Evaluation and Effect of Agro-meteorological Disasters on Agricultural Production in Liaoning Province

Based on statistic data of agricultural production and meteorological disasters in Liaoning Province from 1971 to 2008,the effect weight,disaster rate and variance value of main agro-meteorological disasters including drought,flood,wind,hail and frozen injury were calculated,and the variation characteristic of time series of agro-meteorological disasters was further analyzed,while the grade division and comprehensive evaluation of agro-meteorological disasters were carried out in our paper.The results showed that there was a negative correlation between grain yield and the degree of agro-meteorological disasters,and agro-meteorological disasters were relatively serious in 1989,1997 and 2000,with the reduction of grain yield.Meanwhile,the occurrence frequency of light disasters was highest,accounting for 39% of total years,and the adverse effect of agro-meteorological disasters on agricultural production became more and more severe decade by decade;the effect weight of drought reached 63%,so drought was the main agro-meteorological disaster influencing agricultural production.

Research Advances in Monitoring Agro-meteorological Disasters Using Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is an important method for rapidly obtaining farmland information. Once meteorological disaster occurs,using the remote sensing technology to extract disaster area of crops and monitor disaster level has great significance for evaluating disasters and making a timely remedy. This paper elaborated the importance of monitoring agro-meteorological disasters using remote sensing in current special historical period,overviewed remote sensing methods both at home and abroad,analyzed existing problems,made clear major problems to be solved in monitoring agro-meteorological disasters using remote sensing,and discussed the development prospect of the remote sensing technology.

Spatial pattern and decadal change of agro-meteorological disasters in the main wheat production area of China during 1991-2009

Agro-meteorological disasters （AMD） have become more frequent with climate warming. In this study, the temporal and spatial changes in the occurrence frequency of major meteorological disasters on wheat production were firstly explored by analyzing the observed records at national agro-meteorological stations （AMS） of China from 1991 to 2009. Fur- thermore, impact of climate change on AMD was discussed by comparing the warmer decade （2000-2009） with another decade （1991-2000）. It was found that drought was the most fre- quent disaster during the last two decades, with a highest proportion of 79%. And the fre- quency of AMD increased significantly with climate change. Specifically, the main disasters occurred more frequently in the reproductive period than in the vegetative period. Besides, the spatial changes in the AMD frequency were characterized by region-specific. For example the wheat cultivation areas located on the Loess Plateau and the middle-lower reaches of the Yellow River suffered mainly from drought. All these results were strongly linked to climate change in China. Therefore, sound adaptation options should be taken based on the latest changes of AMD under global warming to reduce agricultural damages.

Mechanism,prevention,and control of mining-induced dynamic disasters in underground metal mines in China:Challenges and solutions

Metal mineral resources play an indispensable role in the development of the national economy.Dynamic disasters in underground metal mines seriously threaten mining safety,which are major scientific and technological problems to be solved urgently.In this article,the occurrence status and grand challenges of some typical dynamic disasters involving roof falling,spalling,collapse,large deformation,rockburst,surface subsidence,and water inrush in metal mines in China are systematically presented,the characteristics of mining-induced dynamic disasters are analyzed,the examples of dynamic disasters occurring in some metal mines in China are summarized,the occurrence mechanism,monitoring and early warning methods,and prevention and control techniques of these disasters are highlighted,and some new opinions,suggestions,and solutions are proposed simultaneously.Moreover,some shortcomings in current disaster research are pointed out,and the direction of efforts to improve the prevention and control level of dynamic disasters in China’s metal mines in the future is prospected.The integration of forward-looking key innovative theories and technologies in the abovementioned aspects will greatly enhance the cognitive level of disaster prevention and mitigation in China’s metal mining industry and achieve a significant shift from passive disaster relief to active disaster prevention.

Strategy for Protection of Cultural Heritage Exposed to the Natural and Man-Made Activity Disasters in Serbia

Natural disasters and the adverse human activities are the key events in the history of mankind that form our history and shape our collective memory to this day.People on the planet Earth are not obsessed only with natural hazards,caused by earthquakes,floods and volcanic eruptions,and troubles unlikely come solely from the action of nature.Disasters threatening the human race can be caused also by people themselves.Both types of disasters cause vast human suffering,at the same time destroying cultural heritage as well,that has the function of determining the identity of social communities.These sufferings should be added to those that can be determined only by in-depth analyses which are derived from the synergy of natural forces and mistaken choices made by the humans,when it comes to their habitat.The proposed strategic plan for protection of built heritage in emergency situations may become the powerful catalyst for the process of revitalization by which the social tissue of community is maintained and restored,creating the symbol of resistance by which it endures each and every natural element and evil men behaviour.

