Marine geohazards: Safeguarding society and the Blue Economy from a hidden threat

Abstract

Marine geohazards pose a significant threat to the European coastal population and to the development of the Blue Economy. This Position Paper discusses the type (Chapter 2), distribution (Chapter 3) and impact (Chapter 4) of marine geohazards on the European coastal regions and the Blue Economy, as well as what and how novel scientific approaches may broaden our understanding of their trigger mechanisms and drive a risk-mitigating European policy (Chapter 5). This document focuses on short-onset geological hazards and does not deal with long-term processes such as coastal erosion, land subsidence, intrusion of salt water in coastal aquifers; or with hazards associated by atmospheric disturbances such as storm surges and meteo-tsunamis. This document is primarily aimed at local, regional, national and European institutions in charge of managing risk assessments & mitigation, land and sea management, funding research, monitoring and infrastructures, and public awareness of hazards. In addition, this document may also be relevant to the scientific community interested in, or exploring this subject, and to stakeholders outside Europe, in light of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).