Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics


Book Description

The past few decades have witnessed the growth of the Earth Sciences in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the planet that we live on. This development addresses the challenging endeavor to enrich human lives with the bounties of Nature as well as to preserve the planet for the generations to come. Solid Earth Geophysics aspires to define and quantify the internal structure and processes of the Earth in terms of the principles of physics and forms the intrinsic framework, which other allied disciplines utilize for more specific investigations. The first edition of the Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics was published in 1989 by Van Nostrand Reinhold publishing company. More than two decades later, this new volume, edited by Prof. Harsh K. Gupta, represents a thoroughly revised and expanded reference work. It brings together more than 200 articles covering established and new concepts of Geophysics across the various sub-disciplines such as Gravity, Geodesy, Geomagnetism, Seismology, Seismics, Deep Earth Processes, Plate Tectonics, Thermal Domains, Computational Methods, etc. in a systematic and consistent format and standard. It is an authoritative and current reference source with extraordinary width of scope. It draws its unique strength from the expert contributions of editors and authors across the globe. It is designed to serve as a valuable and cherished source of information for current and future generations of professionals.




Treatise on Geophysics


Book Description

Treatise on Geophysics, Second Edition, is a comprehensive and in-depth study of the physics of the Earth beyond what any geophysics text has provided previously. Thoroughly revised and updated, it provides fundamental and state-of-the-art discussion of all aspects of geophysics. A highlight of the second edition is a new volume on Near Surface Geophysics that discusses the role of geophysics in the exploitation and conservation of natural resources and the assessment of degradation of natural systems by pollution. Additional features include new material in the Planets and Moon, Mantle Dynamics, Core Dynamics, Crustal and Lithosphere Dynamics, Evolution of the Earth, and Geodesy volumes. New material is also presented on the uses of Earth gravity measurements. This title is essential for professionals, researchers, professors, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of Geophysics and Earth system science. Comprehensive and detailed coverage of all aspects of geophysics Fundamental and state-of-the-art discussions of all research topics Integration of topics into a coherent whole




Handbook for Management of Threats


Book Description

In answer to the unprecedented challenges and threats that face today’s globalized world, the primary goal of this Handbook is to identify the most probable threats that have affected humanity in recent years and our world in years to come. The Handbook comprises mostly expository chapters that discuss tested methods/algorithms, case studies, as well as policy decision-making techniques surrounding threats and unnatural disasters, to evaluate their effects on people and to propose ways to mitigate these effects. In several chapters, new approaches and suggested policies supplement algorithms that are already in practice. The curated content brings together key experts from the academic and policy worlds to formulate a guide of principal techniques employed to gain better control over selected types of threats. This Handbook explores a wide range of technologies and theories and their impact on countering threats. These include artificial intelligence, machine learning, variational inequality theory, game theory, data envelopment analysis, and data-driven risk analysis. These tools play a vital role in decision-making processes and aid in finding optimal solutions. Additionally, a variety of optimization techniques are employed. These include (mixed) integer linear programming models for identifying critical nodes in complex systems, heuristics, approximation algorithms, and bilevel mixed integer programming for determining the most impactful links in dynamic networks. Furthermore, simulation tools are described that enable the quantification of societal resilience. These techniques collectively provide a mathematical framework capable of quantifying fundamental aspects of threats. They equip policymakers with the necessary tools and knowledge to minimize the impact of unnatural threats. The expected readership is wide and includes officials working in technical and policy roles in various ministries such as the Ministry of Defense, Civil Protection, Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection, United Nations, European Institutions for Threat Management, NATO, Intelligence Agencies, Centers of Excellence for Countering Threats, Think Tanks, Centers for Policy Studies, Political Leaders, the European Commission, National Institutes, International Organizations, Strategic Consulting Experts, Policymakers, and Foreign Affairs personnel. Some of these national or international organizations employ algorithms to measure resilience and enhance security. Quantification is challenging but crucial in the scenarios discussed in the book. This Handbook will also prove valuable to various universities (non-practitioners), studying systems engineering, leadership, management, strategy, foreign affairs, politics, and related disciplines.




