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  • © 2002

The Science of Disasters

Climate Disruptions, Heart Attacks, and Market Crashes

  • Gives insight into hard-to-understand problems of catastrophes
  • The most comprehensive book on theories of disaster
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XX
  2. General

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Entropy, Complexity, Predictability, and Data Analysis of Time Series and Letter Sequences

      • Werner Ebeling, Lutz Molgedey, Jürgen Kurths, Udo Schwarz
      Pages 2-25
    3. Wavelet Based Multifractal Formalism: Applications to DNA Sequences, Satellite Images of the Cloud Structure, and Stock Market Data

      • Alain Arneodo, Benjamin Audit, Nicolas Decoster, Jean-Francois Muzy, Cedric Vaillant
      Pages 26-102
  3. Climate Systems

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 103-103
    2. Space-Time Variability of the European Climate

      • Klaus Fraedrich, Christian-D. Schönwiese
      Pages 104-139
    3. Is Climate Predictable?

      • Klaus Hasselmann
      Pages 140-169
    4. Atmospheric Persistence Analysis: Novel Approaches and Applications

      • Armin Bunde, Shlomo Havlin, Eva Koscielny-Bunde, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber
      Pages 170-191
  4. Biodynamics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 217-217
    2. Fractal and Multifractal Approaches in Physiology

      • Plamen Ch. Ivanov, Ary L. Goldberger, H. Eugene Stanley
      Pages 218-257
    3. Physiological Relevance of Scaling of Heart Phenomena

      • Larry S. Liebovitch, Thomas Penzel, Jan W. Kantelhardt
      Pages 258-281
    4. Local Scaling Properties for Diagnostic Purposes

      • Wolfram Bunk, Ferdinand Jamitzky, René Pompl, Christoph Räth, Gregor E. Morfill
      Pages 282-309
    5. Crowd Disasters and Simulation of Panic Situations

      • Dirk Helbing, Illés J. Farkas, Tamás Vicsek
      Pages 330-350
  5. Nonlinear Economics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 351-351
    2. Investigations of Financial Markets Using Statistical Physics Methods

      • Rosario N. Mantegna, H. Eugene Stanley
      Pages 352-371
    3. Market Fluctuations II: Multiplicative and Percolation Models, Size Effects, and Predictions

      • Didier Sornette, Dietrich Stauffer, Hideki Takayasu
      Pages 410-435
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 437-453

About this book

Are there universal laws governing the persistence of weather, and is it possible to predict climate transitions as generated by natural or man-made perturbations? How can one quantify the roller-coaster dynamics of stock markets and anticipate mega-crashes? Can we diagnose the health condition of patients from heartbeat time-series analysis, which may even form the basis for infarct prevention? This book tackles these questions by applying advanced methods from statistical physics and related fields to all types of non-linear dynamics prone to disaster. The transdisciplinary analysis is organized in some dozen review articles written by world-class scientists.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This impressive collection is a result of an international conference on ‘Facets of Universality in Complex Systems’, which was held in June 1999 at the University of Giessen, Germany. … What is found in and through this book are … 14 sophisticated examples of advanced modelling of non-linear processes, systems and systemic interdependencies. … My personal recommendation: A stimulating book … ." (Wolf Dombrowsky, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, Vol. 12 (4), 2006)

"The book considers the non-linear dynamics of complex systems, with examples drawn from climatology, biodynamics and economics. … I would like to congratulate the editors and the publisher. Publishing a book covering state-of-the-art analysis in three disciplines cannot be easy. This is a beautifully presented work … . The diagrams are of a consistently high standard with liberal use of colour, and always enhance the discussion. … In short, this is a very good book, bursting with ideas … ." (Tom Holt, The Holocene, Vol. 14 (2), 2004)

"This monograph grew from a 1999 Giessen workshop entitled ‘Facets of Universality in Climate, Biodynamics and Stock Markets’. It is interdisciplinary by intent. … The book delivers an invitation to explore new tools and an introduction to the application fields mentioned above which I found stimulating, with its breadth of coverage and wealth of references." (Greg Doherty, The Physicist, Vol. 41 (1), 2003)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Institut für Theoretische Physik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany

    Armin Bunde

  • Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, Potsdam, Germany

    Jürgen Kropp, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access