%0 Book %A National Research Council %T Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research %@ 978-0-309-09053-7 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10829/critical-issues-in-weather-modification-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10829/critical-issues-in-weather-modification-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 143 %X The weather on planet Earth is a vital and sometimes fatal force in human affairs. Efforts to control or reduce the harmful impacts of weather go back far in time. In this, the latest National Academies’ assessment of weather modification, the committee was asked to assess the ability of current and proposed weather modification capabilities to provide beneficial impacts on water resource management and weather hazard mitigation. It examines new technologies, reviews advances in numerical modeling on the cloud and mesoscale, and considers how improvements in computer capabilities might be applied to weather modification. Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research examines the status of the science underlying weather modification in the United States. It calls for a coordinated national research program to answer fundamental questions about basic atmospheric processes and to address other issues that are impeding progress in weather modification. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Management of Legionella in Water Systems %@ 978-0-309-49947-7 %D 2020 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25474/management-of-legionella-in-water-systems %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25474/management-of-legionella-in-water-systems %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %K Earth Sciences %P 290 %X Legionnaires' disease, a pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium, is the leading cause of reported waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States. Legionella occur naturally in water from many different environmental sources, but grow rapidly in the warm, stagnant conditions that can be found in engineered water systems such as cooling towers, building plumbing, and hot tubs. Humans are primarily exposed to Legionella through inhalation of contaminated aerosols into the respiratory system. Legionnaires' disease can be fatal, with between 3 and 33 percent of Legionella infections leading to death, and studies show the incidence of Legionnaires' disease in the United States increased five-fold from 2000 to 2017. Management of Legionella in Water Systems reviews the state of science on Legionella contamination of water systems, specifically the ecology and diagnosis. This report explores the process of transmission via water systems, quantification, prevention and control, and policy and training issues that affect the incidence of Legionnaires' disease. It also analyzes existing knowledge gaps and recommends research priorities moving forward. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Hurricane Hugo, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Charleston, South Carolina, September 17-22, 1989 %@ 978-0-309-04475-2 %D 1994 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1993/hurricane-hugo-puerto-rico-the-virgin-islands-and-charleston-south-carolina-september-17-22-1989 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1993/hurricane-hugo-puerto-rico-the-virgin-islands-and-charleston-south-carolina-september-17-22-1989 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 296 %X This volume provides an account of the 1989 Hurricane Hugo for historical purposes, evaluates the physical phenomena involved and the performance of structures and systems, and identifies and recommends cases where an in-depth study would improve our ability to analyze and forecast such failures. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Dolphins and the Tuna Industry %@ 978-0-309-04735-7 %D 1992 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1983/dolphins-and-the-tuna-industry %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1983/dolphins-and-the-tuna-industry %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 192 %X This book presents key conclusions about the controversial killing of thousands of dolphins each year during tuna fishing in the eastern tropical Pacific. Dolphins drown in nets that are set to catch yellowfin tuna, which tend to swim beneath dolphin herds. After 20 years of intense debate among environmentalists, the tuna industry, and policymakers, this fatal by-product of tuna fishing remains a high-profile public issue. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry provides a neutral examination of the scientific and technical questions at the core of the problem. Recommendations for solutions are offered in two areas: developing new techniques that promise to reduce dolphin mortality with the existing purse-seine method of tuna fishing, and developing entirely new methods of finding tuna that are not swimming with dolphins. