Syllabus
EESC W1201, Fall 2016
Environmental Risks and Disasters
(http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~ekstrom/Courses/W1201)
Professor Göran Ekström
(845-365-8427, ekstrom@ldeo.columbia.edu)
Work:
Lectures Tuesday and Thursday, 11:40-12:55, Schermerhorn 603.
There will be problem sets. These will involve "scientific insight"
type questions, calculations exploring physical relationships,
and the statistical manipulation of data.
Discussion section meets once per week. Discussion will
focus on topics relevant to the problem sets.
The grade will be based on the two hourly exams (15%+15%),
the problem sets (30%), and the final (40%).
Text: Natural Disasters, 9th edition by P. L. Abbott
(available at Book Culture). The 8th edition is also fine.
Lecture notes and additional readings will be posted on
the course web site.
Lecture Topics:
Week 1. What is risk? (1).
- Lecture 1 (9/6): Introduction. Risks in many different forms.
- Lecture 2 (9/8): Quantification of risk. The risk of dying. Chance and probability.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapter 1 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapter 1 (7th ed.).
Week 2. What is risk? (2).
- First discussion section. (Discussion section meets once per week.)
- Lecture 3 (9/13): Risk perception and adjusting to the risk. The value of life. Patterns of natural disaster losses.
- Lecture 4 (9/15): The phenomenology of tornados. Atmospheric stability.
- Reading: Probability and statistics handout. Abbott, Chapter 9 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapter 11 (7th ed.).
Week 3. Natural disasters (1).
- Lecture 5 (9/20): Mitigation of tornado hazards.
- Lecture 6 (9/22): The phenomenology and effects of hurricanes.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapter 10 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapter 11 (7th ed.).
Week 4. Natural disasters (2).
- Lecture 7 (9/27): Hurricane mechanics. The Coriolis effect.
- Lecture 8 (9/29): Hurricane prediction and hazard mitigation.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapter 11 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapter 13 (7th ed.).
Week 5. Natural disasters (3).
- Lecture 9 (10/4): Plate tectonics. Phenomenology of earthquakes.
- Lecture 10 (10/6): Earthquake mechanics.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapters 2 and 3 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapters 2 and 4 (7th ed.).
Week 6. Natural disasters (4).
- Lecture 11 (10/11): The effects of earthquakes. Mitigation of earthquake hazards.
- Lecture 12 (10/13): Planning for earthquakes. Prediction and problems of mitigation.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapters 4 and 5 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapters 3 and 6 (7th ed.).
Week 7. Natural disasters (5).
- Lecture 13 (10/18): Phenomenology of volcanos. Volcano hazards.
- Lecture 14 (10/20): First Hourly Exam.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapter 6 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapter 8 (7th ed.).
Week 8. Natural disasters (6).
- Lecture 15 (10/25): Volcano prediction and hazard mitigation.
- Lecture 16 (10/27): The hazard of impacts from space objects.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapters 7 and 17 (9th ed.); Chapters 7 and 16
(8th ed.); Chapters 9 and 17 (7th ed.).
Week 9. Exposure risks (1).
- Lecture 17 (11/1): Exposure risks. Dose and response.
- Lecture 18 (11/3): Radon. Biological effects of radiation.
- Reading: Handout on exposure hazards.
Week 10. Exposure risks (2).
- Election Day (University Holiday) (11/8)
- Lecture 19 (11/10): Exposure risks and radon epidemiology. Other exposures to radiation.
- Reading: Handouts on radioactivity and radon.
Week 11. Exposure risks (3).
- Lecture 20 (11/15): Asbestos and related health effects.
- Lecture 21 (11/17): Exposure risks and asbestos. Arsenic and other exposure hazards.
- Reading: Handout on asbestos.
Week 12. Second hourly and Thanksgiving
- Lecture 22 (11/22): Second Hourly Exam.
- Thanksgiving (11/24)
Week 13. Environmental change and control (1).
- Lecture 23 (11/29): Flooding and the hydrology of watersheds. River flow and river flooding.
- Lecture 24 (12/1): Coastal processes and hazards.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapters 13 and 11 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapters 14 and 13 (7th ed.).
Week 14. Environmental change and control (2).
- Lecture 25 (12/6): Mitigation of flooding hazards.
- Lecture 26 (12/8): Coastal erosion, global warming, sea-level change. and coastal development. Conclusion.
- Reading: Abbott, Chapter 11 (9th and 8th ed.); Chapter 13 (7th ed.).
Göran Ekström,
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
Columbia University
Last modified: 2016-08-10