Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, and Rita tracked through a high-density corridor of the oil and gas infrastructures in the Gulf of Mexico. Extreme winds and large waves exceeding the 100-year design criteria of the MODUs during these hurricanes, caused the failure of mooring lines to a number of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the damage MODUs undertook during these severe hurricanes, drifting MODUs might impose a great danger to other critical elements of the oil and gas industry. Drifting MODUs may potentially collide with fixed or floating platforms and transportation hubs or rupture pipelines by dragging anchors over the seabed. Therefore, it is desirable to understand the physics of the drift of a MODU under the impact of severe wind, wave, and current and have the capabilities to predict the trajectory of a MODU that is drifting. In this thesis, a numerical program, named “DRIFT,” is developed for predicting the trajectory of drifting MODUs given met-ocean conditions (wind, current, and wave) and the characteristics of the MODU. To verify “DRIFT,” the predicted drift of two typical MODUs is compared with the corresponding measured trajectory recorded by Global Positioning System (GPS). To explore the feasibility and accuracy of predicting the trajectory of a drifting MODU based on real-time or hindcast met-ocean conditions and limited knowledge of the condition of the drift, this study employed a simplified equation describing only the horizontal (surge, sway, and yaw) motions of a MODU under the impact of steady wind, current, and wave forces. The simplified hydrodynamic model neglects the first- and second-order oscillatory wave forces, unsteady wind forces, wave drift damping, and the effects of body oscillation on the steady wind and current forces. It was assumed that the net effects of the oscillatory forces on the steady motion are insignificant. Two types of MODU drift predictions are compared with the corresponding measured trajectories: 1) MODU drift prediction with 30-minute corrections of the trajectory (every 30 minutes the simulation of the drift starts from the measured trajectory), and 2) continuous MODU drift prediction without correction.

Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, and Rita tracked through a high-density corridor of the oil and gas infrastructures in the Gulf of Mexico. Extreme winds and large waves exceeding the 100-year design criteria of the MODUs during these hurricanes, caused the failure of mooring lines to a number of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the damage MODUs undertook during these severe hurricanes, drifting MODUs might impose a great danger to other critical elements of the oil and gas industry. Drifting MODUs may potentially collide with fixed or floating platforms and transportation hubs or rupture pipelines by dragging anchors over the seabed. Therefore, it is desirable to understand the physics of the drift of a MODU under the impact of severe wind, wave, and current and have the capabilities to predict the trajectory of a MODU that is drifting. In this thesis, a numerical program, named “DRIFT,” is developed for predicting the trajectory of drifting MODUs given met-ocean conditions (wind, current, and wave) and the characteristics of the MODU. To verify “DRIFT,” the predicted drift of two typical MODUs is compared with the corresponding measured trajectory recorded by Global Positioning System (GPS). To explore the feasibility and accuracy of predicting the trajectory of a drifting MODU based on real-time or hindcast met-ocean conditions and limited knowledge of the condition of the drift, this study employed a simplified equation describing only the horizontal (surge, sway, and yaw) motions of a MODU under the impact of steady wind, current, and wave forces. The simplified hydrodynamic model neglects the first- and second-order oscillatory wave forces, unsteady wind forces, wave drift damping, and the effects of body oscillation on the steady wind and current forces. It was assumed that the net effects of the oscillatory forces on the steady motion are insignificant. Two types of MODU drift predictions are compared with the corresponding measured trajectories: 1) MODU drift prediction with 30-minute corrections of the trajectory (every 30 minutes the simulation of the drift starts from the measured trajectory), and 2) continuous MODU drift prediction without correction.