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry provides a comprehensive, highly readable overview of the dolphin-tuna controversy, useful to experts and newcomers to the issue. It explores the processes of tuna fishing and dolphin mortality, the status of the tuna industry, and the significant progress made in reducing dolphin mortality through modifications in fishing practice. The volume includes: An overview of U.S. laws and policies relating to tuna and dolphins. An illustrated look at how tuna fishing crews use their equipment, focusing on the purse seine, which is the method most economical to the industry but most deadly to the dolphins. An overview of what is known about tuna and dolphin populations and the remarkable bond between them. A step-by-step description of the fishing process and efforts to let dolphins escape from the nets. An analysis of possible approaches to reducing dolphin kill, including more stringent regulatory approaches and incentives for the tuna industry. This book will be indispensible to environmental and animal protection groups, tuna fishing crews and processors, companies that market tuna products, policymakers, regulators, and concerned individuals. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Safety is Seguridad: A Workshop Summary %@ 978-0-309-08706-3 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10641/safety-is-seguridad-a-workshop-summary %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10641/safety-is-seguridad-a-workshop-summary %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Earth Sciences %P 160 %X Approximately 32.8 million persons of Hispanic descent live in the United States, half of whom were born outside the United States (Therrien and Ramirez, 2000). By the year 2050, it is expected that Hispanics will constitute more than 25 percent of the total U.S. population and approximately 15 percent of the U.S. labor force. These estimates and the fact that 90 percent of Hispanic American men and 60 percent of Hispanic American women participate in the U.S. workforce strongly suggest a need for occupational safety and health information in Spanish. The growing presence of Spanish-speaking workers and employers in the United States and the unprecedented 12-percent increase in the overall rate of workplace fatalities among Hispanic workers in 2000 highlights the need to better communicate occupational safety and health information in Spanish to both employees and employers. To address this need the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is preparing a strategy for developing and disseminating Spanish-language occupational safety and health educational and technical material. To gather information necessary to create this strategic plan the National Research Council (NRC) was asked to host a workshop. The committee commissioned five white papers (see Appendices D-H) and organized a workshop on May 29-30, in San Diego, California. Safety is Seguridad: A Workshop Summary is a synopsis of the presentations and discussions at the workshop. It does not contain any conclusions and recommendations. The conclusions and recommendations in the white papers represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the committee or the NRC. It is intended as input to the NIOSH strategic planning in this area. Chapter 2 discusses the available information and identifies information gaps regarding risks and adverse events for Latino workers. Chapter 3 examines the available health and safety training resource materials for Latino workers, especially for those with little or no English capabilities; in particular, it discusses issues of the linguistic and cultural appropriateness of materials. Chapter 4 considers issues surrounding the assessment of existing materials and the development of new materials. Chapter 5 discusses the various means of conveying information to Spanish-speaking workers, again focusing on cultural appropriateness and ways of maximizing understanding. Chapter 6 summarizes the discussion in the prior chapters and presents some overarching issues raised by the workshop attendees. %0 Book %A National Research Council %A Institute of Medicine %T Mining Safety and Health Research at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health %@ 978-0-309-10342-8 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11850/mining-safety-and-health-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11850/mining-safety-and-health-research-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Earth Sciences %P 290 %X The U.S. mining sector has the highest fatality rate of any industry in the country. Fortunately, advances made over the past three decades in mining technology, equipment, processes, procedures, and workforce education and training have significantly improved safety and health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Safety and Health Research Program (Mining Program) has played a large role in these improvements. An assessment of the relevance and impact of NIOSH Mining Program research by a National Research Council committee reveals that the program makes essential contributions to the enhancement of health and safety in the mining industry. To further increase its effectiveness, the Mining Program should proactively identify workplace hazards and establish more challenging and innovative goals toward hazard reduction. The ability of the program to successfully expand its activities, however, depends on available funding. