Max Van Wyk de Vries
@maxvwdv.bsky.social
400 followers 590 following 29 posts
Assistant Professor in Natural Hazards @CamUniGeography & @EarthSciCam | Fellow @CaiusCollege | All hazards are multihazards, but are any of them natural?
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
maxvwdv.bsky.social
And on Thursday I am presenting some thoughts on the need for multihazard databases, and how we might go about designing these.

"A relational disaster database to document and resolve multihazard interactions"

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

#EGU25
Abstract EGU25-12887
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Please come along to these presentations to learn more and get in touch if you’d like to have a chat with me or any of the group – we’re always open to building new collaborations.

If you’re interested in applying for postdocs, fellowships, PhDs in Cambridge I am happy to talk this through as well.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Lorenzo is presenting an update on a new and much-improved software (python, open source) package for monitoring landslide movement from optical data.

"A Workflow for Monitoring Ground Deformations through Spaceborne Optical Offset Tracking"

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

#EGU25
Abstract EGU25-12171
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Chen is presenting some promising new modelling results integrating the pore pressure response to dilatancy in MPM landslide simulations.

"Improved landslide runout prediction by integrating the pore pressure response to dilatancy"

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

#EGU25
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Joshua is presenting some exciting new work on the role of trust in influencing resilience. Special shout-out as he is tuning in from Dominica in the middle of the night!

"The role of trust in influencing natural hazard resilience "

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

#EGU25
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
maxvwdv.bsky.social
On Tuesday, we have three great presentations from PhD Joshua Nicholas, PhD Ye Chen, and postdoc Lorenzo Nava.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
If you’re interested in hearing more about the South Lhonak Lake work please check out Ashim’s talk on Wednesday that Louie and I are also involved in:

"The South Lhonak GLOF Cascade of October 2023, Sikkim Himalaya "

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

#EGU25
Abstract EGU25-768
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Louie Bell (PhD) is presenting this morning on our work understanding the precursors of the South Lhonak Lake GLOF.

"Pre-Glacial Lake Outburst Flood moraine deformation at South Lhonak Lake, Sikkim, from optical satellite feature-tracking "

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

#EGU25
Abstract EGU25-11100
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Looking forward to seeing many of you at #EGU25 this year.

Keep an eye out for some presentations from our Cambridge Complex and Multihazard group (www.comhaz.com):
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Also worrying news for penguins as a second stronghold of theirs, the Falkland Islands, is hit with a 41% tariff (??)
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Bad news for Heard Island as the US imposes a 10% tariff on its main export - windborne glaciovolcanic tephra. This is viewed as a boost for local Alaskan and Cascadia sources.

Particularly serious implications for very fine grain sizes as the crypto(tephra) market is volatile at the best of times.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Ah no, just accidentally flipped the North arrow. The positions are correct. The figure below is correct now.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
The fault terminates quite abruptly at the northern end (very close to the Irrawaddy) but gradually to the South. The southern termination is quite a bit further than some estimates I have seen, likely somewhere just west of Penwegon.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
The surface rupture passes within only a few hundred metres of the two main international airports in the region (Mandalay and Nyapyidaw), in each case with around 5 m of total slip.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
The maps show horizontal displacements in metres in the EW and NS directions. The fault ruptured by several metres over a distance of almost 500km with total slip was highest close to the largest city in the region, Mandalay.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Very sad to see the damage from the earthquake in Myanmar. My thoughts are with all affected by this disaster.

Understanding where and how much the fault slipped can help with damage assessments, so we've made some preliminary estimates from S2 (data: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...)
Reposted by Max Van Wyk de Vries
acceleratescience.bsky.social
📢 New blog! Read about @lekaa-shree.bsky.social's work on dataset scarcity & algorithmic bias in AI in healthcare. With collaborators in Cambridge & Uganda, Lekaa has examined challenges & is planning a virtual resources hub to improve bias mitigation strategies.

bit.ly/41Shq7X
maxvwdv.bsky.social
New perspective article discussing how we define natural hazards in today's world.

Key message: a barrier between 'human' and 'natural' events is often unhelpful, and we must consider the interaction between multiple hazards in all cases.

www.nature.com/articles/s44304-025-00071-w
All hazards are multihazards, few of them are natural - npj Natural Hazards
npj Natural Hazards - All hazards are multihazards, few of them are natural
www.nature.com
maxvwdv.bsky.social
"You can't have your lake and eat it"
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Add a sprinkle of cumin seeds, coriander, and turmeric to your basalt then chill rapidly for a perfect pilau lava.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
The 'alternative' A628 route has its own set of landslides as well... We've got a small project (with @britgeosurvey.bsky.social) looking at some of these landslide-road interactions and disruptions to transport on a national scale.
1m lidar data showing various landslides.
maxvwdv.bsky.social
Indeed, disasters are never natural. And sometimes, the hazards themselves are not either...