DOCSLIB.ORG

Atmospheric Sampling of Supertyphoon Mireille with NASA DC-8 Aircraft on September 27,1991, During PEM-West A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Atmospheric Sampling of Supertyphoon Mireille with NASA DC-8 Aircraft on September 27,1991, During PEM-West A UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works Title Atmospheric sampling of Supertyphoon Mireille with NASA DC-8 aircraft on September 27,1991, during PEM-West A Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3c03j813 Journal Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 101(D1) ISSN 2169-897X Authors Newell, RE Hu, W Wu, ZX et al. Publication Date 1996 DOI 10.1029/95JD01374 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 101,NO. D1, PAGES 1853-1871,JANUARY 20, 1996 Atmospheric sampling of SupertyphoonMireille with NASA DC-8 aircraft on September 27, 1991, during PEM-West A R. E. Newell,1 W. Hu,1 Z-X. Wu,1 Y. Zhu,1 H. Akimoto,2 B. E. Anderson,3 E. V. Browell,3 G. L. Gregory,3 G. W. Sachse,3 M. C. Shipham,3 A. S.Bachmeier, 4 A.R. Bandy, 5 D.C. Thornton,5 D. R. BlakefiF. S.Rowland, 6 J.D. Bradshaw,7 J. H. Crawford,7 D. D. Davis,7 S. T. Sandholm,7 W. Brockett,8 L. DeGreef,8 D. Lewis,8 D. McCormick,8 E. Monitz,8 J. E. CollinsJr., 9 B. G. Heikes,1ø J. T. Merrill,1ø K. K. Kelly,11 S.C. Liu,• 1 y. Kondo,12 M. Koike,12 C.-M. Liu, 13 F. Sakamaki,TM H. B. Singh,15 J. E. Dibb,16 and R. W. Talbot 16 Abstract. The DC-8 missionof September27, 1991,was designed to sampleair flowing intoTyphoon Mireille in theboundary layer, air in the uppertropospheric eye region, and air emergingfrom the typhoon and ahead of the system,also in the uppertroposphere. The objectivewas to find how a typhoonredistributes trace constituentsin the West Pacificregion and whether any suchredistribution is importanton the globalscale. The boundarylayer air (300 m), in a regionto the SE of the eye,contained low mixingratios of thetracer species 03, CO, C2H6, C2H2,C3H8, C6H6 and CS2 but high values of dimethylsulfide(DMS). The eye regionrelative to theboundary layer, showed somewhat elevatedlevels of CO, substantiallyincreased levels of 03, CS2 and all nonmethane hydrocarbons(NMHCs), andsomewhat reduced levels of DMS. Aheadof the eye,CO andthe NMHCs remainedunchanged, 03 and CS2 showeda modestdecrease, and DMS showed a substantial decrease. There was no evidence from lidar cross sections of ozone for the downwardentrainment of stratosphericair intothe eyeregion; these sections show thatlow ozonevalues were measured in thetroposphere. The DMS datasuggest sub- stantialentrainment of boundarylayer air intothe system,particularly into the eyewall region.Estimates of the DMS sulphurflux betweenthe boundarylayer and the freetro- posphere,based on computations of velocity potential and divergent winds, gave values ofabout 69 ggS m -2 d-•averaged over a 17.5øgrid square encompassing thetyphoon. A few hoursa•er samplingwith the DC-8, Mireille passedover Oki Island,just to the north of Japan,producing surface values of ozoneof 5.5 ppbv. These03 levelsare consistent withthe low troposphericvalues found by lidarand are more typical of equatorial regions.We suggestthat the central eye region may act like a Taylorcolumn which has movedpoleward from low latitudes.The high-altitudephotochemical environment withinTyphoon Mireille was found to be quiteactive as evidenced by significantlevels of measuredgas phase H202 andCH300H andmodel-computed levels of OH. 1Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, Cambridge. 9Scienceand Technology Corp., Hampton, Virginia. 2UniversityofTokyo, Japan. løUniversityof Rhode Island, Kingston. 3NASALangley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. I•NOAAAeronomy Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado. 4LockheedEngineering and Sciences, Co., Hampton, •2NagoyaUniversity, Nagoya, Japan. Virginia. •3NationalTaiwan University, Taipei. 5Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 14NationalInstitute for EnvironmentalStudies, Tsukuba, 6UniversityofCalifomia, Irvine. Japan. 7GeorgiaInstitute of Technology,Atlanta. •SNASAAmes Research Center, Moffett Field, Califomia. 8AmesScience and Applications Aircraft Division, NASA 16UniversityofNew Hampshire, Durham. Ames ResearchCenter, Moffett Field, Califomia. Copyright1996 by the AmericanGeophysical Union. 1. Introduction Papernumber 95JD01374. The Global TroposphericExperiment (GTE), 0148-0227/96/95JD-01374505.00 undertakenover the past decadeby the National 1853 1854 NEWELL ET AL: DC-8 SAMPLING OF TYPHOON MIREILLE ElI0 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175E N45 LEGEND 6-tIR BEST 'IRACK POSITION BESTTRACKTC-21W !'' SPEED OF MOV 'EMENT (KT) 13SEP- 28SEP 91 INTENSITY (KT) 4O POSITION AT XXAXX)0Z MAXSFC WIND 130KT .... !........... +++• : 281............ •'........... TROPICAL DISTURBANCE MINIMUMSLP 910MB 'IROPICAL DEPRESSION TROPICAL STORM 0ki TYPI lOON 35 SUP[]*, TYPIIOON END '::,::::............ ' .....:....... i................. :•................. EX'IRA'IROPICAL SUPERSUBTROPICALTYPIIOON START 10•.ß 2• : DISSIPATING STAGE ....':..:.". : "•'5i ':'": Isla .4.•.:::%• .. FIRST WARNING ISSUED 24 39• 85! LAST WARNING ISSUF_.D 3O 110, 115 115 :!'11 25 115 •.. .:. '11 ......... •:'Ke•ting 1 24 65 2O i:25 •7125 F- 16/00Z 15 ..•TC•A.......................... 20 19. 1817 16 *""7•øøo!ABpw t :.}':'':•'.. ':::"!25 15 /i øo ..•?.i ::;.::..:..:.i:130 10 • "'• .... ................................... .................... • : 130, i......... ......::..::7 85 [ .'..:.:.:.'...'" :•": " ß.. : i !. .: :..•.. 1251 N5 Figure 1. Trackof TyphoonMireille from September13-28, 1991 [fromRudolph and Guard,1992]. Positionsof groundstations Kenting and Oki Islandare noted. Aeronauticsand Space Administration,has carried out In the typhoon system,there is a substantiallateral atmosphericsampling in various regionsof the world. inflow of air in the lower troposphereto compensatefor Measurementsare used here from flights through a the risingconvective motions and outflow aloft, andthese typhoonduring the Pacific ExploratoryMission-West A quasi-horizontalflows are alsoimportant in redistributing (PEM-West A) NASA DC-8 deploymentto the western trace constituents. An opportunity to carry out an Pacific in September-October1991. The instrumentation experimentto checkthis redistributionwas presented when cardedon the DC-8 is describedby Hoe# et al. [thisissue] TyphoonMireille approachedan areato the southof Japan and the backgroundmeteorology by Bachmeieret al. [this which could be accessedfrom Tokyo. Air emeringthe issue]. Samplingwas plmmed in two separateseasons: one typhoonin the surfaceboundary layer, in the eye itself, toward the end of the summer monsoon and the other emergingfrom the eye and surroundingwall cloudregion toward the end of the winter monsoon. The summer in theupper troposphere, was sampled. monsoonof thetropical western Pacific always includes a TyphoonMireille was first notedon the weathermaps numberof typhoons;five occurredduring the 6 weeksof as a significant system on September13, 1991, when the first PEM-West deployment. The large-scale positionedat 12øN,172øE moving westward (see Figure 1) manifestation of atmosphericconvection that these [from Rudolph and Guard, 1992] and qualified as a typhoonsrepresent could be importantin the redistribution typhoon,with 1-min sustained winds exceeding 32 ms'l, of atmospherictrace constituents.In someprevious on September16 while at 15øN,157øE. By September22 discussionsof typhoons, there was debate as to whythe air it had turned toward the northwest and winds had increased mass in the eye was apparently different from the to 67 ms-1, qualifying Mireille as a "supertyphoon." After surroundingair mass.Bergeron [1954], referring to the September23, Mireille