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 land form changes and have lasting influences on both island evolution and on the lives of the Islanders.