Staff profile

I am interested in using large geospatial datasets to better understand the magnitude, frequency and occurrence of sediment and hazard cascades in High Mountain Asia. I enjoy using a variety of approaches in my research including fieldwork, numerical modelling, remote sensing and engaging with communities. I have experience working in Nepal, India and China.

 

I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate on a NERC and MoES funded project that aims to quantify the dynamic risk associated with landslide mechanisms and sediment stores and to determine how these impact sediment-rich flows and floods in the Alaknanda catchment. Specifically, I am exploring controls on hillslope-channel connectivity and the role of landslides in preconditioning the landscape for sediment-rich flows using remote sensing and deep learning. As part of this project, I will work with a large team based in the UK and India.

 

Prior to this, I was a PDRA on the interdisciplinary GCRF-funded project Sajag-Nepal (2023 – 2024), which aimed to improve preparedness for the mountain hazard chain in Nepal. During my time on the project, I used large spatial datasets, such as national-scale landslide hazard maps, to identify spatial and temporal controls on landsliding across the country. I also reviewed existing landslide inventories published within the last decade to identify biases in our current perception of landslide hazard in Nepal.

 

I acquired a PhD in Earth Sciences from Cardiff University in 2022. My PhD focused on understanding the underlying grain size controls on debris flow hazards in southwestern China following the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake. I used a combination of techniques including fieldwork, remote sensing, and computer modelling to explore controls on debris flow magnitude. We identified in-channel sediment storage, which was in abundance after the earthquake, to be the primary control on catastrophic debris flow magnitude.

Journal Article

• Brief communication: Weak correlation between building damage and loss of life from landslides
  Van Wyk de Vries, M., Dunant, A., Johnson, A. L., Harvey, E. L., Li, S., Arrell, K., Baniya, J., Basnet, D., Basyal, G. K., Bhotia, N. D., Dadson, S. J., Densmore, A. L., Dong, T. B., Kincey, M. E., Oven, K., Puri, A., & Rosser, N. J. (in press). Brief communication: Weak correlation between building damage and loss of life from landslides. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 25(6), 1937-1942. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-1937-2025
• Review of landslide inventories for Nepal between 2010 and 2021 reveals data gaps in global landslide hotspot
  Harvey, E., Kincey, M., Rosser, N., Gadtaula, A., Collins, E., Densmore, A., Dunant, A., Arrell, K., Oven, K., Basyal, G., Dhital, M. R., Robinson, T., de Vries, M., Paudyal, S., Pujara, D., & Shrestha, R. (2025). Review of landslide inventories for Nepal between 2010 and 2021 reveals data gaps in global landslide hotspot. Natural Hazards, 121(5), 5075-5101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-024-07013-1
• Should academic success be redefined amidst the climate and environmental crisis? A dialogue between five UK geographers
  Clarke, L., Tooth, S., Viles, H., Schillereff, D., & Harvey, E. (2025). Should academic success be redefined amidst the climate and environmental crisis? A dialogue between five UK geographers. Geo: Geography and Environment, 12(1), Article e70005. https://doi.org/10.1002/geo2.70005
• Impacts from cascading multi-hazards using hypergraphs: a case study from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal
  Dunant, A., Robinson, T. R., Densmore, A. L., Rosser, N. J., Rajbhandari, R. M., Kincey, M., Li, S., Awasthi, P. R., Van Wyk De Vries, M., Guragain, R., Harvey, E., & Dadson, S. (2025). Impacts from cascading multi-hazards using hypergraphs: a case study from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 25(1), 267-285. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-267-2025
• Impacts from cascading multi-hazards using hypergraphs: a case study from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal
  Dunant, A., Robinson, T. R., Densmore, A. L., Rosser, N. J., Rajbhandari, R. M., Kincey, M., Li, S., Awasthi, P. R., Van Wyk de Vries, M., Guragain, R., Harvey, E., & Dadson, S. (2024). Impacts from cascading multi-hazards using hypergraphs: a case study from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal
• Detection of slow‐moving landslides through automated monitoring of surface deformation using Sentinel‐2 satellite imagery
  Van Wyk De Vries, M., Arrell, K., Basyal, G., Densmore, A., Dunant, A., Harvey, E. L., Ganesh, J., Kincey, M., Li, S., Pujara, D. S., Pujara, S., Shrestha, R., Rosser, N., & Dadson, S. (2024). Detection of slow‐moving landslides through automated monitoring of surface deformation using Sentinel‐2 satellite imagery. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(4), 1397-1410. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5775
• Measuring the grain‐size distributions of mass movement deposits
  Harvey, E. L., Hales, T. C., Hobley, D. E., Liu, J., & Fan, X. (2022). Measuring the grain‐size distributions of mass movement deposits. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 47(6), https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5337
• Ecosystem carbon stock loss after a mega earthquake
  Liu, J., Fan, X., Tang, X., Xu, Q., Harvey, E. L., Hales, T. C., & Jin, Z. (2022). Ecosystem carbon stock loss after a mega earthquake. CATENA, 216, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2022.106393
• Pulsed carbon export from mountains by earthquake-triggered landslides explored in a reduced-complexity model
  Croissant, T., Hilton, R. G., Li, G. K., Howarth, J., Wang, J., Harvey, E. L., Steer, P., & Densmore, A. L. (2021). Pulsed carbon export from mountains by earthquake-triggered landslides explored in a reduced-complexity model. Earth Surface Dynamics, 9(4), 823-844. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-823-2021
• Long-term patterns of hillslope erosion by earthquake-induced landslides shape mountain landscapes
  Wang, J., Howarth, J. D., McClymont, E. L., Densmore, A. L., Fitzsimons, S. J., Croissant, T., Grocke, D. R., West, M. D., Harvey, E. L., Frith, N. V., Garnett, M. H., & Hilton, R. G. (2020). Long-term patterns of hillslope erosion by earthquake-induced landslides shape mountain landscapes. Science Advances, 6(23), Article eaaz6446. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz6446