ENV 110: Natural Disasters Fall 2013 Red Rocks Community College Instructor: Lynnette Hoerner Phone: 303-914-6479 Email: lynnette.hoerner@rrcc.edu Textbook: Required: Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters and Catastrophes, 2/E By Edward A. Keller and Robert H. Blodgett Recommended: Writing at Red Rocks Basic Scientific Calculator (TI-30 is more than adequate) Course Description: Introduces the student to the different types of natural hazards, their causes, effects, and what can be done to reduce the risks to human populations. Scientific advances related to understanding, predicting, and preparing for natural disasters are discussed. This course also covers anthropogenic changes to Earth systems which may be increasing the frequency and severity of these events. Course Objectives: By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. Describe the interactions between Earth systems. 2. Identify the potential effects of climate change on natural hazards. 3. Discuss the theory of plate tectonics and explain its use in predicting and understanding some natural disasters. 4. Analyze the geologic processes involved in volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides. 5. Explain the Earth s energy balance and atmospheric circulation. 6. Identify the atmospheric processes that cause hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe storms. 7. Explain the causes of drought, heat waves and wildfires. 8. Analyze ocean/atmosphere interactions such as El Niño and discuss their relationship to weather related disasters. 9. Demonstrate understanding of the causes of hydrologic disasters such as flooding, tsunamis, and other coastal hazards. 10. Discuss the origins of impacts from space, their potential to cause a global catastrophe, and the evidence that such catastrophes have occurred in the past. 11. Recognize the causes and effects of solar weather and coronal mass ejections on Earth systems. 12. Explain monitoring systems and methods of risk assessment and prediction for each type of natural hazard. 13. Identify what can be done to reduce risk of natural disasters through preparation and emergency response systems. 14. Describe ways in which human interactions with the environment are worsening both the risks and the outcomes of natural disasters.
Drop and Withdrawal Dates: It is the responsibility of the student to complete all required registration/withdrawal requirements, including the purchase of books. Specific dates, requirements, and information are available at the Red Rocks Community College web site: www.rrcc.edu. Not withdrawing within the proper time limit will cause the student to receive a letter grade based upon his/her current standing in the class at the end of the course session. Last day to drop with a refund: September 4 Last day to withdraw without a failing grade: November 12 Student & Instructor Expectations: Students should be prepared to question, learn and complete assignments in a timely and professional manner. For a three credit hour course such as this, you should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours per week on the coursework, including reading assignments in the textbook, listening to podcasts and completing activities. Students are expected to be courteous and respectful to the instructor and fellow students in all written or verbal communications. All rules in the student Code of Conduct apply to this classroom. In return the instructor will work to provide a respect filled environment in which every student can learn. The instructor will also give students timely and professional feedback (including graded assignments) and assistance in their learning. Cell phones should be silenced or turned off during class, and texting during class is unacceptable. Cell phones must be in pockets or packs during exams. Use of a cell phone during an exam may result in a failing grade on the exam. Disability Accommodations: Red Rocks Community College will provide accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. To request accommodations, contact the Office of Disability Services at your earliest convenience. The Office of Disability Services is located in the Learning Commons Room 1185. Please contact the office at 303.914.6733, V/TDD at 303.914.6737, or email at ODS@rrcc.edu if you have any questions. Policies: Tutoring: Please do not allow yourself to fall behind in this course. Contact information is available to speak with the instructor and if you are earning a grade of C or below, tutoring is available. You are also encouraged to form a study group. If your group has a regular meeting time, Student Life may be able to provide a meeting place, snacks, and in some cases, a tutor. Incomplete Grades: The issuing of an