Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Name
10,000peoplediedintheearthquakeand
tsunami
TheFukushimanuclearpowerplantwas
affectedandtherewerefearsofanuclear
explosion
Evacuationsheltersfacedashortageofpotable
water,food,blanketsandbathroomfacilities
Estimatesofthevalueofthedamagerange
wellintothetensofbillionsofUSdollars
Mostdeathswereduetothetsunamiwave
ratherthantheearthquake
Exam question
Thearmywascalledintohelprescuepeople
Therewasheavydamagetoroadsandrailways
aswellasfiresinmanyareas,andadam
collapse
Thetsunamitravelled6milesinland,1mile
furtherthanpredicted
Fuelshortagesledto2milesqueuesatpetrol
stationsinSendai
Around4.4 millionhouseholdsinnortheastern
Japanwereleftwithoutelectricityand1.5
millionwithoutwater.
Activity [the figures are based on a few days after the earthquake so may not be
accurate]:
After the earthquake the spread of Cholera has been a major problem for the people
of Haiti.
Volcanoes
A volcano is formed by eruptions of lava and ash.
When magma reaches the Earth's surface it is called lava. When the lava cools, it forms rock.
Volcanic eruptions can happen at destructive and constructive boundaries, but not at conservative
boundaries.
2.
3.
When this pressure is released, eg as a result of plate movement, magma explodes to the
surface causing a volcanic eruption.
4.
5.
Over time, after several eruptions, the rock builds up and a volcano forms
Negative
The lava and ash deposited during an eruption breaks down to provide
valuable nutrients for the soil. This creates very fertile soil which is good for
agriculture
If the ash and mud from a volcanic eruption mix with rain water or
melting snow, fast moving mudflows are created. These flows are
called lahars.
The high level of heat and activity inside the Earth, close to a volcano, can
provide opportunities for generating geothermal energy.
Lava flows and lahars can destroy settlements and clear areas of
woodland or agriculture.
Human and natural landscapes can be destroyed and changed
forever
Secondary effects
Ash blocked rivers destroying popular fishing sites and causing flooding. This in turn
destroyed crops and livestock.
CausesandEffectsofHurricanes(Katrina)
WheredoTropicalStormsOccur?
Whatcausestropicalstormssuchashurricanes?
AlongthetropicsofcancerandCapricorn,eitherside
1. Hurricanesstartwhenstrongclustersofthunderstorms
oftheequator.Theneedawarmseatobeableto
driftoverwarmoceanwaters(27degreesC)
develop.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Where?
NewOrleans,Louisiana
When?
August29th2005
Strength:
Itsmaximumsustainedwindpowerwas280kmper
houranditsstrongestgustwas346kmperhour.
Theverywarmairfromthestormandtheocean
surfacecombineandbeginrisingcreatinglow
pressure.
Morewarmairrisesand,duetotheearthsrotation
startstomoveinaspiral.Itcoolsandcondenses,
formingclouds,releasingenergy.
Airrisesfasterandfastertofillthislowpressure,in
turndrawingmorewarmairofftheseaandsucking
cooler,drierairdownwards.Windspeedsincrease.
Asthestormmovesovertheoceanitpicksupmore
warmmoistair.Windspeedsstarttoincreaseasmore
airissuckedintothelowpressurecentre.
Theeffects
Wind:OnAugust29Katrina,acategoryfourstorm,was
producingwindsofupto225kmperhour.Itseyewall
passedovertheeasternedgeofNewOrleanshittingthe
city'sbuildingsandremainingresidentswith160kmper
hourwinds.
Leveefailure:Themostimportantdamagethatthe
hurricanecausedwastothecity'sflooddefences.It's
thoughtthattheleveeswerehighenoughbutnotstrong
enough.Theydidnotoverflowbutinsteadcollapseddue
totheincreasedwaterpressure.
Flooding:Since80%ofNewOrleansisbelowsealevelthe
waterflowedfromthelakeintothecityandmostofthe
buildingswereflooded.Thepower,waterandsewage
systemswereknockedoutandthecitywasrendered
uninhabitable.Thenumberofcasualtiesisnotyetknown
butseveralthousandpeoplemaybedead
GovernmentResponses:
CitywasprotectedagainstaCategory3hurricane
Flooddefencesalongtherivers(levees)allowedfora
certainincreaseinwatervolume/waterpressure
Significantthatalthoughdefencesinplacetheywere
notstrongenoughtowithstandaCategory5
hurricane
Evacuationofthecityorderedfollowingpredictions
ofthehurricanespath
Althoughwholecityevacuationordered,thousands
remainedbehind.TheyweresenttotheSuperdomeand
ConventionCentre.Withoutsanitationorpropersupplies,
conditionsinsidethecrowded,overheatedstadium
becameincreasinglyunbearable.Lawandorderacrossthe
citybrokedown,withreportsofwidespreadlootingand
violence.
