Natural Disaster Terms
Resulting from Weather
Videos, teacher’s guide and blackline masters are available for these natural
disasters using United Streaming. If you do not have access to United Streaming
please contact your Districts Technology Coordinator. They will either have the
ability to give you an account or they can contact AETN to get your districts Pass
code.
Hurricanes
A strong tropical revolving storm of force 12 or higher in the northern
hemisphere. Hurricanes revolve in a clockwise direction. In the southern
hemisphere these storms revolve counterclockwise and are known as typhoons.
Tornadoes
A violently rotating storm of small diameter; the most violent weather
phenomenon. It is produced in a very severe thunderstorm and appears as a
funnel cloud extending from the base of a Cumulonimbus to the ground.
Cyclones
An area of low atmospheric pressure which has a closed circulation that is
cyclonic (counterclockwise in northern hemisphere and clockwise in southern
hemisphere).
.
Typhoons
A tropical cyclone with winds more than 75 miles per hour and located in the
north Pacific west of the International Date Line.
Floods
The overflowing by water of the normal confines of a stream or other body of
water, or the accumulation of water by drainage over areas which are not
normally submerged.
Drought
A drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical
requirements for a region. Drought is not a purely physical phenomenon, but
instead is an interplay between natural water availability and human demands for
water supply.
Avalanche
A large mass of material or mixtures of material falling or sliding rapidly under the
force of gravity. Avalanches often are classified by their content, such as snow,
ice, soil, or rock avalanches. A mixture of these materials is a debris avalanche.
Wildfires
A fire that burns uncontrollably in a natural setting (e.g., a forest, or grassland).
Resulting from Tectonic Activity
Earthquakes
A sudden movement in the crust of the Earth caused by the rapid release of
tectonic strain.
Volcano
A vent in the surface of the Earth through which magma and associated gases
and ash erupt; also, the form or structure, usually conical, that is produced by the
ejected material.
Tsunami
A great sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake, volcanic eruption, or
large landslide
Tidal Wave
1) A wave, in the oceans and seas, produced by tides and TIDAL CURRENTS.
(2) Non-technical term in popular usage for an unusually high and destructive
water level along a shore. It usually refers to STORM SURGE or TSUNAMI.
Maps
Map Projections
Mercator Projection
The Mercator projection has straight meridians and parallels that intersect at right
angles. Scale is true at the equator or at two standard parallels equidistant from
the equator. The projection is often used for marine navigation because all
straight lines on the map are lines of constant azimuth.
Azimuthal Projection
Azimuthal equidistant projections are sometimes used to show air-route
distances. Distances measured from the center are true. Distortion of other
properties increases away from the center point.
Conic Projection
A conic projection that distorts scale and distance except along standard parallels. Areas
are proportional and directions are true in limited areas. Used in the United States and
other large countries with a larger east-west than north-south extent.
Map Terms
Lines of Longitude
An imaginary great circle on the surface of the earth passing through the north
and south poles at right angles to the equator; "all points on the same meridian
have the same longitude"
Lines of Latitude
Imaginary lines that cross the surface of the Earth parallel to the Equator,
measuring how far north or south of the Equator a place is located.
Prime Meridian
Meridian of 0 degrees, the line from which all lines of longitude are measured..
The meridian of Greenwich, England, is the internationally accepted prime
meridian on most charts. However, local or national prime meridians are
occasionally used.
International Dateline
The International Date Line is the imaginary line on the Earth that separates two
consecutive calendar days. That is the date in the Eastern hemisphere, to the left
of the line, is always one day ahead of the date in the Western hemisphere. It
has been recognized as a matter of convenience and has no force in
international law.
Equator
An imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant
from the north and south poles; "the equator is the boundary between the
northern and southern hemispheres"
Hemisphere
Hemispheres are half of the earth's surface. There are four hemispheres: The
northern hemisphere (north of the equator); the southern hemisphere (south of
the equator); the eastern hemisphere (east of the prime meridian); the western
hemisphere (west of the prime meridian).
Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley is the designation of the American Meteorological Society for the
area of the United States in which tornadoes are most frequent. It encompasses
the great lowland areas of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and lower Missouri River
Valleys. Although no state is entirely free of tornadoes, they are most frequent in
the Plains area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians.
Dust Bowl
An area of the U.S. Plains that included parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma,
Texas, and New Mexico. The term was coined in the 1930s, when dry weather
and high winds caused many dust storms throughout the United States, but
particularly in this area.
Ring of Fire
The regions of mountain-building earthquakes and volcanoes which surround the
Pacific Ocean. Sometimes referred to geographically as the Pacific Rim.
Evaluation
Landslide Video Questions
1. Debris from a landslide can flow over 100 miles per hour. True or False
(Circle one)
2. What is the prime mover of a landslide?
3. What is produced in the earth below to make rocks rise up?
Hurricane Video Questions
1. What is the speed in which a tropical storm becomes a hurricane?
2. Hurricanes are made up of a lot of thunderstorms. True or False.
(Circle one)
3. People in the vicinity of a hurricane have time to evacuate. True or False.
(Circle one)
Flooding Questions
1. ____________________________________ is when land cannot absorb water.
