CORS 220: NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS (FALL 2007)
FINAL EXAM
NAME: ___________________________________
GRADE: ______ / 170
TIME AVAILABLE: 75 MINUTES
Instructions: There are NINE pages of questions. Take a minute or so now to page through the entire
exam and to get a feeling for the length. READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. Think carefully about
your wording, trying to avoid ambiguity and unclear answers.
PART 1: True or False
(24 points)
For each of the following statements, circle whether the statement is true or false.
IF THE STATEMENT IS FALSE, provide a corrected statement.
Hint: FOUR of the statements are false.
1. The internal strength of loose sediment is referred to as cohesion.
TRUE / FALSE
2. Maiquetia, Venezuela, suffered tremendous damage in 1999 after being hit by a lahar.TRUE / FALSE
3. Although the amount of water vapor that air can hold is dependent on temperature, saturated air
always has 100% relative humidity, regardless of the temperature.
TRUE / FALSE
4. A 100-year flood will always happen at least once every 100 years.
TRUE / FALSE
2
5. In the global atmospheric circulation system, the westerlies blow from W to E.
6. Hurricane severity is measured using the Enhanced Fujita scale.
TRUE / F
TRUE / FALSE
7. New Orleans is at great risk from flooding because it sits at a lower elevation than the two
adjacent bodies of water - the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.
TRUE / FALSE
8. The increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere are largely due to the burning of fuels such as
methane.
TRUE / FALSE
Did you remember to correct the FALSE statements?
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PART 2: Multiple Choice
(40 points)
Circle the correct answer from those provided for each question.
1. The maximum angle at which any loose sediment can remain stable on a slope is the angle of:
(2)
( criticality / frictional resistance / repose )
2. Downslope motion may occur with air-saturated sediment (granular flow), or water-saturated
sediment, called a:
(2)
( creep flow / slurry flow / debris flow )
3. The typical type of rock in which sinkholes develop because it is easily dissolved is:
(2)
( limestone / sandstone / basalt )
4. Which of the following is NOT a type of swelling soil?
(2)
( pierrite / montmorillonite / smectite )
5. The Mississippi River exceeded its 100-year-flood level in this year:
(2)
( 1989 / 1993 / 2001 )
6. A plot showing the amount of water flowing through a river channel as a function of time is called
a:
(2)
( flowmeter / runoff chart / hydrograph )
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7. In the plot described in #6 above, the peak discharge will occur later in time for which of these
stream orders?
(2)
( first-order / second-order / stream order doesn’t matter )
8. It isn’t a good idea to base insurance rates on the extent of the 100-year floodplain because:
(2)
( its extent may change from year to year / rivers never flood this bad / most buildings last more
than 100 years )
9. The maximum depth of motion of water caused by the passage of a wave is called the:
(2)
( wave height / wavelength / wave base )
10. Which of the following terms refers to weather that is influenced predominantly by mountains?
(2)
( orographic / adiabatic / dewpoint )
11. Where there are high (H) and low (L) pressure cells adjacent to each other, winds form as air
moves:
(2)
( from L to H / from H to L / away from both H and L )
12. The three air circulation cells in the atmosphere cause the jet streams. North American weather is
greatly influenced by the:
(2)
( equatorial jet / subtropical jet / polar jet )
13. If cold air forces warm air to rapidly rise and form thunderstorms, what weather phenomenon is
occurring?
(2)
( a cold front / a warm front / a wall cloud )
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14. Warm ocean water in the equatorial Pacific moves eastwards towards the coast of Peru during:
(2)
( El Niño / La Niña / hurricane season )
15. During the 2008 hurricane season, which named storm could conceivably happen after
Josephine?
(2)
( Ike / Teddy / Cristobal )
16. The most expensive hurricane disaster in the history of the United States was caused by:
(2)
( Katrina / Andrew / Wilma )
17. The projected path of a hurricane is always presented in the form of a:
(2)
( statistical probability / line of likely migration / cone of uncertainty )
18. The phenomenon of wind shear is hazardous to aircraft and is caused by rapidly descending air,
called a:
(2)
( downburst / drop front / hook echo )
19. What percentage of wildfires are started naturally as a result of lightning strikes?
(2)
( 13% / 52% / 86% )
20. Which of these features commonly associated with meteorite impacts refers to small glassy
spherules?
(2)
( tektites / pseudotachylite / impactiles / shatter cones / iridium )
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PART 3: Fill in the blanks
(74 points)
1. The general term used to refer to any type of landslide is ______________________________.
2. The three basic types of landslides are: (1) ______________________
(2)
(2) _______________________
and (3) _________________________.
(6)
3. Rotational landslides that occur along a concave-upwards slip surface are called
____________________.
(2)
4. Cities next to mountainous regions are prone to landslide disasters when they are built on top of
huge debris deposits called ____________________________, which form where rivers flow out of the
mountains.
(2)
5. Give one example of a human activity that may result in land subsidence:
___________________________.
(2)
6. Name one process that is a part of the hydrologic cycle: _____________________________.
7. The volume of water carried through a river channel per unit time is called the
________________________.
(2)
8. In a meandering channel, erosion occurs on the outside of the river bend, called the
______________________ whereas deposition occurs on the inside of the bend on the
_______________________.
(4)
(2)
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9. Warm rising air results in a _______________ pressure area on the Earth’s surface, and causes the air
to circulate in a _________________________ manner as it moves in from surrounding areas.
