Staff

Stefania Ursica

Portrait of Stefania Ursica
Account-Guest (Guest)
Stefania Ursica
Building H 6, Room 306 (Büro)
Helmholtzstraße 6/7
14467 Potsdam

Function and Responsibilities:

Role

I am a doctoral student, at Potsdam University and GFZ Potsdam (working with section 2.1). I am shaped by Thomas R. Walter and the Seismology group.

Field Site & Focus

My work is anchored on La Réunion Island, specifically around the extinct stratovolcano Piton des Neiges, where we had deployed a seismic network (7W). This array facilitates the study of geomorphic responses to extreme meteorological events.

Current Investigation

The core of my present research addresses the erosive aftermath of Cyclone Garance—an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck during the 2025 austral rainy season. I investigate how such rare, high-magnitude events instigate rapid landscape reconfiguration, using seismic signals, remote sensing, and complexity-based analytical proxies.

Collaborations

This work is conducted in close collaboration with the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers (OSU), Parc Naturel Piton des Neiges, Université de La Réunion, and section 2.1 (Physics of Earthquakes and Volcanoes) combining local expertise with global geophysical methodologies.

Methodological Innovation

We are developing a novel algorithmic framework for seismic event detection, location, and classification. Drawing from biomimicry and information theory, this pipeline is designed to better quantify and understand the spatiotemporal anatomy of landscape-shaping phenomena, and to link geomorphic drivers to process outcomes.

Academic Background

My academic roots lie in Physical Geography and Earth Science, with a Master’s degree completed in Sweden and scientific assistantship in Zurich, Switzerland. I hold a degree in Teaching and Psychopedagogical studies. I am particularly drawn to the interface of natural dynamics and computational pattern analysis as a lens to look at the Earth’s ever-evolving surface.

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