Floods
CGF 3M1 Unit 2
Course Overview
1. Geographic Approaches
2. Dynamic Earth
3. Humans on Earth
4. Interdependence
5. Natural Disasters
Unit Overview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Tsunamis
Floods
Avalanches
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
Floods
• explain the connections between physical
processes, the landscapes they create and the
resulting hazards
• explain the concept of spatial significance as it
relates to natural hazards and disasters
• apply Geographic Perspectives to natural hazards
and disasters.
Floods
• Understanding how and where flooding occurs
as well as what changes they make to the
landscape can help us manage risks
accordingly
Floods
✔I can accurately describe different types of landscapes;
✔I can accurately describe different types of physical processes;
✔I can logically explain the connections between physical
processes and natural hazards;
✔I can accurately describe how processes and hazards
influence landscapes;
✔I can analyse the connections between different types of
processes/hazards and how they influence each other.
Floods
✔I can accurately identify a location’s natural and human
characteristics and relate them to natural hazards and
disasters;
✔I can interpret the significance of natural and human
characteristics to explain how they affect the risk of hazards
and disasters;
✔I can make relevant connections between the importance of
spatial distribution and human/natural features.
Floods
✔I can accurately identify a point of view from an
environmental, social, political and economic perspective;
✔I can explain the characteristics of geographic perspectives
using appropriate support;
✔I can logically compare various geographic perspectives
relevant to the natural hazard and disasters;
✔I can appropriately analyse multiple perspectives related to
natural hazards/disasters.
Floods
• Flooding 101
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PXj7bOD7I
Y
Floods
• Flooding events are the most frequent and
costly natural hazards that humans
encounter.
• At any given time, there are numerous locations
on Earth experiencing flooding as a result of
heavy precipitation, hurricane storm surges, or
even tsunamis triggered by geologic events.
• Flooding in Canada is becoming such a
problem, that huge areas are no longer
insurable against flooding.
Floods
Floods
• Where are flood events occurring? Are there
patterns or trends in their occurrence?
• What natural events are causing the flooding in
these places? What features create the unique
spatial significance?
• How is the flooding affecting people? How are
people affecting the flooding? What
interrelationships exist?
• How would you feel if this were happening in your
community? What geographic perspectives exist?
Floods
• Flooding is most often a natural process that
occurs anywhere an excess of water
accumulates.
• However, floods can also have human origins.
For instance, human activities, such as dams,
create controlled flooding situations.
Floods
• However, the most dangerous floods are
created by natural and unpredictable
circumstances.
• There are no complexities involved other than
identifying the source of the excess water.
• Floodwaters can be created as a result of a few
situations, each with their own unique spatial
significance.
Floods
• Part 1: Causes of Flooding
• Take notes on the various causes of flooding
as you look at the infographic, read the handout,
and look at the photos on the next few slides.
• Summarize the key points of information so you
do not have to keep reading the full documents.
Floods - Causes
1.
Sustained heavy rainfall
Floods - Causes
2.
Rapid snowmelt
Floods - Causes
3. Storm surges from hurricanes.
Surface height of ocean water increases as
wind “pushes” the water, making giant waves
Floods - Causes
4.
Tsunamis
Floods - Causes
5.
Controlled human activity
Floods - Causes
6. Uncontrolled human activity
Floods
• Part 2: Influence of Water and Flooding on
the Landscape
Floods
• In the first lesson of this unit, you learned that
earthquakes and plate tectonics are able to
create towering mountain ranges or deep ocean
trenches over the course of millions of years.
• The long term erosive actions of water also
create magnificent landscapes, sometimes over
the course of only a few years.
• The power of water is no better seen than by
looking at a few of the landscapes it has created.
Canyons
Weathering and erosion
of rock material by river
Badlands
Floodplains
Every river will flood at some point.
A flood plain is an area of flat land
alongside a river. This area gets
covered in water when the river
floods. When the water recedes, the
sediment (mud, debris) from the
water is left on the land Flood plains
are naturally very fertile due to the
river sediment which is deposited
there. This sediment is good for
growing plants on the flood plain.
The St. Lawrence Lowland area is a
flood plain beside the St. Lawrence
River in Quebec. Some of the best
farm land in Canada
Flooding Creates Floodplains
(River) Deltas
•
•
The Mississippi Delta
Deltas are fan shaped landforms created where rivers meet bodies of water. The
fast moving river water slows down and deposits sediment, creating an intricate
network of channels and sand bars that extend out into the water. Deltas are
particularly susceptible to flooding as they are low lying, must direct the entire flow
of the river, and usually meet oceans where hurricane storm surges pose additional
threats.
Downtown
Uxbridge
Floodplain
(based on
Hurricane Hazel
1954)
Downtown
Uxbridge
Floodplain
(based on
Hurricane Hazel
1954)
Uxbridge
Brook
underneath
Downtown
Original
culvert
construction
34
Uxbridge Culvert c. 2018
•
•
•
•
This was the state of the culvert in 2018.
It could only hold a “1 in 100 year” flood event.
Hurricane Hazel was TEN TIMES that amount!
If a regional flood were to occur, 2 metres of water
would flow through downtown.
Downtown
Uxbridge
Streetscape
Downtown Uxbridge Streetscape
IF we have another major storm and didn’t
replace the culvert.
Uxbridge Culvert
• This construction project removed the previous
culvert that ran under Downtown Uxbridge and
replaced it with a pair of concrete culverts.
Uxbridge Culvert
Replacement
culvert
construction
September 22, 2020
Check your
Understanding
• No go back to the content page and complete
Activity
Floods• Part 3: Flooding Case Study - 2013 Calgary
Flood
Floods
• Now that we understand the causes of floods
and some terms and landforms associated with
them, we will use the concept of geographic
perspectives to study a famous Canadian flood.
• Start by looking at the satellite imagery of the
flood from before and during this event.
• Esri ArcGis maps1. After you have followed the link to the map
site, you will need to save your maop
GO to the
Esri ArcGis site
Calgary Pre-Flood
Calgary During the Flood
Activity
Floods
• Explore the story map (link on the next
slide) and complete the Calgary Flood
Case Study.
• The activity requires you to think from
the perspective of someone else,
which is sometimes hard to do.
• For some tips on how to think from
someone else's perspective read the
article “Empathetic Intelligence”.
Floods
• Geographic Perspectives on a Canadian natural
disaster: Complete the handout as you explore
the story map.
• http://onedu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/ind
ex.html?appid=112535f7a0184ca89cbc7586928
c01c9
Floods
ArcGIS Story Map not working?
1. Use the “How to Login to
ArcGIS Online” to get it
working. Or if THAT doesn’t
work...
2. Use the “Calgary Flood Case
Study Story Map” slideshow that
is a collection of screenshots of
the real Story Map.
Floods
• The Calgary Zoo was hit hard by
the flood, as it is located on the
river bank and a small island within
the river.
• Knowing this information is
important. However, to better
understand the flood’s impact on all
people (and animals) connected to
the zoo, you read the article Flood
at the Zoo: The Inside Story.
Activity
Floods
• Once you have read this article,
imagine the information that other
individuals and stakeholders would
find most important and significant
based on their perspective.
• Complete the Flood at the Zoo
Chart as a way of organizing
information from the article. Submit
your completed chart.
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