CALL FOR PAPERS

Prediction and Mitigation of Natural Hazards

PLOS ONE, PLOS WATER AND PLOS CLIMATE

We’re excited to announce a cross-journal Call for Papers on Prediction and Mitigation of Natural Hazards research. Submission deadline, October 14, 2023.

Oct 14 2023

Submit to PLOS ONE , PLOS Water and PLOS Climate

“Jonfordphotos” by Unsplash

Auroop Ganguly
Northeastern University

Climate and land use changes are intensifying certain weather and hydrological extremes, while increasing exposure and vulnerability are causing natural hazards in general to grow more catastrophic. As the world continues to become interconnected and societal tensions grow unabated, the likelihood of cascading failures increases across scales. Prediction and mitigation of natural hazards are crucial for risk-informed decisions and policy, as well as for the design and operations of systems, which can collectively build resilience against natural catastrophes.

SCOPE

As the climate emergency intensifies, natural hazards are becoming a feature of daily life for more and more people across the globe. Simply picking up the pieces after a natural disaster is not enough: vulnerable communities and populations need systems, tools and policies to predict natural hazards and mitigate their risks. Developing these solutions requires careful integration of diverse forms of data, from simulations and experimental measurements to surveys and qualitative studies, as well as expertise, perspectives and lessons learned from different intellectual disciplines.

PLOS ONE, PLOS Water and PLOS Climate have announced this cross-journal Call for Papers to help break down barriers between traditional academic disciplines and to build a collection of research that will play a part in mitigating the hazards of the future.

With their commitment to open, ethical and reproducible research, these three PLOS journals are ideal venues for interdisciplinary research on this topic. PLOS ONE is an interdisciplinary journal that has previously published research in this field. PLOS Water and PLOS Climate have recently published their first articles but provided dedicated journal and editorial support to this topic.

RESEARCH TOPICS

Modeling, forecasting and simulations of natural hazards, including new computational and mathematical methods.
Novel sensing and data collection methods to predict natural hazards.
Disaster management and planning, including resilience of infrastructure and essential services, and rebuilding efforts.
Involvement of diverse stakeholders, including children and other vulnerable populations, in disaster education, planning and mitigation.
Involvement of diverse stakeholders, including children and other vulnerable populations, in disaster education, planning and mitigation.
From lessons-learned in the past towards better preparedness for future hazards.
Adaptation to rapidly changing or complex hazards.
Communication and education of risk and uncertainty around natural hazards.
Mitigation of disproportionate impacts of natural disasters across race, gender, disability and other factors of advantage and disadvantage.
Community and cultural perceptions of natural hazards and their solutions.
Impact of policy initiatives to mitigate natural hazards, especially in LMICs and other vulnerable regions.

As the climate emergency intensifies, without early intervention to support and strengthen capacity of place-based actors, the resulting impacts of forced displacement are expected to reinforce inequities, deepen poverty, and exacerbate drivers of gender-based violence. Women and girls have been at the forefront of our changing environments as first responders and survivors of some of the most severe consequences of natural disasters. It is time to emphasize not only the gendered impacts of the climate crisis, but strategies that position women and girls as leaders in the development of national and regional policies that govern response to emergencies. [Janna Metzler, on the role of women and girls in mitigating natural hazards].

Janna Metzler

Columbia University

GUEST EDITORS

Auroop Ganguly
Northeastern University

Renata Libonati
Universidade Federal do Rio De Janeiro

Janna Metzler
Columbia University

Markus Ries
University of Heidelberg

Disaster management is a complex cross-boundary endeavor. Various highly specialized disciplines work diligently together in order to translate sophisticated technical risk analyses into intuitive messages and actionable items for teams on the ground. Our common mission is to save lives of vulnerable populations and to protect fragile communities. After more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to bring everybody together to stimulate mutual learning, to share best practices, and to strengthen resilience.

JOURNAL INFORMATION

PLOS ONE

PLOS ONE is an inclusive journal community working together to advance science for the benefit of society, now and in the future. Founded with the aim of accelerating the pace of scientific advancement and demonstrating its value, we believe all rigorous science needs to be published and discoverable, widely disseminated and freely accessible to all.

Email questions to plosone@plos.org

PLOS Water

PLOS Water connects researchers across the hydrology, water resources, and water sanitation and hygiene communities, amplifying a diverse set of voices to influence the global discourse around fresh water.

Email questions to water@plos.org

PLOS Climate

PLOS Climate will rapidly disseminate rigorous research, with a commitment to open research principles that empower academic researchers, policy-makers, governments, international organizations and industry to understand dynamic, changing climates and take positive, evidence-based action in the face of climate change.

Email questions to climate@plos.org

READY TO SUBMIT?

Submit your paper to be considered for this Collection.

Mention the Prediction and Mitigation of Natural Hazards Call for Papers in your cover letter. The Collection will publish in 2024.

Submit to PLOS ONE , PLOS Water and PLOS Climate

Share this Call for Papers with your community!

LEARN MORE

Explore more Prediction and Mitigation of Natural Hazards research in PLOS ONE, PLOS Water and PLOS Climate