2025
Natural Hazards
Name: Natural Hazards
Code: GEO13358L
3 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours
Scientific Area:
Geology
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
- Understand and correctly use concepts related to risk.
- Know the different types of risks, differentiating natural, environmental and technological hazards.
- Understand the magnitude and consequences of several natural disasters at different scales of analysis.
- Understand the conceptual risk model and its different components.
- Identify and analyze the conditioning and triggering factors of hazards, their spatial distribution and their socioeconomic and environmental implications.
- Know and understand the mitigation and adaptation actions and strategies related to natural hazards in different geographic contexts.
- Know the different types of risks, differentiating natural, environmental and technological hazards.
- Understand the magnitude and consequences of several natural disasters at different scales of analysis.
- Understand the conceptual risk model and its different components.
- Identify and analyze the conditioning and triggering factors of hazards, their spatial distribution and their socioeconomic and environmental implications.
- Know and understand the mitigation and adaptation actions and strategies related to natural hazards in different geographic contexts.
Contents
1. Natural catastrophes (disasters).
2. Conceptual risk model: terminology and integration of concepts.
3. Types of risks: natural, environmental and technological.
4. Geography of hazards and the history of disasters in Portugal.
5. Mass movements: types, characteristics and conditioning and triggering factors.
6. Earthquakes and volcanoes: causes, characteristics, geographic distribution and impacts.
7. Floods/flooding: types, characteristics and conditioning and triggering factors.
8. Wildfires: conditioning and triggering factors, prevention and suppression actions and strategies.
9. Droughts and heat/cold waves: spatial distribution and temporal evolution, environmental and socioeconomic consequences.
10. Influence of climate change on the frequency and magnitude of natural processes.
2. Conceptual risk model: terminology and integration of concepts.
3. Types of risks: natural, environmental and technological.
4. Geography of hazards and the history of disasters in Portugal.
5. Mass movements: types, characteristics and conditioning and triggering factors.
6. Earthquakes and volcanoes: causes, characteristics, geographic distribution and impacts.
7. Floods/flooding: types, characteristics and conditioning and triggering factors.
8. Wildfires: conditioning and triggering factors, prevention and suppression actions and strategies.
9. Droughts and heat/cold waves: spatial distribution and temporal evolution, environmental and socioeconomic consequences.
10. Influence of climate change on the frequency and magnitude of natural processes.
Teaching Methods
The theoretical component is done through presentations using text, images and videos, as well as other documents and materials. It is essential to also seek to create moments of interaction to encourage student participation and involvement in the classroom. The analysis of case studies will be carried out through group work, allowing practical application of the knowledge acquired by students and promoting independence and critical capacity.
Assessment
Evaluation methods:
1) Continuous evaluation composed by 1 individual test (60%) and 1 group work (40%).
2) Alternatively, the evaluation can be obtained with a final exam (100%).
1) Continuous evaluation composed by 1 individual test (60%) and 1 group work (40%).
2) Alternatively, the evaluation can be obtained with a final exam (100%).
Teaching Staff
Certificações