incomplete grade requires the submission of a detailed description of the circumstance beyond the student's control that leads to an inability to complete the required coursework, the completion of a minimum of 75% of the semester's coursework, and a grade of C or above earned on the completed coursework. Course Structure: Our course time will be largely spent on hands-on activities. This means that you will be expected to read the textbook and/or view online lectures before coming to class. We will use our class time for hands on activities, presentations, discussions, etc. There will be an online quiz closing 30 minutes before each class. This quiz will test your comprehension of the reading material and the online lecture. I can then use this information to find out what to focus on in class, so the quizzes are very important. Please don t skip them. This course will be graded based on class activities, written assignments, presentations and exams. You may not submit work by email. I receive as many as 2 or 3 dozen emails a day, and it s just too hard to keep track of homework submitted this way. It will not be accepted. Assignments can be turned in during class, dropped off at
Instructional Services to be placed in my mail box, dropped off at my office or submitted electronically to the D2L dropbox. Online Lectures and Quizzes: Much of the material in this course is online. Lecturing in the classroom is not the best use of our class time. Because of this, you need to either watch the online lectures, read the book, or both before coming to class. Once you have done either the lecture or the reading, you should take the online quiz. These quizzes are only worth a few points each, but altogether they contribute significantly to your test grade in the class. They will close 30 minutes before each class. Activities: Activities and due dates are listed in the schedule. We will work on the activities during class time; however, if you do not complete an activity here, it is your responsibility to finish it at home. For missed work that requires special equipment you will need to see me to arrange a time to do make ups. You must make up all activities within two weeks of the class date listed in the schedule. Hands on activities are an extremely important part of this class because they help us experience science rather than just reading about it. You are encouraged to work with a partner to complete the activities, but each person must do their own write up. If the question responses on two activities are identical, you ll lose points for that. Repeated offenses may result in a zero. It is important that each student have a grasp of the material individually. Presentations: You will be doing several presentations in this class, either as a member of a group or individually. The grading rubric for the presentations is attached to this syllabus. If you miss class on a presentation day I will need some documentation of the cause of your absence. Presentations cannot be made up, but an alternate assignment will be given in cases of necessary, unavoidable absences. Written Assignments: Over the course of the semester you will participate in several case studies of actual disasters. (See details below.) These will not be accepted late, as we will discuss them on the date on which they are due. If you cannot get to campus on or before the due date, upload them to D2L. Tests: Please try not to miss an exam. Make up exams are a nuisance for you and me, and put you behind in the course. If you must miss an exam, I will need you to document your reason for not being present. Make up exams will be allowed only for documented emergencies. Make-ups will be online. Grading: Points in this class will be awarded as follows: Class Activities 25% Exams 25% Written Assignments 25 % Presentations 25% 4.0 = A = 90-100% (Distinguished) 3.0 = B = 80-89% (Above Average) 2.0 = C = 70-79% (Competent) 1.0 = D = 60-69% (Below Average) 0.0 = F = less than 60% (Failing) Note: Students are encouraged to work together to complete activities and other assignments, but each student must contribute to the effort and prepare their own write-ups. Please refer to the student handbook regarding plagiarism and other matters of academic integrity. Plagiarism (especially from the World Wide Web) will not be tolerated and will result at minimum in an F grade for the assignment. Students who are found to have cheated on a quiz or the final exam will also receive a zero for that quiz and may face further disciplinary action. Disciplinary action for academic dishonesty may include a failing grade in the course and/or a report to appropriate authorities. In addition to the policies listed in this syllabus, all policies in the student handbook apply.