beganto slowly weaken,although work of others, noted that "The two air masses are its size, as measuredby the diameter of its outermost separatedby a boundaryzone which sometimeshas been closedisobar, continued to increase. On September26, taken for the tmpopauseitself, suckeddown from its Mireille turned northward, then northeastward,and made normal height.... " In Bergeron'sview, "It is more land in westernKyushu at about 0600 UT on September plausiblethat this boundary zone has been formed by a 27. Duringthe eveningof September27 it passedover the similarprocess within the troposphericair itself." In the Sea of Japan and gradually lost force, passing over presentexperiment, ozone, a goodstratospheric tracer, was northern Honshu and southern Hokkaido early on measured to test these ideas. September28. m ,. mm mmm m • II - q Plate 1. JapaneseGeostationary Meteorological satellite image for 0200 UT at time of DC-8 take-off (providedby first WeatherWing at YokotaAir Base). 37.00N ./ •27 00E 141.00E Fi•.r½ 2. Horizontal projectionof flight track, DC-8 measuredwinds, •nd •dditional commercial aircraft flight winds at 288 hPa (data from EuropeanCentre for Medium-RangeWeather Forecasts (ECMWF)files) for September27, 1991. Flag,25 ms-l;a full bar,5 ms-l;a halfbar, 2.5 ms-1. Time interval between DC-8 winds is 10 min. 1856 NEWELL ET AL' DC-8 SAMPLING OF TYPHOON MIREILLE 12 10 Plate 2. Three-dimensionalprojection of DC-8 flight. 27.90N I 3:15 3:10 2:50 2:42 26.70N 135.30E 136.80E Figure3. Intensivesurvey DC-8 flight mutes and winds for September 27,1991. Flag, 25 ms'l; a full bar,5 ms'l;a halfbar, 2.5 ms'] . (a) Boundarylayer inflow region, 300 m. Timeinterval between DC-8 windsis 1 min. (b) Eye region,11360 m. Time intervalbetween DC-8 windsis 1 min. (c) Outflow region(circles are mdiosondewinds at 200 hPa), 11200m. Time intervalbetween DC-8 windsis 2 min. NEWELL ET AL' DC-8 SAMPLING OF TYPHOON MIREILLE ! 857 32.80N 5:: 13 5: 5:30 :1o .:57 31.70N I 128.40E 129.70E 37.00N / : 7:10 7:14 •_•_•-•-- ---•- -
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Typhoon Neoguri Disaster Risk Reduction Situation Report1 DRR Sitrep 2014‐001 ‐ Updated July 8, 2014, 10:00 CET
    Typhoon Neoguri Disaster Risk Reduction Situation Report1 DRR sitrep 2014‐001 ‐ updated July 8, 2014, 10:00 CET Summary Report Ongoing typhoon situation The storm had lost strength early Tuesday July 8, going from the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane to a Category 3 on the Saffir‐Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which means devastating damage is expected to occur, with major damage to well‐built framed homes, snapped or uprooted trees and power outages. It is approaching Okinawa, Japan, and is moving northwest towards South Korea and the Philippines, bringing strong winds, flooding rainfall and inundating storm surge. Typhoon Neoguri is a once‐in‐a‐decade storm and Japanese authorities have extended their highest storm alert to Okinawa's main island. The Global Assessment Report (GAR) 2013 ranked Japan as first among countries in the world for both annual and maximum potential losses due to cyclones. It is calculated that Japan loses on average up to $45.9 Billion due to cyclonic winds every year and that it can lose a probable maximum loss of $547 Billion.2 What are the most devastating cyclones to hit Okinawa in recent memory? There have been 12 damaging cyclones to hit Okinawa since 1945. Sustaining winds of 81.6 knots (151 kph), Typhoon “Winnie” caused damages of $5.8 million in August 1997. Typhoon "Bart", which hit Okinawa in October 1999 caused damages of $5.7 million. It sustained winds of 126 knots (233 kph). The most damaging cyclone to hit Japan was Super Typhoon Nida (reaching a peak intensity of 260 kph), which struck Japan in 2004 killing 287 affecting 329,556 people injuring 1,483, and causing damages amounting to $15 Billion.
