Hazard Geography Flashcards
Term 1 Test 1
Hazard Geography
Study of natural/ecological hazards, where and how they occur, and how to minimise their impact.
Disaster
A catastrophic event that causes severe impacts on properties, environment and human life. eg. hurricane Katrina
Atmospheric Hazard
Created from weather processes eg. storms, hurricanes, tornadoes
Hydrological Hazard
Driven by hydrological processes in the water cycle eg. flooding, tsunamis, drought, blizzards
Geomorphic Hazard
Created by the movement of the Earth’s crust eg. landslides, earthquakes.
Proximity
State of being near at a certain time
Vulnerability
Higher susceptibility to harm or damage
Natural Hazard
Atmospheric, hydrological and geomorphic processes and events in our environment have the potential to affect people adversely
Magnitude
Strength of a hazard, or how large/important the event is, usually measured on a scale eg. richter scale
Frequency
How often hazard event occurs in an area
Probability
Chance of event occuring
Mitigation
Reducing or eliminating the impact of a hazard event
Response
Immediate action during and straight after a hazard to minimise harm (evacuations, rescues)
Recovery
Long term effect to retore the community back to normal eg. rebuilding infrastructure, providing financial aid
Risk
The exposure or probablity of a hazard event causing harmful consequences to people, property and the environment
Risk Management
Process of identifying, assessing and mitigating potential hazards to minimise losses and harm
Ecological Hazards
Biological or chemical hazard that has the potential to impact adversely on the wellbeing of people and the environment eg. COVID, cane toad invasions, cholera
Spatial Technology
Any software or hardware that interacts with real world locations eg. GPS, google earth, satellite images, geographic information systems
Three impacts of hazards
Economic
Social
Environmental
Economic Impacts
How financial systems are affected eg. loss of income, infrastructure damage, insurance costs
Social Impacts
Affects human populations, communities, healthcare eg. injuries, death, homelessness, disruption to workplaces and education facilities
Environmental
Affects ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources eg. destruction of habitats, pollution, climate related impacts
Spatial Distribution
Refers to the arrangement of geographical phenomenon across Earth
Spatial Association
Refers to the relationship between the distribution patterns of different phenomena