Course Schedule Date Topic/Reading Activities Activity Due Dates 8/19 Earth System Basics, Japanese Tsunami Case Study Assigned 8/21 Earth System Science, The Scientific Method 8/26 Risk Assessment and Risk Management 8/28 Earth s Interior, Heat Transfer o Activity Study the interactions of Earth s major systems - Oceans, Atmosphere, Geosphere and Biosphere that produce and stem from El Nino. Scientific Method Tutorial Write about your use of scientific thinking on a daily basis. Then summarize a current research project on the web showing how it uses the scientific method. Japanese Tsunami Case Study Due Each student will do a small part of this study and will present their findings on that part to the entire class. We will discuss the entire event in class. Earth s Layers Activity - Create a scale model of the Earth s interior by calculating the percentage of Earth s radius taken up by each layer. Study how we investigate different layers. 9/4 Plate Tectonics Heat Transfer Activity Experiment with different heat transfer mechanisms. 9/11 9/9 Earthquakes Online Earthquake Activity - Go to http://www.sciencecourseware.com/eec/earthquake/ and work through the activities titled Travel Time, and Epicenter and Magnitude. Turn in your Journal, your Maps and the Certificate of Completion. 9/11 Volcanoes, Case Studies Assigned: Nevado Del Ruiz, Mt. St. Helens and Mt Rainier 9/16 Flooding, Tsunamis and Coastal Hazards In the Greenhouse Gasses Activity, students will graph In the Greenhouse Gasses Activity, students will graph In the Greenhouse Gasses Activity, students will graph Plot different types of volcanoes and earthquakes on a world map using latitude and longitude. Use this data to draw conclusions about plate boundaries. River Activities - Go to http://www.sciencecourseware.com/virtualriver/demo/files/index.html and complete both activities. The first activity will allow you to calculate the flow rate of a simulated stream. The second one focuses on river floods. 9/18 Mass Wasting Mass Wasting Activity Learn the different types of mass wasting and how they work. Then investigate slope failure and landscape evolution with red beans and rice. 9/23 Monitoring and Predicting Geologic Hazards 9/25 Risk Management and Mitigation for Geologic Hazards 9/30 Exam 1 Geologic Hazards 10/2 Atmospheric Basics Energy Balance and Global Circulation Nevado Del Ruiz Case Study Presentation due and class discussion today Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier Case Studies Presentation, and Discussion It's All Connected: Global Circulation Activity Study how air and water circulate around the globe and how this is connected to other Earth systems. 8/26 8/28 9/9 9/16 9/18 9/23 9/25 10/9
10/7 Local Weather and Climate, Extratropical Cyclones Investigating Cyclones Activity: Analyze real data to understand and make predictions about cyclones. 10/9 Hurricanes Hurricane Activity: Analyze the basic structure of a hurricane and where it gets its energy. 10/14 Severe Weather: Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Microbursts 10/16 Drought, Heat Waves and Wildfires 10/21 Climate Change, Hurricane Case Studies Assigned 10/23 Space Based Hazards, Solar Storm Case Study Assigned 10/28 Weather Forecasting and Warning Systems 10/30 Risk Management and Mitigation for Atmospheric Hazards 11/4 Risk Management and Mitigation for Space Based Hazards 11/6 Exam 2 11/11 Anthropogenic Global Warming, Waldo Fire Case Studies Assigned 11/13 Anthropogenic Population Growth in High Risk Areas 11/18 Anthropogenic Poor Fire Management 11/20 Anthropogenic Teach Engineering: Tornado Activity Study the basic structure of a tornado, tornado safety and how engineers design structures to survive tornadoes. Greenhouse Gasses Activity: Expose gasses w/ different levels of carbon dioxide to sunlight and compare plots of their temperature as a function of time. Hurricane Case Studies Assigned: Your group will work on a written study of either Hurricane Sandy or Hurricane Katrina. Atmospheric Models: Calculate the global temperature of Earth based on a single layer model and a multilayer model of the atmosphere. Impacts Activity Simulate impacts using marble and flour. Calculate how the affected area is a function of the kinetic energy of the impactor. 10/14 10/16 10/21 10/23 10/28 10/30 Weather Forecasting Activity Use real data to create a weather forecast. 11/4 Hurricane Sandy Case Study Written assignments are due today. We will discuss them in class. Predicting and Surviving Solar Storms Activity: Study basic solar weather, how we monitor it, and what we can do if it gets dangerous. Solar Storm Case Study due Anthropogenic Contribution Activity: Use graphs of real data to look for correlations between global temperatures and various natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina Case Study: Written assignments due and class discussions The Waldo Canyon Fire Case Study Part 1 We will divide this case study among three groups, all of whom will present today. The Waldo Canyon Fire Case Study Part 2 We will divide this second part of the case study among the remaining groups, all of whom will present today. 11/11 11/18