    [Show full text]
  • Sigma 1/2008
    sigma No 1/2008 Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2007: high losses in Europe 3 Summary 5 Overview of catastrophes in 2007 9 Increasing flood losses 16 Indices for the transfer of insurance risks 20 Tables for reporting year 2007 40 Tables on the major losses 1970–2007 42 Terms and selection criteria Published by: Swiss Reinsurance Company Economic Research & Consulting P.O. Box 8022 Zurich Switzerland Telephone +41 43 285 2551 Fax +41 43 285 4749 E-mail: [email protected] New York Office: 55 East 52nd Street 40th Floor New York, NY 10055 Telephone +1 212 317 5135 Fax +1 212 317 5455 The editorial deadline for this study was 22 January 2008. Hong Kong Office: 18 Harbour Road, Wanchai sigma is available in German (original lan- Central Plaza, 61st Floor guage), English, French, Italian, Spanish, Hong Kong, SAR Chinese and Japanese. Telephone +852 2582 5691 sigma is available on Swiss Re’s website: Fax +852 2511 6603 www.swissre.com/sigma Authors: The internet version may contain slightly Rudolf Enz updated information. Telephone +41 43 285 2239 Translations: Kurt Karl (Chapter on indices) CLS Communication Telephone +41 212 317 5564 Graphic design and production: Jens Mehlhorn (Chapter on floods) Swiss Re Logistics/Media Production Telephone +41 43 285 4304 © 2008 Susanna Schwarz Swiss Reinsurance Company Telephone +41 43 285 5406 All rights reserved. sigma co-editor: The entire content of this sigma edition is Brian Rogers subject to copyright with all rights reserved. Telephone +41 43 285 2733 The information may be used for private or internal purposes, provided that any Managing editor: copyright or other proprietary notices are Thomas Hess, Head of Economic Research not removed.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded 09/24/21 02:19 PM UTC 1092 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW VOLUME 126
    APRIL 1998 NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE 1091 Statistical Analysis of the Characteristics of Severe Typhoons Hitting the Japanese Main Islands TAKESHI FUJII General Education and Research Center, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan 5 May 1997 and 19 July 1997 ABSTRACT Characteristics of 51 severe typhoons hitting the Japanese main islands with central pressure equal to or less than 980 hPa during the period 1955±94 were analyzed by an objective method using hourly station observation during typhoon passages. Position of a typhoon center, central pressure depth Dp, and radius of the maximum wind rm, were obtained at hourly intervals after landfall on the main islands of Japan. The pressure pro®le of severe typhoons used in this analysis was chosen from formulas presented in previous papers, namely the same as one used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for hurricanes hitting Florida. Coastlines of the main islands were divided into three sections: areas A, B, and C extending from west to east. Statistical analyses of parameters were made for each area. At time of landfall, the maximum value of Dp was 83.2 hPa for area A, 85.2 hPa for area B, and 47.8 hPa for area C. The differences in return period of Dp among areas are considered to be caused by the SST distribution off the Paci®c coast. On average, typhoons making landfall in area C have larger rm and speed, and display a more eastward component of translation than those in the other two areas. The differences of speed and direction among areas and months can be explained to be caused by variation of the synoptic-scale air current at the 500-hPa level.
