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Tropical Cyclone Intensity Analysis
This lesson provides guidance for operational forecasters needing to combine different intensity methods to determine the intensity of a tropical cyclone. Each of the intensity methods is summarized, focusing on both strengths and weaknesses. These methods include the Dvorak technique, surface observations, scatterometry, the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT), microwave sounders (AMSU), SATCON, and subjective interpretation of passive microwave patterns. Consideration of the previous intensity estimate and forecast is also examined. Three case studies task the learner with combining the various ...
Climate Variability and Change Lectures, July 2013
This lesson presents 13 recorded presentations from the 29 July–2 August, 2013 offering of the Climate Variability and Change Virtual Course (CVCVC). This five-day live facilitated online course provided an extensive background on a range of climate variability and change topics with an emphasis on developing communication skills for challenging climate topics. The topics covered in this course, while aimed primarily at NOAA operational climate services delivery staff will also be helpful for others who already possess a basic level of understanding of climate science. Presentations include: W ...
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Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2013
This issue presents an overview, both global and regional, of the catastrophes that occurred in 2013 and their impacts in terms of number of victims and economic and insured losses. It includes a chapter on fostering climate change resilience, which argues that dealing with climate change requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions alongside an integrated approach to disaster risk management and describes how cost-effective adaptation measures could avoid up to 68% of climate change risks. It also focuses on Typhoon Haiyan, which was the biggest humanitarian catastrophe of the year.
Turn down the heat: confronting the new climate normal
World Bank the - World Bank, 2014This report focuses on the risks of climate change to development in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and parts of Europe and Central Asia. For each region, the report addresses the regional patterns of climate change, such as heat extremes, extreme precipitation, droughts, tropical cyclones/hurricanes, and sea-level rise.
Building on earlier Turn Down the Heat reports, this new scientific analysis examines the likely impacts of present day (0.8°C), 2°C and 4°C warming above pre-industrial temperatures on agricultural production, water resource ...
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Using ICT and social media in disasters: opportunities and risks for government
This report examines four different issue areas to analyze how social media is used in the context of risk and crisis communication, using hurricane Sandy as an example. These areas include: public safety and preparedness; emergency warnings, alerts and requests for assistance; recovery efforts; and, finally, monitoring and situational awareness. In the context of each of these areas, the report highlights the key literature and real-life examples to explore the risks vs. opportunities in the utility of social media. These four areas capture the role of engagement and strategy in both the risk ...
GOES-R ABI: Next Generation Satellite Imaging
This extension of the COMET lesson “GOES-R: Benefits of Next Generation Environmental Monitoring” focuses on the ABI instrument, the satellite's 16-channel imager. With increased spectral coverage, greater spatial resolution, more frequent imaging, and improved image pixel geolocation and radiometric performance, the ABI will bring significant advancements to forecasting, numerical weather prediction, and climate and environmental monitoring. The first part of the lesson introduces the ABI's key features and improvements over earlier GOES imagers. The second section lets users interactively ex ...
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The geography of poverty, disasters and climate extremes in 2030
The Met.Office, 2013This report examines the relationship between disasters and poverty. It concludes that, without concerted action, there could be up to 325 million extremely poor people living in the 49 countries most exposed to the full range of natural hazards and climate extremes in 2030. It maps out where the poorest people are likely to live and develops a range of scenarios to identify potential patterns of vulnerability to extreme weather and earthquakes – who is going to be vulnerable and why. These scenarios are dynamic: they consider how the threats may change, which countries face the greatest risk ...
Research priorities on vulnerability, impacts and adaptation responding to the climate change challenge
UNEP, 2013This set of research priorities was developed by the Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation (PROVIA) in consultation with both experts and policymakers to respond to the demand for better coordination of research. The research priorities include new and emerging topics, the importance of which is now coming into focus, and topics that have long been recognized as important but for which research is still required. They reflect the balance between research supply from experts and research demand from policymakers.
The focus of the research ...
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Cost benefit studies on disaster risk reduction in developing countries
Shyam K.C.; Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the ; World Bank the - World Bank, 2013This note briefly surveys existing evidence in developing countries with regard to the benefits and costs of various disaster risk reduction interventions so as to provide some general lessons for disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners on the strengths and limitations of such existing work. In doing so, the note examines evidence on the economics of DRR in developing countries.
The note begins by providing a comparative guideline for analysis. This is followed by a summary diagnostic of seventeen case studies along five key dimensions comprising the guideline as follows: ( ...
Status of disaster risk management: plans for floods, hurricanes and drought in the agriculture sector - a Caribbean perspective
FAO, 2013This report presents the findings of a study commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to review the status of development and implementation of disaster risk management (DRM) plans for the agriculture sector throughout the Caribbean. The report is divided into four sections: (i) the first section introduces the background of the region, the Hyogo Framework for Action, and the methodology and objective of the study; (ii) section two reviews the status of disaster risk management (DRM) strategies in the agricultural sector, highlighting the participation ...
Recent trends in and preparedness for extreme weather events: final report
This document is the final report of a Senate inquiry by the Environment and Communications References Committee looking at Australia’s extreme weather and asking if the country is ready. It looks at any emerging trends on the frequency of extreme weather events. Based on evidence on future projections of such events and on global warming scenarios of between 1C and 5C by 2070, the inquiry looks at the costs of extreme weather events and their impacts on ecosystems, infrastructure and human health. It also examines the “availability and affordability” of private insurance in disaster-prone are ...
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From disaster to renewal: the centrality of business recovery to community resilience
RAI, 2013This document is the summary of the findings of Griffith University, which was commissioned by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) to examine the experiences and learnings arising from the communities that have experienced the challenges of recovering from and adapting to the impact of disasters. Four case studies were undertaken to research communities recovering from disasters such as cyclones, floods and bushfires.
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Topics geo natural catastrophes 2012: analyses, assessments, positions
Munich-Re, 2013This report shows that the natural catastrophe statistics for 2012 were largely dominated by atmospheric events, with no catastrophic earthquakes. Due to a number of major weather-related catastrophes, including severe tornado outbreaks in the spring and a record drought in the US Midwest, the USA accounted for an exceptionally high proportion of natural catastrophes. However, Russia also experienced unusually hot, dry conditions, and vast tracts of land were devastated by wildfires.
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Factsheet: overview of disaster risk reduction in the Arab region
UNDP, 2013This publication provides a short overview of disaster risk reduction in the Arab region. It focuses on the major risks, why in particular cities are at risk and what are the drivers of disaster risk in the region. Further, the factsheet provides information about the achievements and challenges for the future.
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Preparing for the rising tide
This report discusses current models prediction that Boston will experience up to two feet of sea level rise by 2050 and up to six feet by 2100, and it provides vulnerability analyses for Boston Harbor and time-phased preparedness plans for Boston’s long and central wharves and UMass Boston campus to increase their resilience to coastal flooding over time.
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