Introduction to Environmental Geology

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Introduction to Environmental Geology
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What is Environmental Geology?

• the application of geological data and
  information for people's needs and the
  improvement of our environment
• How to avoid/minimize impacts from geologic
  hazards
• How to find and use resources wisely water,
  minerals, etc.
• How to dispose of waste wisely solid, water,
  etc.

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Fundamental Concepts of Environmental Geology

• Geology as a basic environmental science

• Population growth
• Sustainability
• The earth system
• Uniformitarianism
• Hazardous earth processes

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Fundamental Concepts-Population Growth

• Population Growth is the 1 environmental problem
• Why?
• www.prb.org

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Fundamental Concepts-Population Growth

• It is impossible to support exponential
  population growth with a finite resource base
• Primary goal of environmental work is to defuse
  the population bomb
• Pessimistic the earth will take care of itself
  through disease and catastrophes
• Optimistic find better ways to control
  population growth within the limits of our
  available resources

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Fundamental Concepts-Sustainability

• Sustainability is the environmental objective
• We are currently using most living environmental
  resources faster than they can be naturally
  replenished
• What would we need for a sustainable global
  economy?
• Populations of humans in natural harmony with
  air, water, and land
• Energy policies that do not pollute or cause
  climatic perturbations
• Utilization plans for renewable resources
  (Recycling)
• Utilization plans for nonrenewable resources

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Fundamental Concepts-The earth system

• The earth system
• Understanding the earths systems and their
  changes is critical to solving environmental
  problems.
• The earth itself is
• an open system with respect to energy
• a closed system with respect to material

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How do we predict the consequences of earth
system changes?

• Understand the nature of the system
• Understand rates of change
• Conduct input-output analysis

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Fundamental Concepts-The earth system

• Feedback
• A system response where System output (something
  happening) is a new system input
• Positive and negative feedback
• Input-output analysis

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Fundamental Concepts-The earth system

• 1. Positive feedback-- "vicious cycle"
• a. one action intensifies the next (example
  erosion)
• 2. Negative feedback-- "self-regulating" enables
  the system to reach a steady state or equilibrium
  (example stream morphology).
• 3. Threshold events -- No apparent changes until
  threshold levels are reached (Lake Turnover).

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Fundamental Concepts-The earth system

• Negative Feedback
• Stream
• A. Increase gradient
• B. Increases the river's velocity, which
• C. Increases the rate of erosion, which
• D. Widens and deepens channel, which
• E. Slows rivers velocity
• F. promotes deposition
• G. reduces gradient

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Fundamental Concepts-The earth system

• Example of threshold event
• Lake turnover

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Fundamental Concepts-The earth system

• Input-output analyses
• Input output
• Steady state no net change
• Input lt output
• Input gt output

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Fundamental Concepts- Uniformitarianism

• James Hutton, 1785
• the present is the key to the past
• Geologic processes modifying our landscape have
  operated in the past
• Human activity is a new geological force
• Affects the magnitude and frequency of geologic
  processes
• the present is the key to the future

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Fundamental Concepts-Hazardous Earth Processes

• Some geologic hazards are inevitable
• Planning is important
• The impacts of hazardous earth processes are
  enhanced by spatial concentration of population
  and resources
• Should be considered in cost-benefit analysis

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Fundamental Concepts-Geology as a basic
environmental science

• Geology is a factor in every persons life
• Civilization exists by geological
  consentsubject to change without notice--Will
  Durant

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Fundamental Concepts-Geology as a basic
environmental science

• Branches of Environmental Geology
• Geomorphology (Geologic Landforms and Processes)
• Hydrogeology (Water and soil / rock interactions)
• Pedology (Soils)
• Economic geology
• Engineering geology
• Classical geology

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Fundamental Concepts-Geology as a basic
environmental science

• Environmental problems are interdisciplinary
• Physical
• Geography, geologic processes, hydrology, rock
  types, soil types, climate
• Biological
• Plants, animals, biologic conditions, spatial
  analysis of biologic information
• Human interest/use
• Land use, economics, aesthetics, environmental
  law, hazards, historical/archaeological value

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Hazards Risks

• To know ones ignorance is the best part of
  knowledge.
• Lao Tzu, The Tau, 71

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Types of hazards

• Natural
• Technological
• Mixed (natural influenced by humans)

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Types of hazards

• Condition
• Process
• Event

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To predict a hazardous event

• 1. Historical knowledge
• 2. Monitoring and data gathering
• 3. Understanding of hazardous process
• 4. Must have rules to determine success

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Risk how safe is safe?

• What is risk?
• What is acceptable risk?
• Depends on your VALUES
• What is our society willing to pay for our
  quality of life and life style?
• Paradox of risk reduction

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RISK ASSESSMENT

• An attempt to assess objectively a public health
  or other environmental risk
• 1. Source/release assessment
• Likelihood and scale of a potential release of
  hazardous material
• 2. Exposure assessment
• What will reach whom

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RISK ASSESSMENT

• 3. Dose-response assessment
• To estimate the impact of exposure on human
  health
• 4. Risk characterization
• To collate all of the information in a useful way
• Involves great UNCERTAINTY

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Human response to hazardsRisk and Policy

• 1. Modify the hazards through human intervention
• 2. Redistribute the losses caused by a hazard
• 3. Decrease the vulnerability (Planning)

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Magnitude vs. frequency

• Usually inversely related
• Affects hazard perception

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Disaster prediction and warning

• Location
• Probability occurrence
• Forecasting
• Warning
• Go public
• Problems?

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Catastrophe

• When a natural disaster results in damages
  (people or property) that require a long involved
  process of recovery

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Model of recovery

• Phase 1 emergency
• Phase 2 restoration
• Phase 3 restoration I
• Phase 4 restoration II

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Phase 1 Emergency(days)

• Normal activities stop
• Search and rescue
• Emergency shelter/feeding
• Capital damaged or destroyed

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Phase 2 Restoration(weeks-months)

• Normal activities return but at minimal levels
• Restoration of urban services
• Return of refugees
• Capital patched

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Phases 3 4 Reconstruction I
II(months-years)

• Normal activities return to predisaster levels
• Capital rebuilt (replaced)
• Activities improved and developed
• Capital improved beyond predisaster levels
• Disaster preparedness response improved

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Effects of Selected Hazards in the U.S. (as of
2002)
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Effects of Selected Hazards in the U.S. (Table
4.1, p. 91)