Catalog Entries |
Summer 2021
May 01,2024 |
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| GEOL 210 - NATURAL HAZARDS |
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Natural hazards — or, “how the planet can kill you”. In the 21“ century, some are lulled into a false sense of security, believing that “if it’s natural, it’s good for you”. In this course, we will examine various natural geological processes that are decidedly not good for you! We will learn about the processes that result in natural hazards and disasters, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, floods (rivers and coastal), coastal erosion, and hurricanes, among others. We will also explore the role of humans in exacerbating some of these processes: for instance, the geological effects of anthropogenic climate change (including sea level rise and frequency and magnitude of extreme weather phenomena), and how the human
footprint on the landscape can exacerbate (or even cause) certain types of hazards (e. g., landslides, floods, earthquakes). We will look at the resultant impact of these geological processes on humans, both at individual and societal scales; the effects on human health/mortality, infrastructure, economies, and governance. We will also explore the factors that build resiliency in both natural and human ecosystems, and having identified where and why these hazards occur, and their predictability, we will examine potential solutions to mitigate and/or adapt to these geological processes. Finally we
will examine the ways in which such solutions can best be implemented: the efficacy of mandates on the one hand, and stakeholder approaches on the other. This course fulfills the GE: Systems, Sustainability, and Society category.
(Examining hazardous Earth system processes, the reasons they are often catastrophic to human life and impactful on societies, and how we can manage the risks more effectively and sustainably.)
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours 0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Lecture/Online, Online Course Geology Department Course Attributes: Gen Ed 18-Syst, Sust&Society |
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