Earth and Planetary Sciences 131
Risk
Fall Quarter, 2025
John Rundle
Professor of Physics and Earth and Planetary Sciences
Above: Tsunami from Magnitude 9.1 Earthquake on March 11, 2011
(NHK Image and Video)
Lectures can be found in the folders HERE
Also please see videos and other hazards commentary at the Global Hazards News Feed
Resource: Association of Pacific Rim Universities Multihazards Hub
Please note that course work can be turned into Professor Rundle on the class Canvas site by 5:00 pm on the due date.
Please also refer to the code of academic conduct
Also Note the Student Resource Page
Resource Sites
University of Maine Climate Reanalyzer Site
Analysis of Human Impacts on Climate Change 12/14/2022
Possible Paths to Net Zero by 2100 (News plus interactive apps) 12/2/2022
Bill Gates Move to Nuclear Power
Recent News Items
Noto Earthquake Japan 6/3/2024
Japan Megaquake Alert I 8/15/2024
Japan Megaquake Alert II 8/18/2024
Hurricane Beryl, Earliest Cat 5 Hurricane on Record 7/2/2024
Hurricane Ernesto Impacts, 8/19/2024
Week of:
Topic:
Reading Assignment
Chapter/Section
(Refers to 8th Edition)
Weekly Questions
1 September 22
Introduction to
Natural Disasters
Introductory Video on Natural Disasters 2020 (8:16)
Geoff West on Cities-II (17:33)
Nat Geo Video on the Origin of the Sun and Planets (5:00)
Nat Geo Video on the Origin of Earth (3:32)
APRU Multihazards Program at Tohoku University Video (2:44)
APRU Multihazards Program at Tohoku University
Video on Plate Tectonics I (9:21)
Video on Plate Tectonics II (5:13)
PBS Video on Plate Tectonics (9:17)
The 4 Types of Plate Boundaries and Their Hazards (5:35)
Nat Geo Article on Plate Tectonics
Chapter 1
(Lectures 1,2 in folders)
Earth Structure and Origin
Earthquake Science
Earthquakes 101 (Nat Geo - 5:01)
Volcanoes 101 (Nat Geo - 3:04)
Seismology 101 (Caltech - 9:26)
Seismic Waves (Khan Academy - 8:38)
(Lectures 3-7 in folders)
See Especially:
Lecture 4-6 Summary
Lecture 7
NY Times article on how the poor are most affected by natural disasters
Questions on Earthquake Science
Earthquake Science (cont.)
Catastrophic Earthquakes
A Trip Down Market Street, April 14, 1906 (12:17)
A Trip Down Market Street, April 14, 1906 (Colorized and Sound Added)(12:17)
A Trip Down Market Street, April 28(?), 1906 (3:26))
Great Sumatra Earthquake 2004 (5:57)
Earthquakes in Puerto Rico (IRIS - 7:17)
The Great 1964 Alaska Earthquake (IRIS 6:42)
The Great 1964 Alaska Earthquake (USGS 11:53)
Five Largest Earthquakes (1:45)
Human Impacts of Haiti Earthquake (UN - 5:19)
Geology of Haiti Earthquake (WHOI - 5:52)
Response to Nepal Earthquake (4:58)
Himalaya Tectonics and Earthquakes (IRIS 6:34)
Timelapse of Earthquakes Since 1950 (8:07)
Earthquake Early Warning (PBS - 25:04)
How Good are Early Warning Systems? (2:58)
Earthquake Focal Mechanisms (IRIS - 6:35)
Pacific Northwest Earthquakes (IRIS - 8:05)
Cascadia Earthquake Worst Disaster (Weathered 10:54)
Pacific Northwest Earthquakes - Earthquake Early Warning (NSF - 3:33)
Five Most Dangerous US Earthquake Hotspots Beyond California
Chapter 4
(Lectures 8-10 in folders)
Tohoku Earthquake
Fukushima Meltdown
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami (IRIS 10:30)
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami (11:58)
Tohoku Earthquake (Nat Geo, 3:34)
