Pageoph Topical Volumes – serie

It has been documented for many centuries that earthquakes and other tectonic processes have hydrological effects.  The magnitude and the spatial and temporal patterns of such signals recorded by scientific instruments in modern times have not always been straightforward to explain, and hence remain the subject of active research, especially those that might be precursors to earthquakes. This volume contains 9 papers that present new observations on earthquake-related hydrological, geochemical, and geophysical changes in Japan, Taiwan, Baja California in Mexico, and mostly China, one paper on laboratory rock-mechanics study, and a brief overview of Chinese research on earthquake prediction during the past 5 decades.  Some of the observed changes occurred several days before earthquakes, and are explained with the consideration of heterogeneity of the earth's crust and earthquake-related slow-slip events, with earthquake forecasting as a possible application.

The growing popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), informally known as drones, opened new opportunities for geoscientists to monitor the Earth at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. Geophysicists use UAVs to observe underground features, geologists and geomorphologists utilize drones to carry out detailed survey of Earth’s surface, hydrologists apply UAVs to observe water bodies and conduct hydrometric measurements, and meteorologists use drones to measure weather characteristics and air quality. The articles presented in this topical issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics focus on the range of applications of UAVs in geosciences, forming a selection of case studies from different geographic regions. Two papers address the issue of investigating subsurface processes, including magnetic survey and post-explosion imprint on physical terrain. Three articles present examples of high-resolution mapping of landforms, ranging from a highly dynamic aeolian environment to stable granite tors. Water-related problems, covering  fluvial geomorphologic and hydrographic studies with the use of UAVs, are solved in other three papers of this topical issue. A number of meteorological variables is investigated in four articles, including UAV-based snow characterization, atmospheric aerosol monitoring and cloudiness. Finally, this book includes two technical reports on both technological and historical aspects of the UAV-assisted research in geosciences. Since this volume of Pure and Applied Geophysics puts an emphasis on case studies on a diverse usage of drones in Earth sciences it may be interesting not only for researchers, but particularly for postgraduate students in geophysics, geology, geography or civil engineering. Practitioners may also find this topical issue useful for implementing the UAV survey as a tool for mitigating the risk of selected geohazards.

Tsunami science has evolved significantly since the occurrence of two of the most destructive natural disasters in recent times: the 26 December 2004 Sumatra tsunami that killed about 230,000 people along the coasts of 14 countries in the Indian Ocean and the 11 March 2011 Tohoku (Great East Japan) tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. As a result of these and many other destructive tsunamis that have occurred over just the last decade, scientists from around the world have come together to engage in tsunami research. The global community of researchers has also expanded by discipline, adapting advances in other sciences to study all aspects of tsunami hydrodynamics, detection, generation, and probability of occurrence. The papers presented in this third of three topical volumes of Pure and Applied Geophysics reflect the state of tsunami science during this time. Five papers from diverse geographic regions, ranging from off South Africa to northern Kamchatka, demonstrate the global nature of tsunami hazards. Six papers on tsunami hydrodynamic analysis and modeling form the core of this volume, similar to the previous two volumes of Global Tsunami Science. As a forefront of tsunami research, five papers discuss prehistoric tsunamis and tsunami generation by phenomena other than earthquakes. Finally, tsunami warning and real-time forecasting are important outcomes of tsunami science and are represented in this volume by four papers. Collectively, this volume highlights contemporary trends in global tsunami science, both fundamental and applied toward hazard assessment and mitigation. The volume is of interest to scientists and practitioners involved in all aspects of tsunamis from source processes to coastal impacts. Postgraduate students in geophysics, oceanography and coastal engineering – as well as students in the broader geosciences, civil and environmental engineering – will also find the book to be a valuable resource, as it combines recent case studies with advances in tsunami science and natural hazards mitigation.

