The cost of damage caused by hurricanes in 2017 is estimated to be over 200 billion dollars. Quick and accurate prediction of the path of a hurricane and its strength would be very valuable in alleviating these losses. Machine learning based prediction models, in contrast to models based on physics, have been developed successfully in many problem domains. A machine learning system infers the modeling function from a training dataset. This project developed machine learning based prediction models to forecast the path and strength of hurricanes in the North Atlantic basin. Feature analysis was performed on the HURDAT2 dataset, which contains paths and strengths of past hurricanes. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Generalized Linear Model (GLM) approaches such as Tikhonov regularization were investigated to develop nine hurricane prediction models. Prediction accuracy of these models was compared using a testing dataset, disjoint from the training dataset. The coefficient of determination and the mean squared error were used as performance metrics. Post-processing metrics, such as geodesic error in path prediction and the mean wind speed error, were also used to compare different models. TLS linear regression model performed the best of out the nine models for one and two time steps, while the ANNs made more accurate predictions for longer periods. All models predicted location and strength with greater than .95 coefficient of determination for up to two days. My models predicted hurricane path in under a second with accuracy comparable to that of current models.

前人研究發現聖嬰南方震盪(El Niño–Southern Oscillation, ENSO)和淘氣精靈(Elves)兩者間有顯著關係，顯示淘氣精靈的變化受太平洋上ENSO影響，因此我們想探討淘氣精靈與印度洋震盪(Indian Ocean Dipole, IOD)間是否也存在相似的關聯性。一般以DMI(Dipole Mode Index)代表IOD的發生情形，研究中我們挑出2005年6月2015年11月IOD正負事件時的海溫、雨量、閃電及淘氣精靈進行比較。研究結果顯示淘氣精靈在印度洋上也有震盪的現象，且其趨勢與海溫相同，再將其與雨量變化做比較後，我們推論IOD造成的海溫變化影響了大氣，進一步影響淘氣精靈的發生。

本研究由近年來部分在登陸前產生雙眼牆（CE）結構的西行侵臺颱風發生實際路徑較預報路徑偏北的現象為發想。利用中央氣象局颱風資料庫，統計出發生北偏之西行颱風及其北偏幅度，並找出各種會影響颱風路徑的因素，將其一一量化後進行分析。 我們發現颱風之暴風圈半徑以及其是否有雙眼牆對颱風的北偏效應有顯著的影響，至於夫如數、背風渦旋強度等則有較小的影響力。 我們根據北偏效應，認為造成第四類路徑中產生雙眼牆結構者特別少的緣故，是因為許多原先為四類路徑的颱風因北偏轉至三類；我們也意外發現八、九類颱風完全沒有雙眼牆颱風，推測是南海空間及熱量問題。 我們也發現具有雙眼牆結構之颱風在登陸時，測站會測到兩個氣壓谷值，因此發現雙眼牆結構颱風在登陸時結構的不對稱性，未來可以此為依據量化雙眼牆結構。

近年來的研究(Pun et al.2013)指出，西北太平洋颱風主要發展區的海洋熱力條件有越來越溫暖的趨勢。本研究透過分析1993-2011年7-10月，在120-170°E北部 (19-26°N )及南部 (10-19°N)颱風主要發展區增強的category1-5颱風，觀察並分析其長期以來所行經之海表面溫度、海洋暖水層熱力狀況及垂直風切與颱風強度的關係。比較後發現，長期以來，北部海域颱風的強度受風切影響較大，呈現減弱的趨勢；而南部海域颱風的強度則受海洋熱力條件影響較大，呈現增強的趨勢。根據擴大分析熱力條件影響較大的南部颱風主要發展區(1993-2012，4-21°N)的結果顯示，生成於此海域的颱風個案，長期以來所行經海洋的暖水層有增厚的現象，研判其為造成本區域颱風增強的重要因素。

突堤效應是指人工建構物突出於海岸，延伸而出，阻擋原先海流和海岸積沙的路徑，造成沙子在上游堆積，而下游原先有沙岸的地區則因為沙子量逐漸減少，侵蝕大於堆積，逐漸出現海岸遭受破壞。突堤效應會造成堤前堆積、堤後侵蝕的情況。因為突堤效應造成的結果，頭城濱海森林公園（原頭城海水浴場），在這十多年中，原本的沙灘現在已完全被海水覆蓋。 本校位於頭城濱海森林公園附近，看到頭城濱海森林公園的海沙在烏石港建後己經流失不見，藉由本實驗瞭解突堤效應確實存在，壩堤長短、角度和洋流速度皆會影響壩堤前後堆積與侵蝕的速度，在實驗後我們對頭城烏石港所造成的突堤效應提出三大改善方案：一、縮短烏石港壩堤的長度100公尺；二、在原壩堤北側加蓋105度的壩堤；三、綜合後的方案會是減緩突堤效應的最佳策略。

