Ebook: The Use of Historical Data in Natural Hazard Assessments

Natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and hurricanes cause environmental, economic as well as sociological problems worldwide. In recent years, greater availability of information and sensational media reports of natural hazard occurrence -and in particular in terms of property damage or loss oflife caused by these hazards -resulted in an increase of hazard awareness at a societal level. This increase in public awareness has often been misconstrued as an indication that natural hazards have been occurring more frequently with higher magnitudes in recent years/decades, thus causing more damage than in the past. It is still under debate, however, to which extent recent increases in damage can be related to changing frequencies of natural processes, or whether catastrophic events occur at similar rates as they always had. If the latter is the case, the reason for a greater damage can be related to dramatic population growth over the last century, with a substantial augmentation of population density in some regions. Indeed, the implications are more server in underdeveloped and developing countries, where urbanisation has increasingly occurred in hazard prone areas such as coastal zones, alluvial river plains and steep slopes, thus causing an increase in the exposure to natural hazards. Some groups of society in wealthy countries accept higher risks in order to live directly on top of a cliff or on a steep slope to enjoy panoramic views of the landscape.

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This book highlights the use of historical data in natural hazard assessments. Different types of data, such as historical data from written documents, are linked to technically measured data such as stream gauge height and consequently river discharge in order to archive new possibilities of probability determination of respective hazardous processes. In addition, this book strengthens this interdisciplinary approach through the application to different processes of earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Based on worldwide examples, the book introduces how various disciplines address the use of historical data in their respective analysis. These studies might give suggestions of new approaches in their own field derived from applications shown by other disciplines.
Audience: This volume is of particular interest to professionals interested and involved in natural hazard assessments, working at research institutions and organisations, large and small scale enterprises, governmental agencies as well as private personnel. However, also advanced students might find the book helpful in addressing specific issues raised in natural hazard courses.