Content

The climate change and related phenomena is one of the biggest challenges of today’s civilisation. In the last decades, climate change has caused a rise in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events worldwide, resulting in high economic damage and many casualties. The data shows an upward trend of occurrence of meteorological, hydrological, and climatic phenomena worldwide, with the largest increase observed in hydrological phenomena, such as floods and mass movements. Climate models suggest that global warming will intensify the Earth’s hydrological cycle and increase the risk of floods and droughts. The extreme weather events, such as intense precipitation and resulting floods, droughts, heat waves, and strong winds can directly and indirectly impact numerous processes on Earth surface.

The main project goal is to acquire a holistic insight and a deeper understanding of different but interrelated Earth surface processes driven by extreme weather events, ranging from geological past to present time. We aim to ensure better preparedness for these processes and develop effective strategies for risk reduction and adaptation to changing climate conditions.

The project will pay special attention to: 

• changes on the Earth’s surface caused by climatic and tectonic factors, with an emphasis on the effects of extreme weather events in recent geological and recorded history, 

• understanding the dynamics of sedimentation processes on alluvial fans and floodplains through a comprehensive integration of geological knowledge, 

• mass movements and landslides caused by extreme precipitation, and research on conditioning and triggering factors, 

• redistribution of pollutants and changes in their properties under the influence of extreme weather events, which can affect the environment and human health, as well as the remediation of contaminated geological materials.

The project’s contribution to the development of science:

• understanding of changes on the Earth’s surface due to a combination of climatic and tectonic factors,

• studying landslides and their triggering factors using advanced methods,

• development of geophysical methods for non-invasive study of landslides and levels of potentially toxic elements,

• identifying expected future surface processes and natural hazards due to the consequences of extreme weather events.

In addition to GeoZS, the project also involves:

• Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG),

• University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty (BF), Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering (FGG), Faculty of Arts (FF), and Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering (NTF),

• Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (IzA ZRC SAZU).

Project phases:

• WP1: Project management (GeoZS)

• WP2: Geological framework and extreme weather events in the past (GeoZS, ZRC SAZU, FF)

1. T2.1: The impact of extreme weather events on paleogeographic changes of the Earth

2. T2.2: Characterisation of the Miocene bedrock as the dominant trigger for the occurrence of landslides during extreme weather events

3. T2.3: Alluvial fan sedimentation in Alpine areas

4. T2.4: Record of flooding in the geological past

5. T2.5: The impact of vegetation on the geological processes during the extreme weather events

6. T2.6: Floods and mass movements in historical archives and today’s relevance of historical data

• WP3: Impact of extreme weather events on landslides (GeoZS, BF, FGG)

  1. T3.1: Review and processing of existing data

  2. T3.2: Establishment of pilot sites and data collection

  3. T3.3: Data modelling and analysis

  4. T3.4: Temporal and Spatial data extrapolation

• WP4: Impact of extreme weather events on redistribution and physico-chemical stability of contaminants on Earth surface (GeoZS, ZAG, BF, NTF)

  1. T4.1: Spatial redistribution of PTEs and identification of processes influencing physico-chemical stability of PTEs caused by extreme precipitation

  2. T4.2:  Characterisation of airborne solid particles originating from wind erosion of mining waste

  3. T4.3: Determination of conditions and processes controlling the evasion of mercury from polluted soil/sediment

  4. T4.4: Impact of extreme precipitation on transport of contaminants from urban surface to groundwater

  5. T4.5: Remediation of contaminated geological media

• WP5: Data management, presentation and dissemination of project outcomes (all partners)

Selected bibliography:

GABERŠEK, Martin, GOSAR, Mateja, MILER, Miloš, BAVEC, Špela. The influence of extreme flood event on redistribution of potentially toxic elements: a preliminary results from a former mining area. V: EGU General Assembly 2025 : Vienna, Austria & online, 27 April – 2 May 2025. [Munich]: EGU – European Geosciences Union. 2025, 1 str. DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8859. [COBISS.SI-ID 235689219]

