Presentation by Dr. Michael J. Passow

1. Presentation by Dr. Michael J. Passow

2. How to Manage Risks fromNatural Hazards • Featured Scientist: Dr. Arthur Lerner-Lam 25 Oct 2003 Source: http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov

3. What Should We Be Teaching about such Natural Disasters as • Earthquakes • Volcanoes • Hurricanes • Tornadoes • Winter Storms • Thunderstorms • Floods • El Nino/La Nina “weather” ?

4. 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

5. Units about natural disasters are ideal to help students develop • content knowledge • cooperative learning skills • presentation skills • community service • older student to younger student teaching opportunities http://www.fema.gov/diz00/ph_fl01.htm

6. As background for today’s featured presentation, let’s consider Earthquakes • Most events occur in specific zones • Prediction of exact location and timing questionable • Dr. Lerner-Lam will provide more about the scientific and social impact of quakes during his presentation. Source: http://geohazards.cr.usgs.gov/eq/

7. What Are Earthquakes? • An EARTHQUAKE is any shaking, vibrating, or rapid motion of the Earth’s crust. • Earthquakes are also called FAULTS, SEISMS, or TREMORS.

8. In What Ways Can Rocks Move? There are three basic types of movements during an earthquake: • “DIP-SLIP” faulting—”Normal” or “Reverse” • “STRIKE-SLIP” or “TRANSFORM” faulting • “OBLIQUE-SLIP” faulting One excellent web site to teach about these is from the IRIS Consortium http://www.iris.edu/gifs/animations/faults.htm

9. Key Terms • FOCUS : exact location beneath the surface where rocks slip past each other; also known as hypocenter • EPICENTER : location on the surface directly above the focus

10. Detecting Earthquakes • Few earthquakes occur where people live. Most are detected by SEISMOMETERS, instruments able to measure SEISMIC WAVES, the energy waves created by earthquakes that can travel through the crust, mantle, and, for some, even Earth’s core.

11. Seismic Waves • PRIMARY or P-waves travel fastest, are the first to reach a location, and can move through solids or liquids. • SECONDARY or S-WAVES are slower, arrive later than the P-waves, and cannot move through liquids (only solids). • L-WAVES are the slowest, but cause most damage as they rock the surface.

12. Here is a simple, sample seismograph: http://vcourseware.calstatela.edu/VirtualEarthquake/

13. In the 1930s, Charles Richter, an American geologist, first developed a system to identify the power released by a quake. “Magnitude” refers to how powerful is a quake—how much energy it gives off. The Richter scale runs from 1 to 10. Each increase represents 10x the power. 5.5 7.4 2.3

14. Even earlier, a system was developed to describe the damage created by quakes. Today, the Modified Mercalli Scale is still used to identify variations in destruction and other impacts around the epicenter. For more information: http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/mercalli.html

15. Detecting Distance from the Epicenter • Seismologists use the difference in arrival times of the P- and S-waves to calculate the distance of a seismometer from the epicenter. • The speeds at which seismic waves travel are known, so the time between when the P-waves and S-waves arrive can be converted into distance using a graph.

16. Finding the epicenter • A graph like this is used to calculate the distance to the epicenter based on the difference in arrival time of the P- and S-waves (S - P). http://vcourseware.calstatela.edu/VirtualEarthquake/

17. Cal State LA’s “Virtual Quake” has a great interactive program to teach students about earthquakes, seismometers and the Richter Scale of magnitude. http://vcourseware.calstatela.edu/VirtualEarthquake/

18. An Example of Classroom-Ready Activities “Earthquakes on the Web” This computer-based activity allows students to learn about basic concepts and work through the interesting “Virtual Earthquake” activities created by Cal State LA. Word and html versions of this activity are available in the “Resources” section of www.earth2class.org.

19. Where can you get information about current earthquakes and related questions? • Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/pi/LCSN/ • US Geologic Survey http://geology.usgs.gov/index.shtml

20. Volcanoes are also among the most spectacular natural disasters. • Some of the best info about volcanoes on the web is at http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/

21. You can also find many ideas and images for studies about volcanoes on the web pages of the US Geological Survey: www.usgs.gov Of special interest is the Cascades Volcano Observatory: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/

22. SEVERE WEATHER HAZARDS Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and other severe weather also pose threats. They can be studied through many Internet sites created by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) agencies. NOAA home page: www.noaa.gov

23. How big a threat is severe weather? The National Weather Service’s Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services tracks the impact. Information is available at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats.shtml Preliminary statistics in 2002 include 542 fatalities, 3089 injuries, and almost $5.7 billion of property and crop damage.

24. HURRICANES Source: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hurricne.htm

25. TORNADOES Source: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

26. Source: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/coolimg/index.html

27. FLOODING – Both USGS and NOAA web sites can give you good information on this topic. Potomac River at Chain Bridge near Washington, D.C.(looking upstream during flood of September 8, 1996) http://md.water.usgs.gov/floods/fran/flood_0996_pix.html

28. 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

29. The NWS prominently provides warnings on their web page: www.nws.noaa.gov NOAA Weather Radio can provide immediate information, and can alert you when warnings have been issued with an alarm system. What’s one of the best ways to know when a weather-related disaster may be happening in your area?

30. Another excellent source of information about exciting weather is the American Meteorological Society’s DataStreme • http://www.ametsoc.org/dstreme/ Here you can find summaries of current weather conditions, images, and activities. • The AMS has also created many other teacher-training activities available through workshops provided by AMS Atmosphere Education Resource Agents.

31. 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:

32. Definite Likely Possible Probable Unlikely Certain Improbable May Should

33. 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?

34. Connections with Standards There are many direction connections between study of natural disasters and the • National Standards for Science Education • New York State “Physical Setting: Earth Science” core concepts • New York State “Intermediate Level Science” core concepts • New Jersey Science Curriculum Framework

35. Some examples from the NYS “Physical setting: Earth Science” core concepts: • Standard 4 Key Idea 2.1h …movement of cyclonic systems and associated tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes occur in observable patterns. Loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.

36. 2.1l Earthquakes and volcanoes present geologic hazards to humans. Loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.

37. Studying about natural disasters provides fine opportunities for students to create classroom presentations • What causes the natural disaster? • How often does it occur? Where? When? • What impact does it have on people? • How can it be observed? predicted? • What emergency preparedness procedures should be followed?

38. Dr. Arthur Lerner-Lam will continue today’s theme from the perspective of a research scientist