    [Show full text]
  • Tropical Cyclones in 1991
    ROYAL OBSERVATORY HONG KONG TROPICAL CYCLONES IN 1991 CROWN COPYRIGHT RESERVED Published March 1993 Prepared by Royal Observatory 134A Nathan Road Kowloon Hong Kong Permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be obtained through the Royal Observatory This publication is prepared and disseminated in the interest of promoting the exchange of information. The Government of Hong Kong (including its servants and agents) makes no warranty, statement or representation, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information contained herein, and in so far as permitted by law, shall not have any legal liability or responsibility (including liability for negligence) for any loss, damage or injury (including death) which may result whether directly or indirectly, from the supply or use of such information. This publication is available from: Government Publications Centre General Post Office Building Ground Floor Connaught Place Hong Kong 551.515.2:551.506.1 (512.317) 3 CONTENTS Page FRONTISPIECE: Tracks of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in 1991 FIGURES 4 TABLES 5 HONG KONG'S TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS 6 1. INTRODUCTION 7 2. TROPICAL CYCLONE OVERVIEW FOR 1991 11 3. REPORTS ON TROPICAL CYCLONES AFFECTING HONG KONG IN 1991 19 (a) Typhoon Zeke (9106): 9-14 July 20 (b) Typhoon Amy (9107): 16-19 July 24 (c) Severe Tropical Storm Brendan (9108): 20-24 July 28 (d) Typhoon Fred (9111): 13-l8 August 34 (e) Severe Tropical Storm Joel (9116): 3-7 September 40 (f) Typhoon Nat (9120): 16 September-2 October 44 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Catastrophes and Man-Made Disasters in 2013
    No 1/2014 Natural catastrophes and 01 Executive summary 02 Catastrophes in 2013 – man-made disasters in 2013: global overview large losses from floods and 07 Regional overview 15 Fostering climate hail; Haiyan hits the Philippines change resilience 25 Tables for reporting year 2013 45 Terms and selection criteria Executive summary Almost 26 000 people died in disasters In 2013, there were 308 disaster events, of which 150 were natural catastrophes in 2013. and 158 man-made. Almost 26 000 people lost their lives or went missing in the disasters. Typhoon Haiyan was the biggest Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013, one of the strongest humanitarian catastrophe of the year. typhoons ever recorded worldwide. It killed around 7 500 people and left more than 4 million homeless. Haiyan was the largest humanitarian catastrophe of 2013. Next most extreme in terms of human cost was the June flooding in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India, in which around 6 000 died. Economic losses from catastrophes The total economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters were worldwide were USD 140 billion in around USD 140 billion last year. That was down from USD 196 billion in 2012 2013. Asia had the highest losses. and well below the inflation-adjusted 10-year average of USD 190 billion. Asia was hardest hit, with the cyclones in the Pacific generating most economic losses. Weather events in North America and Europe caused most of the remainder. Insured losses amounted to USD 45 Insured losses were roughly USD 45 billion, down from USD 81 billion in 2012 and billion, driven by flooding and other below the inflation-adjusted average of USD 61 billion for the previous 10 years, weather-related events.
