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An often-overlooked question of the biodiversity crisis is how natural hazards contribute to species extinction risk. To address this issue, we explored how four natural hazards, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, overlapped with the distribution ranges of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles that have either narrow distributions or populations with few mature individuals. To assess which species are at risk from these natural hazards, we combined the frequency and magnitude of each natural hazard to estimate their impact. We considered species at risk if they overlapped with regions where any of the four natural hazards historically occurred (n = 3,722). Those species with at least a quarter of their range subjected to a high relative impact were considered at high risk (n = 2,001) of extinction due to natural hazards. In total, 834 reptiles, 617 amphibians, 302 birds, and 248 mammals were at high risk and they were mainly distributed on islands and in the tropics. Hurricanes (n = 983) and earthquakes (n = 868) affected most species, while tsunamis (n = 272), and volcanoes (n = 171) affected considerably fewer. The region with the highest number of species at high risk was the Pacific Ring of Fire, especially due to volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, while hurricane-related high-risk species were concentrated in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and northwestern Pacific Ocean. Our study provides important information regarding the species at risk due to natural hazards and can help guide conservation attention and efforts to safeguard their survival.

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In this study, local tsunami hazard due to seismic sources is evaluated in a stochastic framework. Several assumptions such as static passive generation, constant rake angle and source centroid (among others) are relaxed. Spatial uncertainties are modeled in a large set of scenarios. The proposed methodology is easy to implement and can be combined with other types of sources or hazards. Application in the Kuril-Kamchatkah trench shows a straightforward use of our methodology, producing simple hazard maps, which can be replicated in any region of the world.

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Tsunamis are natural phenomena that, although occasional, can have large impacts on coastal environments and settlements, especially in terms of loss of life. An accurate, detailed and timely assessment of the hazard is essential as input for mitigation strategies both in the long term and during emergencies. This goal is compounded by the high computational cost of simulating an adequate number of scenarios to make robust assessments. To reduce this handicap, alternative methods could be used. Here, an enhanced method for estimating tsunami time series using a one-dimensional convolutional neural network model (1D CNN) is considered. While the use of deep learning for this problem is not new, most of existing research has focused on assessing the capability of a network to reproduce inundation metrics extrema. However, for the context of Tsunami Early Warning, it is equally relevant to assess whether the networks can accurately predict whether inundation would occur or not, and its time series if it does. Hence, a set of 6776 scenarios with magnitudes in the range [Formula: see text] 8.0-9.2 were used to design several 1D CNN models at two bays that have different hydrodynamic behavior, that would use as input inexpensive low-resolution numerical modeling of tsunami propagation to predict inundation time series at pinpoint locations. In addition, different configuration parameters were also analyzed to outline a methodology for model testing and design, that could be applied elsewhere. The results show that the network models are capable of reproducing inundation time series well, either for small or large flow depths, but also when no inundation was forecast, with minimal instances of false alarms or missed alarms. To further assess the performance, the model was tested with two past tsunamis and compared with actual inundation metrics. The results obtained are promising, and the proposed model could become a reliable alternative for the calculation of tsunami intensity measures in a faster than real time manner. This could complement existing early warning system, by means of an approximate and fast procedure that could allow simulating a larger number of scenarios within the always restricting time frame of tsunami emergencies.

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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in abiotic samples from Concepción Bay in Central Chile. Samples were soxhlet extracted and injected in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) showed the highest levels in air (3-1100 pg m-3), in water (2-64 pg L-1), in sediment, and soil (1-78 ng g-1 (dw)). PAHs were also high in the air (1-6 ng m-3), in water (1-7 ng L-1), in sediment (90-300 ng g-1 (dw)), and in soil (15-2300 ng g-1 (dw)). The polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides were generally low and did not show clear trends along the water column, with exception of PAHs. New data are presented in this work to assess the health status of a relevant coastal area in central Chile.