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Sparks, Peter R. %T Building Damage in South Carolina Caused by the Tornadoes of March 28, 1984 %D 1985 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/19291/building-damage-in-south-carolina-caused-by-the-tornadoes-of-march-28-1984 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/19291/building-damage-in-south-carolina-caused-by-the-tornadoes-of-march-28-1984 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K %K Earth Sciences %P 57 %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Explosive Volcanism: Inception, Evolution, and Hazards %D 1984 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18602/explosive-volcanism-inception-evolution-and-hazards %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18602/explosive-volcanism-inception-evolution-and-hazards %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K %K Earth Sciences %P 194 %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Whitcomb, Milton A. %E Benson, William %T Vision Research: Flying and Space Travel; Proceedings of Spring Meeting, 1964. Edited by Milton a. Whitcomb and William Benson %D 1968 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18636/vision-research-flying-and-space-travel-proceedings-of-spring-meeting-1964-edited-by-milton-a-whitcomb-and-william-benson %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18636/vision-research-flying-and-space-travel-proceedings-of-spring-meeting-1964-edited-by-milton-a-whitcomb-and-william-benson %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K %K Earth Sciences %P 209 %X Vision Research: Flying and Space Travel is a record of the proceedings of the Committee on Vision meeting in 1964. The papers presented at the meeting concerned visual problems related to low altitude, high-speed flight, space travel, and incapacitating effects on pilots resulting from inadvertent viewing of a nuclear detonation. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Advancing the Understanding and Forecasting of Mesoscale Weather in the United States %D 1990 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18569/advancing-the-understanding-and-forecasting-of-mesoscale-weather-in-the-united-states %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18569/advancing-the-understanding-and-forecasting-of-mesoscale-weather-in-the-united-states %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K %K Earth Sciences %P 65 %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Toward a New National Weather Service: A First Report %D 1991 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18768/toward-a-new-national-weather-service-a-first-report %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18768/toward-a-new-national-weather-service-a-first-report %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K %K Earth Sciences %P 81 %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States %@ 978-0-309-48961-4 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25381/framing-the-challenge-of-urban-flooding-in-the-united-states %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25381/framing-the-challenge-of-urban-flooding-in-the-united-states %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 100 %X Flooding is the natural hazard with the greatest economic and social impact in the United States, and these impacts are becoming more severe over time. Catastrophic flooding from recent hurricanes, including Superstorm Sandy in New York (2012) and Hurricane Harvey in Houston (2017), caused billions of dollars in property damage, adversely affected millions of people, and damaged the economic well-being of major metropolitan areas. Flooding takes a heavy toll even in years without a named storm or event. Major freshwater flood events from 2004 to 2014 cost an average of $9 billion in direct damage and 71 lives annually. These figures do not include the cumulative costs of frequent, small floods, which can be similar to those of infrequent extreme floods. Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States contributes to existing knowledge by examining real-world examples in specific metropolitan areas. This report identifies commonalities and variances among the case study metropolitan areas in terms of causes, adverse impacts, unexpected problems in recovery, or effective mitigation strategies, as well as key themes of urban flooding. It also relates, as appropriate, causes and actions of urban flooding to existing federal resources or policies. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Dam and Levee Safety and Community Resilience: A Vision for Future Practice %@ 978-0-309-25614-8 %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13393/dam-and-levee-safety-and-community-resilience-a-vision-for %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13393/dam-and-levee-safety-and-community-resilience-a-vision-for %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 172 %X Although advances in engineering can reduce the risk of dam and levee failure, some failures will still occur. Such events cause impacts on social and physical infrastructure that extend far beyond the flood zone. Broadening dam and levee safety programs to consider community- and regional-level priorities in decision making can help reduce the risk of, and increase community resilience to, potential dam and levee failures. Collaboration between dam and levee safety professionals at all levels, persons and property owners at direct risk, members of the wider economy, and the social and environmental networks in a community would allow all stakeholders to understand risks, shared needs, and opportunities, and make more informed decisions related to dam and levee infrastructure and community resilience. Dam and Levee Safety and Community Resilience: A Vision for Future Practice explains that fundamental shifts in safety culture will be necessary to integrate the concepts of resilience into dam and levee safety programs. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Reducing Coastal Risk on the East and Gulf Coasts %@ 978-0-309-30586-0 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18811/reducing-coastal-risk-on-the-east-and-gulf-coasts %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18811/reducing-coastal-risk-on-the-east-and-gulf-coasts %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 208 %X Hurricane- and coastal-storm-related losses have increased substantially during the past century, largely due to increases in population and development in the most susceptible coastal areas. Climate change poses additional threats to coastal communities from sea level rise and possible increases in strength of the largest hurricanes. Several large cities in the United States have extensive assets at risk to coastal storms, along with countless smaller cities and developed areas. The devastation from Superstorm Sandy has heightened the nation's awareness of these vulnerabilities. What can we do to better prepare for and respond to the increasing risks of loss? Reducing Coastal Risk on the East and Gulf Coasts reviews the coastal risk-reduction strategies and levels of protection that have been used along the United States East and Gulf Coasts to reduce the impacts of coastal flooding associated with storm surges. This report evaluates their effectiveness in terms of economic return, protection of life safety, and minimization of environmental effects. According to this report, the vast majority of the funding for coastal risk-related issues is provided only after a disaster occurs. This report calls for the development of a national vision for coastal risk management that includes a long-term view, regional solutions, and recognition of the full array of economic, social, environmental, and life-safety benefits that come from risk reduction efforts. To support this vision, Reducing Coastal Risk states that a national coastal risk assessment is needed to identify those areas with the greatest risks that are high priorities for risk reduction efforts. The report discusses the implications of expanding the extent and levels of coastal storm surge protection in terms of operation and maintenance costs and the availability of resources. Reducing Coastal Risk recommends that benefit-cost analysis, constrained by acceptable risk criteria and other important environmental and social factors, be used as a framework for evaluating national investments in coastal risk reduction. The recommendations of this report will assist engineers, planners and policy makers at national, regional, state, and local levels to move from a nation that is primarily reactive to coastal disasters to one that invests wisely in coastal risk reduction and builds resilience among coastal communities. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T A Vision for the National Weather Service: Road Map for the Future %@ 978-0-309-06379-1 %D 1999 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6434/a-vision-for-the-national-weather-service-road-map-for %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6434/a-vision-for-the-national-weather-service-road-map-for %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 88 %X In this study, the committee explores ways the National Weather Service (NWS) can take advantage of continuing advances in science and technology to meet the challenges of the future. The predictions are focused on the target year 2025. Because specific predictions about the state of science and technology or the NWS more than 25 years in the future will not be entirely accurate, the goal of this report is to identify and highlight trends that are most likely to influence change. The Panel on the Road Map for the Future National Weather Service developed an optimistic vision for 2025 based on advances in science and technology. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T From Monsoons to Microbes: Understanding the Ocean's Role in Human Health %@ 978-0-309-06569-6 %D 1999 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6368/from-monsoons-to-microbes-understanding-the-oceans-role-in-human %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6368/from-monsoons-to-microbes-understanding-the-oceans-role-in-human %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 160 %X What can sharks teach us about our immune system? What can horseshoe crabs show us about eyesight? The more we learn about the ocean, the more we realize how critical these vast bodies of water are to our health and well-being. Sometimes the ocean helps us, as when a marine organism yields a new medical treatment. At other times, the ocean poses the threat of coastal storm surges or toxic algal blooms. From Monsoons to Microbes offers a deeper look into the oceans that surround us, often nurturing yet sometimes harming humankind. This book explores the links among physical oceanography, public health, epidemiology, marine biology, and medicine in understanding what the ocean has to offer. It will help readers grasp such important points as: How the ocean's sweeping physical processes create long-term phenomena such as El Nino and short-term disastrous events such as tsunamis—including what communities can do to prepare. What medicines and nutritional products have come from the ocean and what the prospects are for more such discoveries. How estuaries work—where salt and fresh water meet—and what can go wrong, as in the 7,000 square mile "dead zone" at the out-flow of the Mississippi River. How the growing demand for seafood and the expansion of ocean-going transport has increased our exposure to infectious agents—and how these agents can be tracked down and fought. Why "red tides" of toxic algae suddenly appear in previously unaffected coastal areas, and what happens when algal toxins find their way into our food supply or the air we breathe. The book recommends ways we can implement exciting new technologies to monitor the physics, chemistry, and biology of the ocean to recognize change as it happens. From the impact of worldwide atmospheric warming to the significance of exotic bacteria from submarine hydrothermal vents, the ocean has many depths left to explore. