Outcomes
By the end of this lab, you will:
● Describe the cause and impact of flooding in six regions around the world.
● Examine responses of societies and governments to current and projected impacts of flooding.
● Practice presenting information orally.
Instructions
The goal of this week’s lab is to learn about/present on case studies of frequent flooding events around the world. Each group of four
students will research flooding in a different region. You may start with Wikipedia if you choose, but you should broaden your search
to include governmental, academic and media websites (INCLUDE 3 SOURCES OUTSIDE WIKIPEDIA ON LAST SLIDE). At the end of lab, each
group will give short presentations to share its case study with the rest of the class.
Your TA will assign your group one of the following:
1) Monsoonal flooding in India and Pakistan
2) Flash flooding in the Swiss Alps
3) Flooding in the Solomon Islands
4) Flooding from tropical cyclones along the Gulf coast of the US
5) Persistent flooding in Great Britain (okay to focus on winter 2014)
6) Monsoonal flooding in West Africa
Each group should spend 40 minutes creating its case study. Each case study must address the following 4 topics:
1) Describe the weather patterns that cause the flooding. Some questions to consider but not limit yourself to: Is the feature
seasonal? Storm related? Is it driven by precipitation? Snow melt? Wind and sea?
2) Describe the magnitude of the flooding in space and time. Some questions to consider but not limit yourself to: What is the
frequency of the flooding? How large of a geographic region is impacted? Will the frequency and magnitude change as climate changes?
Are there anthropogenic factors that are affecting the frequency or magnitude of flooding?
3) Describe the societal and economic impacts of the flooding. Some questions to consider but not limit yourself to: How many
people are affected and how? Does it interrupt normal, day-to-day life? Business and commerce? Does it regularly destroy
infrastructure? Crops? What is the economic cost of the floods? Human cost?
4) Describe any mitigation or adaptation strategies people are using in response to the flooding. Some questions to consider but
not limit yourself to: Have communities used flood control devices (e.g. levees, dams, sand bags, gates…)? Have communities
instituted rules and regulations on dwellings, buildings, or land use? Have any areas been abandoned or have communities retreated? Do
people plan for regular flooding? How?
As you collect the information, you should organize it in a PowerPoint presentation and notes. It may make sense to have each person
focus on one of the 4 topics, or you may have a different strategy. You will have 8 minutes to present your case study (2
minutes/person) to the rest of the class. You may not have time to share everything you have learned. It is okay to focus your case
study as you go. Just make sure the entire group agrees.
Reflections
After lab you should complete the reflection assignment in Moodle:
1) Describe 2 similarities and 2 differences between 2 different case studies (2 that aren’t your own!) in relation to:
– The weather pattern that caused the flooding, AND
– The magnitude of flooding over space and time
2) Each case study you heard about in lab examined how a region or society reacts to the impact of flooding. Discuss an example
of reactions (e.g. adaptations or mitigation) to flooding that are different worldwide. What factors do you think drive the
differences (e.g. wealth, resources, knowledge…)?
Describe 2 similarities and 2 differences between 2 different case studies (2 that aren’t your own!) in relation to:
– The weather pattern that caused the flooding, AND
– The magnitude of flooding over space and time
2) Each case study you heard about in lab examined how a region or society reacts to the impact of flooding. Discuss an example
of reactions (e.g. adaptations or mitigation) to flooding that are different worldwide. What factors do you think drive the
differences (e.g. wealth, resources, knowledge…)?
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