Posted: September 10th, 2023

The nature of mass movement, assignment

Please answer the following in complete sentences and paragraphs. Each question is worth 20 points and should be two to three well-written paragraphs in length and guided by APA format.

1. Write a page paper – Describe how remote sensing may be applied to assessing risk as presented in this week’s additional reading in “Resources” (Taubenbock et al.).

2. Referring to the readings for this week and your response to defining “disaster” in Week #1, please provide a new, revised definition of disaster. Be sure to show how your knowledge has grown and matured. Your definition should reflect relevance to hazard management issues.

3. Broadly discuss the nature of mass movement events in the form of avalanches and landslides and provide examples of triggers and potential underlying causes.

4. Understanding how avalanches start, discuss in detail the protection mechanisms that can be used to reduce impact on the human population.
5. Discuss the role of avalanche forecasting and warning in community preparedness. Is effective warning possible? Provide concrete examples of your position with regard to your response.

The Nature of Mass Movement
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The Nature of Mass Movement
1.
According to Taubenbock et al. (2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers), the remote sensing might be applied through the assessing of risks in a more holistic approach. The holistic approach can improve the conceptual model of hazards, risks, and vulnerability level. Remote sensing helps in improving assessment of the potential exposure, susceptibility and the level of coping. For example, the urban landscape indicators are an example, of remote sensing information. Such an approach helps in assessment of the potential vulnerability and risks in a more complementary multidisciplinary model. It develops a model important in identifying the risks and formulation action to deal with them.
Under remote sensing, the indexing is useful in combining the diverse forms of thematic data and information through a synergistic surplus valuation. The risks are usually evaluated based on the hazards and vulnerability. Such aspects are critical in defining the vulnerability level. The combination of the various aspects is useful in improving the assessment of the risks in a more holistic approach. The tools of remote sensing also formulate the proper frameworks to improve the control of the mass movement risks and exposures. As a result, the remote sensing approach helps in understanding vulnerability level by allowing for dynamic spatial changes of the population distribution.
2.
The revised definition of disaster is that the sudden natural events that disrupt and undermines the normal functioning of the overall community and lead to economic, environmental losses, and natural problems. From the past definition, it is clear my knowledge has grown in integrating the current perception on the economic losses with the need to understand and integrate the natural events that are responsible for major disasters such as avalanche (Keith & David, 2013). The hazard management issues include the proper risk assessment, which is critical in reducing the negative effects of the disasters in the organization.
3.
The nature of mass movement describes the overall displacement of the surface materials because of the force of gravity and mainly occurs on a slope within the environment. Recently, the risks of mass movements have increased with time due to the concerns of climate change in the society. For example, the common forms of mass movements include the landslides and the avalanche hazards (Hemingway & Priestley, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Even though landslides mainly occur in mountain areas, they can also occur in low relief regions. Within the low-relief regions, landslides occur in the different forms including as river bluff failures and slope failures among others.
Some of the common hazards in the mountain region are mass movements both landslides and avalanches. The potential causes of landslides include the saturation of slope by water, vulnerability of landslides due to the mountainous region, and the volcanic activities. These causes are instrumental in leading to increased mass movement risks in the society. Other example causes of mass movement include upland areas, mountainous climate, land degradation, high rainfall, and thick deposits areas. The slope-forming materials expose the risks of devastating mass movements in the regions.

4.
Considering the nature of the avalanches, certain protection mechanisms can be adopted to reduce the impacts on the human population. Active protection mechanisms including the disruption of snowpack are useful. In contrast, the passive measures are critical in reinforcing and stabilizing the snowpack. The simplest active approach is usually traveling of the snowpack, as it accumulates through machine grooming others (Keith & David, 2013). Explosives can also be used to prevent the larger avalanches that trigger small avalanches from removing the burden of the snowpack. The passive preventive approaches are also useful in reducing the impacts of the avalanches on the human population. It includes the use of snow fences in promoting the direct placement of the snowpack

. The approach is effective in allowing for the preparation of measures could be taken such as the closure of roads and facilities. Such efforts would allow for the releasing of snowpack in a safer way reducing the probability of large avalanches. Both the passive and active preventive mechanisms would help in preventing the negative consequences of the avalanches. However, the mitigation of the avalanches is a good action. Regular avalanche tracking is useful in the identification and taking precautions to reduce the damage through the prevention actions.
5.
The two main approaches to avalanche forecasting and warning usually include the site-specific warnings relating to surface movement and the general warnings relating to weather conditions. The site-specific warnings are critical in protecting the traffic route in the areas prone to avalanches. The methods used to detect movements of the snow surface by using radar or wire mounted tiltmeters (Keith & David, 2013). Such systems can be used to alert the officials on the potential avalanches to prevent any casualties. For example, the general weather warnings comprising of daily testing of snow stability and the overall detection of the weak snow levels. The approach is useful in promoting the performance of the daily tests and promoting the safety of the overall population.

However, it might be ineffective as weather changes leading to undesired traffic delays. The forecasting of the avalanches also helps in connecting the persons who hear messages to the persons who prepares and delivers the warning systems. However, the effectiveness of the forecast depends on the community-based efforts and involvement (Hemingway & Priestley, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The local warning might be integrated to create local capacity useful in making proper forecasts on the potential avalanches in the community. As a result, the role of the avalanche forecasting methods is useful in reducing the vulnerability in the society.

References
Hemingway, L., & Priestley, M. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Natural hazards, human vulnerability, and disabling societies: a disaster for disabled people? Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 2(3).
Keith, S. & David, N. P. (2013). Environmental hazards-assessing risk and reducing disaster (6th Ed). London and New York: Routledge-Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 978-0-415-42865-1
Taubenböck, H., Post, J., Roth, A., Zosseder, K., Strunz, G., & Dech, S. (2008 – Affordable Custom Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay from Pro Writers). A conceptual vulnerability and risk framework as outline to identify capabilities of remote sensing. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 8(3), 409-420.

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