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Extreme Wind Events and Damage Assessment in Japan
    125 Recent Extreme Wind Events and Damage Assessment in Japan Junji MAEDA Division of Architecture and Urban Design, Kyushu University 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan e-mail: [email protected] Abstract In Japan, natural disasters that threaten the living environment of developed urban areas include typhoons and tornadoes, as well as earthquakes. The change of urban form that has occurred with the vertical development of buildings for the past 30 years has brought about new wind damage situations, and the damage caused by Typhoon Mireille in 1991 highlighted the need for new wind-resistant measures. In addition, there is growing concern about the destructive damage caused by recent extreme winds accompanying tornadoes in residential areas and around public facilities. Even if the area damaged is not so large, the sudden occurrence of tornadoes has sometimes caused serious destruction and many casualties within some districts. The wind-induced damage which occurred from 2005 to 2006 as the result of tornadoes led to operation of a new tornado advisory system. Some measures have recently been taken to reduce damage caused by wind-borne debris, which is continuously generated under extreme winds. This report describes recent extreme wind-induced damage in Japan and discusses some features of the damage. Although the damaged objects were mainly buildings and structures, an accident involving a railcar and another involving temporary construction are also noted. Key words: extreme-wind residential damage rate, tornado events, typhoon events, wind-induced structural damage, wind-induced loss, windy typhoons 1. Introduction – Features of Extreme Wind typhoons have decreased by more than 90% as com- Disasters in Japan pared to those of the 1970s, as shown in Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating the Impacts of Extratropical Transitioning on Typhoon Losses Via
    P1.35 EVALUATING THE IMPAC TS OF EXTRATROPICAL TRA NSITIONING ON TYPHOON LOSSES VIA SYNOPTIC CASE STUDIES Peter J. Sousounis* and Mélicie Desflots AIR Worldwide Corporation, Boston, MA 1. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY The significance of this high frequency is illustrated in Fig. 3, which is adapted from Klein The frequency of Extratropical Transitioning (2000) who noted that extratropical transitioning (XTT) in the Northwest Pacific Basin is well is characterized by a growth in the asymmetry known. Extratropical Transitioning frequency or and the size of the circulation and associated its significance near Japan however is less well- cloud and precipitation shields. The asymmetry documented but likely significant. For example, results from the presence of baroclinicity, which according to the General Insurance Association is typically found at higher latitudes and / or at of Japan (GIAJ), 9 of the top 10 greatest later times of the year. meteorological insured losses in Japan’s history have occurred from typhoons that have The economic impacts of XTT in Japan can undergone XTT within 500 km of Japan’s Coast be dramatic. Buildings and owners in middle and (cf. Fig. 1). While the storm track information in high latitudes and well inland may be less well Fig. 1 by itself is not conclusive, it is possible that prepared for storm-force winds and heavy the XTT process contributed to enhanced precipitation. Whether due to building codes that damage - especially since the process typically are less strict, a lack of evacuation strategies and begins 24-48 hours before the Japanese emergency preparedness, or poor forecasting, a Meteorological Agency (JMA) indicates transitioned storm can have serious impacts.
    [Show full text]
  • Quantitative Estimation of Strong Winds in an Urban District During Typhoon Jebi (2018) by Merging Mesoscale Meteorological and Large-Eddy Simulations
    22 SOLA, 2019, Vol. 15, 22−27, doi:10.2151/sola.2019-005 Quantitative Estimation of Strong Winds in an Urban District during Typhoon Jebi (2018) by Merging Mesoscale Meteorological and Large-Eddy Simulations Tetsuya Takemi, Toshiya Yoshida, Shota Yamasaki, and Kentaro Hase Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Uji, Japan of strong winds by Typhoon Jebi. Abstract Buildings and structures in urban areas affect most sig- nificantly the magnitude of wind gustiness. Kato et al. (1992) An intense tropical cyclone, Typhoon Jebi (2018), landed the demonstrated that gust factors during typhoons exceed 2 within central part of Japan and caused severe damages. Quantitative the urban canopy from measurements in Tokyo and Yokohama. assessment of strong winds in urban districts under typhoon By combining mesoscale meteorological and large eddy simula- conditions is important to understand the underlying risks. As a tion (LES) models, Nakayama et al. (2012) successfully estimated preliminary study, we investigate the influences of densely built the instantaneous wind speeds with gust factors exceeding 2 in a urban environments on the occurrence of wind gusts in an urban business district of Tokyo during a typhoon landfall. As indicated district of Osaka City during Typhoon Jebi by merging mesoscale in Yoshida et al. (2018) and Yoshida and Takemi (2018), the meteorological and building-resolving large-eddy simulations variability of wind speed become more significant with a larger (LES). With the successful reproduction of the track and intensity variability of building height. These studies suggest that densely of the typhoon in meteorological simulations, the simulated winds built urban districts would be susceptible to typhoon-induced at the boundary-layer top of the LES model are used to quantita- stronger winds than previously thought from the past experiences tively estimate the wind gusts in the urban district.
