Tropical Cyclones: Climatology and Impacts in the South Pacific

ISBN-13: 9781441924476 / Angielski / Miękka / 2010 / 212 str.

James P. Terry

Opis

accommodate terrestrial flooding. In consequence, although the natural vegetation may be severely damaged, tropical cyclones may have less geomorphic impact. Low coral islands, such as those that occur on atolls, have the most vulnerable physical environments of all. They are little more than unconsolidated heaps of coralline sands and gravels resting on reef foundations, and are especially prone to overtopping by storm surge and cyclone-driven waves. Associated sediment movement can produce rema- able changes sometimes the complete obliteration of an island altogether, or on other occasions the creation of entirely new land. Island sensitivity to physical change is strongly conditioned by the degree to which the existing landscape is in dynamic equilibrium with the frequency of tropical cyclones. Walsh (1977) referred to this concept as landscape eq- librium with the cyclone environment . The idea is a simple one: a severe storm is more likely to produce catastrophic change on an island where one has not struck for a long time, since many of the geomorphic features are i- equipped to withstand the impact. In contrast, on islands where the effects of tropical cyclones have been felt more often, the contribution of an individual storm event to landscape change may be less significant. This is because the evolution of the island s physical environment is in some degree of balance with regular climatic perturbations."

Recenzje

From the reviews: "Tropical Cyclones: Climatology and Impacts in the South Pacific describes the climatology, structure, and behavior of tropical cyclones in the South Pacific and ... impacts of these storms on the physical environment of the islands in their path. ... The text is ... well laid out with black-and-white photographs, tables, and graphs. ... appealing to students and professionals from the region. ... It would be an excellent resource for climatologists and educators ... . Researchers from other disciplines ... will also find this volume valuable." (Mark Sinclair, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, April, 2009)

Spis treści

Tropical Cyclones in the South Pacific.- Setting the Scene.- Tropical Cyclogenesis.- Tropical Cyclone Structure.- Tropical Cyclone Structure.- Meteorological Conditions.- Future Tropical Cyclone Activity.- Impacts of Tropical Cyclones.- Coastal Geomorphology.- Slope Stability and Mass Movements.- River Hydrology and Floods.- Fluvial Geomorphology.

O autorze

James Terry is Head of the Department of Geography at the University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji Islands. Previous positions include Associate Professor at the Research Centre for the Pacific Islands, Kagoshima University, Japan. In addition to his lecture and research experience, Dr. Terry has served as a geographer consultant for various governmental institutions.

Blurb

Tropical Cyclones – Climatology and Impacts in the South Pacific

This book describes the behaviour of tropical cyclones in the South Pacific and investigates the broad range of disturbance effects these violent storms have on the physical environments of the islands that lie in their path and the people who live on them. It is the first book to link these two themes – the characteristics of cyclones and their landscape impacts.

Students of physical geography will find this book an authoritative source. It should also appeal to those concerned with climate change, extreme events, natural hazards, tropical islands, tropical geomorphology and hydrology, and to all those who have a general curiosity about the vast Oceania region and its remote, vulnerable islands.

The volume is divided into two complementary parts. The first part explains the nature of tropical cyclones, their genesis, structure, behaviour, and extreme meteorological conditions. Future cyclone activity related to climate change is also considered. Part two deals with geomorphological and hydrological responses to tropical cyclones on South Pacific islands. Attention is focused on the effects of cyclones on coral reefs, coasts, slopes and rivers, which often lead to profound landform changes and have lasting influences on both island evolution and on the lives of the Islanders.

Examples and illustrations are drawn widely from across the South Pacific. Numerous maps, informative drawings, and many spectacular photographs are used with great effect throughout, resulting in a highly readable volume.

James P. Terry is Associate Professor and former Head of the School of Geography at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

Cover illustration: a painting by Peni Vuniceva, well-known one-handed artist in Fiji who suffered from leprosy since childhood. The painting depicts the wrath of Tropical Cyclone Oscar in March 1983 lashing the island of Ovalau in Fiji, based on stories told to him by his wife who was on the island at the time.