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Environmental Hazards
The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. For example, if you live in northern California you are more likely to be impacted by a wildfire, landslide, or earthquake than if you live in Charleston, South Carolina, but less likely to be hit by a hurricane. This is because the physical conditions in each place are different. The active San Andreas fault runs through California and causes regular earthquakes, while the warm waters transported by the Gulf Stream can intensify a storm heading for South Carolina. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Building codes in California require builders to meet standards set to minimize structural damage in an earthquake and coastal cities have building code to reinforce roofs and walls to resist a storm’s high winds. Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection.
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Hurricane
Hurricanes are tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes have three main parts, the calm eye in the center, the eyewall where the winds and rains are the strongest, and the rain bands which spin out from the center and give the storm its size. Meteorologists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to classify hurricanes into categories one to five. Categories three to five are considered a major storm. A category five hurricane has wind speeds that exceed 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour. Coastal areas are often most heavily impacted by the damaging winds, rains, and storm surges as the storm collides with or brushes land. Use this curated collection of resources to teach your classroom about hurricanes.
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Catastrophic Weather Events
Catastrophic weather events include hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts, among others. As these massively destructive and costly events become more frequent, scientific evidence points to climate change as a leading cause. While they can often be predicted, the loss of life and property take an emotional and economic toll on the community impacted. Explore these resources to teach your students about catastrophic weather events and how they impact every part of the world.
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Hurricane Landfall: 2005-2017
Use this infographic to teach students about some of the costliest hurricanes to make their way through the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico—and the different types of destruction each hurricane generated.
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Do Changes in Our Climate Mean More Hurricanes?
In recent years, the occurrence and severity of hurricanes both appear to have drastically increased. Scientists have since begun to make connections between climate change and the proliferation of hurricanes.
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Environmental Hazards
The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. For example, if you live in northern California you are more likely to be impacted by a wildfire, landslide, or earthquake than if you live in Charleston, South Carolina, but less likely to be hit by a hurricane. This is because the physical conditions in each place are different. The active San Andreas fault runs through California and causes regular earthquakes, while the warm waters transported by the Gulf Stream can intensify a storm heading for South Carolina. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Building codes in California require builders to meet standards set to minimize structural damage in an earthquake and coastal cities have building code to reinforce roofs and walls to resist a storm’s high winds. Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection.
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Hurricane
Hurricanes are tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes have three main parts, the calm eye in the center, the eyewall where the winds and rains are the strongest, and the rain bands which spin out from the center and give the storm its size. Meteorologists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to classify hurricanes into categories one to five. Categories three to five are considered a major storm. A category five hurricane has wind speeds that exceed 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour. Coastal areas are often most heavily impacted by the damaging winds, rains, and storm surges as the storm collides with or brushes land. Use this curated collection of resources to teach your classroom about hurricanes.
-
Catastrophic Weather Events
Catastrophic weather events include hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts, among others. As these massively destructive and costly events become more frequent, scientific evidence points to climate change as a leading cause. While they can often be predicted, the loss of life and property take an emotional and economic toll on the community impacted. Explore these resources to teach your students about catastrophic weather events and how they impact every part of the world.
-
Hurricane Landfall: 2005-2017
Use this infographic to teach students about some of the costliest hurricanes to make their way through the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico—and the different types of destruction each hurricane generated.
-
Do Changes in Our Climate Mean More Hurricanes?
In recent years, the occurrence and severity of hurricanes both appear to have drastically increased. Scientists have since begun to make connections between climate change and the proliferation of hurricanes.
-