The Mediterranean Sea, as a “centre” of the ancient world, has been early recognized as a laboratory basin for a variety of atmospheric, ocean and climate studies. Its uniqueness is manifested in its geographical position, a mid-latitude region connecting three continents, orography that affects cyclogenesis, precipitation and winds, ocean bathymetry that is shaped by narrow and shallow straits, passages and sills, and other. Its both atmospheric and oceanic climate is distinctive and, while differing substantially from neighbouring continents and oceans, it strongly interferes and shapes their properties. One of such adjacent basins is the Black Sea, which is, albeit minor in quantity, providing a noteworthy impact to the Mediterranean and vice versa. This topical volume of Pure and Applied Geophysics is presenting recent investigations of atmospheric and ocean properties, processes and climate of both basins, being inspired by presentations given in the Joint Congress of the 6th International Conference on Meteorology and Climatology of the Mediterranean & Challenges in Meteorology 5, held in Zagreb, Croatia, on 20-22 February 2017. The volume comprises 22 papers that are classified in three research categories: (1) storms, extremes and mesoscale processes, (2) atmospheric climate, variability and climate change, and (3) ocean climate and variability. The papers investigate processes occurring over a variety of spatial and temporal scales, from hemispheric processes that drive the observed changes in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, through phenomena that are influencing the whole basin or its sub-basins, to local and mesoscale extreme events that are affecting large cities and local populations in the region. The volume is of interest to atmospheric and oceanic researchers involved in a variety of processes that are occurring over the Mediterranean and Black Sea region. This particularly refers to young researchers and PhD students that are yet to enter to research of this unique and exciting region full of challenges that need an interdisciplinary, innovative and state-of-the-art approaches in solving actual research problems.

Recent theoretical and technique developments, novel laboratory experiments, dense seismic arrays, and other high quality data sets offer opportunities for advancing significantly the understanding of earthquakes and faults. This volume describes the state-of-the-art in several frontiers in studies of earthquakes and faults. The subjects covered include analysis of earthquake source properties, models of dynamic ruptures and slow slip events, imaging fault zones and the crust, detection of small earthquakes, high-resolution laboratory fracturing experiments, temporal changes of seismic properties, inversions of focal mechanisms to stress and more. The volume will be useful to students and professional researchers from Earth Sciences, Material Sciences, Solid Mechanics and other disciplines, who are interested in properties and processes of earthquakes and faults. Previously published in Pure and Applied Geophysics, Volume 176, Issue 3, 2019

This Topical Volume focuses on aviation meteorology for operations and research, covering important topics related to wind and turbulence, visibility, fog and precipitation, convection and lightning, icing, blowing snow, and ice cloud microphysics and dynamics. In addition to forecasting issues, the impact of climate on aviation operations is also highlighted, as temperature and moisture changes can affect aircraft aerodynamic conditions,   such as lift and drag forces. This work uses measurements from state of art in-situ instruments and simulation results from numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate models. New technologies related to satellites, radars, lidars, and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are described, as well as new analysis methods related to artificial intelligence (AI) and neural network systems. Use of remote sensing platforms, including satellites, radars, radiometers, ceilometers, sodars, and lidars, as well as knowledge of the in-situ observations for the monitoring and short-term forecasting of wind, turbulence, gust, clear air turbulence (CAT), low visibility due to fog and clouds, and precipitation types are  required for aviation operations at the airports and high level flying conditions. This book provides extensive knowledge for aviation-related meteorological processes and events that include short and long term prediction of high impact weather systems.Aviation experts, weather offices, pilots, university students, postgraduates, and researchers interested in aviation and meteorology, including new instruments for measurements applicable to forecasting and nowcasting, can benefit from consulting and reading this book. This book  provides a comprehensive overview of our existing knowledge and the numerous remaining difficulties in predicting and measuring issues related to wind and turbulence, convection, fog and visibility, various cloud types, icing, and ice clouds at various time and space scales.Previously published in Pure and Applied Geophysics, Volume 176, Issue 5, 2019