2. Urban flooding is underdeveloped land that is paved over. True or False.
(Circle one)
Fire Questions
1. What is a prescribed burn?
2. Fires in the forest are sometimes good and sometimes bad. True or False.
(Circle one)
3. What is a crown fire?
Earthquake Questions
1. In 1989 a major earthquake hit __________________________________.
2. How long did this major earthquake last?
3. What causes earthquakes?
Drought Questions
1. During the 1930’s in the U.S. what was the name of the area where great winds
and dry conditions took place?
2. How many acres were destroyed in this area?
3. The Soil Conservation Service was established in what year?
Avalanche Questions
1. How fast can avalanches travel?
2. Name three types of avalanches.
3. All it takes for an avalanche to occur is one skier. True or false.
(Circle one)
Tsunami Questions
1. When an earthquake jolts the ocean’s floor, water forms large waves called
what?
2. Out in the ocean a tsunami is barely noticeable. True or false.
3. A large tsunami of 100 ft. waves happens only how often?
Map Terms
Define the following terms on your own paper:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Prime Meridian
International Dateline
Equator
Hemisphere
Tornado Alley
Dust Bowl
Ring of Fire
h. What are the 3 types of map projections and draw the shape of each.
i. What direction do lines of latitude run?
j. What direction do lines of longitude run?
k. Find the following locations in an atlas and write down their latitude and
longitude: l. New York City 2. Hong Kong 3. London 4. Moscow 5
Lima 6. Sydney
Answers to Video Questions
Landslide Video
l. True
m. gravity
n. heat
Hurricane Video
1. 74 miles per hour
2. true
3. true
Flooding Video
1. Flash flooding
2. true
Fire Video
1. A deliberate fire in a forest that helps maintain a healthy forest
2. true
3. a fire where the whole forest and helps facilitate forest management
Earthquake Video
1. Northern California
2. 15 seconds
3. tectonic plate activity under the earth’s surface
Drought Video
1. Dust Bowl
2. 50 million
3. 1935
Avalanche Video
1. over 100 miles per hour
2. powder, wet, slab
3. true
Tsunami Video
1. tsunami
2. true
3. every 20 years
Answers to map questions
Define the following terms on your own paper. (1-7)
Prime Meridian
Meridian of 0 degrees, the line from which all lines of longitude are
measured.. The meridian of Greenwich, England, is the internationally accepted
prime meridian on most charts. However, local or national prime meridians are
occasionally used.
International Dateline
The International Date Line is the imaginary line on the Earth that
separates two consecutive calendar days. That is the date in the Eastern
hemisphere, to the left of the line, is always one day ahead of the date in the
Western hemisphere. It has been recognized as a matter of convenience and has
no force in international law.
Equator
An imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is
equidistant from the north and south poles; "the equator is the boundary between
the northern and southern hemispheres"
Hemisphere
Hemispheres are half of the earth's surface. There are four hemispheres:
The northern hemisphere (north of the equator); the southern hemisphere (south of
the equator); the eastern hemisphere (east of the prime meridian); the western
hemisphere (west of the prime meridian).
Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley is the designation of the American Meteorological Society for
the area of the United States in which tornadoes are most frequent. It
encompasses the great lowland areas of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and lower
Missouri River Valleys. Although no state is entirely free of tornadoes, they are
most frequent in the Plains area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians.
Ring of fire
The regions of mountain-building earthquakes and volcanoes which
surround the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes referred to geographically as the Pacific
Rim.
a. What are the three types of map projections and draw the shape of
each.
Mercator Projection
The Mercator projection has straight meridians and parallels
that intersect at right angles. Scale is true at the equator or at two
standard parallels equidistant from the equator. The projection is
often used for marine navigation because all straight lines on the map
are lines of constant azimuth.
Azimuthal Projection
Azimuthal equidistant projections are sometimes used to show airroute distances. Distances measured from the center are true.
Distortion of other properties increases away from the center point.
Conic Projection
A conic projection that distorts scale and distance except along standard
parallels. Areas are proportional and directions are true in limited areas. Used in
the United States and other large countries with a larger east-west than northsouth extent.
b. What direction do lines of latitude run?
Imaginary lines that cross the surface of the Earth parallel to the Equator,
measuring how far north or south of the Equator a place is located.
c. What direction do lines of longitude run?
An imaginary great circle on the surface of the earth passing through the north
and south poles at right angles to the equator; "all points on the same meridian
have the same longitude"
d. Find the following locations in an atlas and write down their latitude
and longitude.
New York City
Hong Kong
London
Moscow
Sydney
Lima
4º N
20ºN
32ºN
45ºN
0S
0S
73ºW
11ºE
5ºW
36ºE
0E
2º W