This volume of the Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science, Second Edition is an authoritative single source for understanding and applying the basic tenets of complexity and systems theory, as well as the tools and measures for analyzing complex systems, to the prediction, monitoring, and evaluation of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. Early warning, damage, and the immediate response of human populations to these extreme environmental events are also covered from the point of view of complexity and nonlinear systems. In authoritative, state-of-the art articles, world experts in each field apply such complexity tools and concepts as fractals, cellular automata, solitons game theory, network theory, and statistical physics to an understanding of these complex geophysical phenomena.

The Science of Responding to a Nuclear Reactor Accident summarizes the presentations and discussions of the May 2014 Gilbert W. Beebe Symposium titled "The Science and Response to a Nuclear Reactor Accident". The symposium, dedicated in honor of the distinguished National Cancer Institute radiation epidemiologist who died in 2003, was co-hosted by the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Cancer Institute. The symposium topic was prompted by the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was initiated by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami off the northeast coast of Japan. This was the fourth major nuclear accident that has occurred since the beginning of the nuclear age some 60 years ago. The 1957 Windscale accident in the United Kingdom caused by a fire in the reactor, the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States caused by mechanical and human errors, and the 1986 Chernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union caused by a series of human errors during the conduct of a reactor experiment are the other three major accidents. The rarity of nuclear accidents and the limited amount of existing experiences that have been assembled over the decades heightens the importance of learning from the past. This year's symposium promoted discussions among federal, state, academic, research institute, and news media representatives on current scientific knowledge and response plans for nuclear reactor accidents. The Beebe symposium explored how experiences from past nuclear plant accidents can be used to mitigate the consequences of future accidents, if they occur. The Science of Responding to a Nuclear Reactor Accident addresses off-site emergency response and long-term management of the accident consequences; estimating radiation exposures of affected populations; health effects and population monitoring; other radiological consequences; and communication among plant officials, government officials, and the public and the role of the media. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 Symposium Summary Appendix A: Symposium Agenda Appendix B: Biographical Information on Symposium Speakers and Session Moderators

The Asia-Pacific area is notable as one of the fastest growing tourism regions and not surprisingly, tourism in this region has become the major driver of global tourism in general. Nonetheless, tourism industries in Asia Pacific have been challenged in recent years by a number of major crises and disasters including terrorism, outbreaks (e.g. SARS and Bird Flu), natural disasters (e.g. tsunamis, bushfires, flooding), and political crisis (e.g. protests and political instability).The aim of this book is to contribute to the understanding of crisis and disaster management generally, but with a specific focus on the Asia Pacific. With chapters contributed by international scholars and practitioners, this book discusses both the theoretical and practical approaches toward successful crisis and disaster management.

This book presents the frontiers of tsunami science and research and demonstrates the unprecedented progress achieved during this period overviewing different aspect of tsunami science including meteorological tsunamis. The two 1992 events near Nicaragua and Flores Island, Indonesia, marked the beginning of a "modern tsunami science era" producing highly destructive tsunamis and opened a 25-year period of numerous devastating events, including two of the most destructive natural disasters in recent human history: the 26 December 2004 Sumatra and the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunamis. The book is of interest to scientists and practitioners as well postgraduate students in geophysics, oceanography and coastal engineering, involved in all aspects of tsunamis, from earthquake source processes to transoceanic wave propagation, from coastal impacts to hazard assessment and combining recent case studies with advances in tsunami science and natural hazards mitigation.

The Bay of Bengal is prone to tropical cyclones and storm surges as a result of its location, and many of the mostly poor people living along the coastal regions of South Asia lose their lives almost every year. These disasters have been particularly devastating and have caused serious damage. During the past five decades, the low-lying coastal and offshore islands have experienced a tragic history of 50 severe cyclones and storm surges, with more than one million victims dead or missing. People accepted and waited for the next disaster as they had no alternatives. Members of the poor families who survived the disasters experienced hard times recovering from damage and the loss of their loved ones. After disasters, epidemic diseases arise in the affected areas. Many of the people in distress are also deprived of public services. Providing all sorts of assistance and emergency health preparedness are most essential to overcome such a situation. The causes of these huge casualties have been mainly: (1) the high population density of costal settlements, (2) inadequate cyclone shelters in the disaster risk areas, (3) lack of awareness of the disaster risk by the vulnerable population, (4) deterministic attitudes of people who accept disasters as "fate", (5) houses that are weakly constructed and (6) underdeveloped central awareness programmes and weather forecast systems. This book is based on an empirical study presenting a timeline analysis of major cyclones and their impacts and consequent losses through the super-cyclones in the disaster-prone coastal regions of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This study also investigates resilience mechanisms based on early warning systems, technology applications including GIS and remote sensing, best practices, success stories and case studies that can be used for effective cyclone management and development of a resilience mechanism among coastal communities.

