A compendium of 80 recent scientific research papers focusing on the four major natural hazard areas relevant to catastrophe reinsurance and insurance was released in Monte Carlo, Monaco yesterday.

The Hazard & Risk Science Review, sponsored by Benfield brokerage and reinsurer PartnerRe–which deals with research published over the past 12 months on atmospheric, geological, hydrological and climate change events–was released at the Reinsurance Rendez-vous de Septembre.

It was researched and edited by Bill McGuire, Stephen Edwards and Harvey Rodda of the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre in London.

The publication includes a summary of research on atmospheric hazards and examines the debate linking contemporary tropical cyclone activity and climate change through rising sea-surface temperatures.

Also reviewed are papers on seismically exposed regions in light of the recent Sichuan earthquake in China.

Other key topics covered in the 2008 Review include:

o Research on the level of seismic risk in Japan, California and Turkey.

o Fault zone and earthquake interaction, leading to triggering and cascading of earthquakes and to their progression and clustering.

o Post-mortem reports on 2007 United Kingdom summer floods, including recommendations for future flood risk management.

o Mediterranean tsunami hazard assessment improvements.

o Ice loss acceleration in the Arctic Ocean and from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

Mr. Edwards said in a statement that the review provides “a user-friendly synthesis of the vast quantity of hazard and risk science research published every 12 months.”

The authors hope the review “will broaden knowledge within the market of the latest and most pertinent research and, as a consequence, help to guide responsible global business decisions,” he added.

Benfield said the authors worked with natural catastrophe specialists and modelers at Benfield and PartnerRe to review work in major scientific journals that included Nature, Science, the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology and Geophysical Research Letters. Papers selected were considered to be of most relevance to the global reinsurance and insurance market.

The Hazard & Risk Science Review 2008 is online at www.benfieldhrc.org/hrsr2008 and printed copies can be obtained with an e-mail to [email protected] that includes the sender's postal address, or by calling (London) +44 (0) 20 7522 3850.

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