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Aquatic ecosystems are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. However, it remains unclear how the microbiome responds to press disturbance events in these ecosystems. We examined the impact of the world's largest mining disaster (Brazil, 2015) on sediment microbiomes in two disturbed rivers compared to an undisturbed river during 390 days post-disturbance. The diversity and structure of the virulome and microbiome, and of antibiotic and metal resistomes, consistently differed between the disturbed and undisturbed rivers, particularly at day 7 post-disturbance. 684 different ARGs were predicted, 38% were exclusive to the disturbed rivers. Critical antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), e.g., mcr and ereA2, were significantly more common in the disturbed microbiomes. 401 different ARGs were associated with mobile genetic elements (MGEs), 95% occurred in the disturbed rivers. While plasmids were the most common MGEs with a broad spectrum of ARGs, spanning 16 antibiotic classes, integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) and integrons disseminated ARGs associated with aminoglycoside and tetracycline, and aminoglycoside and beta-lactam, respectively. A significant increase in the relative abundance of class 1 integrons, ICEs, and pathogens was identified at day 7 in the disturbed microbiomes, 72-, 14- and 3- fold higher, respectively, compared with the undisturbed river. Mobile ARGs associated with ESKAPEE group pathogens, while metal resistance genes and virulence factor genes in nonpathogenic hosts predominated in all microbiomes. Network analysis showed highly interconnected ARGs in the disturbed communities, including genes targeting antibiotics of last resort. Interactions between copper and beta-lactam/aminoglycoside/macrolide resistance genes, mostly mobile and critical, were also uncovered. We conclude that the mud tsunami resulted in resistome expansion, enrichment of pathogens, and increases in promiscuous and mobile ARGs. From a One Health perspective, mining companies need to move toward more environmentally friendly and socially responsible mining practices to reduce risks associated with pathogens and critical and mobile ARGs.

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Tsunamis and hurricanes are two earth surface processes that can dramatically impact coastal landforms and ecosystems. This study uses a combination of palynological, grain-size, X-ray fluorescence, and loss-on-ignition analyses, short-lived isotopic and radiocarbon dating, and statistical analysis to differentiate the tsunami and hurricane deposits, establish a Late-Holocene record of extreme events, and document the landscape and vegetation transformation in response to disturbance events and environmental changes from a small coastal lagoon in Baja California, Mexico. Prior to ~530 cal yr BP, Playa Los Cocos was occupied by a short-hydroperiod tidal marsh bounded by desert vegetation on the surrounding hillslopes. At ~530 cal yr BP, a tsunami created a backbarrier lagoon and introduced mangrove propagules from other coastal localities, and the lagoonal environment and substrates also provided suitable habitats for red mangroves to proliferate. Once established, red mangrove populations rapidly expanded until ~180 cal yr BP, when modern human activities diminished the mangrove forest in our study area. Overall, the multi-proxy dataset revealed four hurricane events at ~770, ~600, ~280, and ~0 cal yr BP, and one tsunami event at ~530 cal yr BP. The hurricane deposits were preserved in the form of fluvial and slope-wash deposits characterized by low organic and water contents, low concentration of marine elements, and high concentration of terrestrial elements. The tsunami run-up deposits are characterized by abundant broken and intact sea shells, high content of carbonate and marine elements, low concentration of terrestrial elements, and sharp basal contact with the underlying sediments. The tsunami backwash deposits are characterized by a mixed physical and chemical signature resembling both marine and terrestrial sediments. Results also suggest that both hurricanes and tsunamis can help propagule dispersal and create suitable coastal habitats favorable for the spread and proliferation of mangroves in a desert coastal environment.

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On 27 February 2010, Chile experienced one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history. The study aimed to evaluate post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in children and adolescents 12 months (T1) and 24 months (T2) after the earthquake and tsunamis in Chile in 2010. Three hundred twenty-five children and adolescents (47.4% girls; 52.6% boys) between the ages of 10 and 16 years participated in the study. The instruments included the Revised Post-traumatic Growth Inventory for Children by Kilmer et al., the Childhood PTSD Scale by Foa et al. and the Rumination Scale for Children by Cryder et al., as well as a scale to assess the severity of the event and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The PTSS and PTG scores decreased at T2. In addition, the main predictors of PTSS and PTG were disruptive experiences, losses after the event and intrusive and deliberate rumination during the previous year. These results enhance understanding of factors related to PTG, improve the ability to predict PTSS and PTG in children and adolescents following natural disasters, and inform the design of intervention strategies to promote better mental health in those affected.