Fukushima 5 Years Later (7:52)
What Really Happened at Fukushima (Frontline, 53:16)
Fukushima Meltdown (IAEA, 2016 - 7:30)
Fukushima Meltdown (IAEA, 7/2021 - 5:09)
Fukushima Damaged Reactors 10 Years On (Science, 3/2021 - 4:23)
Return to Fukushima (Nat Geo: 13:53)
Understanding the Fukushima Disaster (13:02)
Chapter 5
(Lectures 11-13 in folders)
Tsunamis from Megathrust Earthquakes ( IRIS - 5:43) Potential Hawaiian Tsunami (2:00) Potential East Coast Tsunamis (6:00) Japan Tsunami 2011 (Nat Geo - 3:34) Japan Tsunami (16:00, in Japanese) Japan Tsunami (37:20, NHK Video in English) Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (36:27) Japan Tsunami (48:29, NHK Video English Subtitles) 2011 Tsunami at Sendai Airport (in Japanese: 7:00) La Palma Tsunami (Steve Ward 4:00) Nuuanu Hawaii Mega Tsunami 1.5Ma (Steve Ward 5:00) Why are Earthquakes Hard to Predict I? ( Cartooney but informative 4:53) Why are Earthquakes Hard to Predict II? ( Cartooney but informative 3:48) The Difficulty of Earthquake Prediction - Omori and Immamura (PBS 2:56) Can Earthquakes Be Predicted with Machine Learning? (USGS - LANL 8:25) InSAR: Geotechnical Applications (6:36) InSAR: A Set of Course Lectures I (Technical) InSAR: A Set of Course Lectures II (Technical) InSAR: Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry
Tsunamis
Earthquake Forecasting
Chapter 8
(Lectures 14-15 in folders)
Volcanoes
Five Monster Volcanic Eruptions (10:00)
Eruption of Mt. St. Helens (3:47)
Eruption of Mt. St. Helens (10:56)
Eruption of Mt. St. Helens (45:00)
Eruption of Mt. Lassen 1915 (5:04)
Volcanoes 101 (Nat Geo - 5:00)
Eruption of Kilauea (2018: 9:30)
Super Volcanoes 101 (Nat Geo - 3:40)
White Island Eruption (2019 - 9:02)
White Island Eruption (2019 - 44:00) 2019
White Island Eruption (Stephanie Browitt - 7:22) 2019
Kraktau Eruption I, August 1883 (History 2:48)
Kraktau Eruption II, August 1883 (Narrated 7:04)
Campei Flegrei and Vesuvius (PBS - 3:43)
Santorini I (Smithsonian - 3:31)
Santorini II (Greek Reporter and Geology Hub - 4:40)
Santorini III (Daily Dose - 3:15)
Potential Eruption Long Valley (3:10)
La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, 2021
Potential Yellowstone Eruption (Smithsonian (3:29)
NASA Idea on Yellowstone Volcano (Tech Insider 4:19)
Chapter 6,7
(Lecture 16 in folders)
First Paper Due on Solid Earth Hazards:
Friday October 31
Introduction to the Atmosphere
Overview of the Atmosphere I (12:52)
Overview of the Atmosphere II (12:52)
Levels of the Atmosphere (4:05)
Layers of the Atmosphere (Met Office - 2:36)
Overview of the Aurorae (5:43)
Air Pollution Health Effects (5:29)
Atmospheric Science and DynamicsIntroduction to Atmospheric Dynamics (Paul Ullrich, UCD - 16:47)
Coriolis Effect (Met Office - 6:18)
Weather Fronts (Met Office - 4:02)
The Jet Stream Explained (Met Office - 5:25)
Global Circulations I (Met Office - 2:50)
Global Circulations II (Met Office - 3:35)
Global Circulations III (Met Office - 6:18)
Ozone Depletion (Nat Geo - 3:25)
How to Read Synoptic Charts (Met Office - 4:09)
What are Weather Fronts? (Met Office - 5:28)
Atmospheric Rivers I (UC Scripps - 1:27)
Atmospheric Rivers II (Globe/Mail - 3:35)
Chapters 9,12
(Lectures 17-18 in folders)
Questions on Atmospheric Structure
Questions on Atmospheric Science
