Few subjects have caught the attention of the entire world as much
as those dealing with natural hazards. The first decade of this new
millennium provides a litany of tragic examples of various hazards
that turned into disasters affecting millions of individuals around
the globe. The human losses (some 225,000 people) associated with
the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the economic costs
(approximately 200 billion USD) of the 2011 Tohoku Japan earthquake,
tsunami and reactor event, and the collective social impacts of human
tragedies experienced during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 all provide
repetitive reminders that we humans are temporary guests occupying
a very active and angry planet. Any examples may have been cited
here to stress the point that natural events on Earth may, and often
do, lead to disasters and catastrophes when humans place themselves
into situations of high risk. Few subjects share the true interdisciplinary
dependency that characterizes the field of natural hazards. From
geology and geophysics to engineering and emergency response to social
psychology and economics, the study of natural hazards draws input
from an impressive suite of unique and previously independent specializations.
Natural hazards provide a common platform to reduce disciplinary
boundaries and facilitate a beneficial synergy in the provision of
timely and useful information and action on this critical subject
matter. As social norms change regarding the concept of acceptable
risk and human migration leads to an explosion in the number of megacities,
coastal over-crowding and unmanaged habitation in precarious environments
such as mountainous slopes, the vulnerability of people and their
susceptibility to natural hazards increases dramatically. Coupled
with the concerns of changing climates, escalating recovery costs,
a growing divergence between more developed and less developed countries,
the subject of natural hazards remains on the forefront of issues
that affect all people, nations, and environments all the time.This
treatise provides a compendium of critical, timely and very detailed
information and essential facts regarding the basic attributes of
natural hazards and concomitant disasters. The Encyclopedia of Natural
Hazards effectively captures and integrates contributions from an
international portfolio of almost 300 specialists whose range of
expertise addresses over 330 topics pertinent to the field of natural
hazards. Disciplinary barriers are overcome in this comprehensive
treatment of the subject matter. Clear illustrations and numerous
color images enhance the primary aim to communicate and educate.
The inclusion of a series of unique ?classic case study? events interspersed
throughout the volume provides tangible examples linking concepts,
issues, outcomes and solutions. These case studies illustrate different
but notable recent, historic and prehistoric events that have shaped
the world as we now know it. They provide excellent focal points
linking the remaining terms in the volume to the primary field of
study. This Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards will remain a standard
reference of choice for many years.