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Natural Hazards and Risks: How Do We Investigate Them? How Should We Teach about Them?. Original E2C Workshop 20 Jan 2007 Guest Scientist: Klaus Jacob. E2C has explored this topic many times, but always find new, fresh concepts to study.
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Natural Hazards and Risks: How Do We Investigate Them?How Should We Teach about Them? Original E2C Workshop 20 Jan 2007Guest Scientist: Klaus Jacob
E2C has explored this topic many times, but always find new, fresh concepts to study Links to previous E2C Workshops are found in the “Introduction” section Some of this presentation comes from previous presentations, but there are always new events that provide timely reminders that these ideas are never old. The GIFT Workshops at the 2006 and 2005 AGU meetings and the 2006 AMS Meeting provided additional inspiration for today’s program
MORE HAZARDS Sorry about that! Not!
Earthquakes Volcanoes Landslides Floods & Droughts Wildfires Tsunamis Floods El Nino/La Nina “Weather” Hurricanes Tornadoes Thunderstorms Winter storms Heat Waves Special Marine Hazards “Space Weather” ? What Should We Be Teaching about such Natural Disasters as
Students need to learn • what causes various kinds of natural disasters • where and why they are likely to occur • emergency preparedness procedures • what kinds of questions are likely to be asked on standardized tests
Much of the responsibility in this country for monitoring hazards belongs to the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
USGS and Hazardshttp://www.usgs.gov/ Earthquakes http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ Volcanoes http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ Landslides http://landslides.usgs.gov/index.html
USGS links, continued • Floods and Droughts http://water.usgs.gov/ http://www.usgs.gov/themes/flood.html Also, environment and human health issues http://health.usgs.gov/
NOAA, especially the National Weather Service (NWS) • http://www.noaa.gov/NOAA WEATHER RADIO Weather and Hazards http://www.noaa.gov/wx.html Climate and Hazards http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html
IWIN National Warnings http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/nationalwarnings.html Storm Prediction Center http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ Tropical Prediction Center/ National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Hydrometeorological Prediction Center • http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ Aviation Weather Center • http://aviationweather.gov/ Space Environment Center • http://www.sec.noaa.gov/
FEMA—Federal Emergency Management Agency • FEMA often plays an important role in planning how to respond to natural disasters, as well as coping after they occur. FEMA home page: www.fema.gov
International Weather/Hazard Sources • World Meteorological Organizationhttp://www.wmo.ch • International Tsunami Information Centerhttp://www.prh.noaa.gov/itic/
Additional Resources • AMS DataStreme http://www.ametsoc.org/dstreme/ • AMS Water in the Earth System http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu/WES/home.html • American Red Cross Disaster Services and Safety Traininghttp://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/ • Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES): http://www.strategies.org/CLASS.html
For more teaching suggestions E2C Curriculum Units – Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Plate Tectonics E2C Curriculum Units – Weather and Climate Dr. Klaus Jacob’s presentation at the 1st NYS Earth Science Teachers Conference: "Earthquakes in the Eastern US - Is New York at Risk, and What Can We Do about It ?"
Non-Natural Disasters • Fires • Chemical Emergencies • Highway Accidents • Mechanical Failures (e.g., boiler explosions) • Airplane Crashes • Terrorism
“Short-” and “Long-Term” Climate Changes • El Nino/La Nina • Global Warming • Glaciations • Deforestation • Desertification
Controversy about Change • “Day After Tomorrow” • “It Could Happen Tomorrow” • “An Inconvenient Truth”How do we help students separate fact from fantasy/entertainment?
Does Wording Affect Decisions? As the following terms which are often used in predictions of natural disasters appear, consider your own reaction and the kinds of decisions you might make about whether or not to take action:
Definite Likely Possible Probable Unlikely Certain Improbable May Should
Some additional ideas to be considered... • How are events measured? • Who receives the prediction? • Who uses the prediction? • Who benefits from the prediction? • What happens when predictions are off? • What happens if predictions are not made? • How can we help our students understand limits of prediction?
More Teaching Resources from this Workshop’s Sections • Columbia University’s Center for Hazards and Risk Research • Curriculum Suggestions, including the IRIS “Earthquakes and Tsunamis” GIFT Workshop at AGU 2006 • The Great 1700 Cascade Event and “Orphan Tsunami”