Extreme Events A Physical Reconstruction and Risk Assessment

About this book

The assessment of risks posed by natural hazards such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis or cyclones, is often based on short-term historical records that may not reflect the full range or magnitude of events possible. As human populations grow, especially in hazard-prone areas, methods for accurately assessing natural hazard risks are becoming increasingly important. In Extreme Events Jonathan Nott describes the many methods used to reconstruct such hazards from natural long-term records. He demonstrates how long-term (multi-century to millennial) records are essential in gaining a realistic understanding of the variability of natural hazards, and how short-term historical records can often misrepresent the likely risks associated with natural hazards. This book will form a useful resource for students taking courses covering natural hazards and risk assessment. It will also be valuable for urban planners, policy makers and non-specialists as a guide to understanding and reconstructing long-term records of natural hazards.

Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Droughts; 3. Floods; 4. Tropical cyclones; 5. Tsunamis; 6. Earthquakes; 7. Landslides; 8. Volcanoes; 9. Asteroids; 10. Extreme events over time; References; Index.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Jonathon Nott is Professor of Geomorphology at James Cook University, Queensland, Australia.