This open access book presents work collected through the Liquefaction Experiments and Analysis Projects (LEAP) in 2017. It addresses the repeatability, variability, and sensitivity of lateral spreading observed in twenty-four centrifuge model tests on mildly sloping liquefiable sand. The centrifuge tests were conducted at nine different centrifuge facilities around the world. For the first time, a sufficient number of experiments were conducted to enable assessment of variability of centrifuge test results. The experimental data provided a unique basis for assessing the capabilities of twelve different simulation platforms for numerical simulation of soil liquefaction. The results of the experiments and the numerical simulations are presented and discussed in papers submitted by the project participants. The work presented in this book was followed by LEAP-Asia that included assessment of a generalized scaling law and culminated in a workshop in Osaka, Japan in March 2019. LEAP-2020, ongoing at the time of printing, is addressing the validation of soil-structure interaction analyses of retaining walls involving a liquefiable soil. A workshop is planned at RPI, USA in 2020.

VESUVIUS 2000 is an interdisciplinary project aimed at producing a safe and prosperous habitat for the people living around Vesuvius. To produce this environment requires an effective collaboration between the experts and the public, whereby the danger from the volcano is used to reorganize the territory and thus produce new opportunities for the people surrounding the volcano. As an all inclusive physico-mathematical-computer model of the volcano, the Global Volcanic Simulator is a key tool for determining the effects of different eruption scenarios and thus for urban planning of the territory. Unlike the evacuation plans which tend to manage emergencies, VESUVIUS 2000 aims at preparing the Vesuvius area to confront future eruptions with minimal socio-economic and cultural consequences.
* Addresses volcanic risk mitigation in densely populated area surrounding Vesuvius
* Provides education about volcanos
* Displays physical modeling of eruption processes and integration of models

Globally, concerns for the environment and human well-being have increased as results of threats imposed by climate change and disasters, environmental degradation, pollution of natural resources, water scarcity and proliferation of slums. Finding appropriate solutions to these threats and challenges is not simple, as these are generally complex and require state-of-the-art technology to collect, measure, handle and analyse large volumes of varying data sets. However, the recent advances in sensor technology, coupled with the rapid development of computational power, have greatly enhanced our abilities to capture, store and analyse the surrounding physical environment. This book explores diverse dimensions of geo-intelligence (GI) technology in developing a computing framework for location-based, data-integrating earth observation and predictive modelling to address these issues at all levels and scales. The book provides insight into the applications of GI technology in several fields of spatial and social sciences and attempts to bridge the gap between them.

Fire is rarely out of the headlines, from large natural wildfires raging across the Australian or Californian countrysides to the burning of buildings such as the disasters of Grenfell tower and Notre Dame. Fire on these scales can represent a serious risk to human life and property. But the advent of fire made and controlled by humans also represented a crucial point in our evolution, allowing us to cook our food, forge our weapons, and warm our homes. This Very Short Introduction covers the fundamentals of fire, whether wild or under human control, starting with the basics of ignition, combustion, and fuel. Andrew Scott considers both natural wildfires and the role of humans in making and suppressing fire. Despite frightening reports of wildfire destruction, he also shows how landscape fires have been part of our planet's history for 400 million years, and do not always have to be extinguished. He also considers the problem of fires in urban settings, including new ways to prevent fires. The cost of wildfire can be steep - as well as the burning, post-fire erosion and flooding can have a great impact on both humans and the environment. It can also have a lasting effect in shaping ecosystems and plant life. Scott ends by examining the relationship between fire and the climate, and considering the future of wildfire in a warming world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The book seeks to comprehend how indigenous knowledge systems of local communities can be effectively used in disaster management of various types. A prime example is the 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, promoting indigenous environmental management knowledge and practices. Traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples includes information and insight that supplement conventional science and environmental observations, a comprehensive understanding of the environment, natural resources, culture, and human interactions with them which is not documented before. A great deal of this knowledge have been lost in translation. In this book, the authors attempt to keep a record of each and every traditional knowledge study of the indigenous communities in managing the disasters. The use of indigenous knowledge systems in disaster understanding and management is the primary focus of the chapters.   This book is organized into four major sections. The first part gives an overview and help in conceptualizing the different concepts of hazard and disaster perception and how response and adaptation are connected with it. This part also discusses the concept of the connection between hazard and sustainable development and how the understanding of risk reduction and resilience can happen with the help of indigenous knowledge, insights, and strategies. The second part of the book introduces the different approaches to disaster and risk management. It establishes how vulnerability influences the risk associated with a hazard and the responses can be both positive and negative in disaster management. The approaches of the indigenous communities in managing a disaster, their resilience, capacity building, and community-based preparedness will be the area of prime focus in this chapter. Part 3 of this book describes the concept of sustainability through indigenous knowledge and practice. The sole highlight of this chapter is the indigenous knowledge efficacies in disaster identification, risk reduction, climate risk management, and climate action. The last section of the book explores how to meet the gaps between local knowledge and policy formulation. It highlights how traditional knowledge of the indigenous communities can prove to be beneficial in developing a holistic regional-based policy framework which will be easily accepted by the target stakeholders since they will be more acquainted with the local strategies and methods. This section ends with an assessment and discussion of the gaps and future scopes in disaster risk reduction through integrating local knowledge and modern technologies.

