Summary
Extreme events (henceforth Xevents) occur in natural, technical and societal environments. They may be natural or anthropogenic in origin, or they can arise simply from “chance”. They often entail loss of life and/or materials. They usually occur “by surprise” and therefore often only become the focus of scientific attention after their onset. Knowledge of Xevents is often rather fragmentary, and recorded experience is limited. Indeed, scientists do not really understand what causes extreme events, how they develop, and when and where they occur. In addition, we are rarely able to cope with their consequences, due to lack of anticipation and preparedness. All this has motivated us, the editors of this volume, to bring together specialists from a variety of fields of expertise, all of whom have a common background in mathematics and physics. We asked them to write their views about Xevents. The result is the present book of essays that will (hopefully) enable the reader to unlock the mysteries surrounding Xevents.
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© 2006 Center for Frontier Sciences
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Jentsch, V., Kantz, H., Albeverio, S. (2006). Extreme Events: Magic, Mysteries, and Challenges. In: Albeverio, S., Jentsch, V., Kantz, H. (eds) Extreme Events in Nature and Society. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28611-X_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28611-X_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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