TECTONICS: Management of tectonic hazards and disasters (EQ3) Flashcards
How have the number of recorded disasters changed since 1960? (have they increased/decreased)
They have increased significantly since 1960
What has caused the number of recorded disasters to change since 1960? what impact does this have?
Increased population:
- more people likely to be impacted by any hazard event
- Increased population density in urban & coastal areas increases the vulnerable population
The number of tectonic disasters have fluctuated since the 1960s:
- does the slight increase mean there have been more earthquakes or higher magnitude earthquakes?
- instead what 2 things has this resulted in?
No!
- greater urbanisation= higher population densities & increased building density
- Population growth= more people living in earthquake-prone regions
What has caused the number of deaths from all hazards to decrease since the 1960s? (6 things)
- Improved building construction
- Increased monitoring
- Greater preparation and planning
- Education - earthquake drills
- Improved warning systems
- Increased development
What factors cause the number of deaths from tectonic hazards to fluctuate? (3 factors)
1.Magnitude
2. Level of development
3. Location
Examples of slow onset natural events
Drought & Famine
Examples of rapid onset events
Earthquakes
Give an examples of factors that made disasters worse in two of your case studies on tectonic events?
- Radioactivity at Fukushima following the Tohoku 2011 tsunami
- Relief and aid not evenly distributed, poor infrastructure and services, secondary impacts like disease in Haiti 2010
Pros and cons of disaster statistics
+
More accurate now due to technological advances
+
Modern disaster databases are valuable for identifying patterns and aiding preparedness
What are the positives of Disaster statistics?
- more accurate now
- due to technological advances
- Modern disaster databases are valuable for identifying patterns and aiding preparedness
What are the negatives of disaster statistics?
- data inequality can vary between regions
- due to differences in resources and infrastructure
- developing countries may have unreported data
- due to limited monitoring capabilities
- Historical data has gaps
- especially for events prior to the digital age
- makes long-term trends harder to assess
- Declaration of deaths may be influenced by political bias
Has there been a change in deaths due to tectonic hazards since 1960?
There has been no real change overall in deaths
e.g.
2012 - 2014= less than 1,000 worldwide deaths
2004 - 2010= over 200,000 deaths - mega disasters skey the data
Are volcanic disasters or earthquakes more frequent?
Earthquakes are more frequent
Are economic losses due to earthquakes rising?
Yes - averaging $20-$40bn per year
More people who are more affluent= more property to lose (mainly in developed countries)
What are Mega-Disasters and what are the characteristics?
Disasters that happen on a large scale
- Have social, economic & environmental impacts
- Communities and governments require immediate support
- cCn impact multiple countries
- Are infrequent but server
- Cannot be fully managed
Name the 3 Mega-Disasters (Case Studies)
- 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
- 2011 Japanese Tsunami (Tohoku)
- EY10 eruption, Iceland
What happened in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
- 14 countries surrounding the Indian Ocean affected
- Economic losses and deaths in especially Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia
- Wa made one of largest disasters ever in terms of regional extent
What happened in the 2011 Japanese Tsunami (Tohoku)
- Only Japan directly affected but economic impacts had global consequences
Impacts:
- Disruption to ports, factories & power supplies so…
Global car-production supply chain= Slowed
Electronic production= Slowed
(Japan is one of the centres of excellence for technology)
- In addition= had a nuclear meltdown disaster at Fukushima - caused a radioactive leaking of Fukushima power plant - was a catalyst in Germany abandoning its nuclear energy programme
What happened in the EY10 eruption?
- over 20 European countries affected by total or partial closure of their airspace
- Ash cloud from eruption disrupted air travel - dangers of jet engines ingesting ash
- Over 100,000 cancelled flights costing over £1 billion in loses
What’s a multiple-hazard zone?
When two or more hazards occur at the same time or in rapid succession (one after another).
- combination of tectonic hazards and hydro-meteorological hazards
Tectonic hazards: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, landslides
hydro-meteorological hazards: flood, drought, storms, tropical cyclones
What makes the Philippines a Multiple-hazard zone? 4 things
- Tectonically active - earthquakes and volcanoes occur
- Geologically young - so has unstable mountain zones prone to tectonic shifting
- On major tropical storm tracks - which move through the area
- May suffer from global climate changes -such as El Nino and La Nina oscillations
What does the accuracy of prediction and forecasting of tectonic hazards depend on?
The type and location of the hazard
Can earthquakes be predicted? If not what can be done?
No but patterns can be identified (Risk forecast)
What type of areas can be identified (risk forecasting)?
Areas at high risk:
- areas likely to suffer severe ground shaking and liquefaction
- areas experiencing ‘seismic gaps’: areas that have not experienced an earthquake for some time and are ‘overdue’ can point to areas of high risk
