Environmental Hazards: The Fluid Dynamics and Geophysics of Extreme Events

The Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the National University of Singapore hosted a Spring School on Fluid Dynamics and Geophysics of Environmental Hazards from 19 April to 2 May 2009. This volume contains the content of the nine short lecture courses given at this School, with a focus mainly on tropical cyclones, tsunamis, monsoon flooding and atmospheric pollution, all within the context of climate variability and change.The book provides an introduction to these topics from both mathematical and geophysical points of view, and will be invaluable for graduate students in applied mathematics, geophysics and engineering with an interest in this broad field of study, as well as for seasoned researchers in adjacent fields.

One of the priority areas of ICSU (The International Council for Science) is "Natural and Human-Induced Environmental Hazards and Disasters." The School held at the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Singapore from 20 April to 2 May 2009 on which this volume is based on was sponsored by ICSU and by its members from IUTAM (the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics) and IUGG (the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics).

The book provides an indepth graduate-level introduction to the fluid dynamics and geophysics of hazards such as tropical cyclones, flooding, atmospheric pollution and tsunamis. It also includes discussion of the possible effects of climate change on these phenomena. Indeed, the current importance of this area is of great public concern.