MS-ESS3-2: Natural Hazards

Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how some natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions and severe weather, are preceded by phenomena that allow for reliable predictions, but others, such as earthquakes, occur suddenly and with no notice, and thus are not yet predictable. Examples of natural hazards can be taken from interior processes (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), surface processes (such as mass wasting and tsunamis), or severe weather events (such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods). Examples of data can include the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural hazards. Examples of technologies can be global (such as satellite systems to monitor hurricanes or forest fires) or local (such as building basements in tornado-prone regions or reservoirs to mitigate droughts).

Assessment Boundary: none

Natural hazards
 - Interior processes (e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes)
 - Surface processes (e.g. mass wasting, tsunamis)
 - Severe weather (e.g. hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods)
Predictability (volcanic eruptions and weather vs earthquakes)
Technologies (e.g. satellite systems, warning sirens for tsunamis, storm shelters for tornadoes)
Patterns

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