Organized by Dr. Michael J. Passow

1. Organized by Dr. Michael J. Passow

2. “How Predictable Are Natural Disasters? • Featured Scientist: Dr. Arthur Lerner-Lam Nov. 17, 2001 Source: 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 should 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. Lessons 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. You may wish to explore some of the Internet links while viewing this PowerPoint. If so, you might prefer to connect with these links by “right-clicking” and choosing “Open in New Window.” When you finish exploring a site, you can close it and return to the PowerPoint at the same slide.

7. 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 discuss more about the scientific and social impact of quakes during his presentation. Source: http://geohazards.cr.usgs.gov/eq/

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

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. • The instrument is called a “seismometer.” The part of a seismometer that draws a record of movements is called a “seismograph.” The written chart showing the seismic waves is called a “seismogram.”

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

12. Seismic Waves • PRIMARY or P-wavestravel fastest, are the first to reach a location, and can move through solids or liquids. P-waves involve back-and-forth movements of the particles. • SECONDARY or S-WAVESare slower, arrive later than the P-waves, and cannot move through liquids (only solids). S-waves involve an up-and-down motion, like that of a string tied to a door. • L-WAVES are the slowest, but cause most damage as they rock the surface.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. Cat State LA’s “Virtual Quake” has a great interactive program to teach students about earthquakes, seismometers and the Richter Scale of magnitude.

16. 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

17. “Virtual Earthquake” provides an excellent classroom activity for gr. 6 - 12 students. • We’ll try an online activity that uses this later in this session. http://vcourseware.calstatela.edu

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. 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/

20. 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/

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

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

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

24. Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and other severe weather can be studied through many Internet sites created by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) units. The NOAA home page: www.noaa.gov

25. Weather-related natural hazards pose a serious threat to people. 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.htm Preliminary statistics to date in 2000 include 368 fatalities, 2002 injuries, and almost $5,000,000,000 of property and crop damage.

26. 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

27. 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

28. The NWS provides warning on their web page: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/nationalwarnings.html 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?

29. 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.

30. Does Wording Affect Decisions about How to Deal with Natural Disasters? As the following terms which are often used in predictions of natural disasters appear on the screen, consider your own reaction and the kinds of decisions you might make about whether or not to take action:

31. Definite Likely Possible Probable Unlikely Certain Improbable May Should

32. 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?

33. 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

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. Teaching about natural disasters can also help students achieve other Standards • Standard 1 Key Idea 1: The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process. • Standard 2 Key Idea 3: Discuss how early warning systems can protect society and the environment from natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and tornadoes

37. Standard 6 Key Idea 3: The grouping of magnitudes of times, time, frequency…into a series of relative order provides a useful way to deal with the immense range and the changes in scale that affect the behavior and design of systems. • Key Idea 5: Identifying patterns of change is necessary for making predictions about future behavior and conditions.

38. Standard 7 Key Idea 2: Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies…. For example, collect, collate, and process data concerning potential disasters (tornadoes, thunderstorms, blizzards, earthquakes,…) in an area and develop an emergency action plan.

39. 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? These presentations can be shared with classmates or younger students in other schools.

40. For additional information about natural hazards, risk analysis, and related concepts, continue with the presentation for this workshop by Dr. Arthur Lerner-Lam.