Handbook of Seismic Risk Analysis and Management of Civil Infrastructure Systems


Book Description

Earthquakes represent a major risk to buildings, bridges and other civil infrastructure systems, causing catastrophic loss to modern society. Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems reviews the state of the art in the seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems.Part one reviews research in the quantification of uncertainties in ground motion and seismic hazard assessment. Part twi discusses methodologies in seismic risk analysis and management, whilst parts three and four cover the application of seismic risk assessment to buildings, bridges, pipelines and other civil infrastructure systems. Part five also discusses methods for quantifying dependency between different infrastructure systems. The final part of the book considers ways of assessing financial and other losses from earthquake damage as well as setting insurance rates.Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems is an invaluable guide for professionals requiring understanding of the impact of earthquakes on buildings and lifelines, and the seismic risk assessment and management of buildings, bridges and transportation. It also provides a comprehensive overview of seismic risk analysis for researchers and engineers within these fields. - This important handbook reviews the wealth of recent research in the area of seismic hazard analysis in modern earthquake design code provisions and practices - Examines research into the analysis of ground motion and seismic hazard assessment, seismic risk hazard methodologies - Addresses the assessment of seismic risks to buildings, bridges, water supply systems and other aspects of civil infrastructure




Risk Analysis VIII


Book Description

Comprised of the papers presented at the eighth, and latest, International Conference Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, this book covers a topic of increasing importance. Scientific knowledge is essential to our better understanding of risk. Natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, fires and others, have always affected human societies. Man-made hazards, however, played a comparatively small role until the industrial revolution when the risk of catastrophic events started to increase due to the rapid growth of new technologies and the urbanisation of populations. The interaction of natural and anthropogenic risks adds to the complexity of the problem.Due to advances in computational methods and the ability to model systems more precisely we can now quantify hazards, simulate their effects and calculate risk with greater accuracy, enabling us to manage risk much more effectively. These developments are particularly relevant to environmental issues, where substantial risks are involved. Governments, and their publics, now place a high priority on effective risk management and the mitigation of possible hazards. Covering topics such as: Estimation of Risk; Risk Management; Vulnerability; Geomorphologic Risk; Network Systems; Climate Change Risks; Hazard Prevention; Management and Control; Security and Public Safety; Transportation Safety; Safe Ship Operations; Early Warning Systems; Food Safety; Risk Perception; Natural Hazards; Technological Risk, the book will be of interest to planners, emergency managers, environmentalists, engineers, policy makers and other government officials, researchers and academics involved in the field of risk and disaster management.




Earth Science for Civil and Environmental Engineers


Book Description

Introduces the fundamental principles of applied Earth science needed for engineering practice, with case studies, exercises, and online solutions.




Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering for Protection and Development of Environment and Constructions


Book Description

Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering for Protection and Development of Environment and Constructions contains invited, keynote and theme lectures and regular papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (Rome, Italy, 17-20 June 2019. The contributions deal with recent developments and advancements as well as case histories, field monitoring, experimental characterization, physical and analytical modelling, and applications related to the variety of environmental phenomena induced by earthquakes in soils and their effects on engineered systems interacting with them. The book is divided in the sections below: Invited papers Keynote papers Theme lectures Special Session on Large Scale Testing Special Session on Liquefact Projects Special Session on Lessons learned from recent earthquakes Special Session on the Central Italy earthquake Regular papers Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering for Protection and Development of Environment and Constructions provides a significant up-to-date collection of recent experiences and developments, and aims at engineers, geologists and seismologists, consultants, public and private contractors, local national and international authorities, and to all those involved in research and practice related to Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering.




Geoinformatics


Book Description

Advanced information technology infrastructure is increasingly being employed in the Earth sciences to provide researchers with efficient access to massive central databases and to integrate diversely formatted information from a variety of sources. These geoinformatics initiatives enable manipulation, modeling and visualization of data in a consistent way, and are helping to develop integrated Earth models at various scales, and from the near surface to the deep interior. This book uses a series of case studies to demonstrate computer and database use across the geosciences. Chapters are thematically grouped into sections that cover data collection and management; modeling and community computational codes; visualization and data representation; knowledge management and data integration; and web services and scientific workflows. Geoinformatics is a fascinating and accessible introduction to this emerging field for readers across the solid Earth sciences and an invaluable reference for researchers interested in initiating new cyberinfrastructure projects of their own.




System Analysis and Modeling: Theory and Practice


Book Description

This book constitutes revised papers of the proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on System Analysis and Modeling, SAM 2012, held in Innsbruck, Austria, in October 2012. The 12 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 27 submissions. In addition, the book contains two keynote speeches in full-paper length. The contributions are organized in topical sections named: test and analysis, language enhancements, fuzzy subjects, components and composition, and configuring and product lines.