研究指出近年中高緯度天氣異常與北極震盪有關，本研究探討過去30年間北極震盪(AOI)、北大西洋震盪(NAOI)與南方震盪(SOI)特性及其間相關性，發現AOI與NAOI全年各月達中度相關以上，代表北極震盪暖相位時，西風有增強的趨勢，有利反聖嬰發展，說明海溫與北極震盪的連結。 分析2004至2013年北緯40度以北海溫資料，以月為單位各海域海溫距平值與AOI之相關係數，結合洋流圖進行區域互動之分析。發現當AOI正相位時，北大西洋暖流有增強的趨勢，與西風增強有關；海溫變化部份，6月、7月北緯85度以上北極海域低溫，應和夏季融冰或冷空氣封鎖極區有關，顯示高緯度海溫與北極震盪間的互動關係。

Wildfires have become increasingly frequent and severe due to global climatic change, demanding improved methodologies for wildfire modeling. Traditionally, wildfire severities are assessed through post-event, in-situ measurements. However, developing a reliable wildfire susceptibility model has been difficult due to failures in accounting for the dynamic components of wildfires (e.g. excessive winds). This study examined the feasibility of employing satellite observation technology in conjunction with artificial neural networking to devise a wildfire susceptibility modeling technique for two regions in California. Timeframes of investigation were July 16 to August 24, 2017, and June 25 to December 8, 2017, for the Detwiler and Salmon August Complex wildfires, respectively. NASA’s MODIS imagery was utilized to compute NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index), land surface temperature, net evapotranspiration, and elevation values. Neural network and linear regression modeling were then conducted between these variables and ∆NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio), a measure of wildfire burn severity. The neural network model generated from the Detwiler wildfire region was subsequently applied to the Salmon August Complex wildfire. Results suggest that a significant degree of variability in ∆NBR can be attributed to variation in the tested environmental factors. Neural networking also proved to be significantly superior in modeling accuracy as compared to the linear regression. Furthermore, the neural network model generated from the Detwiler data predicted ∆NBR for the Salmon August Complex with high accuracy, suggesting that if fires share similar environmental conditions, one fire’s model can be applied to others without the need for localized training.

My thesis focuses on studying Cretaceous microfossil specimens from the excavation of former brickworks in Štíty, especially foraminifera. In the theoretical part, I have covered the structure of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin area, especially Bystřice Lithofacial Development. I have also processed previous paleontological researches from the locality. Emphasis was placed on field research and subsequently on laboratory research of the site. I have examined the present state of the location and gathered samples of silt clay containing a wide variety of fossils. I have acquired the microfossils, determined them, and ordered them systematically. The most important part of the thesis is the systematic and palaeoecological processing of the collection of microfossils from the locality. The thesis continues the research of the last year of SOČ, where I have gathered a collection of fossil macrofauna, flora, and ichnofauna. My collection is supplemented mainly by benthic and planktonic foraminifers. I have confirmed that the specimens found are typical representatives of marine fauna belonging to the Upper Cretaceous Coniacian. The paleoecological characteristics of the locality correspond to a nutrient-rich shallow-water environment, occasionally disturbed by storm waves.

草漯砂丘位於臺灣西北部沿海，為風成砂丘。本研究選擇此區高度最高的沙丘，藉由長期砂丘地形監測、砂丘表層及垂直方向沉積物取樣進行粒度及磁鐵礦砂含量分析，試圖了解草漯砂丘沉積及侵蝕狀況。監測砂丘自2011年9月中至2012年1月底間發現受風力侵蝕可達3公尺，侵蝕速率平均達8公分/天以上，2011年10月30日此沙丘進行固砂工程前後砂丘外形、侵蝕速率發生明顯變化，足見固砂工程對砂丘環境影響。垂直採樣分析9管沉積物粒度及磁鐵礦砂含量，發現四個特殊層，繪製成立體層面圖，發現類似沙丘滑落面地形，且藉由粒度及磁鐵礦砂分析也間接證明沙丘滑落面沉積現象。最後利用沉積物各層粗顆粒、磁鐵礦砂含量與中央氣象局提供之日均風速進行對比，推測9管沉積物應為2011年5月至9月間堆積。

台灣西南平原的測站紀錄中時常會出現明顯的短周期表面波，此類型表面波常常是因為震波在沖積層共振而產生。本研究利用表面波的低頻、長持續時間的特徵，量化分析2016年美濃地震、2010年甲仙地震與2012年霧台地震中發育的短週期表面波，並與相關圖資套疊，找出與場址特性的關聯。 本研究分析後發現，此三地震皆在西南平原發育出表面波，又以台南七股地區發育得最完整，討論後認為這與此區的地質構造與沖積層厚度有關。量化分析中，時頻圖與頻譜得到的主頻由東到西遞減，與表面波發育情形有近似的分布，持續時間則不明顯，但持續時間的分析因為測站資料不足而有困難，這部分仍待解決。而套疊圖資的結果中，沖積層等深線圖較能符合量化分析的趨勢，土壤液化潛勢圖則否，經確認後發現這與牽涉表面波的地層深度有關。根據本次研究強地動的結果，是能運用在快速掃描沉積地層，較各站鑽探快速且普及。