The Influence of Wave Cycles on Structural Changes in the Global Development of Natural Disaster Types and Subtypes

This article examines the influence of wave cycles on major structural changes in the development of natural disasters worldwide from 1900 to 2023. During this period, natural disasters were most common in the latitudinal band between 30° N and 30° S. The results of the analysis show that structural changes in natural disaster types and subtypes coincide with wave cycles, which are characterized by fluctuations in the frequency of natural hazards. Hence, an overall increase in the number of natural disasters linked to solar activity is associated with a rise in the frequency of climatic, hydrological, and biological hazards, while the frequency of geophysical and meteorological hazards gets lower. Conversely, a decrease in the number of natural disasters, such as that from 2001 to 2023, is accompanied by a reduction in climatic, geophysical, and biological hazards, as well as an increase in the frequency of hydrological hazards, but no changes in the frequency of meteorological hazards.