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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Environmental impact of natural disasters & phenomena
This book discusses in detail the science and morphology of
powerful hurricane detection systems. It broadly addresses new
approaches to monitoring hazards using freely available images from
the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Sentinel-1 SAR satellite and
benchmarks a new interdisciplinary field at the interface between
oceanography, meteorology and remote sensing. Following the launch
of the first European Space Agency (ESA) operational synthetic
aperture radar satellite, Sentinel-1, in 2014, synthetic aperture
radar (SAR) data has been freely available on the Internet hub in
real-time. This advance allows weather forecasters to view
hurricanes in fine detail for the first time. As a result, the
number of synthetic aperture radar research scientists working in
this field is set to grow exponentially in the next decade; the
book is a valuable resource for this large and budding audience.
This book offers a systematic investigation of the ecological and
environmental issues related to the land cover changes in Nepal by
researchers from both China and Nepal. It discusses the
eco-environmental issues faced by Nepal, particularly in the hills
and mountain regions. It also sheds light on the global concerns
regarding the eco-environment issues of mountains, and analyzes the
various causes and potential consequences of eco-environmental
degradation in Nepal. The book is of particular interest to
students, researchers, experts, and decision-makers wanting to gain
a general overview of land cover in Nepal and its dynamics,
environment and natural resources, as well as mountain hazards.
This book presents landslide studies using the geographic
information system (GIS), which includes not only the science of
GIS and remote sensing, but also technical innovations, such as
detailed light detection and ranging profiles, among others. To
date most of the research on landslides has been found in journals
on topography, geology, geo-technology, landslides, and GIS, and is
limited to specific scientific aspects. Although journal articles
on GIS using landslide studies are abundant, there are very few
books on this topic. This book is designed to fill that gap and
show how the latest GIS technology can contribute in terms of
landslide studies. In a related development, the GIS Landslide
Workshop was established in Japan 7 years ago in order to
communicate and solve the scientific as well as technical problems
of GIS analyses, such as how to use GIS software and its functions.
The workshop has significantly contributed to progress in the
field. Included among the chapters of this book are GIS using
susceptibility mapping, analyses of deep-seated and shallow
landslides, measuring and visualization of landslide distribution
in relation to topography, geological facies and structures,
rivers, land use, and infrastructures such as roads and streets.
Filled with photographs, figures, and tables, this book is of great
value to researchers in the fields of geography, geology,
seismology, environment, remote sensing, and atmospheric research,
as well as to students in these fields.
Why aren't we investing more in disaster resilience, despite the
rising costs of disaster events? This book argues that
decision-makers in governments, businesses, households, and
development agencies tend to focus on avoiding losses from
disasters, and perceive the return on investment as uncertain -
only realised if a somewhat unlikely disaster event actually
happens. This book develops a new business case for investment
based on the multiple dividends of resilience. This looks beyond
only avoided losses (the first dividend) to the wider benefits
gained independently of whether or not the disaster event occurs.
These include unleashing entrepreneurial activities and productive
investments by lowering the looming threat of losses from disasters
and enabling businesses, farmers and homeowners to take positive
risks (the second dividend); and co-benefits of resilience measures
beyond just disaster risk (the third dividend), such as flood
embankments in Bangladesh that double as roads, or wetlands in
Colombo that reduce urban heat extremes.
The natural disasters are the killer agents which can/can't be
predicted even though we have modern technology. Every year, in one
place or another, disasters striking which is devastating the area
and surroundings, leading to ecological disruption besides huge
loss of life and property. India is vulnerable to cyclones,
landslides/avalanches, earthquakes, floods, droughts, forest fires,
epidemics, etc. The 5700-km long coast of India, with its dense
population is vulnerable to cyclones/low depressions, tsunamis,
etc. The 2400-km long rugged Himalayan terrain is vulnerable to
landslides, avalanches and earthquakes. India is not only
vulnerable to natural disasters, it is also experiencing industrial
accidents. The Bhopal Gas tragedy is one of the major man-made
disasters in the world. The state of Andhra Pradesh has 970-km long
coastline with two major rivers, etc. The conference is conducted
in Visakhapatnam, is famous for industries and tourism. Recently,
several industrial accidents took place, besides major natural
disasters like Hud-Hud, etc. Disaster management shall be
implemented from the grass root level in vulnerable areas to
improve the capacity building, so as to minimize the losses. The
capacity building coupled with technology results in reduction of
loss of life and property.
This book presents state-of-the-art, essential methods and tools
for flood risk assessment and management. The costs of damage
caused by extreme weather events, among which floods are a major
category, are rapidly rising, both globally and across Europe. The
scope and scale of flood episodes point to the need for
comprehensive proposals, including the implementation of flood
protection measures in areas exposed to flood risk. This book is
dedicated to flood damage assessment, and addresses the management
of social, economic and environmental damage. It develops a general
methodology for flood risk assessment and presents a range of
effective flood protection methods in keeping with the objectives
of flood risk management. As such, it offers a valuable resource
for young researchers, academics, lecturers and water management
practitioners alike.
