LASA 2: Monitoring Our Home Planet

LASA 2: Monitoring Our Home Planet

SCI 215 Contemporary Applications of the Science

Monitoring Our Home Planet

The three different natural phenomena’s that cause natural disasters that I chose for this assignment are the following: earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

Evans (2011) states that these types of natural phenomena’s can occur with minimum amount of warning. Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are difficult to predict and impossible to stop.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes cause a roaring or rumbling sound that gradually grows louder. There may be a rolling sensation that starts out gently, but within a second or two becomes very violent. The strength of an earthquake is usually measured using the moment magnitude scale.

Tsunamis

Tsunamis are earthquakes that happen under the sea the most destructive of these are generated from large shallow earthquakes with an epicenter or fault line near or on the ocean floor. The sudden vertical displacement generates waves that can travel great distances at high speed. Tsunamis move in high speeds and can wash away everything in its path. There is a limited amount of time before the hit.

Volcanoes

Volcanoes are mountains that are characterized by having a crater that opens downwards to a reservoir of molten rock. When pressure from gases within the molten rock becomes to great, an eruption occurs, these can be quite modest and result in little more than a trickle, or they can explode with considerable force and be accompanied by lava flows, flattened landscapes, poisonous gases, flying rock and ash. Due to their heat produced they are great fire hazard. Lava flow destroys everything in their path, which can cause flooding and mudslides. Also volcanoes give off gases such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. These are normally quickly dispersed by the wind, but can collect in hollows. High concentrations can cause suffocation.

National disasters and climate monitoring (2015) state that radio-based remote sensors both active and passive are the main tools for environment and climate monitoring along with disaster prediction and detection and for mitigating the negative effects of disasters. These sensors obtain environmental data by measuring that level and parameters of natural and artificial radio waves, which inherently contain information about the environment with which they have been in contact. Terrestrial and space-borne remote sensing applications form the backbone of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The relevant frequency bands for remote sensing applications are determined by fixed physical properties that cannot be changed and cannot be duplicated in other bands. Therefore, these frequency bands are an important natural resource. Effective and prudent management of frequency bands allocated to different meteorological and earth exploration satellite service is paramount in maintaining and enhancing the quality and accuracy of environment and climate monitoring systems.

Earthquakes can be monitored over the internet through what is called Netquakes seismograph. One website used to monitor earthquakes is www.earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map. USGS Earthquake Hazards Program is part of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) established by congress in 1977 and the USGS Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) was established by congress as a (NEHRP) facility. The USGS and its partners monitor and report earthquakes, assess earthquakes impacts and hazards and perform research into the causes and effects of earthquakes.

One website used to monitor tsunamis is www.tsunami.noaa.gov. This website (NOAA) has primary responsibility for providing tsunami warnings to the nation and a leadership role in tsunami observations and research.

The website to monitor active volcanoes is www.volcanodiscovery.com/erupting-volcanoes.html. This website has extensive volcano news along with reporting and a photo gallery. They even provide tours to anyone wishing to visit active volcanoes safely. Also they provide active volcano maps and webcams so people can view the volcanoes 24/7.

Kostigen (2018) states that anywhere in the world can experience natural disasters, however four countries seem to experience the most earthquakes, volcanoes erupts and tsunamis is the Philippines, China, Japan and Bangladesh. Since climate change contributes to these disasters which effects sea levels and in turn changes weather patterns. Which is a major concern for the Philippines, which is home to eight of the top ten riskiest places in the world for natural disasters. The Philippines has a poor institutional and societal capacity to manage, respond and recover from natural disaster. China, Japan and Bangladesh are almost just as equally vulnerable with major population areas exposed to storms, floods and earthquakes. Bangladesh is famously low tying and particular susceptible to sea level rise. These natural disasters can have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts. “Understanding how, where and why Those Risks Manifest is an imperative in managing potential shocks.” Even countries geographically located outside direct physical threats from natural disasters can be affected by them. The U.S. is no exception. New Orleans for example is among the top fifty most vulnerable places in the world.

SciDev.Net states that remote sensing is part of the resources used to monitor natural disasters. Remote sensing uses instruments such as satellites and is inherently useful for disaster management. Satellites offer accurate, frequent and almost instantaneous data over large areas anywhere in the world. Remote sensing is often the only way to view what is happening on the ground. They use a four port disaster cycle, which is mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Wavelengths are extremely helpful for natural disaster response- wavelengths that are used are visible, near infrared, shortwave infrared, thermal infrared and microwave (radar) also in place is a famine early warning systems network funded by USAID along with the (ESA) European Space Agency.

The kind of technology used to monitor natural disasters are for earthquakes (INSAR) Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar. This technique combines two or more radar images to measure ground motion between them very accurately INSAR instruments such as PALSAR are already routinely used after earthquakes to assess damage and the extent of ground movement and deformation.

Tsunamis is monitored by satellites that can help warn of floods and help with response and recovery efforts. Tsunami watches and warnings are issued by (NWS) National Weather Service and they activate (EAS) via NOAA weather radio which all TV, AM/FM, radio, cable and internet receive the broadcast simultaneously.

Volcanologists use many different tools including instruments that detect and record volcanic gases. The instruments that measure ground deformation EDM leveling, GPS, tilts detect eruptions of lava. (COSPEC) instruments determine how much lava is moving underground along with video and still cameras, infrared cameras, satellite images and webcams.

Here are some additional websites that monitor and give up to date data on volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes.

http://earthquakeusgs.gov/earthquakes/recentqsww

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanes/yellowstone/yellowstone_monitoring_47.html

http://earthquake.usgs.gov

These websites apply earth science data and assessments required for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions. The weakness of these websites is that they do not forecast earthquakes and the volcano hazards program of the U.S. Geographical Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program advances scientific understanding of volcanic processes and to lessen the harmful impacts of volcanic activity.

Ferris (2016) Natural disasters have serious consequences of events that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region. Depending on the location and how many will be impacted by a natural disaster will determine the political ramifications. There are questions if something is a natural disaster if resources and readiness is available like we have in the U.S. versus an undeveloped country. Poverty is an important factor in understanding the effects of natural disaster in a well-developed country versus undeveloped within countries, it is almost always the poor and marginalized who are disproportionately affected by natural disasters. They tend to live in less safe environments and in less safe shelters. Shoddily-constructed homes are more vulnerable to earthquakes, landslide and flooding then homes that are well constructed. Government policies can reinforce social divisions of natural disasters. Natural disasters can cause much conflict between countries due to the link between society’s response capacity, state and social structures, which are weakened by conflicts. Also, countries must rely on more well-developed countries for aid and if help is not given when needed this can put a wedge between the countries and they can lose each other as allies in the future.

The issues that can be causes between less-developed countries is conflict. Which will increase violent and civil conflict, both in the short and medium term. It can cause a sluggish economic growth. Statistically the more the developed the country the less likely a natural disaster is to have political consequences.