Course Description
Course Description
Students will be introduced to natural disasters; the processes and energy sources that produce them, along with the spatial distribution and pattern of natural phenomena, while developing an understanding of the impact these phenomena have on human activity.
Students will be introduced to natural disasters; the processes and energy sources that produce them, along with the spatial distribution and pattern of natural phenomena, while developing an understanding of the impact these phenomena have on human activity.
- -Determine what the roles are of natural disaster mitigation at a federal and local governmental level, community level, and individual.
- -Analyze and understand natural processes that create disaster events such as: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, severe weather, disease, and climate change.
- -Understand how natural hazards become disasters and ultimately catastrophes.
- -Know how many natural processes are cylindrical meaning that they a frequency of recurrence which also influences their magnitude.
- -Analyze the role humans play in creating natural disasters (i.e. population growth, poverty, environmental degradation, climate change, and politics).
- -Understand the technology used to measure and analyze natural processes such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and ground data.
Project #1: Disasters in the Movies
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References
http://www.opengeography.org/ch-7-weather-hazards.html
http://www.ready.gov/tornadoes
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/tornadoes/
Natural disasters are a very real and serious issue and always have been throughout history for the life on planet Earth. In more recent history we often see the issue depicted in art and film across many cultures. For this project I have chosen to watch and analyze the natural disaster in the popular 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.
In this film the main character, Dorothy, is carried away by a tornado from her life on a farm in Kansas to the land of Oz. Signs of the tornado begin when Dorothy leaves from getting her fortune told to see her Aunty Em. Winds begin blowing and proceed to pick up in speed where then you see the funnel, or the supercell, of the tornado in the distance. Dorothy makes it inside her home where the windows begin to blow off the house while staying in tact. One of the windows when blown off the building hits Dorothy on the head and causes her to go unconscious. When Dorothy gains consciousness her home has been lifted of the ground completely whole and is carried by the tornado. As she looks out her window she sees family and neighbors soaring through the tornado doing usual activities such as rocking in a rocking chair, rowing in a boat, and riding a bike. The house starts to lower and is set on the ground in the land of Oz and the tornado has vanished.
In this scene there are both accurate and inaccurate depictions of how a tornado truly behaves. The high winds that begin before the tornado hits is a true sign of a tornado. However, wind speeds can be up to 300 MPH destroying everything in the tornadoes direct path. In this film the tornado lifts Dorothy’s house in tact which would not happen in real life. Wood, brick, and concrete which are most commonly used to build homes cannot withstand large debris being launched through the air. If the winds themselves didn’t rip apart the home debris would have
Accurate aspect of the film are the funnel of the tornado and the location where the tornado occurs, Kansas. Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are where 1/3 of all American tornadoes form. Moist breezes sweep from the Golf of Mexico towards Canada while high above a cold get stream barrels down from Canada. This is a recipe for tornadoes. The cold jet stream or cold air sits at the top of the storm while on the low surface of the storm warm air are sits. Warm air builds and breaks through the a lid. Conditions are perfect to lead towards the mother of tornadoes, a severe thunderstorm called a supercell. In the supercell the cold air blows one direction as the warm blows another direction which creates the the funnel of the tornado.
Overall the film wasn’t very accurate on the effects a tornado has on structures and people but it did show an accurate image of what a tornado can look like. This film will always be considered a classic and a great work. Even if it wasn’t the most accurate it will always be one of my favorite films.
In this film the main character, Dorothy, is carried away by a tornado from her life on a farm in Kansas to the land of Oz. Signs of the tornado begin when Dorothy leaves from getting her fortune told to see her Aunty Em. Winds begin blowing and proceed to pick up in speed where then you see the funnel, or the supercell, of the tornado in the distance. Dorothy makes it inside her home where the windows begin to blow off the house while staying in tact. One of the windows when blown off the building hits Dorothy on the head and causes her to go unconscious. When Dorothy gains consciousness her home has been lifted of the ground completely whole and is carried by the tornado. As she looks out her window she sees family and neighbors soaring through the tornado doing usual activities such as rocking in a rocking chair, rowing in a boat, and riding a bike. The house starts to lower and is set on the ground in the land of Oz and the tornado has vanished.
In this scene there are both accurate and inaccurate depictions of how a tornado truly behaves. The high winds that begin before the tornado hits is a true sign of a tornado. However, wind speeds can be up to 300 MPH destroying everything in the tornadoes direct path. In this film the tornado lifts Dorothy’s house in tact which would not happen in real life. Wood, brick, and concrete which are most commonly used to build homes cannot withstand large debris being launched through the air. If the winds themselves didn’t rip apart the home debris would have
Accurate aspect of the film are the funnel of the tornado and the location where the tornado occurs, Kansas. Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are where 1/3 of all American tornadoes form. Moist breezes sweep from the Golf of Mexico towards Canada while high above a cold get stream barrels down from Canada. This is a recipe for tornadoes. The cold jet stream or cold air sits at the top of the storm while on the low surface of the storm warm air are sits. Warm air builds and breaks through the a lid. Conditions are perfect to lead towards the mother of tornadoes, a severe thunderstorm called a supercell. In the supercell the cold air blows one direction as the warm blows another direction which creates the the funnel of the tornado.
Overall the film wasn’t very accurate on the effects a tornado has on structures and people but it did show an accurate image of what a tornado can look like. This film will always be considered a classic and a great work. Even if it wasn’t the most accurate it will always be one of my favorite films.