This book presents and discusses a strategy which includes four
approaches to dealing with the risk of sea-level rise and other
water hazards. It also offers opportunities for cities to explore
urban extensions such as marine estates, aquatic food production
systems, new sea related industries, maritime transport
developments, new oceanic tourist attractions, and the designation
of additional coastal ecological zones. The urban interface between
Sea and Cities generates, therefore, both burning issues and
valuable opportunities and raises the question of whether it is
possible to solve the former by exploiting the latter?
This monograph presents the state of art of the geologic knowledge
about the Spanish coast obtained through scientific research in the
last 30 years.From a general point of view, coasts are the most
quickly changing systems of the Earth. This is critical, since many
human resources, such as the main part of economic and social
activities, are located in the coastal areas. Especially in the
case of Spain these coasts include cities, wide industrial areas
(including harbor complexes), important ecologic systems, and our
main economic resource: tourism. Understanding the dynamic
functioning of each element of this coast is vital for correct
future coastal management, so as to solve problems derived from bad
plans developed in the last decades of the twentieth century. This
is a valuable text for advanced graduate students and coastal
researchers, which connects the specific dynamic functioning of the
main Spanish coastal environments and their relationships with
human activities.
This volume is aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the
state of art of research related to geo-related hazards in the
Caucasus and other orogenic regions; it is also devoted to shedding
light on a broad array of geological phenomena as well as
discussing innovative tools and strategies for geohazard
assessment. Additional emphasis is placed on preventive and
mitigation measures, which might be helpful in tackling seismic,
volcanic and landslide risks affecting major lifelines and
infrastructures. The innovative, multidisciplinary methodologies
illustrated in this volume may be successfully applied to other
orogenic regions across the globe. The book features major
scientific contributions from experts working on different Earth
Science topics, such as seismology, structural geology, applied
geology and volcanology. Its chapters describe a wide gamut of
cutting-edge research methodologies and are thus intended to be
read and shared by the worldwide Earth Science community. In
particular, the readers will have a chance to gain a thorough
knowledge of a number of key geological features that can be
observed across both the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. Moreover, the
volume provides a thorough description of the techniques employed
to assess seismic hazard in major cities - such as microzonation -
and an overview of the efforts taken to monitor and prevent seismic
and landslide hazard posed to vital energy infrastructures in the
Caucasus region.
This book presents quality technical papers representing the recent
developments in the field of hydrological modeling, water
management and water governance including practical applications.
The content covers multifarious aspects of hydrology and water
resources. It includes an application of the Hydrologic Modelling
System (HEC-HMS) which has been successfully demonstrated for
assessment of floods. The authors suggest an approach for the
mitigation of cyclone disaster through a case study of the Phailin
cyclone, whilst considering mitigating pluvial flooding, developing
suitable management strategies. The book includes chapters
discussing the detrended fluctuation analysis which is carried out
for multifractal description of droughts. Drought characteristics
are analyzed, and drought indices evolved for drought
preparedness/management. The use of science in community planning
under changing climate is also studied and discussed. The authors
present and experimental study wherein hydraulic coefficients are
calibrated by using vertical orifice. A cross flow hybrid
hydrokinetic turbine is also evaluated for performance, and high
head regulating radial gate designed and studied its sensitivity.
This book will appeal to researchers, field practitioners, NGO and
other Governmental as well as private water practitioners
During the Vietnam era, conscientious objectors received both
sympathy and admiration from many Americans. It was not so during
World War II. The pacifists who chose to sit out that war - some
72,000 men - were publicly derided as ""yellowbellies"" or extreme
cowards. After all, why would anyone refuse to fight against
fascism in ""the good war""?This book tells the story of one
important group of World War II conscientious objectors: the men
who volunteered for Civilian Public Service as U.S. Forest Service
smoke jumpers. Based in Missoula, Montana, the experimental
smoke-jumping program began in 1939, but before the project could
expand, the war effort drained available manpower. In 1942, the
Civilian Public Service volunteers stepped in. Smoke jumping soon
became the Forest Service's first line of defense against wildfires
in the West. Drawing on extensive interviews with World War II
conscientious objectors and original documents from the period,
Matthews vividly recreates the individual stories of Civilian
Public Service smoke jumpers. He also assesses their collective
contribution to the development of western wildfire management. By
revealing an unknown dimension of American pacifism, Smoke Jumping
on the Western Fire Line fills a gap in World War II history and
restores the reputation of the brave men who, even in the face of
public ostracism, held true to their beliefs and served their
country with honor.