(4)
10. In the northern hemisphere, the Coriolis effect causes air to veer to the _________________ as it
moves away from the equator. The same effect causes air to veer to the ________________ as it
moves towards the equator.
(2)
11. A hurricane can form when sustained ocean surface temperatures are _______ degrees Celsius. (2)
12. Around the world, hurricanes are also known as ____________________ or _____________________.
(4)
13. The highest category of hurricane possible is a _______________.
(2)
14. The type of winter storm that affects coastal areas of the NE seaboard of the United States, and
which is generally associated with a low pressure area, is called a ___________________________.
(2)
15. The very low pressure of a hurricane can result in rapid increase in sea level called a
_____________________. The resultant flooding causes 90% of all deaths due to hurricanes.
(2)
16. The highest death toll in the United States due to any natural disaster was produced by a
hurricane that struck this city in 1900: _____________________________
(2)
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17. What country suffered up to 10,000 deaths due to a hurricane strike in November 2007 and
which historically also had the record number of hurricane deaths (400,000)?
_________________________
(2)
18. List one possible warning sign that commonly precedes the development of a tornado in a
thunderstorm.
________________________________
(2)
19. The great majority of tornadoes across the Central Plains travel towards the ______________________.(2)
20. Wildfires in southern California are fanned by the SW-directed __________________________ winds. (2)
21. Firefighters may attempt to fight a wildfire by setting a _______________________, which is a smaller
intentional fire that is sucked back towards the main fire by convective air flow, removing its fuel.(2)
22. The two main sources of meteoroids are _____________________ and ______________________.
(4)
23. An object that enters Earth’s atmosphere is only referred to as a meteorite if it
__________________________ ______________________________________.
(2)
24. What event in 1908 provided humans with a wake-up call with respect to the hazard posed by
meteorite impacts? _________________________________________________
(2)
25. Name any one pre-historic meteorite impact site other than Chicxulub:
______________________________
(2)
26. What does NEO mean? _______________________________________
(2)
27. Changes in the shape of the orbit of the Earth is referred to as _________________________ and
results in natural variability in climate on a timescale of about 100,000 years.
(2)
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28. List one of the expected long-term effects of global warming that could potentially result in
natural disasters: ____________________________________________________________
(2)
29. Which country is the world’s largest producer of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide?
________________.
(2)
30. Which 2 countries have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol?
__________________________ and ____________________________
(4)
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PART 4: Short-answer questions
(32 points)
From the questions shown below, choose FOUR to answer in the form of a short paragraph. Make
sure you address ALL components of the questions you select. Use the back side of the page if you
need more space.
1. Landslides are categorized into three
distinct types, with sub-categories in each
type that indicate specific types of
downslope motion. What specific type of
feature is indicated in this diagram?
Explain why this type of downslope
motion might occur (provide at least 2
lines of reasoning). Then, mention 1
historic example of this type of motion,
with a few details.
(8)
12
2. This photograph shows the aftermath of a disaster that struck in
central Peru in 1970. Provide details of the nature of this event
then discuss some of the socio-economic after-effects.
(8)
13
3. Explain the meaning of the three curves shown here and why they are different to each other at
locations A, B, and C (where A is furthest upstream and C is furthest downstream). Your answer
should include an explanation of the locations of the peaks in time and the steepness of the
curves to either side of the peak. Also indicate which place is most likely to result in the river
exceeding the bankfull level, and why.
(8)
4. In the photo below, the prevailing wind direction is shown for a shoreline somewhere in the
world. Answer each of the following questions: (a) Draw an arrow on the map to show the direction
of the longshore current that will be produced. (b) Explain why the waves hit the shoreline
obliquely and why the wave crests are slightly curved. (c) Name the phenomenon that will be
produced along the beach as a result of the longshore current. (d) If a number of groins were built
along this shoreline, draw a sketch to show what would happen to the beach sand in between
these groins as a result of the process mentioned in part (c).
(8)
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5. This satellite image shows a long line of narrow islands that comprise the Outer Banks, North
Carolina. What do we call these types of islands, what are their characteristics, and what are some
of the hazards of living on them on both short-term (year-to-year) and long-term (decades) time
scales?
(8)
6. Consider the U.S. weather map shown below. What are the blue and red lines with symbols along
them? How do the symbols help us determine in which direction they are moving? Explain how
these two types of features form and what type of weather is typically associated with them. What
are the regions labeled L and H? Draw on the map the directions that winds would be expected to
move around these regions.
(8)
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7. (a) What type of feature is being shown in this satellite image? (b) Explain the reason for the spiral
cloud pattern around the storm, and why the air moves in the direction that it does. (c) Comment
on why coastal regions are particularly concerned about the NE quadrant of the storm. (d) Should
the inhabitants of New York City be at all concerned with this type of storm (and why)?
(8)
8. What pre-historic disaster is being referred to in this map? Provide some details about the nature
of this event including what caused it, what some of the immediate consequences were, and how
we know this event even happened at all in this specific location.
(8)
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9. BONUS QUESTION:
(8)
Go back and answer one more of the above questions for up to 8 bonus points. [178 possible points]