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By the year 2000, the number of people at risk from volcanic hazards is likely to increase to around half a billion. Since 1980, significant advances have been made in volcano monitoring, the data from which provides the sole scientific basis for eruption prediction. Here, internationally renowned and highly experienced specialists provide 25 comprehensive articles covering a wide range of related topics: monitoring techniques and data analysis; modelling of monitoring data and eruptive phenomena; volcanic hazards and risk assessment; and volcanic emergency management. Selected case histories of recent volcanic disasters, such as Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, demonstrate that effective communication - between scientists, civil authorities, the media and the population at risk - is essential to reducing the danger.

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I Volcano Monitoring: Techniques and Case Histories.- A Review of Volcano Geophysics and Volcano-Monitoring Methods.- New Methods and Future Trends in Seismological Volcano Monitoring.- Seismic Monitoring and Eruption Forecasting of Volcanoes: A Review of the State-of-the-Art and Case Histories.- Ground-Deformation Methods and Results.- Microgravity Monitoring.- Chemical Characters of the Gaseous Phase in Different Stages of Volcanism: Precursors and Volcanic Activity.- Chemical Composition of Volcanic Gases.- Satellite Monitoring of Volcanoes.- Detection of Explosive Eruptions and Regional Tracking of Volcanic Ash Clouds with Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS).- The Integrated Mobile Volcano-Monitoring System Used by the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP).- II Modeling of Monitoring Data and Eruptive Phenomena.- Ground Deformation Modeling in Volcanic Areas.- Physical Modeling of Collapsing Volcanic Columns and Pyroclastic Flows.- Modeling of Tephra Fallout from Explosive Eruptions.- Physical Modeling of Eruptive Phenomena: Lahars.- Patterns and Predictability in the Emplacement of Subaerial Lava Flow and Flow Fields.- III Volcano Hazards and Risk Assessment.- Hazards of Large Volcanic Debris Avalanches and Associated Eruptive Phenomena.- Hazardous Crater Lakes.- Long-Term Probabilistic Analysis of Future Explosive Eruptions.- Quantitative Reconstruction of Recent Volcanic Activity: A Contribution to Forecasting of Future Eruptions.- Volcanic Hazards Risk Assessment.- IV Volcanic Emergency Management.- Mitigation Measures and Preparedness Plans for Volcanic Emergencies.- The Management of Volcano Emergencies: Nevado del Ruiz.- The Problem of Volcanic Unrest: The Campi Flegrei Case History.- Volcanic Emergency Management in Japan: Case Histories of Izu-Oshima and Unzen.- The Narrow Margin of Successful Volcanic-Risk Mitigation.

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