When Nature Strikes - Natural Hazards
The United Nations estimated that between 1994-2015, there were 6,873 natural disasters worldwide, which affected 218 million people and claimed 1.35 million lives. The frequency of disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides stayed fairly constant during that 21 year period whereas climate-related events like floods, hurricanes and tornadoes were on the rise.
And, of course, something on Earth is always burning! NASA's Earth Observatory tracks wildfires across the world with maps available for viewing from 2000-present. Some wildfires can restore ecosystems to good health, but many can threaten human populations, posing a natural disaster threat.
Finally, you don't normally see space weather forecasted on the evening news, but it does impact life on Earth in many ways. What are the threats posed from all of these natural disasters and how can we work to mitigate those threats beforehand?
Students will be captivated by the material presented in these NBC Learn Videos, and their earth system science connections built up by the related secondary classroom activities. When teaching about natural disasters, there are certainly no lack of teachable moments! These materials are brought to you by Windows to the Universe and the National Earth Science Teachers Association with funding from the National Science Foundation.
You might also be interested in:
The expression "on solid ground" is often used to describe something as stable. But sometimes the solid ground underfoot is not stable. It moves as Earth's tectonic plates move. Sometimes it moves gradually.
...more
Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other conditions. Explore the links below to learn more about some of the
...more
Altocumulus clouds (weather symbol - Ac), are made primarily of liquid water and have a thickness of 1 km. They are part of the Middle Cloud group (2000-7000m up). They are grayish-white with one part
...more
Altostratus clouds (weather symbol - As) consist of water and some ice crystals. They belong to the Middle Cloud group (2000-7000m up). An altostratus cloud usually covers the whole sky and has a gray
...more
Cirrocumulus clouds (weather symbol - Cc) are composed primarily of ice crystals and belong to the High Cloud group (5000-13000m). They are small rounded puffs that usually appear in long rows. Cirrocumulus
...more
Cirrostratus (weather symbol - Cs) clouds consist almost entirely of ice crystals and belong to the High Cloud (5000-13000m) group. They are sheetlike thin clouds that usually cover the entire sky. The
...more
Cirrus (weather symbol - Ci) clouds are the most common of the High Cloud (5000-13000m) group. They are composed entirely of ice and consist of long, thin, wispy streamers. They are commonly known as
...more