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Robust empirical evidence supports the idea that embryonic and, more generally, intrauterine disruptions induced by the 1918-flu pandemic had long-term consequences on adult health status and other conditions. In this paper we assess the 1918-flu long-term effects not just of in utero exposure but also during infancy and early childhood. A unique set of events that took place in Puerto Rico during 1918-1919 generated conditions of a "double quasi-natural experiment". We exploit these conditions to empirically identify effects of exposure to the 1918 flu pandemic and those of the devastation left by an earthquake-tsunami that struck the island in 1918. Because the earthquake-tsunami affected mostly the Western coast of the island whereas early (in utero and postnatal) exposure to the flu was restricted to those born in the interval 1917-1920, we use geographic variation to identify the effects of the quake and timing of birth variation to identify those of the flu. We benefit from availability of information on markers of nutritional status in a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 75 and older in 2002. We make two contributions. First, unlike most fetal-origins research that singles out early nutritional status as a determinant of adult health, we hypothesize that the 1918 flu damaged the nutritional status of adult survivors who, at the time of the flu, were in utero or infants. Second, we target markers of nutritional status largely set when the adult survivors were infants and young children. Estimates of effects of the pandemic are quite large mostly among females and those who were exposed to the earthquake-tsunami. Impacts of the flu in areas less affected by the earthquake are smaller but do vary by area flu severity. These findings constitute empirical evidence supporting the conjecture that effects of the 1918 flu and/or the earthquake are associated not just with disruption experienced during the fetal period but also postnatally.

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Risk perception has been largely examined in studies that have aimed to explain and predict preparedness behavior in the context of natural hazards. Findings from studies on the relationship between previous experience, preparedness, and risk perception in disaster situations have been inconsistent. Hence, the main goal of this work was to explore the influence of physical and emotional experience on risk perception regarding natural hazards. This study was conducted in a statistically representative sample of the city of Iquique, in northern Chile (n = 701), who completed a survey one month after the occurrence of an earthquake and tsunami (8.2 Mw). The survey assessed the experience and preparation actions of survivors in relation to this event. Using a structural equation model, we examined nine proposed relationships, six of which were significant. The final model had an adequate fit (χ² = 752.23, df = 283, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.90, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.049). Direct experience showed the greatest influence on risk perception: while direct physical experience (i.e., the physical and material consequences associated with the earthquake) maintained a direct positive effect on risk perception, direct emotional experience (i.e., the fear of experiencing an earthquake) produced an indirect positive effect (through worry). Emotional experience, however, did not directly influence current preparedness and risk perception. Implications for understanding the relationship between risk perception and direct experience are discussed.

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Studies on disturbance events in riverine systems caused by environmental disasters and their effects on microbial diversity are scarce. Here, we evaluated the impact of the collapse of an iron ore dam holding approximately 50 million cubic meters of waste on both water and sediment microbiomes by deeply sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Samples were taken from two impacted rivers and one reference river 7, 30 and 150 days postdisturbance. The impacted community structure changed greatly over spatiotemporal scales, being less diverse and more uneven, particularly on day 7 for the do Carmo River (the closest to the dam). However, the reference community structure remained similar between sampling events. Moreover, the impacted sediments were positively correlated with metals. The taxa abundance varied greatly over spatiotemporal scales, allowing for the identification of several potential bioindicators, e.g., Comamonadaceae, Novosphingobium, Sediminibacterium and Bacteriovorax. Our results showed that the impacted communities consisted mostly of Fe(II) oxidizers and Fe(III) reducers, aromatic compound degraders and predator bacteria. Network analysis showed a highly interconnected microbiome whose interactions switched from positive to negative or vice versa between the impacted and reference communities. This work revealed potential molecular signatures associated with the rivers heavily impacted by metals that might be useful sentinels for predicting riverine health.

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Urban planning can serve to minimise the effects of a tsunami and enhance community resilience. This study explores to what extent urban planning has addressed tsunami resilience in four villages on Chile's South Pacific coast, each of which was struck by tsunamis in 1960, 2010, and 2015. Through a detailed policy review and semi-structured interviews with residents, this paper analyses whether tsunami mitigation policies were incorporated into regional and local planning tools. It finds that although the government proposed relocation to tsunami-safe areas after the tsunami of 1960, urban development continued mainly in tsunami inundation zones-in the context of weak local planning frameworks and in the absence of community participation. In only one of the four case studies did participatory planning bring about the relocation of an entire village to a safe location. This paper concludes that incorporating participatory risk zone planning into urban planning enhances tsunami resilience.

