Geography: Climatology & Natural Hazards

Analysis of regional climatology, paleoclimatology, hydroclimatological hazards, or fluvial geomorphology. Topics include droughts, severe weather, climate change, floods and floodplain management, mountain and lowland rivers. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisites: Vary with course content; minimum Junior standing.

Pre-reqs: GEOG 1200, or Instructor Permission GEOG 2230 is strongly recommended PACE students by permission and override

Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Tornados in Joplin, Missouri. Drought in the Lake Champlain valley. Heat waves in Europe. Wildfires in California and Alaska. Land-falling hurricanes like Irene and the increased hurricane intensity and landfall across the Caribbean in the last few years have raised our level of awareness of susceptibility to this hazard. Hazards, risk, disaster, mitigation, preparedness, relief. Our mere existence in the environment around us means that we are exposed to the vagaries of nature. What are natural hazards? How do we cope with them? What are the best mitigation strategies for preventing catastrophic disasters? How are hazards identified and monitored? Under what ideal conditions do many of the meteorological disasters develop? How are the impacts and processes that lead to natural hazards, being exacerbated by climate change? Good policymaking can only stand on the feet of strong science and a good grasp of the human populations involved. That is the cornerstone of this course.

Class time will be divided into lecture-laboratory combinations with in-class tutorials and exercises. These will be complemented by short videos and field trips where appropriate. Internet-based climate and climate change sources will be incorporated accordingly. Class time will be used for conceptual refinement and skill acquisition and you are therefore required to prepare all the assigned materials before class. At least one field trip will be made to the Town with whom we shall be partnering. This is an advanced level climatology class and as such I expect you to have the necessary background from having taken the introductory (GEOG 1200) and/or intermediate climatology (GEOG 2230) courses. ▸ This course is a Service-Learning enhanced course. Service-Learning is a reciprocal relationship among students, faculty and an external community collaborator(s), that is responsive to the needs of the collaborator(s), while enhancing student learning. We shall be collaborating with members of at least one Town/Municipality to enhance their local hazard mitigation plan..

Your overall grade will be assigned on the basis of the following tasks, your participation during the semester and your articulated learning. Interpretive exercises 25 % Reflections 10 % Group debates (assigned to one) 10 % Intra-term examinations (2) 30 % Research paper with presentation 25 %