SC1060 Physics Of Natural & Unnatural Disasters
Managing risk associated with natural environmental disasters (volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc.) and unnatural disasters (oil spills, nuclear fallout, toxic spills, groundwater exhaustion, eutrophication, global warming) is a fundamental aspect of environmental policy. In this course, students will learn about the underlying physical processes of the most common and costly environmental disasters afflicting society today, and will examine historical landmark cases, discussing damage cost models (infrastructure, life, ecosystem) and risk minimization strategies (relocation, protection, resource or technology discontinuation). *Lab required