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Human-Environment Interaction

Human-Environment Interaction. Types of Hazards. Volcanic eruption Earthquake Cyclone or Hurricane Avalanche Flood Drought Forest fire Tsunami Severe Weather. Severe Weather/Storms. Warmer air expands and rises: creates low pressure and air cools as it rises=clouds

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Human-Environment Interaction

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  1. Human-Environment Interaction

  2. Types of Hazards • Volcanic eruption • Earthquake • Cyclone or Hurricane • Avalanche • Flood • Drought • Forest fire • Tsunami • Severe Weather

  3. Severe Weather/Storms Warmer air expands and rises: creates low pressure and air cools as it rises=clouds Low pressure systems- unstable air High pressure created when cold air sinks then heats and dries- clear, dry weather

  4. Front Two air masses of different temperature meet Precipitation line Dangers? Flooding Lightning Damaging Wind

  5. Lightning – How it works • Thunder – caused when the lightning superheats the surrounding air, causing it to expand explosively

  6. Tornadoes • Tornadoes-United States • Tornado Alley • Why the difference?

  7. Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone • Hurricanes- Atlantic Ocean • Typhoons-Western Pacific • Cyclones-North Indian Ocean

  8. Hurricane/Typhoon/Cyclone Hurricane Fran at Carolina Beach, NC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_eFxBoKqk0 Cyclone NargisMyanmar Cost: $10Billion 138,000 killed Hurricane Katrina United States Cost: $81Billion 1,838 Killed

  9. How do earthquakes occur? • Movement of earth’s tectonic plates • Divergence • Convergence • Causes most earthquakes • Transform • What happens when an earthquake occurs?

  10. Earthquake Chile: 8.8 magnitude 400 dead 1.5 million displaced 5th largest in history Haiti: 7.0 magnitude 200,000 dead 1 million homeless Why the difference in death toll? Chile 2010 Haiti 2010

  11. Earthquakes and other natural hazard impacts… • Landslide • Avalanche • Fires • Electrical power or gas line breaks • Soil Liquefaction • Buildings and bridges can sink/collapse • Floods • Dams/levees break • Tsunami

  12. Volcano, Avalanche, Forest Fire

  13. Tsunami -Release energy of 23,000 bombs similar to that dropped on Hiroshima -No warning system -11 countries impacted -Over 200,000 dead or missing

  14. Flood and Drought

  15. Human Fatalities in Natural Disasters • Biggest killers (in order): • hurricanes • earthquakes • floods • severe weather • landslides • volcanic eruptions • Tornadoes • tsunami

  16. Natural Disasters • Sawtooth-shaped curve caused by largest natural disasters • 360 natural disasters in 2005 • 91,900 people killed, • 157 million people affected • 159 billion dollars damage • 305 natural disasters in 2004 • 280,000 people killed • 150 million people affected • 150 billion dollars damage

  17. Human Fatalities in Natural Disasters Most mega-killer disasters occur in densely populated belt through Asia, along Indian Ocean – number of fatalities is proportional to density of population.

  18. Where do disasters occur?

  19. Economic Losses from Natural Disasters • Destruction and damage to structures, loss of productivity and wages • Increase in economic losses over time is result of increase in human population and urbanization, e.g. United States. • Most expensive events caused by storms and occurred in U.S., Europe and Japan – developed countries • Most Casualties in undeveloped countries, e.g. Asia.

  20. How do we adapt? • Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. • Preparing for disaster before it occurs • Disaster response and recovery (first response) • Supporting and rebuilding society • All community levels (local, state and federal, international)

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