Earth Observatory of Singapore

Hazards, Risk, and Society

In Asia and in many other places around the world, growing populations increasingly intersect with natural hazards. The Hazards, Risk, and Society group investigates this intersection. Our research seeks to improve understanding of how and why societies are impacted by natural hazards and to identify strategies that reduce vulnerability and increase resilience.

Tectonics

Southeast Asia and surrounding areas have many large, active faults, as well as a number of major subduction zones that are responsible for some of the world’s most complex movements by tectonic plates. This region provides a natural laboratory to study Earth deformation processes with global relevance.

Volcano

Volcanic arcs in Southeast Asia are among the most active on earth. EOS Volcano Group conducts geologic, geochemical and geophysical studies to improve understanding of volcanic activity, particularly processes related to eruptions. EOS research in this field is designed to produce knowledge and tools that will aid forecasting of volcanic eruptions, assessment of their environmental and societal impacts, and efforts to mitigate the hazards.

Climate

Climate research at EOS aims to fill a gap of much-needed information on climatic forces in Southeast Asia, which will allow better prediction of regional consequences that can be expected from global climate change. Several major drivers of global climate, including the Western Pacific Warm Pool and the Indian Ocean Dipole, are active in this tropical region, yet scientific knowledge about them has been relatively scarce.