This topical volume on the physics of megathrust earthquakes investigates many aspects of the earthquake phenomenon, from the geodynamic setting of subduction zones, to interseismic and postseismic deformation, slow-slip events, dynamic rupture, and tsunami generation.The dynamics of the seismic cycle at megathrusts is rich in various types of earthquakes, many of which  only recently discovered. Our early understanding of the earthquake phenomenon was a type of stick-slip motion, where the fault is loaded by tectonic forces for an extended period, followed by rapid failure. Extensive seismic and geodetic monitoring of subduction zones has revealed a much more varied seismic behavior, where episodic fault slip can occur at any slip velocity between the background loading rate, of the order of a few atoms per second, and the fast seismic range, about a meter per second. Events that fill the gap between slow creep and fast ruptures include a host of slow earthquakes.Subduction zones therefore provide a natural laboratory to better understand the physics of earthquakes and faulting.   Previously published in Pure and Applied Geophysics, Volume 176, Issue 9, 2019The chapters “Interseismic Coupling and Slow Slip Events on the Cascadia Megathrust”, “Effect of Slip-Weakening Distance on Seismic–Aseismic Slip Patterns”, “Physics-Based Scenario of Earthquake Cycles on the Ventura Thrust System, California: The Effect of Variable Friction and Fault Geometry”, and “A Secondary Zone of Uplift Due to Megathrust Earthquakes” are available as open access articles under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

After a relatively quiet 28-year period following the 1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami, two 1992 earthquakes occurred near Nicaragua and Flores Island, Indonesia. These earthquakes produced highly destructive tsunamis and opened a 25-year period of numerous devastating events, including two of the most destructive natural disasters in recent human history: the 26 December 2004 Sumatra tsunami that killed about 230,000 people and impacted at least 16 countries directly, and the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The two 1992 events marked the beginning of a “modern tsunami science era”. The twenty-two papers in this special volume present the frontiers of tsunami science and research, and demonstrate the unprecedented progress achieved during this period. The contributions review historical tsunami events and field surveys, tsunami source models, landslide generated tsunamis, and tsunami numerical modeling. It concludes with contributions studying tsunami hazard assessment and warning, reflecting an everlasting challenge in the context of the advancement of tsunami science and of efforts in mitigation. This book is of interest to scientists and practitioners as well postgraduate students in geophysics, oceanography and coastal engineering involved in all aspects of tsunamis, from earthquake source processes to transoceanic wave propagation, from coastal impacts to hazard assessment, combining recent case studies with advances in tsunami science and natural hazards mitigation.Previously published in Pure and Applied Geophysics, Volume 176, Issue 7, 2019

This book presents new results and data for the 1969 Saint Vincent Cape Earthquake (Mw=7.8) and tsunami. It provides key information to access the Spanish Geophysical Data National Archive Compilation and includes data-sets that range from the Azores Islands to the Iberian Peninsula.On February 28th, 1969, a large earthquake (Mw=7.8) strokes the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco, producing some causalities and important damage and economic losses. In this Topical volume ten papers are published, which are representative of many contributions presented at a Workshop organized by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and the instituto Geográfico Nacional (Madrid, Spain) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1969 earthquake. These papers cover different aspects of communications presented at the Workshop. There are two papers dedicated to tsunamis, one to Earthquake Early Warning System, one paper on lithospheric structure, three on seismicity and adata archive, three focused on the 1969 earthquake, and one of the seismic hazard. Summarizing, this topical issue present new results on the structure, seismicity, seismotectonics, seismic hazard, and geodynamics of this complex region that extends from the Azores Islands to the Iberian Peninsula.

This book collects several articles from the 2nd workshop BestPSHANI 2018 organized by the IAEA as well as several new contributions. The issue covers topics ranging from the seismological aspects of earthquake source studies, ground motion and fault displacement modeling to the engineering application of simulated ground motion for the analysis of soil structure interaction, structural response and fragility curve analysis for the quantification of seismic vulnerability of structures and their seismic performance. Collectively, the seismological papers discuss several current issues of source characterization and ground motion prediction for SHA, highlighting the usefulness of physics-based models for future applications in practice. The engineering papers describe methodologies to develop integral models from source-to-structures that consider the developments of synthetic seismograms as input for structural response and fragility curves estimation for seismic vulnerability assessment. The book is a valuable resource for scientists, engineers, students and practitioners involved in all aspects of SHA, FDHA and vulnerability analysis of engineering structures for seismic risk.

Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 was a devastating continental earthquake which caused 69227 deaths, 374643 injured and 17923 missing people. There are many scientific issues revealed by Wenchuan earthquake, and a lot of research work has been published. During May 12–14, 2018, the International Conference for the Decade Memory of the Wenchuan earthquake, in connection to the 4th International Conference on Continental Earthquakes (4th ICCE) and the 12th General Assembly of the Asian Seismological Commission (ASC), was held in Chengdu, China. This book is a collection of some outcomes of this conference. It’s a good professional reference book for seismologists and graduated students to learn about the recent research developments of Wenchuan earthquake and latest research progress on earthquake sequence, seismicity, earthquake physics, earthquake forecasting methods, earthquake disaster assessments, etc.

This book presents the frontiers of tsunami science and research and demonstrates the unprecedented progress achieved during this period overviewing different aspect of tsunami science including meteorological tsunamis.The two 1992 events near Nicaragua and Flores Island, Indonesia, marked the beginning of a “modern tsunami science era” producing highly destructive tsunamis and opened a 25-year period of numerous devastating events, including two of the most destructive natural disasters in recent human history: the 26 December 2004 Sumatra and the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunamis. The book is of interest to scientists and practitioners as well postgraduate students in geophysics, oceanography and coastal engineering, involved in all aspects of tsunamis, from earthquake source processes to transoceanic wave propagation, from coastal impacts to hazard assessment and combining recent case studies with advances in tsunami science and natural hazards mitigation.

Two highly catastrophic events occurred in 2018 in Indonesia. On 28 September a Mw 7.5 local earthquake near nprthwestern Sulawesi Island caused a strong tsunami that destructively affected Palu Bay. The earthquake and tsunami killed 4340 people, mostly in the area of this bay. Three months later, on 22 December an explosion of Anak/Krakatau Volcano in Sunda Strait between Jawa and Sumatra islands generated tsunami waves that killed 426 and injured more than 14,000 people. The book includes 22 scientific papers that thoroughly examine these two events. The papers include the results of comprehensive field surveys, source analysis, numerical modelling and detailed description of the wave effects on buildings and coastal infrastructure.

The tragedy of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has led to a rapid expansion in science directed at understanding tsunami and mitigating their hazard. A remarkable cross-section of this research was presented in the session: Tsunami Generation and Hazard, at the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics XXIV General Assembly in Perugia, held in July of 2007. Over one hundred presentations were made at this session, spanning topics ranging from paleotsunami research, to nonlinear shallow-water theory, to tsunami hazard and risk assessment. A selection of this work, along with other contributions from leading tsunami scientists, is published in detail in the 28 papers of this special issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics: Tsunami Science Four Years After the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Part I of this issue includes 14 papers covering the state-of-the-art in tsunami modelling and hazard assessment. Another 14 papers are published in Part II focusing on observations and data analysis.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was triggered by a 9. 15 magnitude earthquake (MELTZNER et al. , 2006; CHLIEH et al. , 2007) that occurred at 0:58:53 GMT, 7:58:53 LT (USGS) (t ). The epicenter was located at 3. 3 N, 95. 8 E (Fig. 1) with a focal depth of EQ approximately 30 km. The earthquake was responsible for a sudden fault slip estimated on average from 12–15 m (SYNOLAKIS et al. , 2005; LAY et al. , 2005) to 20 m (FU and SUN, 30 2006). The seismic moment estimate (Mo = 1. 3 5 9 10 dyne-cm), based on the Figure 1 Locations of video recordings, recovered clocks, and reliable eyewitness observations. 1: Coastal plains ?ooded by the tsunami; 2: non-?ooded coastal plains; 3: uplands. Insert 3D-map showing the Sumatra Island, the studied area, and the epicenter of the 26/12/2004 earthquake. The video taken at Uteuen Badeue, on the eastern edge of the Banda Aceh Bay, was recorded by the chief of the Fishery Regional Of?ce from the top of a cliff. The movie that was shot near the Baiturrahman mosque in downtown Banda Aceh has been shown worldwide on TV. The one at Peukan Bada has been recorded during a wedding party. The last two movies were analyzed in detail in order to calculate the tsunami velocity (FRITZ et al. , 2006). Vol.

