From severe flooding to sustained winds of hurricanes to powerful earthquakes and unstoppable wildfires, natural disasters around the globe have caused devastation and had major impact on millions of people’s lives. What do scientists understand about such extreme events? How can understanding natural hazards help people plan for and recover more quickly from these impending threats?
Epic events like the Southern California wildfires do not have a singular cause. Although we do not yet know the official causes of the fires, we do know that when the fires started, the weather and climate conditions made for a perfect storm for the rapid spread of the flames.
The Concord Consortium’s GeoHazard project developed a module titled “Wildfire Risks & Impacts” that asks students to consider the guiding question, “How will wildfire risks and impacts change over the next 100 years?” This five-activity module helps students build an understanding of the variables that influence fire spread rate and intensity, the risks that wildfires bring to people and their communities, and the impact of climate change through focused case studies and interactions with the Wildfire Explorer model.
As they explore data about terrain, vegetation, moisture, and temperature, students make connections between wildfires and increases in global temperatures. They then use their understanding of the hazards of wildfires (fire and smoke damage) to make predictions about how climate change may affect future wildfires.
Registered teachers gain access to the Teacher Edition, with supplemental background materials, teacher tips, and exemplar answers. They also gain access to pretests and posttests, and the Teacher Dashboard.
This GeoHazard module was developed in partnership with Pennsylvania State University, National Geographic, and TERC.