The world is currently experiencing changes in climate and environment that often lead to natural disasters. Nearly three million people worldwide may have been killed in the past 20 years by natural disasters. In total, 90% of the natural disasters and 95% of all disaster-related deaths occur in the developing countries. Recently such problems have accelerated due to LULC change, biodiversity degradation, increased tourism, urbanization and climate change. This book, consisting of 27 chapters, explores the topics of climate, environment and natural disasters in developing countries. It is essential to discuss these diverse issues in the field of geography as it encompasses interdisciplinary topics. The range of issues on national, regional and local dimensions is not only confined to geography but also concerned to other disciplines as well. Therefore, this book is a valuable source for scientists and researchers in allied fields such as climatology, disaster management, environmental science, hydrology, agriculture, and land use studies, among other areas. Furthermore, this book can be of immense help to the planners and decision-makers engaged in dealing with the problems of climate, environmental change and natural disasters in developing countries.

This book highlights the essential theoretical and practical aspects of lightning, lightning protection, safety and education. Additionally, several auxiliary topics that are required to understand the core themes are also included. The main objective of the contents is to enlighten the scientists, researchers, engineers and social activists (including policy makers) in developing countries regarding the key information related to lightning and thunderstorms. A majority of developing countries are in tropics where the lightning characteristics are somewhat different from those in temperate regions. The housing structures and power/communication networks, and human behavioural patterns(that depends on socio-economic parameters) in these countries are also different from those in the developed world. As the existing books on similar themes address only those scenarios in developed countries, this book serves a vast spectrum of readership in developing world who seek knowledge in the principles of lightning and a practical guidance on lightning protection and safety education.

This book focuses on the mechanical properties and permeability of coal, and the gas flow in coal seams. Based on coal permeability models, it establishes different models for coal seam gas, from the linear flow model to the gas-solid coupling flow model. It also provides the theoretical basis for the exploitation and safe production of coal as well as coal seam gas resources. As such, it is a valuable reference for researchers, advanced students and practitioners working in mining engineering and coalbed methane engineering.

This book details the outcomes of new research focusing on climate risk related to hurricanes. Topics include numerical simulation of tropical cyclones, through tropical cyclone hazard estimation to damage estimates and their implications for commercial risk. Inspired by the 6th International Summit on Hurricanes and Climate Change: From Hazard to Impact, this book brings together leading international academics and researchers, and provides a source reference for both risk managers and climate scientists for research on the interface between tropical cyclones, climate and risk.

This open access book synthesizes current information on wildland fire smoke in the United States, providing a scientific foundation for addressing the production of smoke from wildland fires. This will be increasingly critical as smoke exposure and degraded air quality are expected to increase in extent and severity in a warmer climate. Accurate smoke information is a foundation for helping individuals and communities to effectively mitigate potential smoke impacts from wildfires and prescribed fires. The book documents our current understanding of smoke science for (1) primary physical, chemical, and biological issues related to wildfire and prescribed fire, (2) key social issues, including human health and economic impacts, and (3) current and anticipated management and regulatory issues. Each chapter provides a summary of priorities for future research that provide a roadmap for developing scientific information that can improve smoke and fire management over the next decade.

In 2017, four sequential disasters - hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and the California wildfires - created an unprecedented demand for federal disaster response and recovery resources. Chapter 1 provides observations on federal and state preparedness and response coordination for hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, and the California wildfires; federal preparedness for and response to hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and existing and emerging disaster recovery challenges highlighted by these disasters. Chapter 2 provides information on federal financial assistance provided to the Gulf States after major disasters were declared in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in response to the widespread destruction that resulted from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005 and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.