The University of British Columbia

Course Description

Introduction to causes and physical characteristics of disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, storm surge, thunderstorms, tornadoes, landslides, wind waves, meteor impacts, mass extinctions.

UBC Calendar

For a full listing of course offerings please see the UBC calendar description

Learning Goals

A. For earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, storms, waves, and
meteor impacts, you will:

1. Learn how they work.
2. Locate the dangerous places where they've often occurred.
3. Learn ways to observe and monitor them.
4. Find out why it's hard to forecast them.
5. Learn what you and your community can do to prepare for them.

B. We will strive to:

1. Empower you to be a survivor.
2. Enable you to approach new challenges insightfully.
3. Sharpen your observations of nature.
4. Stimulate your excitement in our planet.

See also learning goals for non-specialist courses.

Instructors

Lectures

• Fall term:  sections 101, 102  - instructors:  Stull, Sutherland, Gilley, Bain, McKinnon.
• Spring term: section 201  - instructors:  Stull, Hearn, Sutherland, Gilley, Bain, McKinnon.
• Summer term: section 971 - instructor: Bain

Distance Education Sections (Fall, Spring, Summer) 99A, 99C, 98A - Ver

EOSC114 was part of EOS-SEI, the EOS Science Education Initiative during 2007-2009.

 

Textbook

• (Custom Edition for UBC), 2010: "The Catastrophic Earth, Natural Disasters, 3rd Edition". Pearson Custom Publishing.  (This new book is available now at the Discount Textbooks**.)  The old first edition cannot be used starting Fall 2009, because the new editions have different chapters and sections.  However, it is OK to use the 2nd edition.
  

• A student personal response system ("i-clicker" brand) is also required. This is the clicker that has been adopted UBC-wide. 

**Both the textbook and the i-clicker are usually less expensive if you buy them at Discount Textbooks, located on University Blvd 2 blocks off campus above the McDonald's restaurant in the University Village shopping mall. We have placed our full order for these textbooks at the Discount Textbook store.  Discount Textbooks contact info:  206-5728 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC  V6T 1K6 Canada.  email:    Phone: 604-221-1822, fax: 604-221-1822.

 For Summer 2011 term (section 971), you will use the third edition of the Natural Disasters textbook (from the 2010 school year), also available from Discount Textbooks bookstore.

 

Course Content

Sections:

Lecture Sections: See the course web page for all course content info

• Fall term (sections 101 and 102)
• Spring term (section 201)
• Summer 2011.

Distance Education (online) Sections (99A in Fall, 99C in Spring, and 98A in Summer):

• List of Lessons and one Sample Lesson (accessible by everyone).
• Another  Sample, but accessible by only Currently Registered UBC Students (CWL login required.)

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If the lecture section you want is full, consider registering for the Distance Education section (99A in Fall, or 99C in Spr) instead. It's the same course covering the same content for the same credits, but you do it online from home. Over 90% of the Distance Ed students are normal on-campus UBC students like you.

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The Earth Course Assistance Centre a free help service for all students in 1st year EOSC courses.

 

 

Lecture Topics

Week	Topic
1-2	Fragile System?: The earth, ocean, atmosphere system. Natural disasters are rare events. Energy available for change. Risk analysis. Population issues.
2-3	The Shaking Earth (Earthquakes): Plate tectonics, faults, earthquakes, volcanoes, eruptions, lava, ash, pyroclastic flows. Relationship of disasters to the broader fields of seismology, geology, geophysics.
4-5	The Explosive Earth: Volcanoes, eruptions, lava, ash, pyroclastic flows. Relationship of these earth disasters to the broader fields of volcanology and geology.
6-8	The Unstable Ground: Landslides, debris flows, mud flows, erosion, floods. Relationship to hydrology, geological engineering.
8-9	The Turbulent Atmosphere (Storms): Hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning. Relationship to meteorology.
10-11	The Violent Ocean (Waves): Tsunami, storm surge, wind waves, rogue waves. Relationship to oceanography.
12-13	Impacts from Space & Mass Extinction Events: Meteor impacts, mass extinctions. Relationship to paleontology.
13	Review: Physical processes common to geophysical disasters.

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Labs

Although we don't require that you take a lab, your own program might require that you take a "lab-based" science course. If you need such a lab-based course, the way you do it is by registering for both the 3-credit EOSC 114 (the normal lecture course or the distance ed version) and the 1-credit laboratory course EOSC 111 concurrently with EOSC 114. Even if your own program doesn't require that your science course be lab based, many students find that by taking the lab it helps them to understand the lecture material better.