Ocean Dynamics Ocean Conveyor (Nat Geo Ballard - 2:33) Is the Gulf Stream Collapsing? (13:32) What if Gulf Stream Shut Down? (4:06) PBS: Is the AMOC Shutting Down (13:03) Disrupting the Ocean Conveyor (UN - 8:12) Lecture on Rising Seas, by Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf (U. Potsdam, 31:00) 6 Climate Tipping Points (PBS 13:53) Why Don't the Oceans Mix? (8:47) Global Temperature Anomalies from 1880 to 2020 (0:33)
Chapters 10,11,13
(Lectures 19-20 in folders)
Questions on Ocean Dynamics
Global Warming
Atmospheric Modes
Movie Trailer for Merchants of Doubt (1:59)
Global Warming 101 (Nat Geo - 3:04)
Causes and Effects of Climate Change (Nat Geo - 3:03)
Climate Change Terminology (6:32)
Bill Nye on Climate Change (Nat Geo 4:09)
ENSO Walker Circulation (6:19)
Understanding ENSO (Bureau of Meteorology - 4:13)
North Atlantic Oscillation (MET Office - 2:12)Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (MET Office - 2:27)
North Atlantic Oscillation (Met Office - 2:12)
Madden Julian Oscillation (AU Met - 3:45)
Pacific Decadal Oscillation (Met Office - 2:49)
Antarctica is Losing Ice (PBS - 9:40)
What if Greenland Ice Melted? (8:25)
Possible Collapse of Thwaites Glacier (4:58)
PBS Update on Thwaites Melting (8:27)
Mashable Update on Thwaites Melting (6:08)
Origin of Ice Ages (Volcanoes: 10:58)
What if All the Ice Melted? (2:54)
Discussion of Greenland Ice Melting from a Former Climate Denier
The Collapse of Antarctica Could Happen Soon (Scientific American)
Impacts on the Antarctic (Interactive)
Change in Global Temps (Washington Post)
(Lectures 21-22 in folders)
Formation of Tropical Cyclones (3:41) Tropical Cyclones (Nat Geo 2:57) Physics of Hurricanes (PBS - 6:28) How Hurricanes Form (Insider - 6:46) Notable Tropical Cyclones (6:42) Flooding of New Orleans (4:47) Future of New Orleans (PBS - 7:17) Hurricane Katrina 15 Years Later (5:32) A Flight with the 53rd Weather Recon Squadron (4:26)
Tropical Cyclones
Catastrophic Cyclones
Tornadoes
Wildfires
Floods
Tornadoes 101 (Nat Geo - 5:31)
Tornado in Davis, CA 9/29/2019 (3:21)
California Wildfires 2020 I (8:56)
California Wildfires 2020 II (9:32)
California Wildfires 2024 I (10:00)
California Wildfires 2024 II (3:12)
Lake Tulare Resurgence 2022-2023 (8:47)
Canadian Wildfires 2023(PBS 4:05)
Hawaii Infernos 2023(Sky News 10:22)
Five Largest Flash Floods (9:19)
Droughts and Climate Change (3:51)
Chapters 14, 15
(Lectures 23-27 in folders)
New York Times Article:
"In Nature's Casino"
Flood Risk in Sacramento:
(Washington Post)
Questions on Tropical Cyclones
Questions on Catastrophic Cyclones
Questions on Miscellaneous Disasters
Friday December 12
Landslides
Disaster Economics
Disaster Response
Bolide Impacts
Nova Program on Chixulub Impact (120:00)
Video on the Tanis site (BBC 3:17)
Nova Chixulub Impact Teaser(0:30)
Extinction Level Bolide Impact Animation (9:29)
The Impact Crater in Mexico that Wiped Out the Dinosaurs (4:20)
What Exactly Killed the Dinosaurs (BBC 3:20)
Meteorite Strikes Russia (4:29)
Chelyabinsk Meteorite (NASA - 3:44)
Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy (3:59)
Simulation of Chicxulub Impact I (S.Ward - 4:07)
Simulation of Chicxulub Impact II (S.Ward - 8:19)
Gallagher Re Natural Catastrophe Report Q1-Q3 2023
(Lectures 23-30 in folders)
Finals Week