    [Show full text]
  • Swiss Re Sigma Study: 2003 Catastrophes Claim 60,000 Lives, While Causing USD 18.5 Billion in Insured Losses
    Media release ab Swiss Re sigma study: 2003 catastrophes claim 60,000 lives, while causing USD 18.5 billion in insured losses Contact: Zurich, 3 March 2004 – According to updated figures from Aurelia Zanetti, Zurich Swiss Re, 60,000 people worldwide were killed by natural and Telephone + 41 43 285 2544 man-made catastrophes in 2003. Over two thirds of these were Thomas Holzheu, New York Telephone + 1 212 317 5190 the victims of earthquakes. According to the latest sigma report Clarence Wong, Hong Kong published today, overall economic losses from catastrophes in Telephone + 852 2582 5644 2003 amounted to an estimated USD 70 billion. Property Group Media Relations, Zurich insurers across the globe had to contend with losses of some Telephone +41 43 285 7171 USD 18.5 billion. Swiss Reinsurance Company Mythenquai 50/60 P.O. Box There were 380 catastrophes registered in 2003 in which almost CH-8022 Zurich 60,000 people lost their lives. The number of fatalities has risen Telephone +41 43 285 2121 substantially from when sigma published preliminary figures at the Fax +41 43 285 2999 end of last year and is now considered the seventh highest in over 30 www.swissre.com years. The most tragic disaster in terms of loss of life was the Decem- ber earthquake in the Iranian city of Bam in which 41,000 people were killed. Globally, the earthquake was the fourth largest in terms of victims since 1970. In addition the earthquake which hit the region of Boumerdès in Northern Algeria during May claimed the lives of 2260 victims.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change and Wind-Related Disaster Risk Reduction (WRDRR)
    Climate Change and Wind-Related Disaster Risk Reduction Yukio Tamura a and Shuyang Cao b a Tokyo Polytechnic University, Iiyama, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan b Tongji University, Siping Rd, Shanghai, China ABSTRACT: This paper discusses wind characteristics, wind-induced damage to buildings, and the recent trend of wind-related disasters. Special features of wind-induce damage such as coherent phenomena and damage chain, the role of wind-borne debris developing damage are also discussed. Then, some discussions on climate change problems are introduced. Finally, the necessity for collaboration among multiple academic associations for different natural disasters and among academic societies and non-academic organizations working on disaster risk reduction are emphasized, and the launch of the International Group for Wind-related Disaster Risk Reduction (IG-WRDRR) under the umbrella of the UN/ISDR and its activities are introduced. KEYWORDS: Wind-induced Damage, Tropical Cyclone, Tornado, International Cooperation, Wind-related Disaster, Disaster Risk Reduction 1 INTRODUCTION Katsura et al. (1992) reported that 80% of the 63 fatalities due to Typhoon Mireille, which struck Japan in 1991, were male, and more than 70% were over 60 years old. The causes of death were 31% blown by wind, 30% caught under collapsed or blown obstacles, and 23% hit by wind-borne debris. Fukumasa (1992) reported interesting statistics on the number of fatalities in Japan due to 114 typhoons in the 40 years from 1951 to 1990. The number of fatalities significantly reduced in more recent years, and this might be attributed to improved wind resistant design and construction technologies and also to development and improvement of weather forecasting methods and information transferring technologies.
