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NSWEarth and Environmental ScienceQuick questions
Module 6: Hazards
Quick questions on Hazard monitoring and risk management: HSC Earth and Environmental Science Module 6
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is risk assessment?Show answer
Risk is commonly expressed as the combination of three factors: the hazard (how likely and how severe the event is), the exposure (how many people and assets lie in its path) and the vulnerability (how easily they are harmed). A large earthquake in an empty desert is a hazard but a small risk; a moderate one beneath a poorly built city is a large risk. The 1989 Newcastle earthquake (magnitude 5.6) was only moderate, yet it killed 13 people and caused major damage because it struck a populated area with vulnerable older buildings. Risk assessment maps where hazards are likely (for example flood zones and seismic hazard maps) and estimates the likely losses, guiding planning and insurance.
What are early warning systems?Show answer
Warning systems convert monitoring into action. The Australian Tsunami Warning System (Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience Australia) detects undersea earthquakes and confirms waves with deep-ocean buoys. Cyclone and flood warnings and the Australian Fire Danger Rating System tell communities when to prepare or evacuate. A warning is only useful if it reaches people in time and they know how to respond, so public education and clear communication are part of the system.
What are mitigation strategies?Show answer
Mitigation reduces harm before an event. Structural mitigation includes earthquake-resistant building codes, levees and flood-resistant design, and cyclone-rated construction; building standards in northern Australia were strengthened after Cyclone Tracy. Non-structural mitigation includes land-use planning that keeps development off floodplains and out of bushfire-prone bush, hazard-reduction burning, evacuation planning, and insurance. The most cost-effective measures usually reduce exposure and vulnerability rather than trying to control the hazard itself.
What is q1?Show answer
Using the relationship between hazard, exposure and vulnerability, explain why the moderate 1989 Newcastle earthquake caused a disaster. [3 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Evaluate one structural and one non-structural mitigation strategy for reducing flood risk. [4 marks]
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