Coastal Processes, Hazards, and Society

Module 6 Lab

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Module 6 Lab

Introduction

A few of our Labs in this course are considered "mini" Labs. Meaning, the work will not be as involved, and they will not be worth quite as much. However, the work remains just as important.

In this Lab, you will:

  • use Google Earth to examine the impacts of two major storms in two locations.
  • observe and analyze, using the Google Earth timeline tool, the changes to the landscape and communities caused by the hurricanes' surges and winds;
  • compare rebuilding rates of the two communities, while considering the possible factors influencing differences in the reconstruction of communities.

Lab Overview

For this short Lab, we tour two locations in the U.S. to view impacts from two storms: Hurricane Katrina (Aug 29, 2005) in Pass Christian, MS; and Hurricane Sandy (Oct 31, 2012) in Mantoloking, NJ. Both of these storms were unique, and each community has unique characteristics based on the geomorphology of the coastline and the details of the structures built there. While you make your observations, keep these variables in mind. You will assess that damage to the human structures (mostly individual homes) and then use the timeline to estimate the level of rebuilding that has taken place in the years following the storms. Consider the factors that may influence homeowners' decisions about rebuilding, including the time elapsed and economic factors. Think about how exposed both of the locations are to coastal hazards and the probability of a future coastal disaster impacting this coastline. Your ability to judge details will be limited by the tools you are using (Google Earth), so you will need to estimate and use the sources provided to help fill in gaps of knowledge.

Downloads/Resources

Instructions

Before you begin the Lab, you will need to download the Lab worksheet. We advise you to either print or download/save the Lab worksheet, as it contains the steps you need to take to complete the Lab in Google Earth. In addition, it contains prompts for questions that you should take note of (by writing down or typing in) as you work through the Lab.

Once you have worked through all of the steps, you will go to the Module 6 Lab to complete the Lab by answering multiple-choice questions. The answers to questions on this Lab worksheet will match choices in the multiple-choice questions. Submit the quiz for credit.