Natural hazards events such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions involve activation of coupled thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical processes in rocks. The present book assembles unpublished contributions to the 7th Euro-Conference on Rock Physics and Geomechanics, held in 2007 in Erice, Italy. It presents new laboratory data, theoretical and numerical rock physics models and field observations relevant to the study of natural hazards. In particular, several papers are devoted to rock failure and explore the relationship between the competing deformation micro-mechanisms. Several others investigate shear-induced anisotropy of mechanical and/or transport properties, both in large-scale geologic objects and in laboratory samples. The remaining papers treat various aspects of rock physics and their industrial applications such as geothermics and reservoir characterization.

Considerable progress has been made recently in quantifying geometrical and physicalproperties of fault surfaces and adjacent fractured and granulated damage zones inactive faulting environments. There has also been significant progress in developingrheologies and computational frameworks that can model the dynamics of fault zoneprocesses. This volume provides state-of-the-art theoretical and observational resultson the mechanics, structure and evolution of fault zones. Subjects discussed includedamage rheologies, development of instabilities, fracture and friction, dynamic ruptureexperiments, and analyses of earthquake and fault zone data.

During the last decades, the monitoring and modelling of various geodynamic processes have gained ever increasing importance. In particular, temporal variations of the deformation and gravity fields recorded by new types of geodetic measuring techniques and reflecting isostatic, tectonic or volcanic processes in the earth's interior as well as climatologically induced changes on its surface have opened new avenues. The present volume succeeds a similar topical volume published in 2007 and reflects the most recent developments in these fields of research.Part of the papers in this book were presented at the second workshop on 'Deformation and Gravity Change: Indicators of Isostasy, Tectonics, Volcanism and Climate Change' that took place at the Casa de los Volcanes on Lanzarote, Spain, during March 27-30, 2007. It was jointly organized and supported by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, the Spanish Council for Scientific Research and the Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote. The workshop also served as the second meeting of the members of the IAG Working Group ICCT2 on 'Dynamic Theories of Deformation and Gravity Fields'.

Stress re-distribution as a result of exploitation of mineral, hydrocarbon, geothermal, and water resources cannot be eliminated. The effort must be directed to a better understanding of the underlying processes for the management of the hazard and risk associated with these operations. The study of induced seismicity has continually evolved over the past couple of decades, as underlined by both the number and complexity of applied studies required to satisfy the increased economic demands, assure the safety of the workforce and equipment, and protect the environment.A considerable effort has been put into the development of passive monitoring technology, specialized products and services being available for a wide range of applications. The recording of substantial high quality seismic data has stimulated the work on theoretical and practical aspects related to these applications, involving not only seismological knowledge, but also elements of rock mechanics, and an understanding of mining, geotechnical, and petroleum engineering. Pure and Applied Geophysics has largely contributed to raising the profile of induced seismicity research and its credibility.The range of specific analyses included in the present collection of studies expresses how powerful and resourceful passive seismic monitoring has become to so many applications. Seismic data are routinely evaluated for a series of development activities specific to each application. Engineering practice is continually improved based on trials and analyses of the ground response and stress levels, confirmed through the monitoring of seismicity. We are better equipped than ever to provide management decisions based on formalized, quantitative, and thus objective assessment.

This topical volume focuses on the most recent advances that have been achieved in relevant fields of research of nuclear test ban monitoring, including seismology, infrasound- and hydro-acoustics, as well as nuclear physics and atmospheric backtracking. This research has been presented during the special sessions on "Research and Development in Nuclear Explosion Monitoring" convened during the 2007 and 2008 General Assemblies of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The special sessions were introduced after the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO Prepcom) had convened a scientific symposium in 2006 on "CTBT: Synergies with Science 1996-2006 and beyond" marking the tenth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the CTBT Treaty. With regard to the seismo-acoustic fields several papers provide important updates on advances made in these fields since publication of ‘Monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’ (see PAGEOPH topical volumes 158-159, 2001-2002). Moreover, this topical volume expands on these publications by including radionuclide and noble gas monitoring, as well as atmospheric transport modeling. In these two areas, significant progress has been made in recent years. Two papers studying the 2006 North Korean nuclear test elucidate how progress made in the relevant fields has allowed for a good understanding on the characteristics of this underground nuclear test.

