GE4-306 Natural hazards in spatial planning
Course description for academic year 2020/2021
Contents and structure
The course provides the students with insights into different kinds of natural hazards. Focus is laid on geohazards and hazard types that may be sensitive to climatic factors and changes, e.g. landslides, floods and wildfires. In addition, the course gives insights into processes that, in turn, may affect weather and climate. Examples of these phenomena are investigated further during practical exercises. An important part of the training aims to enable the students to recognize and understand the potential danger of natural hazards and assess their risk. This training allows the students to evaluate the need for mitigation measures and the potential in risk reduction for different types of measures.
Learning Outcome
Knowledge:
Students gain knowledge about:
- driving and triggering factors of natural hazards and how they interplay
- process development and propagation of hazardous events
- how climate change can affect the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards
- how natural hazards can affect infrastructure and people
Skills:
Students will able to:
- understand the content of reports and articles dealing with natural hazards.
- conduct basic assessments of the danger and extent of potential events, based on the analysis of maps, databases, available reports and numerical models
General qualifications:
Students will be able to:
- communicate with decision-makers and the general public about natural hazards
- identify and specify potential hazard zones that should be assessed by specialists (e.g. geologists) before land-use plans are implemented
Entry requirements
None
Recommended previous knowledge
None
Teaching methods
Lessons, assignments, project work and excursions.
Excursions:
- Field trips to different locations in western Norway, where students investigate unstable/slide-prone slopes, morphological landslide features and flood damage
Compulsory learning activities
- Approved reports from four assignments
- Approved excursions and associated field reports
- Oral presentation of the project.
The project consists of a case study of an area potentially subjected to one or more types of natural hazards. Students work together in groups. The following should be presented from the project: Description of the research question, geographic and geological framework of the area, hazard history derived from existing maps, databases and available reports, field observations, a hazard and risk evaluation and suggested mitigation measures.
Assessment
Individual 4 hrs written exam
Grading A-F
Examination support material
ruler
calculator
More about examination support materialCourse reductions
- GE4-302 - Geohazards for land-use planning - Reduction: 5 studypoints