A global database of subaqueous landslides : a rallying call to the deep-water community

Abstract

Subaquatic landslides are common in lacustrine and marine environments. They pose a risk to coastal communities and offshore infrastructure. They can play an important role in the distribution and diversity of deep-sea ecosystems. Furthermore, their deposits can have importance for hydrocarbon exploration and production activities, acting as potential seals, and in some cases reservoir units. During the past decades geoscientists have made many important contributions towards the improved understanding of submarine landslides. Efforts by the geo-modelling community have helped fill the gap between submarine landslide occurrence, dynamics and tsunami genesis. However, our lack of understanding of the causal mechanisms and timing of submarine landslides has hampered progress in the development of deterministic and probabilistic assessment tools which are essential to implement appropriate mitigation measures.