Land Use and Alterations 12/2 Anthropogenic How can we do Better? 12/4 Review 12/9 Final Exam The Human Factor Summary Discussion: How can an increasingly populated world learn to live on this planet? Case Studies This course will include a series of case studies. Some of these will be conducted individually and some in groups. All will culminate in either a written report, a presentation in front of the class, or both. The purpose of these assignments is for you to develop critical thinking skills related to the scientific, political and cultural issues surrounding natural disasters. You will be looking at past disasters and thinking about what we did well and what we did poorly. Did people have adequate warning? Did people respond appropriately to efforts to warn them? If not, why not? Could different building codes or other preparatory measures have reduced the severity of the disaster? Are those measures within the capabilities of modern technology? Are they available to cities or countries with limited budgets? Is the press coverage of the disaster scientifically, politically and socially accurate, or is it unreasonably inflammatory? Your report should answer all of these questions by including the following sections: A detailed history of past disasters of the same type in this location and their consequences Critical analysis of the negative effects of past episodes and their causes Critical analysis of what could have been done better and what was done well in past episodes in terms of prediction, preparation and risk management Critical analysis of what could have been done better and what was done well in past episodes in terms of short and long-term response Critical analysis of the news coverage and how it shaped public opinion in past episodes Discussion of lessons learned: How can we better address the situation for future events? Discussion of the changing environment: How are human activities adding to the level of risk associated with this type of disaster and/or with this particular disaster? An annotated bibliography: This should include your source citations in the standard format of your choice. In addition, each source should include a brief explanation of why you feel this is a credible, scientific source. During class presentations, you will be encouraged to offer feedback to others research and critique of whatever conclusions they have reached. Be prepared to discuss your own conclusions with the class and to defend your ideas appropriately.
Grading of Case Studies 0-20% 20-40% 10-60% 60-80% 80-100% Points Possible Detailed history of the disaster. incomplete. present and mostly complete but with few details. complete and detailed but with a few omissions. present and complete with some details. present, complete and detailed. 5 Negative effects of past episodes and their causes. present but not detailed or accurate. Accurate information is present, but with limited detail. Detailed, accurate information is present. Very thorough, detailed and accurate description. 10 Analysis: Past prediction, preparation and risk management Analysis is analysis which is not well defended. analysis. Careful and thorough lots of support. 15 Analysis: Past mitigation after the fact Analysis is analysis which is not well defended. analysis. Careful and thorough lots of support. 15 Analysis: News coverage Analysis is analysis which is not well defended. analysis. Careful and thorough lots of support. 10 Discussion of lessons learned Discussion is discussion. discussion. discussion with Thoughtful and thorough discussion with lots of support. 15 Discussion: How humans are making this worse. Discussion is discussion. discussion. discussion with Thoughtful and thorough discussion with lots of support. 10 Mechanics: Organization, grammar and style Paper is poorly organized with numerous grammatical errors. Paper is poorly organized or has some grammatical errors. Paper is well organized but contains some grammatical errors. Paper is well organized with few errors. Paper is well organized with very few errors. 5 Annotated Bibliography Bibliography is missing or annotation is missing. Poor defense of sources as credible or poor quality sources. sources with limited annotation. Good sources with reasonable efforts and annotation. Good sources which are clearly defended as being credible. 15
Grading of Presentations Presentation Style 0-5 point 6-10 points 11-15 points 16-20 points Information is read from a paper nervously and without eye contact read from a paper, but with some expression and eye contact. presented with minimal use of notes and some eye contact presented with good eye contact, confidence and expression. Teamwork One team member does all the work. Work is divided, but not evenly. All team members work on the project, but only some present. All team members give their best effort and help with the presentation. Content Only material from the text is presented. Some research has been done but most of material is repeat of the text. A lot of effort has gone in to collecting material which is then delivered in presentation. The material is extensive, interesting and presented in a clear, well organized way. Critical Thinking/Comprehension No discretion has been applied. Some understanding and discretion displayed. Team has tried to be sure to present only reliable matter. Material is reliable and logical. Illogical material has been weeded out. Sources Sources are not given. Only 1 source has been used or some sources are of questionable reliability. More than one reliable source has been used. Multiple sources have been used. Care has been taken to show who has provided material and that the information is reliable.