2023 | Article of the year

Finisterra congratulates the winner of the 2023 Best Article Award.

The winner is selected by vote of a specially appointed Committee. Manuscripts published in Finisterra are evaluated based on clarity of writing and content, structure, visual elements, contribution to knowledge, among other criteria.

On 17 October 2024, following the Finisterra Annual Lecture with Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, the Chair of the Jury, Ana Louro, announced the winner of the Finisterra 2023 Best Article Award.

The Finisterra Best Article Award, which recognises the most outstanding article published in the journal in 2023, was awarded to:

José Luis Zêzere. GEOHAZARDS IN PORTUGAL: A STATE OF THE ART. Finisterra - Revista Portuguesa de Geografia, LVIII(124), 7–27. https://doi.org/10.18055/Finis33142

In Portugal, scholarly attention towards geohazards has grown significantly since the 1980s, with various analytical methods employed to study these phenomena, including physically-based models, data-driven models, and heuristic techniques. The published research has contributed to a better understanding of the underlying processes, but also includes the assessment of susceptibility, probability, and magnitude of hazardous events. Some studies have extended into risk analysis, considering exposure, asset valuation, and vulnerability, encompassing both physical and social dimensions. Geohazards are concentrated primarily in the western and southern coastal areas of mainland Portugal, particularly in regions like Lisbon, the Lower Tagus Valley, and the Algarve. These areas face multiple geohazard threats, including earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal erosion, floods, flash floods, and landslides. In the remaining parts of mainland Portugal, the inland North and Centre regions are more prone to landslides and soil erosion, while the Alentejo is comparatively safer but still faces a significant risk of soil erosion, contributing to the threat of desertification. Within the Atlantic islands, Madeira exhibits a notable susceptibility to landslides, flash floods, and coastal erosion, whereas the Azores islands encompass a wide spectrum of geohazards, comprising active volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, flash floods, and coastal erosion.

 

The Jury of the 2023 Best Article Award was composed of:

Ana Louro (CEG, IGOT, University of Lisbon, Portugal) (Chair)
Carla Andreia Silva Mora (CEG, IGOT, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Eduardo Brito-Henriques (CEG, IGOT, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
João Rafael Santos (Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Jorge Olcina (Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of Alicante, Spain)
Susana Pereira (Faculty of Arts, University of Porto, Portugal)
Teresa Barata-Salgueiro (CEG, IGOT, University of Lisbon, Portugal)