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Improved Seismic Monitoring - Improved Decision-Making: Assessing the Value of Reduced Uncertainty %@ 978-0-309-09695-9 %D 2006 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11327/improved-seismic-monitoring-improved-decision-making-assessing-the-value-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11327/improved-seismic-monitoring-improved-decision-making-assessing-the-value-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 196 %X Improved Seismic Monitoring—Improved Decision-Making, describes and assesses the varied economic benefits potentially derived from modernizing and expanding seismic monitoring activities in the United States. These benefits include more effective loss avoidance regulations and strategies, improved understanding of earthquake processes, better engineering design, more effective hazard mitigation strategies, and improved emergency response and recovery. The economic principles that must be applied to determine potential benefits are reviewed and the report concludes that although there is insufficient information available at present to fully quantify all the potential benefits, the annual dollar costs for improved seismic monitoring are in the tens of millions and the potential annual dollar benefits are in the hundreds of millions. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessing the Nation's Earthquakes: The Health and Future of Regional Seismograph Networks %D 1990 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1733/assessing-the-nations-earthquakes-the-health-and-future-of-regional %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1733/assessing-the-nations-earthquakes-the-health-and-future-of-regional %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 80 %X This book assesses the 50 regional seismic networks funded by various federal, state, and private sources that operate autonomously in the United States. Most have aging equipment and suffer from declining sources of operating funds. Yet, they provide valuable scientific data as well as information about seismicity and earthquakes around their locales. The volume describes the advent of the new National Seismic Network, operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. The National Seismic Network provides a unique opportunity to integrate the regional networks with the national network. This system will preserve the valuable work of the regional networks and enhance the capabilities of the national network. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Partnerships for Reducing Landslide Risk: Assessment of the National Landslide Hazards Mitigation Strategy %@ 978-0-309-09140-4 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10946/partnerships-for-reducing-landslide-risk-assessment-of-the-national-landslide %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10946/partnerships-for-reducing-landslide-risk-assessment-of-the-national-landslide %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 143 %X Landslides occur in all geographic regions of the nation in response to a wide range of conditions and triggering processes that include storms, earthquakes, and human activities. Landslides in the United States result in an estimated average of 25 to 50 deaths annually and cost $1 to 3 billion per year. In addition to direct losses, landslides also cause significant environmental damage and societal disruption. Partnerships for Reducing Landslide Risk reviews the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS)National Landslide Hazards Mitigation Strategy, which was created in response to a congressional directive for a national approach to reducing losses from landslides. Components of the strategy include basic research activities, improved public policy measures, and enhanced mitigation of landslides. This report commends the USGS for creating a national approach based on partnerships with federal, state, local, and non-governmental entities, and finds that the plan components are the essential elements of a national strategy. Partnerships for Reducing Landslide Risk recommends that the plan should promote the use of risk analysis techniques, and should play a vital role in evaluating methods, setting standards, and advancing procedures and guidelines for landslide hazard maps and assessments. This report suggests that substantially increased funding will be required to implement a national landslide mitigation program, and that as part of a 10-year program the funding mix should transition from research and guideline development to partnership-based implementation of loss reduction measures. %0 Book %T The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program at Twenty-Five Years: Accomplishments and Challenges -- Summary of a Workshop, February 20, 2003, Washington, DC %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10761/the-national-earthquake-hazards-reduction-program-at-twenty-five-years %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10761/the-national-earthquake-hazards-reduction-program-at-twenty-five-years %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 25