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El documento contiene una propuesta de un escenario ante un evento extraordinario para reflexionar sobre los probables daños que podrían generarse si es que no se inician con la implementación de las medidas de reducción del riesgo y de coordinación para la probable emergencia entre los tomadores de decisión y los representantes de los sectores involucrados en el marco del Sistema Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (SINAGERD) para el mediano y largo plazo a nivel local distrital y provincial.

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Earthquake/tsunamis can have profound impacts on species and their genetic patterns. It is expected that the magnitude of this impact might depend on the species and the time since the disturbance occurs, nevertheless these assumptions remain mostly unexplored. Here we studied the genetic responses of the crustacean species Emerita analoga, Excirolana hirsuticauda, and Orchestoidea tuberculata to the 27F mega-earthquake/tsunami that occurred in Chile in February 2010. mtDNA sequence analyses revealed a lower haplotype diversity for E. analoga and E. hirsuticauda in impacted areas one month after the 27F, and the opposite for O. tuberculata. Three years after the 27F we observed a recovery in the genetic diversity of E. analoga and E. hirsuticauda and decrease in the genetic diversity in O. tuberculata in 2/3 of sampled areas. Emerita analoga displayed decrease of genetic differentiation and increase in gene flow explained by long-range population expansion. The other two species revealed slight increase in the number of genetic groups, little change in gene flow and no signal of population expansion associated to adult survival, rapid colonization, and capacity to burrow in the sand. Our results reveal that species response to a same disturbance event could be extremely diverse and depending on life-history traits and the magnitude of the effect.

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El documento contiene una evaluación de las zonas del territorio nacional que son susceptibles a inundaciones por consecuencias de tsunamis, identificando en estas áreas si existen establecimientos de salud que sean expuestos ante un peligro inminente de inundación. Como resultado, se han identificado 58 establecimientos de salud ubicados en 10 regiones (Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Ancash, Lima, Callao, Ica, Arequipa y Tacna) los cuales estarían expuestos a inundaciones por efecto de un tsunami.

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Resumen Introducción: Durante el 21o. Congreso Mundial de Epidemiología, organizado por la Asociación Internacional de Epidemiología (IEA) en Saitama-Japón en agosto de 2017, se aceptó invitación de los organizadores para visitar la Planta Nuclear # 1 de Fukushima. Objetivo: Explorar la situación operacional y de salud pública en el área de la prefectura de Fukushima y su planta nuclear #1, sitio afectado por el terremoto y tsunami de 2011. Métodos: Salida de inspección de campo (Inspection Tour) y encuentro con representantes de TEPCO (Tokyo Energy Power Company) en área de control; explicación didáctica de antecedentes y situación actual zonal, e instrucciones (briefing) para acceso. Visita con explicación de zonas de atención de salud y trabajos realizados. Recorrido en autobús especialmente adaptado al perímetro de cada reactor, portando dosímetro individual. Reunión final para resolución de dudas e inquietudes y lecciones del caso. Resultados: Visita y reuniones ejecutadas; exposición personal = 0,01 mSv/h. Radiación por zonas de reactor: central=230 mSv/h; paredes=40 mSv/h; planta=0,26 mSv/h, periferia=0,26 mSv/h. Zona de exclusión=20 km. Políticas de salubridad basadas en limpieza y remoción de fuentes de contaminación; aislamiento de aguas y bombeo de fuentes subterráneas; prevención y contención de escapes. Conclusión: La prevención lo es todo en asuntos industriales, sean nucleares o no; la colaboración interpersonal e interagencias es esencial en el manejo a muy largo plazo de desastres similares; debe evitarse incorporar técnicas o tecnologías industriales desconocidas o foráneas sin antes valorar su costo, alcance y posibles riesgos de salud individual, pública o medio-ambiental.

