Catastrophes in Nature and Society: Mathematical Modeling Of Complex Systems

"Many people are concerned about crises leading to disasters in nature, in social and economic life. The book offers a popular account of the causative mechanisms of critical states and breakdown in a broad range of natural and cultural systems — which obey the same laws — and thus makes the reader aware of the origin of catastrophic events and the ways to avoid and mitigate their negative consequences. The authors apply a single mathematical approach to investigate the revolt of cancer cells that destroy living organisms and population outbreaks that upset natural ecosystems, the balance between biosphere and global climate interfered lately by industry, the driving mechanisms of market and related economic and social phenomena, as well as the electoral system the proper use of which is an arduous accomplishment of democracy."

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Environmental Microcatastrophes -- Phase portraits -- Reflection from bisector -- Simple population processes -- More complex population processes -- A case of erroneous ecological measures -- Classification of outbreaks -- Classification of population processes -- REFERENCES -- 2. Cancer as a Catastrophe in Organisms -- Diffuse cancer -- Solid tumors -- Crossing the tissue interface -- Some special cases -- Prospects: prophylaxis of solid tumors -- REFERENCES -- 3. Life and Atmosphere -- Earth's heat budget and surface temperature -- Earth's biota and a new stable temperature point -- Life and carbon dioxide -- Stable points of life -- Specified behavior of the curve C(T ): effect of glaciation -- Global temperature dynamics under the effect of biota -- REFERENCES -- 4. Technosphere-Biosphere Interaction and Global Climate -- Energy use -- Greenhouse effect: controls from technology -- Temperature rise and climate change -- Alternative power sources -- REFERENCES -- 5. Dynamics of Atmospheric Ozone -- Ozone shield -- Ozone layer destruction -- Ozone holes -- Formation mechanisms of ozone holes: hypotheses -- A new method for tracing stratospheric air flows (Kashkin method) -- Global stratospheric dynamics: facts -- A hypothesis of the ozone hole formation in terms of air-flow dynamics -- References -- 6. Closed Ecological Systems and Earth's Biosphere -- Energy in space vehicles -- Life support systems -- Manmade closed biospheres -- Planet Earth as spacecraft -- 1. Stationary civilization -- 2. Closed civilization -- 3. Planet Earth as a spacecraft -- REFERENCES -- 7. Environmental Damage -- Modern man and environment -- Dynamics of environmental damage -- Environmental disaster -- 8. Fining and Environment -- Economy and environment -- REFERENCES -- 9. Market.