Aims of the Plinius Conferences

The EGS has a lively program of Topical Conferences aimed at an in-depth discussion of selected topics of particular interest in the Earth, Planetary and Solar System Sciences. Within this framework the NH working group organizes every year the Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Storms. The Conference sprung from an idea of Prof. Franco Siccardi, 2002 EGS Soloviev Medalist, who, in 1998, brought together in Savona meteorologists, hydrologists, hydraulic engineers, geomorphologists and engineering geologists to jointly discuss the scientific, technical and operational problems posed by the frequent severe events that affect the Mediterranean region, and to cope with their destructive effects on the landscape and the human environment.

The Mediterranean area has a long history of meteorological storms producing floods, flash floods, debris flows, shallow failures and deep seated landslides. The damage caused by these events is extremely severe. For the Mediterranean area climatologists predict a generalized increase in the number of severe storms and in the intensity of the rainfall. The increase in the number of potentially damaging events, coupled with an increase in the amount and value of the vulnerable elements, including the population, leads unequivocally to the conclusion that the risk posed by storms in the Mediterranean area will raise. Scientists are called to cope with the problem that, for its complexity, represents a challenge for researches of various different fields, and has important socio-economical implications for the sustainable development of the entire Mediterranean Region.

The aim of the Plinius Conferences is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for discussion of the present state of knowledge of storms in the Mediterranean environment, in relation to both their meteorological and hydrological aspects and their coastal and inland effects, such as surges, floods and landslides. The main focus is to obtain a better understanding of the involved physical processes, the application of remote sensing technologies to the study and management of these extreme phenomena, and the value of numerical modelling for the predictability of heavy rain and/or strong wind producing storms and for the development of anticipated land responses.

F. Guzzetti