Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-136). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1972. / Mimeographed.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong,1976.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1976. / Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

A significant minority of at risk residents in the USA do not evacuate from an approaching hurricane when they are advised to by local authorities. This causes unnecessary deaths, injuries and suffering; a situation which is likely to intensify under predicted climate change. This thesis argues that non-evacuation is not fully understood as both the academic and policy framing of the decision to evacuate is centred around technical and socio-economic approaches which assume that risk is objective and “rational” people will evacuate if they have the material means to do so. This thesis argues that rationalities are differentiated and decision making is also a process which is influenced by members of a social network. Therefore there is a need for a more constructivist approach to get a deeper understanding of the subjectivity of hurricane evacuation. In this thesis, the theory of reasoned action is used as the framework of decision making as it highlights the importance of subjective attitudes and subjective norms on behaviour. A mixed methods case study of Hurricane Ike is used to analyse the evacuation of Galveston Island, Texas. Firstly a “Q” study was undertaken with 40 residents of Galveston, which unveiled four distinct subjective evacuation attitudes, demonstrating that people understand hurricane risk in different ways which impact on their decision to evacuate. The results of the Q study were then used to parameterise an agent based model, designed to investigate community level evacuation. The model showed that it is possible to explain island-level evacuation through the combination of subjective evacuation attitudes and subjective norms which can interact to produce emergent, or unpredicted behaviour. This thesis represents a fundamental challenge to positivist approaches and clearly demonstrates the value of a more constructivist approach to understanding hurricane evacuation based on subjective evacuation attitudes and subjective norms.

Thesis (M.S. in Meteorology)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 1982. / Bibliography: l. 146-148. Also available online.

published_or_final_version / Physics / Master / Master of Philosophy

During July 2005, Typhoon Banyan recurved and underwent tropical transition over the western North Pacific. Coincident with the extratropical transition of Banyan, a large mid-tropospheric anticyclone developed immediately east of the recurving typhoon. The anticyclone was associated with a high-amplitude Rossby wave-like pattern that developed downstream of the anticyclone and extended across the North Pacific. Development of the anticyclone is examined with respect of the interaction between the outflow from Banyan and the midlatitude jet streak. During the poleward movement of TY Banyan, an anticyclonically-curved jet streak was forced by the merger of the upper-level outflow from Banyan and a jet streak associated with an upstream trough. The anticyclonic curvature was accentuated by the presence of a mid-tropospheric cyclone east of Banyan. The anticyclonic curvature increased as Banyan moved poleward and the mid-tropospheric cyclone moved equatorward. Thermodynamic forcing of the mid-tropospheric anticyclone is examined with respect to the poleward movement of warm moist air that ascends as it is advected around the eastern side of the decaying typhoon. The combination of dynamic and thermodynamic factors is examined in a potential vorticity framework to identify the development of the anticyclone east of Banyan and the transformation of Banyan into a midlatitude cyclone.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2006. / Vita. Appendix: leaves 102-102. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-112).