Fragile Systems 1

Question 1

Define disaster

Answer 1

means “The stars are evil”

substantial event causing
1. physical damage
2. loss of life
3. drastic change to environment

Question 2

What is abundant in Earth’s core?

Answer 2

1. iron
2. nickel
3. oxygen?

Question 3

What is abundant in Earth’s crust?

Answer 3

1. oxygen
2. silicon
3. aluminum

Question 4

What is abundant in Earth’s ocean?

Answer 4

1. oxygen
2. hydrogen
3. chlorine

Question 5

What is abundant in Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 5

1. nitrogen
2. oxygen
3. argon

Question 6

Stratification

Answer 6

layers that are created when

less dense materials float on top of denser ones

Question 7

stratification of earth system

Answer 7

atmos
ocean
crust
mantle
outer core
inner core

Question 8

what defines the disaster?

Answer 8

the strata

Question 9

Disaster scales

Answer 9

key to communicating disaster info
- use common standardized terms

Question 10

SI units of time, distance, mass

Answer 10

sec, m, g

Question 11

Metric prefixes

Answer 11

Tera
Giga
Mega
Kilo
deca

centi
mili
micro
nano
pico

Question 12

define force and work

Answer 12

Newton, N (kg m/s^2)
1N is like a breeze

Work (J) is force x displacement

Question 13

what are the 4 types of energy

Answer 13

Potential
- work needed to raise object against pull of gravity

Kinetic
- motion

Sensible
- what we can feel, aka temperature

Latent
- a kind of potential energy
- hidden. heat energy in bonds
- released as sensible heat during phase changes

Question 14

how are disasters associated with concentration or dilution of energy?

Answer 14

disasters release lots of energy, causing catastrophic changes

Question 15

Return period

Answer 15

average number of years between disaster events of the same magnitude

RP(M) = time span ÷ number of cases

Question 16

Where does energy come from for an earthquake? Impact?

Answer 16

• potential
• kinetic

Question 17

intensity vs frequency

Answer 17

more intense occur less frequently

Question 18

Hazard

Answer 18

any event that has the potential to cause harm

Question 19

Risk

Answer 19

• the probability that a hazardous event might occur
• chance of potential loss

Question 20

vulnerability

Answer 20

a weakness that could be affected by disaster

i.e. whether we are exposed

Question 21

relationship btwn hazard, risk, and vulnerability

Answer 21

Hazard x Vulnerability = Risk

Question 22

Overpopulation

Answer 22

exceeds carrying capacity

Question 23

carrying capacity

Answer 23

population that can be sustainably supported in a given domain (like earth)

Question 24

Population and relation to disasters

Answer 24

more ppl = more vulnerable

Question 25

Fragile system is

Answer 25

the human population

• natural disasters are normal in the earth system