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Tree Rings and Natural Hazards: An Introduction

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Tree Rings and Natural Hazards

Part of the book series: Advances in Global Change Research ((AGLO,volume 41))

Abstract

Each year, natural disasters claim thousands of lives and lead to economic losses of several billion US dollars worldwide. In 2008, natural disasters caused 240,500 fatalities and losses of more than US$250 billion (SwissRe 2009), making it one of the largest annual amounts ever recorded. More than 90% of people killed by catastrophic events in 2008 were during two tropical cyclones (Myanmar and Philippines) and the 7.9 moment-magnitude earthquake hitting China’s Sichuan region in May 2008 (Rodriguez et al. 2009). In February 2009, severe bush fires destroyed several villages in Victoria (Australia), killing more than 90 people and leaving 700 houses in ashes (Shaban 2009).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Dendrogeomorphology, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Markus Stoffel

  2. Chair for Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, CH-1227, Carouge-Geneva, Switzerland

    Michelle Bollschweiler

  3. Department of Geography, Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, TX, 78666-4616, USA

    David R. Butler

  4. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5 C2, Canada

    Brian H. Luckman

Authors
  1. Markus Stoffel
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  2. Michelle Bollschweiler
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  3. David R. Butler
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  4. Brian H. Luckman
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Correspondence to Markus Stoffel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Geologie, Labor für Dendrogeomorphologie, Universität Bern, Baltzerstr. 1-3, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    Markus Stoffel

  2. Inst. Geologie, Labor für Dendrogeomorphologie, Universität Bern, Baltzerstr. 1-3, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    Michelle Bollschweiler

  3. Dept. Geography, Texas State University, University Drive 601, San Marcos, 78666-4616, Texas, USA

    David R. Butler

  4. Dept. Geography, University of Western Ontario, London, N6A 5C2, Ontario, Canada

    Brian H. Luckman

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Stoffel, M., Bollschweiler, M., Butler, D.R., Luckman, B.H. (2010). Tree Rings and Natural Hazards: An Introduction. In: Stoffel, M., Bollschweiler, M., Butler, D., Luckman, B. (eds) Tree Rings and Natural Hazards. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 41. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8736-2_1

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