Undergraduate Course: Natural Hazards (EASC08011)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Earth Science |
Other subject area | Environmental Courses |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The restlessness of our planet in a consequence of dynamic processes that operate over time both within it, on its surface and in its atmosphere. The dynamic character of the Earth System is not only responsible for our own existence, but also for inevitable natural hazards. This course will introduce the Earth System as a basis for characterising and understanding natural hazards, their causes and consequences. The major types of natural hazard will be described, analysed and assessed in terms of their underlying causes as well as their socio-economic and environmental impacts. This Course capitalises on natural synergies between subsurface, surface and human dimensions of the Earth System. Hazards to be considered will include earthquakes and tsunamis, volcanic hazards (local, regional and global scale), meteorological hazards (hurricanes, tornados, dust storms, El Nino, flooding and coastal erosion), topographic hazards such as collapse of unstable slopes, hazards arising from climate change, and hazards associated with bolide impacts. The evidence for past natural catastrophes and hazards, recorded in natural archives, will be described along with remote sensing methods for documenting current hazards and hazard risk. The principles and application of risk assessment and analysis will be considered with respect to case studies. The course will conclude with an overview of human settlement, planning and policy in relation to natural hazards in the light of their socio-economic impacts. The Course comprises 20 lectures supplemented by a series of laboratory / multimedia / tutorial and feedback classes, together with a directed programme of reading. The Course is assessed by degree examination together with an essay and a class exercise. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 12:10 - 13:00 | | | | | Central | Laboratory | | 1-11 | | | | 10:00 - 10:50or 10:00 - 10:50 | or 09:00 - 09:50or 10:00 - 10:50 | | Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 11:10 - 12:00 |
| First Class |
Week 1, Tuesday, 12:10 - 13:00, Zone: Central. Lecture Theatre, Robson Building |
| Additional information |
Student sign up for 1 practical class out of the 4 classes offered. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Natural Hazards | 2:00 | | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the main natural hazards and therefore be capable of recognising, defining and describing the variety and diversity of natural hazards that affect the Earth&©s surface environments. Students will be capable of explaining the relationships between geohazards (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanism, slope collapse), active tectonic processes expressed on the Earth&©s surface and underlying processes in the Earth. They will also be able to understand and explain the relationships between meteorological hazards and the underlying physical processes operating in the atmosphere. Using routine techniques in natural hazard analysis (natural and historical records and remote sensing of present-day images) students will develop an appreciation of the incidence and significance of impacts as hazards both at present and in the past. An appreciation of the basic principles of risk will be developed and then applied to determining the risk associated with specific types of natural hazard, in order to appreciate the complexity of dealing with these issues at the professional level. Students will submit a detailed topical essay which will highlight some of the major current issues. |
Assessment Information
| Lectures, practicals and project work. Continuous assessment through project work, written-up practical assignments and short class tests. Degree exam in autumn diet. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thorvaldur Thordarson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8526
Email: thor.thordarson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Nicola Muir
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: Nikki.Muir@ed.ac.uk |
|
© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 5:53 am
|
University Homepage