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Hazard risk assessment of a near earth object
Book chapter   Peer reviewed

Hazard risk assessment of a near earth object

Roy C Sidle
Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach, pp.383-398
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
2007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32711-0_23
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32711-0_23View
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Abstract

natural hazard assessment near earth object astronomy geology archaeology
Estimation of the risk of any natural hazard is problematic when occurrences are very rare and predictions are based on sparse data. While some natural hazards are perceived as totally random phenomenon, in some cases improved monitoring techniques and models have heightened awareness and allowed for better disaster mitigation strategies (e.g. alerts, evacuations, long-term best management practices) to be implemented (e.g. Thouret et al. 1995; Wu and Sidle 1995; La Delfa et al. 2001). Volcanic eruptions are examples of hazards where improved techniques for monitoring dome growth, seismic conditions, air chemistry and even groundwater can help forecast the onset of a major eruption (e.g. Miller and Chouet 1994; Miyabuchi 1999; La Delfa et al. 2001). Now it is often the very infrequent hazards related to volcanic eruptions (e.g. pyroclastic flows, lahars, dome collapses) that inflict the most damage due to their lower predictability (Major et al. 2001; Reid et al. 2001; Sheridan et al. 2001). For most natural disasters, such 'secondary' hazards must be considered in hazard risk assessments and mitigation measures. Although it is known that the Earth has been impacted by asteroids in the past large enough to annihilate most life on the contemporary planet (Sleep et al. 1989; Pope et al. 1994; Tate 2000; Paine, 2001; Chapman 2004), many of these isolated occurrences remain undiscovered. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

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