Risk management framework of environmental hazards and extremes in Mediterranean ecosystems
2021
Abstract. Risk assessment constitutes the first part within the risk management
framework and involves evaluating the importance of a risk, either quantitatively or qualitatively. Risk assessment consists of three steps,
namely risk identification, risk estimation and risk evaluation.
Nevertheless, the risk management framework also includes a fourth step,
i.e., the need for feedback on all the risk assessment undertakings.
However, there is a lack of such feedback, which constitutes a serious
deficiency in the reduction of environmental hazards at the present time.
Risk identification of local or regional hazards involves hazard quantification, event monitoring including early warning systems and
statistical inference. Risk identification also involves the development of
a database where historical hazard information and hazard effects are
included. Similarly, risk estimation involves magnitude–frequency relationships and hazard economic costs. Furthermore, risk evaluation consists of the social consequences of the derived risk and involves
cost-benefit analysis and community policy. The objective of this review
paper is twofold. On the one hand, it is to address meteorological hazards and
extremes within the risk management framework. Analysis results and case
studies over Mediterranean ecosystems with emphasis on the wider area of
Greece, in the eastern Mediterranean, are presented for each of the three
steps of risk assessment for several environmental hazards. The results
indicate that the risk management framework constitutes an integrated
approach for environmental planning and decision-making. On the other hand,
it sheds light on advances and current trends in the considered meteorological and environmental hazards and extreme events, such as
tornadoes, waterspouts, hailstorms, heat waves, droughts, floods, heavy
convective precipitation, landslides and wildfires, using recorded datasets,
model simulations and innovative methodologies.
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