    [Show full text]
  • FROM BACKGROUND to FRONT Catastrophe Modelling – a Quick Tour
    FROM BACKGROUND TO FRONT Catastrophe Modelling – a quick tour Lawrence Cheng Peak Re May, 2015 Colour palette for PowerPoint Primarypresentations colour palette Dark blue R17 G52 B88 Gold R217 G171 B22 Outline Mid blue R64 G150 B184 Light grey R220 G221 B217 • Why do we need Catastrophe Model? Secondary colour palette Dark grey • Evolution of Catastrophe Models R63 G69 B72 Pea green R121 G163 B42 • How to build a Catastrophe Model Forest green R0 G132 B82 • Risk Management Bottle green R17 G179 B162 Cyan R0 G156 B200 Light blue R124 G179 B225 Violet R128 G118 B207 Purple R143 G70 B147 Fuscia R233 G69 B140 Red R200 G30 B69 Orange 2 R238 G116 29 Colour palette for PowerPoint Primarypresentations colour palette Dark blue R17 G52 B88 Gold R217 G171 B22 Why do we need Catastrophe Model? Mid blue R64 G150 B184 Light grey R220 G221 B217 Secondary colour palette Dark grey R63 G69 B72 Pea green R121 G163 B42 Forest green R0 G132 B82 Bottle green R17 G179 B162 Cyan R0 G156 B200 Light blue R124 G179 B225 Violet R128 G118 B207 Purple R143 G70 B147 Fuscia R233 G69 B140 Red https://www.opendemocracy.net/wataru-sawamura/japan-earthquake-and-media R200 G30 B69 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/03/japan-earthquake-2-years-later-before-and-after/100469/ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-30-powerful-images-1439673 Orange http://www.coastal.jp/tsunami2011/index.php?Field%20survey%20results http://yonasu.com/landslide-caused-by-earthquake-in-japan/ 3 R238 G116 29 http://coastalcare.org/2011/04/japan-quake-caused-surprisingly-severe-soil-collapse/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster Colour palette for PowerPoint Primarypresentations colour palette Dark blue R17 G52 B88 Gold R217 G171 B22 What are Catastrophes? Mid blue R64 G150 B184 Light grey R220 G221 B217 • Infrequent events that cause severe loss, injury or Secondary colour palette property damage to a large population of exposure.
    [Show full text]
  • Fact Book 2006- 2007
    The Insurance Information Institute IN T E R N AT I O N A L INSURANCE FACT BOOK 2006- 2007 To the Reader In response to the globalization of the insurance business and the need for readily available data on world insurance, the Insurance Information Institute has developed a Fact Book for interna- tional insurance statistics. We could not have undertaken this project without help from many organizations that collect international insurance data. We are especially grateful for the generous assistance of Axco Insurance Information Services (http://www.axcoinfo.com), a London-based insurance information service, and Swiss Re (http://www.swissre.com), which publishes the international research jour- nal, sigma. The information included, which covers some 90 countries, comes from a variety of other sources as well. We have attempted to standardize the information as much as possible. The updated book is presented each year at the annual meeting of the International Insurance Society (http://www.iisonline.org). We hope you find this Fact Book useful. Gordon Stewart, President Insurance Information Institute 110 William Street New York, NY 10038 212-346-5500 http://www.iii.org I.I.I. International Insurance Fact Book 2006-07 www.internationalinsurance.org World Overview WORLD LIFE AND NONLIFE INSURANCE PREMIUMS, 1995-2004 (Direct premiums written, U.S. $ millions) Year Nonlife1 Life Total 1995 $906,781 $1,236,627 $2,143,408 1996 909,100 1,196,736 2,105,838 1997 896,873 1,231,798 2,128,671 1998 891,352 1,275,053 2,166,405 1999 912,749 1,424,203 2,336,952 2000 926,503 1,518,401 2,444,904 2001 969,945 1,445,776 2,415,720 2002 1,098,412 1,534,061 2,632,473 2003 1,275,616 1,682,743 2,958,359 2004 1,395,218 1,848,688 3,243,906 1Includes accident and health insurance.
    [Show full text]