The article “Impacts of the 1945 and 1995-1996 Ruapehu Eruptions, New Zealand” by Johnston et al. (2000) examines the negative consequences of two volcanic eruptions and demonstrates how social and economic changes influenced these consequences. The article seems to be written objectively, without any hidden attacks on other researchers. On the contrary, the authors use other researches to support their views and illustrate the negative impact of volcanic eruptions.
The results of the study are consistent with the current state of events. Thus, the authors claim that the impact of volcanic eruptions in the places with better social and economic development is greater than in the less advanced places (Johnston et al., 2000). Nowadays, the situation has not changed, and the better the infrastructure is, the greater damages it will have after the eruptions. At the same time, since the article is based on a literature review, it is not solid enough. If the authors conducted their own experiment and examined the losses personally, the information would be more credible.
Although the analyzed paper examines the impact of volcanic eruptions, it cannot be called an observational study because it compares and contrasts the effects of two similar events using other sources of information. Nevertheless, the authors use enough data to describe and analyze the situation properly. They utilize primary sources, such as personal feedback of the local citizens about the consequences of the Ruapehu eruption: “Even our watches, clocks, and other fine machinery is suffering irreparable damage” (Johnston et al., 2017, p. 722). This information seems to be appropriate for this type of study since it helps examine the subject better. Finally, the conclusions follow from the presented data, summing everything up and reminding the readers of the main consequences of volcanic eruptions that were discussed in the article.
Reference
Johnston, D.M., Houghton, B.F., Neall, V.E., Ronan, K.R., & Paton, D. (2000). Impacts of the 1945 and 1995-1996 Ruapehu eruptions, New Zealand: An example of increasing societal vulnerability. GSA Bulletin, 112(5), 720-726.