Explore cutting-edge research on disaster risk reduction and resilience through PreventionWeb's dedicated research briefs section. Our platform curates and highlights the most recent academic studies, providing valuable insights into disaster risk management. Each research brief distills key findings from peer-reviewed journals and academic publications.

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These briefs are designed to keep you informed about the latest scientific advances. Links to the full publications are always included, ensuring easy access to in-depth knowledge. Please note that this section exclusively features academic research, distinct from reports by international organizations or Non-Governmental Organisations.

Research briefs

25 May 2017

US nuclear regulators greatly underestimate potential for nuclear disaster

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) relied on faulty analysis to justify its refusal to adopt a critical measure for protecting Americans from the occurrence of a catastrophic nuclear-waste fire at any one of dozens of reactor sites around the country, according to an article in the May 26 issue of Science magazine.

Princeton University

Research briefs

23 May 2017

Ground surveys reveal space weather risk to Spain’s power grid

A survey of bedrock conductivity across Spain improves predictions of how vulnerable the nation’s power grid is to solar storms. The method could be used by other countries seeking to quickly assess their vulnerability to space weather.

Eos - AGU

Research briefs

16 May 2017

Sidelining God: why secular climate projects in the Pacific Islands are failing

Research suggests that one reason for the failure of external for climate-change interventions in Pacific Island communities is the wholly secular nature of their messages. In these communities, the most influential messages are those that engage with people’s spiritual beliefs, and the most influential communication channels are often those that involve religious leaders.

Conversation Media Group, the

Research briefs

17 May 2017

From where will the next big earthquake hit the city of Istanbul?

The city of Istanbul is focus of great concern for earthquake researchers. This 15-million metropole is situated very close to the so-called North Anatolian Fault Zone which runs just outside of the city gates.Scientists reckon with an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or greater in this region in the coming years.

The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

Research briefs

15 May 2017

Italy: Campi Flegrei volcano eruption possibly closer than thought

The Campi Flegrei volcano in southern Italy may be closer to an eruption than previously thought, according to new research by UCL and the Vesuvius Observatory in Naples. Findings show that there could be a greater amount of local seismicity during another uplift, requiring to adapt preparations for another emergency.

University College London

Research briefs

15 May 2017

Varied increases in extreme rainfall with global warming

A new study by researchers from MIT and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich shows that the most extreme rain events in most regions of the world will increase in intensity by 3 to 15 percent, depending on region, for every degree Celsius that the planet warms

Massachussets Institute of Technology

Research briefs

15 May 2017

Why 2°C of global warming is much worse for Australia than 1.5°C

From heatwaves, to droughts and flooding rains, Australia is a land of climate extremes. A new study explores how extreme weather events in Australia might change if we limit global warming to either 1.5℃ or 2℃, and what the implications might be of pursuing the more lenient target rather than the more ambitious one.

Conversation Media Group, the

Research briefs

15 May 2017

United States: Child care centers can do more to prepare for a flu pandemic

Pandemic influenza is a potentially devastating global health event, and young children in child care centers are a vulnerable group that can increase the spread of pandemic influenza into the community. A recent study shows that only 7 percent of child care centers directors have taken actions to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak.

American Academy of Pediatrics