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.

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Coloured houses on a windy day
Research briefs
Researchers find trees can shield homes from storms

The study showed that trees around a low-rise building can reduce the wind force on segments by as much as 50%.

Florida International University
Turkmenistan earthquake
Research briefs
Earthquakes can be destructive for distant cities built on top of basins – now we know why

Sedimentary basins – depressions in Earth’s crust caused by tectonic activity – tend to be flat and are favoured places to build cities. But during earthquakes, they can become natural resonance chambers.

Conversation Media Group, the
Modern high-rise buildings with vertical greenery and integrated plants on facade connected by skybridge.
Research briefs
Going up against the heat: Vertical greenery keeps cities cool

Green wall installation can provide cooling effects for both indoor and outdoor environments.

Osaka Metropolitan University
Aerial view of forest grass being burned
Research briefs
Prescribed fires can cut smoke pollution for years, miles beyond burn areas

A Stanford-led study based on two decades of satellite data finds California could cut deadly pollution from wildfire smoke by 20% in active fire years by expanding use of prescribed fire in conifer forests each year.

Stanford University
Houses with wildfire smoke in the background
Research briefs
As wildfires increase in the West, so does suppression spending

A new study projects the intertwined relationship between fires and the money spent fighting them.

Eos - AGU
Coastal homes in Carolina Beach, NC, USA facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Research briefs
Human-caused sea level rise drives rapid global increase in extreme water levels during 21st century, research finds

Climate Central-led paper finds climate change tripled the number of days with extreme water-levels at worldwide locations since the 1970s.

Climate Central
Inundated street with parked cars in the background
Research briefs
Study shows land shifts, sea level rise occur more rapidly than previously thought

A recent study including UCF researcher Thomas Wahl reveals that sinking ground levels and rising sea levels are occurring more rapidly than previously understood, often worsening flooding in coastal communities.

University of Central Florida
A look inside the abandoned six-flags of New Orleans destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
Research briefs
Sea-level rise has increased frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide, study finds

Human-caused sea-level rise has significantly increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide, according to a new study led by a Tulane University researcher.

Tulane University