Abstract Introduction. During the 21st. International Epidemiology Association (IEA) World Congress of Epidemiology at Saitama (Japan), celebrated in August 2017, an invitation from its organizers to visit Fukushima Nuclear Plant # 1 was accepted. Objective: To explore operational and public health situation at the area of the Fukushima Prefecture and its nuclear plant #1, place affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Methods. Inspection tour and appointment with representatives of TEPCO (Tokyo Energy Power Company) at the control area; explanation on background and actual situation, and briefing before access. Guided visit to areas dedicated to healthcare and workers' attention, and work done. Tour by specially adapted autobus to the perimeter of each reactor, using individual dosimeter. Final meeting to solve questions and lessons of this case. Results. Visit and meetings were executed; individual exposure = 0,01 mSv. Radioactivity by reactor zones: central (inside) =230 mSv/h; walls =40 mSv/h; plant =0,26 mSv/h, perimeter =0,26 mSv/h. Exclusion zone =20 km. Public Health policies in place based upon cleansing and removal of sources of contamination; water isolation and subterranean sources pumping; prevention and containment of leaks. Conclusion. About industrial issues, prevention is everything, whether they be nuclear or not; interpersonal / interagencies' cooperation is paramount when dealing with similar disasters at a very long term; unknown or poorly understood industrial techniques or technologies should be avoided before a proper evaluation of their risk/benefit balance, scope and possible health risks to subjects, communities or environment.

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El documento contiene los procedimientos específicos de coordinación, alerta, movilización y respuesta de las entidades integrantes del Sistema Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (SINAGERD) ante la ocurrencia de un sismo de gran magnitud seguido de tsunami frente a la costa central del Perú, para el desarrollo de acciones coordinadas y orientadas a la protección de la población y sus medios de vida, privilegiando la promoción, respeto y protección de los derechos fundamentales de la población damnificada y afectada.

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El documento contiene los procedimientos específicos de coordinación, alerta, movilización y respuesta de las entidades integrantes del Sistema Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (SINAGERD) ante la ocurrencia de un sismo de gran magnitud seguido de tsunami frente a la costa central del Perú, para el desarrollo de acciones coordinadas y orientadas a la protección de la población y sus medios de vida, privilegiando la promoción, respeto y protección de los derechos fundamentales de la población damnificada y afectada.

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Toxic metal content were measured in samples of mollusc Concholepas concholepas obtained from the Chilean coast. Samples were collected during two periods, one before and one after the earthquake-tsunami which occurred in the Maule Region, Chile, February 27th, 2010 as a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8. Quantification of toxic metals in samples of hepatopancreas and muscle tissue was performed using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The analytical methodology was validated with certified reference material. The content means measured in muscle tissue for January 2010 were Cu: 10.3; Cr: 0.7; Cd: < 0.1; Mn: 3.6 and Zn: 38.6 µg g-1 (dry weight). For October 2014, the means were Cu: 8; Cr: 2.4; Cd: < 0.1; Mn: 5.6 and Zn: 45.4 µg g-1 (dry weight). In hepatopancreas tissue, the content means were Cu: 14.8; Cr: 2.4; Cd: 246.2; Mn: 4.4 and Zn: 1552.9 µg g-1 (dry weight). For October 2014, the means were Cu: 53.7; Cr: 3.5; Cd: 118; Mn: 13.4 and Zn: 1352.3 µg g-1 (dry weight). Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn content in the samples of hepatopancreas were generally higher than those recorded in muscle tissue however they were not always statistically significant. Statistical analysis showed that Cu and Mn content in the post-tsunami period increased in the hepatopancreas tissue. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Zn measured in the muscular tissue (edible part) of the species Conchalepas concholepas, were lower than the maximum contents allowed by the current legislation (FAO/WHO, 2004; EU, 2001) and its consumption is not a risk to human health.

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Shellfish aquaculture in Ofunato Bay, Northeast Japan, was seriously damaged by a tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake, March 11th, 2011, accompanied by paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) outbreaks caused by Alexandrium tamarense (Dinophyceae). To understand longer future trends of PSP, an investigation was made of the historical occurrence and causes of Alexandrium outbreaks after the tsunami. Vertical distributions of Alexandrium cysts in two sediment-cores from Ofunato Bay revealed that the sediments above ca. 25 cm were eroded, re-suspended and re-deposited, and they included unusually abundant Alexandrium cysts. This abundance of cysts was due to re-deposition of older sediments by the tsunami. The first Ofunato Bay PSP incident was in 1961 after the Chilean Earthquake tsunami and was probably caused by similar unusual blooms of Alexandrium germinated from older sediments as the Great East Japan tsunami, together with nutrient enrichment because of population increase at the start of shellfish aquaculture.