Disaster Exploratory Assignment

This is an exploratory assignment that introduces topics that will be further explored later in the course. You will be asked later to write a research paper on one of the topics from this assignment.

You can choose to paste your answer into the assignment box, or you can attach your answer as a word.doc.

Natural Disaster Information on the Net The purpose of this assignment is to help you become familiar with the various types of natural disaster information available on the Internet. Answers to these questions should be typewritten in a word.doc.

1.       Using the Web Browser of your choice go to http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/ First, read the Introduction and FAQs section (FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions) and answer the following questions a.      What is the threshold size of an object that would produce a catastrophic disaster if it struck the earth?  (2 point)   How often is it expected that an asteroid or comet with a diameter greater than this threshold size strikes the earth? (2 point) Why would collision with such an object produce more than just a local effect? (2 point)   Have there been any historic examples of a collision with an NEO? If so, when and where? (Note that historic in this context refers to human recorded history) (4 points)   Is there any evidence that a large NEO collided with the Earth at any time in its history? If so, when and where was this impact event, and what were the consequences for the inhabitants of the planet at the time? (hint: look in the multimedia gallery). (4 points) In June of this year, Asteroid 2012 LZ1 passed fairly close to the Earth (in astronomical terms). Although it is was not a threat to Earth, after it passed, two serious issues were raised concerning the asteroid's discovery and size.  Use the search engine of your choice to find out about these issues (note that it is important to look for articles published after the asteroid passed). What are these two serious issues? (4 points)

Some Web sites offer News sources and archives that can be searched. One of these is Yahoo News - http://news.yahoo.com/.  Use the Advanced search feature on the Yahoo News site to answer the following questions.  A large earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan in March of 2011.  Breifly describe the event, providing inforamtion about the size of the event, the amount of damage, and the number of casualties.  What was the most destructive aspect of thiis earthquake, and what is likely to be the most long lasting effect of this disaster. (Note that there is usually more than one article that reports on any given event, make sure you look at the most recently updated information for the event). (4 points) Hurricane Irene hit the east coast of the United States between August 27 and 28, 2011. Describe the disaster and provide information about the amount of damage, number of casualties, and areas affected,.  What was the major cause of damage due to the event?   (4 points) Is it possible to have an event that causes more than one hazardous process to occur?  Give at least two examples based on what you learned in answering parts a and b.  (4 points)

Use the search engine of your choice (I recommend http://www.google.com) to locate pages on the NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) website concerning the following topics.  Answer the questions for each topic. Find a NOAA news story published in 1999 about last century's (1900 - 1999) top weather, water, and climate events.  Give a list of what NOAA considers the worst events in both the U.S. and the World.  (4 points) Find a report about Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters from 1980 to 2011.  Find a map that helps you answer the following questions: What region has the highest number of weather related disasters that cost over $1 Billion during this time period. What reasons can you suggest that might explain why this region is subject to so many damaging events? (4 points) What state(s) appear(s) to be the safest when it comes to costly weather related disasters (be sure to consider all states)? (4 points)