A Critical Review of Community Resilience Building Framework: Contexts of Climate Change and Disasters in Bangladesh

The concept of community resilience in the contexts of climate change and disasters draws increasing attention and interest from practitioners and researchers in recent development discourse. This paper provides a critical review of six selected frameworks of community resilience building operationalized in Bangladesh over the span of years. In other words, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of resilience through a systematic analysis of the dimensions and indicators of community resilience frameworks. The analysis shows that comprehensive and effective community resilience frameworks should incorporate the missing components linked to fundamental elements of good governance, economic growth, environmental sustainability, social transformation, and capacity development. The paper concludes by highlighting a few other areas of grave concern that need more appropriate attention, considering the severe threats posed by climate change and natural disasters in line with sustainable development goals. Finally, this study recommends further research regarding the effectiveness of these frameworks in different climatic and disaster contexts that can lead the concept into a new dimension of community resilience and sustainability.

Forecasting Model of Agro-meteorological Disaster Grade Based on Decision Tree

Based on the discuss of the basic concept of data mining technology and the decision tree method,combining with the data samples of wind and hailstorm disasters in some counties of Mudanjiang region,the forecasting model of agro-meteorological disaster grade was established by adopting the C4.5 classification algorithm of decision tree,which can forecast the direct economic loss degree to provide rational data mining model and obtain effective analysis results.

Microseismic monitoring and forecasting of dynamic disasters in underground hydropower projects in southwest China:A review

The underground hydropower projects in Southwest China is characterized by large excavation sizes,high geostresses,complicated geological conditions and multiple construction processes.Various disasters such as collapses,large deformations,rockbursts are frequently encountered,resulting in serious casualties and huge economic losses.This review mainly presents some representative results on microseismic(MS)monitoring and forecasting for disasters in hydropower underground engineering.First,a set of new denoising,spectral analysis,and location methods were developed for better identification and location of MS signals.Then,the tempo-spatial characteristics of MS events were analyzed to understand the relationship between field construction and damages of surrounding rocks.Combined with field construction,geological data,numerical simulation and parametric analysis of MS sources,the focal mechanism of MS events was revealed.A damage constitutive model considering MS fracturing size was put forward and feedback analysis considering the MS damage of underground surrounding rocks was conducted.Next,an MS multi-parameter based risk assessment and early warning method for dynamic disasters were proposed.The technology for control of the damage and deformation of underground surrounding rocks was proposed for underground caverns.Finally,two typical underground powerhouses were selected as case studies.These achievements can provide significant references for prevention and control of dynamic disasters for underground engineering with similar complicated geological conditions.

The Salient Issues of Coastal Hazards and Disasters in Nigeria

The Nigerian coastline which stretches about 853 km has four distinct morphological zones namely, Barrier Lagoon, Mahin Mud coast, Niger Delta and Strand coast. Nigeria’s coastal zone is richly blessed with various natural resources like oil, gas, fish, sand etc., which are presently being exploited for economic development. Coastal populations have increased erratically from about 20% of the National population in 1993 to approximately 51,037,122 m (30% of the national population) in 2011. Development of coastal areas in Nigeria is accelerating and user conflicts are increasing. Both natural and anthropogenic activities in the coastal zone are leading to coastal hazards and eventual rapid degradation of the area. Significant coastal hazards include coastal erosion, storm surges, floods, land subsidence, pollution, especially oil spills and possibly seismicity, which could lead to earthquakes and tsunamis. These hazards are leading to disasters and effecting the socio-economic sustainability of the coastal area.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Disasters

In recent years, due to an increasing number of extreme meteorological events, the urgent need to use artificial intelligence in their management has emerged. The ability to handle and prevent such events requires disaster management. Artificial intelligence is extensively used in forecasting and preparing for disasters, as well as for mitigating and minimizing damage and in the response phase to effectively help in better and more rapid responses to disasters. This paper examines to identify the uses of artificial intelligence technologies in reducing the impact of various disasters and seeks to investigate the possibility of linking artificial intelligence technologies based on information and communication technology and reducing the effects of disasters. We conclude the paper with the challenges facing artificial intelligence technologies.