Otherareasaffected:
ThedeathtollinMississippiisatleast100andhundredsofhousesandbusinessesincludingdozensof
waterfrontcasinoshavebeendestroyed.Aboutamillionhomesarewithoutelectricity.
InBiloxi,oneofthemostseriouslydamagedtowns,manycasinosandbusinesseshavebeenlooted.Thetown
ofGulfporthasalsobeenheavilydamaged.
About400,000homesandbusinessesarewithoutpowerinAlabama,whilepartsofthecityofMobilehave
beenbadlyflooded.
InsouthernFlorida,wherethehurricanepassedthroughon2526August,100,000homesandbusinessesare
withoutelectricity
Prepare
Act
Forecast
Prepare
Act
* Evacuation plans
Wildfires
may be controlled (put out) after some days or weeks but for a time it is out of
control and takes place in forests, grasslands or crop fields not in cities.
Causes of Wildfires:
Lightning : Common in summer when thunderstorms develop. The biggest single natural cause
Natural
Human (Accidental)
Human
(Intentional)
Arson : possibly the biggest cause of fires near settlements. Even firefighters have started fires.
Controlled burning getting out of control : burning off grasslands or heather moorland gets out of hand.
Trains can create sparks from electric connectors, friction & sparks
Combine harvesters & tractors bursting into flames in dry harvest fields
Mechanical
Primary Effects are Effects resulting from the event itself, for example:
Loss of Life, destruction of property, burning vegetation, air pollution
Secondary effects are effects that result from the primary effects:
1. Economy damaged though loss of tourism- as previously attractive
landscapes are Ruined and recreational centres destroyed.
2. People are made homeless and cost of insurance premiums rise
3. Loss of habitats and animal species
4. Rebuilding infrastructure such as roads can take a long time.
The Cause: A 10-year-old boy while playing with matches
Physical
Social
Environmental
Economic
PrimaryEffects
SecondaryEffects
Responses to Wildfires
Fireretardantgel/foamoxygensuppresserstostarvefire
HelicoptersdroppingwaterAhelicopterbucketdeliverswaterforaerial
firefighting
ModularAirborneFireFightingSystemorMAFFSselfcontainedunitused
foraerialfirefightingthatcanbeloadedontomilitarycargoplanesallowing
U.S.ForestService(USFS)tousemilitaryaircraftfromtheAirNationalGuard
&AirForceReservetoserveasanemergencybackup.
FirebreaksControlledburning/backburningstarvingfireoffuelbyusinga
driptorch(fuelcanisterwhichisalightlikealonglastingmatch).Fires
sometimesjumpovercontrolsandstartagain.
Backburningisawayofreducingtheamountofflammablematerialduringa
bushfirebystartingsmallfiresalongamanmadeornaturalfirebreakinfront
ofamainfirefront.Calledbackburningbecausethesmallfiresaredesigned
to'burnbacktowardsthemainfirefront'.Thefirebreaksthatmaybeusedto
startalineoffiresalongcouldbeariver,roadorabulldozedclearing.
Infrared(IR)detector:Aheatdetectionsystemusedforfiredetection,
mapping,andhotspotidentification
Canyouexplainwhythedamagecausedbywildfiresislikelytoincrease?
Wildfireintensity(severityofburning)willincreaseaspopulationpressure
putsstructuresatriskatthewildlandurbaninterface.
Costofdamagecausedbywildfiresisincreasing~espinMEDCs.
Wildfireseasonsareextending,asarethegeographicalareasaffectedby
fire.
ExplaintheNaturalandHumanCausesofwildfires(4Marks)
Describethewaysinwhichthedamagingeffectsofwildfirescanbereduced.
(5marks)
WhymightpeopleinAustraliaandCaliforniabemoreaffectedinthefuture?
(5Marks)
Thecostofdamagefromwildfiresisincreasing.Givetworeasonswhy.(2Marks)
Unlikeearthquakes,volcanoesandtropicalstorms,wildfiresaremainly
causedbytheactionsofpeople.Givereasonsforyourdecision(7Marks)
StudyFigure11,commentsmadebytwoscientistsaboutwesternUSA.
Figure11
Scientist1:Thenumberofwildfireshasincreased4foldsince1986
Scientist2:Thewildfireseasonhaslengthenedby10weekssince1986
SuggesttworeasonsforthechangesshowninFigure11