This special issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics is one of two volumes containing an augmented collection of papers originating from the Evison Symposium on Seismogenesis and Earthquake Forecasting held in Wellington, New Zealand, in February 2008. The volumes honor Frank Evison's interest in earthquake generation and forecasting. A biography of Frank Evison and a list of his publications is included, as well as review papers and new research papers in the field. The volume includes papers related to Frank's most abiding interest of precursory earthquake swarms. The research contributions cover a range of current forecasting methods such as the Epidemic-Type Aftershock model, the Every Earthquake a precursor According to Scale model, Pattern Informatics, Reverse Tracing of Precursors, stochastic models of elastic rebound, and methods for handling multiple precursors. The methods considered employ a variety of statistical approaches to using previous seismicity to forecast future earthquakes, including regional and global earthquake likelihood models and alarm-type forecasts. The forecast time-frames of interest range from the short time-frame associated with clustering of aftershocks to the long time-frame associated with recurrence of major earthquakes. A recurring theme is the assessment of forecasting performance, whether by likelihood scores, skill scores, error diagrams, or relative operating characteristic tests. The volume will be useful to students and professional researchers who are interested in the earthquake preparation process and in converting that understanding into forecasts of earthquake occurrence.

on constant tectonic loading are as good as or better Other geophysical measurements may also bere- than time-varying earthquake likelihood models ted to earthquake occurrence, and such relationships determinedfrom the evolving stress ?eld. are examinedin some of the papers herein. ITABA et al. One approach to understanding earthquakes isto compare groundwater and crustal deformation to create synthetic earthquake catalogues using certain seismicity recorded on newly installed stations to test assumptions regarding the physics of the process to previouslyobserved preseismicchanges inShikoku see what features of real catalogues can be explained and theKii Peninsula prior to earthquakes in Tonankai by variations in physical properties. SMITH and and Nankai, Japan. They ?nd strainchanges due to DIETERICH takethis approach and model aftershock slow slip events on the plate boundary, but do not ?nd sequences using 3-D stress heterogeneity in the form signi?cant changes in groundwater at that time. of Coulomb static stress change analysisand rate- We conclude the volume with another comparison state seismicity equations calculatedin regions of of seismicity and GPS.OGATA compares anomalies of geometrically complex faults. Their syntheticmodels seismic activity with transient crustaldeformations match severalfeatures of real catalogues such as preceding the 2005 M 7.0 earthquake west of - earthquakeclustering and Omoridecay,and the kuoka, Japan, concluding that aseismicsliptriggered presence of earthquakes in regions where simpler changes in seismicity rates as well as in GPS record- Coulomb stress modelling predicts "stress shadows" ings during the ten years leading up to the earthquake.

Issues pertaining to urban risks are a pressing concern for those involved in disasters mitigation. Development of effective mitigation strategies requires sound seismic hazard information that is commonly derived through a seismic hazard assessment (SHA). The purpose of SHA is to provide a scientifically consistent estimate of seismic hazard for engineering design and other considerations. The time is ripe to move beyond the old paradigms of the traditional Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA). This two-part volume advocates advanced methods for SHA that utilize up to date earthquake science and basic scientific principles to derive the seismic hazard in terms of a ground motion or related quantity and its occurrence frequency at a site, as well as the associated uncertainty. It aims to: (1) identify the issues in the current SHAs, (2) facilitate the development of a scientifically consistent approach for SHA and (3) disseminate, both in scientific and in engineeringpractice societies, advanced reliable tools for independent hazard estimates, like NDSHA (neo-deterministic SHA), which incorporates physically based ground motion models. It provides a fresh approach to seismic hazard analysis. Part 1 deals with the general issues of SHA methodology review and development, as well as with recent advances in earthquake science that may have relevant implications toward an improved SHA. It is addressed to seismologists, engineers and stake-holders, and aims to contribute to bridging between modern interdisciplinary research and practitioners.