The main historical archive of all tropical storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico from 1851-present is known as HURDAT. This official database of historical Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) is maintained by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The original database of 6-hourly tropical cyclone positions and intensities was assembled in the 1960s in support of the Apollo space program to help provide statistical TC track forecasting guidance (Landsea et al. 2008; Jarvinen et al. 1984; Neumann, personal communication). Today, HURDAT is widely utilized and relied upon by many groups including research scientists conducting climatic change studies (e.g. Landsea et al. 1999), operational hurricane forecasters, insurance companies, and emergency managers (Jarrell et al. 1992). The accuracy of the HURDAT database is important to many; however, the original database contains many systematic biases and random errors (Landsea et al. 2008). Therefore, a reanalysis of the HURDAT database is necessary. The Atlantic Hurricane Reanalysis Project (AHRP) is an ongoing effort to correct the errors in HURDAT, and to provide as accurate of a HURDAT database as is possible with utilization of all available data. For this thesis, HURDAT is reanalyzed for the period 1944-1953, the first decade of the ?aircraft reconnaissance era.? The track and intensity of each existing tropical cyclone in HURDAT is reassessed, and previously unrecognized tropical cyclones are noticed, analyzed, and recommended to the National Hurricane Center Best Track Change Committee (NHCBTCC) for inclusion into HURDAT (existing TCs may be removed from the database as well if analyses indicate evidence that no tropical storm existed). Changes to the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes, accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), and U.S. landfalling hurricanes are recommended for most of the years of the decade studied. An error analysis for the decade is also provided. It is noted that all changes to HURDAT mentioned in this thesis are preliminary and have not yet been approved by the NHCBTCC. In addition to the HURDAT reanalysis, the second part of this study is conducted to determine whether the apparent recent increase in Atlantic Basin Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) Category 5 hurricanes is real or whether the increase is an artifact of recent technological advances and better observational capabilities. Several previous studies have stated that there has been an increase in the number of intense hurricanes both in the Atlantic Ocean and globally (e.g. Webster et al. 2005) and attribute this increase to anthropogenic global warming (AGW) and/or global climate change. Other studies (e.g. Landsea 2007) claim that the apparent increased hurricane activity in the record is an artifact of better observational capabilities and improved technology for detecting these intense hurricanes. This study delves deeper into the question of whether the recently observed increase in the number of Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic basin (late 1940s vs. 1990s-2000s period) is an artifact of better observations/technology or rather possibly due to climate changes. Ten Category 5 hurricanes were recorded in the Atlantic Basin from 1992-2007 [Hurricane Andrew (1992) to Hurricane Felix (2007)]. A new (fairly objective) methodology was created to determine how many of these ten recent Category 5s would have been recorded as Category 5s if they had occurred during the late 1940s using only the observations that would have been available with late 1940s technology. A new best track intensity was drawn for the entire lifetime of these ten recent Category 5s (using late 1940s technology), and it is found that only two of these ten (Andrew and Mitch) would have been recorded as Category 5 hurricanes if they had occurred during the late 1940s period. The results suggest that intensity estimates for extreme tropical cyclones prior to the satellite era are unreliable.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 2, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2007. / Thesis Advisor(s): Gail Thomas. "March 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-116). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.J.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-159). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

This thesis examines the problem of impact of catastrophic natural events on insurance and reinsurance markets, with special focus on 2005 hurricane Katrina. It aims to analyze and evaluate the consequences of large scale economic loss on global insurance market. First part of the thesis describes the event and its implications. Impact on oil and gas industry and others is discussed. Main section is focused on repercussions of this event for both local and global insurance markets. Influence on selected subjects and new trends observable after Katrina are considered. Changes to alternative risk transfer instruments after 2005 are investigated.

AmeriCorps, the federal volunteer program developed in 1993, has won increasing political and cultural support since its development. Hurricane Katrina challenged program administrators to recruit and support volunteers in New Orleans, a uniquely devastated city. This qualitative study based on interviews with former volunteers examines the implications of AmeriCorps program policies for the recovery of post­Katrina New Orleans. Rooted in statements by the United Nations, the Federal Emergency Response Agency and local grassroots organizations, this study concludes that the AmeriCorps program was not effective in facilitating the return of displaced residents, appropriately utilizing city resources or maintaining strong accountability to those most affected by the disaster. Thus, the AmeriCorps program, which is not intended specifically for disaster relief, must be redesigned in order to accountably contribute to recovery in the cases of acute disaster.

An estimated 39 million m3 of timber was damaged across the Southeast Forest District of Mississippi due to Hurricane Katrina. Aggregated forest plot-level biometrics was coupled with wind, topographical, and soil attributes using a GIS. Data mining through Regression Tree Analysis (RTA) was used to determine factors contributing to shear damage of pines and wind-throw damage of hardwoods. Results depict Lorey’s Mean Height (LMH) and Quadratic Mean Diameter (QMD) are important variables in determining the percentage of trees and basal area damaged for both forest classes with sustained wind speed important for wind-throw and peak wind gusts for shear. Logistic regression based on stand damage classification compared to RTA revealed LMH, stand height to diameter ratio, and sustained wind variable concurrence. Reclassification of MIFI plot damage calls based on percentage of trees damaged increased predictability of wind-throw and shear classification. This research can potentially aid emergency and forest managers for better mitigation and recovery decisions following a hurricane.

Thesis (M.A.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010. / Directed by Gwen Hunnicutt; submitted to the Dept. of Sociology. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jul. 16, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-81).