GOSAR, Mateja, GABERŠEK, Martin, JAMŠEK RUPNIK, Petra, IVANČIČ, Kristina, PETERNEL, Tina, JEMEC AUFLIČ, Mateja, PRESTOR, Joerg. Predstavitev velikega temeljnega raziskovalnega projekta »ExtremEarth«. V: ROŽIČ, Boštjan (ur.). Razprave, poročila = Treatises, reports : 27. posvetovanje slovenskih geologov = 27th Meeting of Slovenian Geologists. 27. posvetovanje slovenskih geologov = 27th Meeting of Slovenian Geologists, Ljubljana, april, 2025. Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani, Naravoslovnotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za geologijo, 2025. 27, str. 44-47. Geološki zbornik, 27. ISSN 0352-3802. [COBISS.SI-ID 234247939]

PEZDIR, Valentina, GOSAR, Mateja. Shooting activities as the potential influence on the environment at the Pokljuka biathlon center, Slovenia. Atmosphere. 2025, vol. 16, no. 8, 12 str. ISSN 2073-4433. DOI: 10.3390/atmos16080915. [COBISS.SI-ID 247330051],

GABERŠEK, Martin, GOSAR, Mateja, MILER, Miloš, BAVEC, Špela, KURE, Karin. The impact of extreme flood event on redistribution of potentially toxic elements: a preliminary results from a former mining area. V: 40th International Conference on Environmental Geochemistry and Health : Belfast, [16 – 18 July] 2025 : book of abstracts. Str. 61. [COBISS.SI-ID 243589379]

BAVEC, Špela, ČERU, Teja, KIRINČIČ, Stanislava, IVARTNIK, Matej, GOLJA, Viviana, TURŠIČ, Janja, TERAN, Klemen, MILER, Miloš. Interdisciplinary assessment of children’s lead exposure in residential areas degraded by mining (Upper Meža Valley, Slovenia). Exposure and health. 2025, 19 str., online first. ISSN 2451-9685. DOI: 10.1007/s12403-025-00716-1. [COBISS.SI-ID 239572995]

JAMŠEK RUPNIK, Petra, NOVAK, Andrej, MENCIN GALE, Eva, ŽEBRE, Manja, JEŽ, Jernej, PLACENCIA-GÓMEZ, Edmundo, RUPAR, Lovro, MARKELJ, Anže, GABERŠEK, Martin, GOSAR, Mateja. Reconstructing past extreme weather events from alluvial fan sediments in the Upper Sava Valley, European Southern Alps. V: 11th International Conference on Geomorphology (IAG) : 2–6 February 2026 : Christchurch, New Zealand : book of abstracts. Christchurch: [org. odb.], 2026. Str. [398], [article no.] 188. [COBISS.SI-ID 268047619]

IVANČIČ, Kristina, BARTOL, Miloš, MARINŠEK, Miha, KRALJ, Polona, MENCIN GALE, Eva, ATANACKOV, Jure, TRAJANOVA, Mirka, HORVAT, Aleksander. Stratigraphy and structure of the Slovenian part of the Pannonian Superbasin: a brief overview. V: TARI, G. C. (ur.), et al. The Miocene extensional Pannonian Superbasin. Vol. 1, Regional geology. London: Geological Society, 2025. 41 str. Special publications, vol. 554. ISBN 978-1-7862-0684-8. DOI: 10.1144/SP554-2023-190. [COBISS.SI-ID 232247811]

NOVAK, Andrej, VRABEC, Marko, ŠMUC, Andrej. Long-term post-event processes and major reactivation of a complex landslide: 2000–2023 evolution of the Ciprnik landslide, Julian Alps, Slovenia. Landslides : Journal of the international consortium on landslides. [Print ed.]. 2025, vol. 22, iss. 12, str. 4013-4027. ISSN 1612-510X. dCOBISS, DOI: 10.1007/s10346-025-02598-5. [COBISS.SI-ID 246472963]

ZWITTER, Žiga, RASRAN, Leonid. Historical biodiversity in the Alps : grassland agroecosystems in the last Millennium. 1. Aufl. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2026. 974 str., ilustr., fotogr., zvd., tabele. Interdiscplinary Perspectives, 4. ISBN 978-3-7001-8718-9. https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at/produkt/historical-biodiversity-in-the-alps/99201053?name=historical-biodiversity-in-the-alps&product_form=5782. [COBISS.SI-ID 267655939]