Unraveling environmental disasters

Vallero, Daniel A. (Author). Letcher, T. M. (Trevor M.) (Added Author).

Summary: "Unraveling Environmental Disasters covers the major environmental threats facing our world, focusing on rigorous scientific investigations to better understand why the disasters occurred. Two prominent scientists, physical chemist Trevor Letcher and environmental engineer Daniel Vallero, look at natural and human-induced disasters to analyze ways that they could have been prevented and offer predictions on possible future disasters based upon scientific evidence. This book: Considers the societal impact on environmental disasters; Describes concisely why these disasters occurred, with understandable explanations of the underlying scientific principles; Applies 'failure analysis' to recent environmental catastrophes, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; Explains how to minimize the risk of potential disasters similar to those of the past."--p. [4] of cover.

Record details

ISBN: 9780123970268
ISBN: 0123970261
Physical Description: print
xi, 500 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ; 24 cm.
Publisher: Boston : Elsevier, c2013.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Failure. Events ; Disasters as failures ; Types of failure ; Types of disasters ; Systems engineering -- Science. Scientific advancement ; Laws of motion ; Laws of chemistry and thermodynamics ; Science in the public eye -- Explosions. Dust ; Ammonium nitrate ; Picric acid and TNT ; Methyl isocyanate ; Natural explosions : volcanoes -- Plumes. Nomenclature ; Early air quality disasters ; Toxic plumes ; Plume characterization ; Nuclear fallout plumes -- Leaks. Surreptitious disasters ; Pollutant transport in groundwater ; Love Canal ; Chester ; Times Beach ; Valley of the Drums ; Stringfellow Acid Pits ; Tar Creek ; The march continues -- Spills. Disastrous releases ; Oil spills ; Niger River Delta oil spills ; Other spills ; Partitioning in the environment -- Fires. Fire disaster thermodynamics ; Kuwait oil fires ; Release of radioactive material ; Indonesian wildfires ; World Trade Center fire ; The Japanese earthquake and tsunami ; Other major fires ; Tire fires ; Coal mine fires ; Indirect effect : formation of toxic substances ; Indirect impact : transport -- Climate. Global climate change ; Greenhouse gases ; Consequences of global warming ; Is it a disaster? ; Responding to climate change ; Carbon and climate ; Potential warming disaster ; Geoengineering ; Biological drivers of climate change -- Nature. Hurricanes ; Floods ; Drought ; Ecosystem resilience -- Minerals. Inorganic substances ; Toxic metals ; Asbestos ; Cyanide ; Surface mining ; Value -- Recalcitrance. The dirty dozen ; Agent Orange ; Lake Apopka ; James River ; Persistent wastes ; The Arctic disaster -- Radiation. Electromagnetic radiation ; Nuclear radiation ; Nuclear plants ; Nuclear power plant failure ; Is nuclear power worth the risks? ; Meltdown at Chernobyl ; The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster ; Three Mile Island nuclear accident ; Radioisotopes and radiation poisoning ; Carbon dating ; Nuclear waste disposal -- Invasions. The worst ; Sensitive habitats -- Products. Precaution ; Endocrine disruptors and hormonally active agents ; Antibiotics : superbugs and cross-resistance ; Organophosphates ; Scientific principles at work ; Milk and terrorism -- Unsustainability. Oil ; Phosphates ; Helium ; Platinum group metals ; Lithium ; Rare earth metals ; Other metals ; Biomass ; Methane ; Carbon dioxide -- Society. Justice ; Solid waste ; Food supply ; Vinyl chloride ; Food versus fuel ; Burning as a societal issue ; Risk trade-offs -- Future. Recommendations.