Natural Disaster Risk Monitoring for Immovable Cultural Relics Based on Digital Twin

Natural disaster risk monitoring is an important task for disaster prevention and reduction.In the case of immovable cultural relics,however,the feedback mechanism,risk factors,monitoring logic,and monitoring indicators of natural disaster risk monitoring are complex.How to achieve intelligent perception and monitoring of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics has always been a focus and a challenge for researchers.Based on the analysis of the concepts and issues related to the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics,this paper proposes a framework for natural disaster risk monitoring for immovable cultural relics based on the digital twin.This framework focuses on risk monitoring,including the physical entities of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics,monitoring indicators,and virtual entity construction.A platform for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics is proposed.Using the Puzhou Ancient City Site as a test bed,the proposed concept can be used for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics at different scales.

Risk Analysis Using Multi-Source Data for Distribution Networks Facing Extreme Natural Disasters

Distribution networks denote important public infrastructure necessary for people’s livelihoods.However,extreme natural disasters,such as earthquakes,typhoons,and mudslides,severely threaten the safe and stable operation of distribution networks and power supplies needed for daily life.Therefore,considering the requirements for distribution network disaster prevention and mitigation,there is an urgent need for in-depth research on risk assessment methods of distribution networks under extreme natural disaster conditions.This paper accessesmultisource data,presents the data quality improvement methods of distribution networks,and conducts data-driven active fault diagnosis and disaster damage analysis and evaluation using data-driven theory.Furthermore,the paper realizes real-time,accurate access to distribution network disaster information.The proposed approach performs an accurate and rapid assessment of cross-sectional risk through case study.The minimal average annual outage time can be reduced to 3 h/a in the ring network through case study.The approach proposed in this paper can provide technical support to the further improvement of the ability of distribution networks to cope with extreme natural disasters.

Overview on Mangrove Forest Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Functions

This paper provides a comprehensive overview on coastal protection and hazard mitigation by mangroves.Previous stud-ies have made great strides to understand the mechanisms and influencing factors of mangroves’protection function,including wave energy dissipation,storm surge damping,tsunami mitigation,adjustment to sea level rise and wind speed reduction,which are sys-tematically summarized in this study.Moreover,the study analyzes the extensive physical models,based on indoor flume experi-ments and numerical models,that consider the interaction between mangroves and hydrodynamics,to help our understanding of mangrove-hydrodynamic interactions.Additionally,quantitative approaches for valuing coastal protection services provided by man-groves,including index-based and process-resolving approaches,are introduced in detail.Finally,we point out the limitations of previous studies,indicating that efforts are still required for obtaining more long-term field observations during extreme weather events,to create more real mangrove models for physical experiments,and to develop numerical models that consider the flexible properties of mangroves to better predict wave propagation in mangroves having complex morphology and structures.

Earthquake disaster chain model based on complex networks for urban engineering systems

According to news reports on severe earthquakes since 2008,a total of 51 cases with magnitudes of 6.0 or above were analyzed,and 14 frequently occurring secondary disasters were identified.A disaster chain model was developed using principles from complex network theory.The vulnerability and risk level of each edge in this model were calculated,and high-risk edges and disaster chains were identified.The analysis reveals that the edge“floods→building collapses”has the highest vulnerability.Implementing measures to mitigate this edge is crucial for delaying the spread of secondary disasters.The highest risk is associated with the edge“building collapses→casualties,”and increased risks are also identified for chains such as“earthquake→building collapses→casualties,”“earthquake→landslides and debris flows→dammed lakes,”and“dammed lakes→floods→building collapses.”Following an earthquake,the prompt implementation of measures is crucial to effectively disrupt these chains and minimize the damage from secondary disasters.

Challenges in Implementing DVI Best Practice Guidelines Due to the Brumadinho Disaster

The broke of a tailings dam from Vale S.A. destroyed a gigantic area killing 270 persons in Brumadinho/Brazil. Organizing activities after a mass disaster is a complex process that requires the involvement of many people and resources in the laboratory. To DNA identification of the victims, a daunting work had to be made by DNA laboratory staff in a collaborative effort with many partners. Efforts to implement good practice guidelines in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) have revealed several important aspects that need to change in the forensic DNA laboratory. This article highlights the challenges of implementing DVI best practice guidelines in resource-poor settings, but with professionals from different sectors engaged in the same goal of briefly identifying victims and helping families and society.

Using ontology and rules to retrieve the semantics of disaster remote sensing data

Remote sensing data plays an important role in natural disaster management.However,with the increase of the variety and quantity of remote sensors,the problem of“knowledge barriers”arises when data users in disaster field retrieve remote sensing data.To improve this problem,this paper proposes an ontology and rule based retrieval(ORR)method to retrieve disaster remote sensing data,and this method introduces ontology technology to express earthquake disaster and remote sensing knowledge,on this basis,and realizes the task suitability reasoning of earthquake disaster remote sensing data,mining the semantic relationship between remote sensing metadata and disasters.The prototype system is built according to the ORR method,which is compared with the traditional method,using the ORR method to retrieve disaster remote sensing data can reduce the knowledge requirements of data users in the retrieval process and improve data retrieval efficiency.