Tsunamis in the European-Mediterranean Region: From Historical
Record to Risk Mitigation provides readers with a much needed,
reliable, and up-to-date history of the region, including
descriptions and parameters of the main events from pre-history to
the present that are supported by parametric catalogues, pictorial
material, and examples of instrumental records, such as tide-gauge
records. The book presents a broader perspective of needed action
for local and national governments, and international
organizations, and is written by an internationally recognized
expert in this field, providing an authoritative account of
historical tsunamis in the eastern Mediterranean. It addresses key
points of tsunami mitigation, including the systems currently
available for tsunami recording, monitoring, and early warning,
along with a presentation of the preventative measures that can be
applied in all tsunami-vulnerable regions.
This book analyzes how climate change adaptation can be implemented
at the community, regional and national level. Featuring a variety
of case studies, it illustrates strategies, initiatives and
projects currently being implemented across the world. In addition
to the challenges faced by communities, cities and regions seeking
to cope with climate change phenomena like floods, droughts and
other extreme events, the respective chapters cover topics such as
the adaptive capacities of water management organizations,
biodiversity conservation, and indigenous and climate change
adaptation strategies. The book will appeal to a broad readership,
from scholars to policymakers, interested in developing strategies
for effectively addressing the impacts of climate change.
This book presents a case study-based analysis of the consequences
of external interventions, critically evaluating them from
community perspectives. Communities - from rural to urban, and
around the world - that are experiencing disasters and changes in
climatic variables can perceive the associated risks and evaluate
the impacts of interventions. Accordingly, community perspectives,
including their perceptions, concerns, awareness, realizations,
reactions and expectations, represent a valuable resource. The
case-based analysis of impacts on communities can provide a 'means
of learning' from the experiences of others, thus expanding
professionals' knowledge base, especially regarding disaster
mitigation and climate change adaptation practices in varied
settings. This book offers valuable insights and lessons learned,
in an effort to promote and guide innovative changes in the current
planning, management and governance of human settlements, helping
them face the future challenges of a changing environment.
This book examines the reasons behind the resonant amplification of
seismic and ocean waves that have the capacity to destroy cities
and ocean-going vessels. Using Charles Darwin's important
geophysical research as a starting point, it provides insights into
the interaction between earthquakes with volcanoes, seaquake, and
tsunami formation. In particular, the author details the
observations that Darwin made on a powerful earthquake that
occurred in Chile in 1835, noting how the famous naturalist and
geologist used the concept of earthquake-induced vertical shock to
explain the event's devastating impact. The book then goes on to
show how Darwin's concept relates to the catastrophic results of
the shallow quakes that recently destroyed Port-au-Prince (Haiti,
2010) and severely damaged Christchurch (New Zealand, 2011). In
addition, the author asks whether Darwin's ideas are endorsed by
the discoveries of modern science and whether the results of
destructive earthquakes can be modeled using strongly nonlinear
wave equations. Coverage also proposes that similar equations can
be used to simulate the dynamics of many objects on the surface of
the Earth, and to model the origin of the Universe, dark matter,
and dark energy as strongly nonlinear wave phenomena. The book will
appeal to students as well as researchers and engineers in
geophysics, seismology, nonlinear wave studies, cosmology, physical
oceanography, and ocean and coastal engineering. It will also be of
use to those who are interested in the phenomena of natural
catastrophes as well as those who want to learn more about the life
and work of Charles Darwin.
This book examines the evolution of federal disaster relief policy,
assesses problems with current policy, and provides an
understanding of the issues likely to be involved in future
deliberations about federal policy. While examining its
formulation, May describes this policy making in two different
political environments: the charged atmosphere immediately
following the catastrophe and, secondly, the calm between
catastrophes. Local, state, and federal government conflicts are
illustrated in a case study of Mount St. Helens; intergovernmental
partnerships in this arena are discussed in relation to other
relief efforts. May stresses the political implications of disaster
relief in his analysis of the electoral benefits and influence
politicians derive from their attempts to influence federal
disaster relief efforts. Finally he addresses the economic
considerations and future directions for federal disaster relief
policy. Three distinct policy approaches and their tradeoffs
provide an overview of the options for future policy making.
The African Red Sea Littoral, currently divided between Sudan,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, is one of the poorest regions in
the world. But the pastoralist communities indigenous to this
region were not always poor-historically, they had access to a
variety of resources that allowed them to prosper in the harsh,
arid environment. This access was mediated by a robust moral
economy of pastoralism that acted as a social safety net. Steven
Serels charts the erosion of this moral economy, a slow-moving
process that began during the Little Ice Age mega-drought of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and continued through the
devastating famines of the twentieth century. By examining mass
sedentarization after the Second World War as merely the latest
manifestation of an inter-generational environmental and economic
crisis, this book offers an innovative lens for understanding
poverty in northeastern Africa.
This book begins with the dynamic characteristics of the covering
layerbedrock type slope, containing monitoring data of the seismic
array, shaking table tests, numerical analysis and theoretical
derivation. Then it focuses on the landslide mechanism and
assessment method. It also proposes a model that assessing the
hazard area based on the field investigations. Many questions,
exercises and solutions are given. Researchers and engineers in the
field of Geotechnical Engineering and Anti-seismic Engineering can
benefit from it.
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