Natural Disasters and Urban Areas

Chapter 16 and 29 Big Ideas

January 2017

Global Ecology / Environmental Science AP

New Orleans & Katrina: Intro. case study –

Given(beyond) the Cat. 5 - -down to Cat. 3 hurricane of Aug. 29, 2005, describe four major factors which contributed to the severity of this event

Katrina: Drive-Thru Redefined

1. Common denominators of especially destructive natural events:p. 320 left column

2. The major reason why the economic costs of environmental disasters (overall) are increasing?

3. They are now considered the most deadly of all weather-related hazards.

4. Describe two natural service

functions of natural flooding

(in a floodplain):

5. Describe subsidence:

6. Identify a major cause of

subsidence:

Groundwater OverdraftSubsidence in the

San Joaquin Valley:

-1925 to 1977-When the well is dry*, we learn the

worth of water. - Ben Franklin

*… when the well/aquifer(s) becomes drier …?

Joe Poland, USGS scientist shows subsidence from 1925

– 1977, 10 miles southwest of Mendota, CA. Sign reads

"San Joaquin Valley California, BM S661, Subsidence 9M,

1925-1977" From USGS Professional Paper 1401-A,

"Ground water in the Central Valley, California- A summary

report“. - Photo by Dick Ireland, USGS, 1977

7. Describe a levee:

(relate to the

“Great Levees Race”)

8. Describe two potential drawbacks to levees:

9. The primary reason for sea level rise (given warming due to some change) is:

10. Describe the “Fall Line”:

11. (a.) Approximate percentage of world population living in cities “today”: (Nat Geo 3 min. video; next slide reminder)

(b.) Approximate percentage of world pop. living in cities in 1800:

12. “Megacity” defined: B/K: ______ ;

also commonly cited: _______

13. The first megacity:

14. Approximate number of

megacities/metroplexes:

8 million acceptable; often noted as 10 million –

-- either = fine

Megacities

Tokyo, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Jakarta,

Seoul, Delhi, Mexico City, Karachi,

Manila, NY, Sao Paulo, Mumbai,

Beijing, LA, Osaka, Moscow, Dhaka,

Cairo, Kolkata, London, Buenos Aires,

Bangkok, Istanbul, Lagos, Tehran, Rio

de Janeiro, Shenzhen, Paris, Tianjin

15. The “City” as a system: linear metabolism, circular metabolism and sustainability:

16. The “site” and

the“situation” of a city:

Site: sum of ALL environmental features

(e.g. of features …?)

Situation: placement w/ respect to

surroundings

17. Major challenges facing most

large cities:

18. The urban heat island effect -and-

ways to potentially reduce tis

phenomenon

19. In addition to the

Urban Heat Island Effect, cities often bring about a variety of other environmental changes.

Describe 12 (3 would be fine) of these:

20. How can cities affect the hydrologic cycle?

a. ↓ I & P …. ↓ GW recharge

b. SPM as CN … Precip. ………? Change ?

21. Combined vs. Separate

“Sewage”/Stormwater Systems

(as previously stated, this tends to be

one of the sexier topics in the course);

-Pro(s) of Combined; of Separate

-Con(s) of Combined; of Separate

previously came up in the course: p. 648, Ch. 30

(Avg. annual rainfall/precip……

LA = 14 in., Seattle = 37 in., Boston = 42 in.,

Miami = 62 in., Baton Rouge = 62 in.)

-Other approaches: Ian McHarg

and the Woodlands, Texas case

study (I.M’s. label for such an approach

…?)

Design with Nature

Land Use:

how to regulate the way in

which land is used?

For Cities, this is typically done

via ?

Zoning Laws

The Most Visited Urban Park

in the United States:

approx. 840 acres

An 1858 “Design a Park” contest

Cal Vaux & FLO

FLO, Jr.

Masterplanner for PVE

… you probably knew that …