Issues pertaining to urban risks are a pressing concern for those involved in disasters mitigation. Development of effective mitigation strategies requires sound seismic hazard information that is commonly derived through a seismic hazard assessment (SHA). The purpose of SHA is to provide a scientifically consistent estimate of seismic hazard for engineering design and other considerations. The time is ripe to move beyond the old paradigms of the traditional Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA). This two-part volume advocates advanced methods for SHA that utilize up to date earthquake science and basic scientific principles to derive the seismic hazard in terms of a ground motion or related quantity and its occurrence frequency at a site, as well as the associated uncertainty. It aims to: (1) identify the issues in the current SHAs, (2) facilitate the development of a scientifically consistent approach for SHA and (3) disseminate, both in scientific and in engineeringpractice societies, advanced reliable tools for independent hazard estimates, like NDSHA (neo-deterministic SHA), which incorporates physically based ground motion models. It provides a fresh approach to seismic hazard analysis. Part 2 provides advanced SHA case studies, concerning regional national and metropolitan estimates for different parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, North and South America. It is addressed to seismologists, engineers and stake-holders, and aims to contribute to bridging between modern interdisciplinary research and practitioners.

The Tsunami from the 1960 Chilean earthquake affected the entire Pacific Ocean and motivated the international coordination on tsunami research and warning systems around the Pacific. However, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami affected the entire world, and reminded that tsunamis are not a local or regional problem but a global issue. This volume contains 18 papers, mostly presented at the 24th International Tsunami Symposium held in 14-16 July 2009. They reflect the current state of tsunami science, including case studies of earthquake-generated tsunamis, tsunami forecasting and hazard assessments, and theoretical and computational modeling of tsunami generation, propagation and coastal behavior.

“Geodynamics of the Mexican Pacific Margin” presents the results of studies from various disciplines whose common goal is to better understand the complex geodynamic processes that exist along the Pacific margin of Mexico. The seventeen papers include contributions in the fields of seismology, marine geophysics, geomorphology, petrology, geodesy, and subductology presented by investigators from Mexico, France, Spain, and the USA. These contributions illustrate why the Mexican Pacific margin is fertile ground for investigating a wide and rare combination of current geodynamic processes such as subduction, continental rifting and associated seismicity, deformations and magmatism. The volume will be useful to a diverse group of investigators whose interests include the geodynamics of western Mexico in particular, and geodynamics in general.

The tsunami from the 1960 Chilean earthquake affected the entire Pacific Ocean and motivated the international coordination of tsunami research and warning systems around the Pacific. However, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami affected the entire world, and reminded that tsunamis are not a local or regional problem but a global issue.  This volume contains 15 papers, mostly presented at the 24th International Tsunami Symposium held on 14-16 July 2009 in Novosibirsk, Russia. They reflect the current state of tsunami science, including studies of recent tsunamis, tsunami statistics and warning, and modeling tsunami runup and inundation.

Earthquake fault zones exhibit hierarchical damage and granular structures with evolving geometrical and material properties. Understanding how repeated brittle deformation form the structures and how the structures affect subsequent earthquakes is a rich problem involving coupling of various processes that operate over broad space and time scales. The diverse state-of-the-art papers collected here show how insight can come from many fields including statistical physics, structural geology and rock mechanics at large scales; elasticity, friction and nonlinear continuum mechanics at intermediate scales; and fracture mechanics, granular mechanics and surface physics at small scales. This volume will be useful to students and professional researchers from Earth Sciences, Material Sciences, Engineering, Physics and other disciplines, who are interested in the properties of natural fault zones and the processes that occur between and during earthquakes.

Data assimilation is a novel, versatile methodology for estimating atmospheric and oceanic variables. The estimation of a quantity of interest via data assimilation involves the combination of observational data with the underlying dynamical principles governing the system under observation. This volume contains many original findings in data assimilation and its applications related to atmospheric, oceanic and environmental systems. This covers various data assimilation techniques with in Bayesian and non-Bayesian framework ranging from Least-Square, nudging, three dimensional variational (3DVAR), four-dimensional variational (4DVAR), Local Ensemble Kalman filter, Genetic algorithm etc. This also covers the applications to extreme weather event, hurricane, Asian summer monsoon, structure of the barrier layer in the equatorial Pacific ocean and identification of emission sources. This volume will be useful as a reading material in graduate level courses dealing with data assimilation and its application to meteorology, ocean and air quality. The scientific community at large especially younger scientists will find this book a useful addition to their personal and institutional libraries.