Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences

Submarine mass movements and their consequences are of major concern for coastal communities and infrastructures but also for the exploitation and the development of seafloor resources. A tragic example of the vulnerability of coastal communities has been provided by the Indonesian tsunami of December 2004. Since 2005, as part of the scientific community efforts to minimize the impact of such natural disasters, the International Union of Geological Science (IUGS) and the United Nation, Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have sponsored an International Geoscience Program on Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences (IGCP-511). One of the main objectives of IGCP-511 members is to hold bi-annual symposia on these types of marine and coastal geohazards. The first symposium of this series was held in Nice (2003) and the second in Oslo (2005). This 3rd Symposium on submarine Mass Movements and Their consequences provides an opportunity to review the state of the art in risk evaluation from submarine landslides, deposit characterization and its implication for coastal and offshore development. By bringing together professionals from the industry and academia with a range of different expertise, these proceedings hope to cover the full spectrum of aspects related to subaqueous mass movements and related consequences. The interdisciplinary views gathered in this book, arising from the conference, help identify future challenges, mitigation strategies and better management of the seafloor. To that effect, the Santorini is quite a unique venue for scientists and engineers interested in marine and coastal geohazards.