A GIS-based vulnerability assessment of coastal natural hazards,state of Pará, Brazil

Studies carried out in the NE coastal zone of the State of Pará (Brazil) have recorded, in the last 25 years, numerous evidence of natural impacts of the flood and erosion processes. As a consequence, diverse strategies and measures of population adaptation have been implemented but with limited success. Therefore, in order to subsidize the Coastal Zone Management Program of Pará, this paper aims to identify, assess and classify natural and socio-economic vulnerabilities of this coastal zone by means of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS)-based composite coastal vulnerability index (CVI). In spite of the data problems and shortcomings, using ESRI’s Arcview 3.2 program, the CVI score, to classify, weight and combine a number of 16 separate natural and socio-economic variables to create a single indicator provides a reliable measure of differences (5 classes) among regions and communities that are exposed to similar ranges of hazards. The results are presented in three maps referred to as Natural, Socioeconomic and Total Vulnerability. The confidence associated with the results obtained, the need to utilize another variables, and to frequently update the ones used already were analyzed and discussed.     

High-Frequency Zone of River Desiccation Disasters in China and Influencing Factors

In recent years, the desiccation of the lower Yellow River has raised concerns in the government, public, and scientific community in China. Long-term and widespread desiccation of rivers is a disaster with many adverse environmental implications. It has been found in this study that there exists a high-frequency zone of river desiccation disasters at 34°–42°N in the North China Plain. The hazardous environment is characterized by semiarid climate, widely distributed thick loess in the basin and a “hanging river bed” in the plain as well as unfavorable man–water–land coupling relationships. In this setting, the sharply increased water diversion by man since the late 1950s led to the occurrence of river desiccation disasters in the lower reaches of the river in this area.     

Tourists and disasters: lessons from the 26 December 2004 tsunamis

The 26 December 2004 tsunamis around the Indian Ocean exposed the vulnerability of many coastal communities, including those serving tourists. To draw conclusions regarding disaster risk reduction for tourism in coastal areas, this study surveyed international tourists who survived the tsunami regarding their perceptions and experiences of the disaster. Semi-structured interviews were completed between January and June 2005 of 55 primary interviewees who were international tourists in locations affected by the tsunami. The qualitative data from the interviews yielded commonalities across four main themes with relevance to disaster risk reduction: information and awareness, warning systems, personal preparation, and livelihoods. Three areas are suggested as topics to highlight for further investigation: the connections between sustainable tourism and disaster vulnerability, the role of tourists in disasters, and disaster risk reduction education.     

Public Discourse and the Rhetorical Construction of the Technospecter

Modern technological disasters and their human and environmental consequences often defy the imagination in their immensity and complexity. As such, their rhetorical constructions often lack tangibility and a sense of material reality for those not directly involved. These amorphous constructions are consolidated into a view of technological disaster and threats of disaster in which the rhetorical dimensions are analogous to those of ghosts portrayed in popular literature and film—a view the author terms the “technospecter.” Drawing on the public discourse surrounding a tragic pipeline explosion near Carlsbad, New Mexico, this study identifies the rhetorical dimensions of the technospecter and discusses how the construction of the specter reinforces the meta-narratives that constrain pro-environmental action.     

灾级及其释义

本文提出了通用的灾级概念，并进行了具体的解释，可以作为各种灾害事故严重程度或等级大小的评价标志。     

陕西省区域性自然灾害脆弱性评价研究

自然灾害脆弱性评价研究对于提高区域防灾减灾能力具有重要现实意义。以陕西省10市1区为例,选取6个子系统29项指标,运用均方差赋权法对陕西区域性自然灾害脆弱性进行评价研究。结果表明:自然条件、经济和基础设施3个子系统是影响陕西省区域性自然灾害脆弱性的主要因素;经济、社会和基础设施等因素是区域应灾能力的重要表现,直接影响着区域自然灾害脆弱性的高低;陕西省区域性自然灾害脆弱性具有显著的时空分布特征,关中平原及陕南秦巴山区各地级市、区自然灾害脆弱性高于陕北地区。     

Assessment of a model of pollution disaster in near-shore coastal waters based on catastrophe theory

In this study, a model for assessing of environmental disasters in near-shore areas was developed using a multi-criteria evaluation method of catastrophe theory. The assessment model involved scenarios of eutrophication, pollution with heavy metals and organic compounds. An evaluation system of the model was composed of seven mesosphere indicators and twenty underlying indicators including water chemistry, water physics, water biology, heavy metals and organic pollutants in water and surface sediments. The model was applied to possibility assessment of environmental disasters in different functional regions of the Dalian Bay in 2001 and 2006. Results showed that the environmental disaster indicators in 2001 were equivalent to the Level 4 standard values of marine functional areas, but the eutrophication disaster indicators were lower than the Level 4 standard values. It is consistent with the occurrence of a large-scale red tide in Dalian Bay in 2001. In 2006, eutrophication remained the dominant problem of the region but organic pollutants, such as oil, were reduced remarkably. This coincided with ongoing local environmental-friendly practices for industries.     

海洋灾害系统研究及预测预报

海洋灾害研究是一个庞大的系统工程,其研究领域绝不能局限于海洋,应该从地球整体乃至包括整个地球的宇宙空间去认识海洋灾害的发生、发展机制、各种灾害类型在全球变化中的位置,进而最大限度地达到预测、预报、预防的目的。     

关于我国减灾方针和管理体制的讨论

本文在考察减轻自然灾害历史的基础上,指出我国减灾工作经历的经验性减灾阶段长达几千年,至本世纪60至70年代.才逐步发展到了今天的半经验半理论减灾阶段.今后的发展是向系统工程理论指导下的综合减灾过渡.适应这种发展,需要把二、三十年前形成的“以预防为主,防、抗、救相结合”的减灾方针,适时调整为“以预防为主、防救结合、综合减灾”的新方针.在肯定我国四十多年来逐步形成和发展的纵向分散(部门型)减灾管理体制,主要依靠社会主义制度的优越性和党的领导取得巨大减灾成就的同时,提出必须改革现有减灾管理体制.制定国家综合减灾大法,以适应社会主义经济及社会发展对减灾工作的需求.     

中国温带草地灾害类型及致灾原因与防治对策

目前,我国草地生产力水平极其落后,草地畜牧业发展缓慢,其主要原因是草地灾害的长期存在并日趋严重。本文通过对草地灾害的类型和致灾因素的分析,提出了相应的提高草地生产能力、改善草地生态环境和防止草地灾害发生、发展的对策。