Risk assessment of coastal flooding disaster by storm surge based on Elevation-Area method and hydrodynamic models:Taking Bohai Bay as an example

The future inundation by storm surge on coastal areas are currently ill-defined.With increasing global sealevel due to climate change,the coastal flooding by storm surge is more and more frequently,especially in coastal lowland with land subsidence.Therefore,the risk assessment of such inundation for these areas is of great significance for the sustainable socio-economic development.In this paper,the authors use Elevation-Area method and Regional Ocean Model System(ROMS)model to assess the risk of the inundation of Bohai Bay by storm surge.The simulation results of Elevation-Area method show that either a 50-year or 100-year storm surge can inundate coastal areas exceeding 8000 km^(2);the numerical simulation results based on hydrodynamics,considering ground friction and duration of the storm surge high water,show that a 50-year or 100-year storm surge can only inundate an area of over 2000 km^(2),which is far less than 8000 km^(2);while,when taking into account the land subsidence and sea level rise,the very inundation range will rapidly increase by 2050 and 2100.The storm surge will greatly impact the coastal area within about 10-30 km of the Bohai Bay,in where almost all major coastal projects are located.The prompt response to flood disaster due to storm surge is urgently needed,for which five suggestions have been proposed based on the geological background of Bohai Bay.This study may offer insight into the development of the response and adaptive plans for flooding disasters caused by storm surge.

Climate Change-Related Disaster Risk Events in Togo: A Systematic Review

Togo is facing significant climate challenges that have profound consequences for its environment, economy, and population. This study provides an overview of various climate phenomena affecting Togo and highlights potential adaptation strategies. We used the inclusion and exclusion criteria (PRISMA) to search both French and English articles on climate change-related disaster risk events in Togo through Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and PubMed databases using the keywords “Climate Change”, “Floods”, “Drought”, “Coastal erosion”, “High winds”, “Epidemy”, Heatwaves”, and “Air pollution”. Twenty-five articles from 2000-2023 were included in this study after applying different criteria. Droughts, floods, coastal erosion, food and crop productivity loss, heatwaves, spread of vector-borne diseases, air pollution, and high winds are among the climate phenomena discussed. These challenges are driven by climate change, altering precipitation patterns, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels. Drought, floods, coastal erosion, loss of food and crop productivity, spread of vector-borne diseases, air pollution and heatwaves are the most climate risks experienced by Togo. Drought contributes to decreased plant cover, water scarcity, and changes in the water and energy balance. Floods cause property damage, health risks, and disruptions to livelihoods. Coastal erosion threatens coastal communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Adaptation strategies include early warning systems, improved water management, sustainable agriculture, urban and health planning, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Drought-resistant crops, mosquito control, and clean energy adoption are essential.

Assessment and control of the mine tremor disaster induced by the energy accumulation and dispersion of thick-hard roofs

In order to solve the problem that current theory models cannot accurately describe thick-hard roof(THR)elastic energy and assess the mine tremor disasters,a theoretical method,a Timoshenko beam theory on Winkler foundation was adopted to establish the THR’s periodic breaking model.The superposition principle was used for this complex model to derive the calculation formulas of the elastic energy and impact load on hydraulic supports.Then,the influence of roof thickness h,cantilever length L_(1),and load q on THR’s elastic energy and impact load was analyzed.And,the effect of mine tremor disasters was assessed.Finally,it is revealed that:(1)The THR’s elastic energy U exhibits power-law variations,with the fitted relationships U=0.0096L_(1)^(3.5866^),U=5943.9h^(-1.935),and U=21.049q^(2).(2)The impact load on hydraulic supports F_(ZJ) increases linearly with an increase in the cantilever length,thickness,and applied load.The fitted relationships are F_(ZJ)=1067.3L_(1)+6361.1,F_(ZJ)=125.89h+15100,and F_(ZJ)=10420q+3912.6.(3)Ground hydraulic fracturing and liquid explosive deep-hole blasting techniques effectively reduce the THR’s cantilever length at periodic breakages,thus eliminating mine tremor disasters.

New UN initiative to reduce disaster risk with AI

A new United Nations initiative aims to ensure that advanced digital technologies in fields such as artificial intelligence(AI)boost resilience to natural hazards and reduce disaster risks.