Friday, November 30, 2018

Fracking Risks Associated with Natural Hazards


In the process of fracking, chemicals are pumped down pipes into shale to release the gases from
deep below the Earth’s surface. The waste chemicals are put into large pools that are lined to
protect from seeping into the ground. The only problem with these pools is possible over-topping of
the fluids and slurry.
In September 2013, fracking was being done in the city of La Salle, Colorado. A large flood swept through the city. Fracking equipment was damaged in the flooding. Drills were flipped and destroyed releasing oil and hydraulic fluids to be released into the water. Along with this equipment, the slurry pools were also damaged. They could have released toxic chemicals into the flood waters. The tainted water flowed into rivers and lakes and could have entered water supply for the city. Residents
were encouraged to not have any contact or use running water because toxic chemicals could have entered their water supply. Toxins such as lead and radioactive elements are used in the fracking process (Hargreaves 2013).
Over 1,800 drilling sites were closed down in the floods. The Colorado Department of Natural
Resources explained that in the area of the floods it is legal to use the open pits for the slurry and
flowback water used in fracking, but most of the toxic flowback water was stored in large sealed
tanks (McAllister 2013). With this in mind, we can hope that no radioactive elements leached into
waterways.
September 17, 2013 by EcoFlight
Fracking is a risky process, but many feel it is necessary because of the mass amounts of gas and oil bearing shale rock formations found deep beneath the surface. The chemicals being pumped into the earth have to be carefully stored so the toxins do not reach our waterways, but not many people think about the possibility of these storage tanks malfunctioning or breaking. If ingested, these chemicals can cause heavy metal poisoning and cancer. This drilling can trigger other dangerous hazards such as earthquakes and sinkholes. The destruction of shale can cause ruptures in the Earth’s surface. This can trigger a small quake that could damage homes and buildings. When the shale is removed from the ground it leaves massive holes under the ground. When the ground that we walk on is not supported underneath, it may collapse. Sinkholes can swallow cars and roads along with parts of buildings in a matter of minutes.

Is fracking necessary for the gas and oil we extract, or do the risks outweigh the benefits?



Hargreaves, Steve. “Colorado Flooding May Unleash Fracking Fluids.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 18 Sept. 2013, money.cnn.com/2013/09/18/news/economy/colorado-flooding-fracking/index.html.
McAllister, Edward. “In Flood-Struck Colorado, Concerns about Fracking Spills.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 18 Sept. 2013, www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-colorado-flooding-fracking/in-flood-struck-colorado-concerns-about-fracking-spills-idUSBRE98H15820130918.
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Friday, November 9, 2018

Global Warming and Its Affect on Natural Hazards

In the Article, “The Hurricanes, and Climate-Change Questions, Keep Coming. Yes, They’re
Linked.”, Scientists are said to be looking into the links of global warming and the intensity of
hurricanes. The warming ocean temperatures cause hurricanes to gain energy and become
stronger. Storm surges will also become worse due to rising sea levels. Ocean surface temperatures
have risen rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and this could have caused the intense strengthening of
Hurricane Michael just before it made landfall. Scientist believe that in the following years, we will
see fewer hurricanes than normal, but the ones that do form will be stronger than before.

Scientist Kerry Emanuel explained that the greater the temperature difference between the
ocean and atmosphere, the more energy a storm will collect and eventually release when it makes
landfall. This is caused by rapid evaporation and uplift. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change says that if we do not limit the warming of ocean temperatures to 1.5 degrees celsius, we
may see more precipitation in the future.
When Hurricane Michael made landfall it was predicted that storm surge could reach up to 13
feet of water. Dr. Camargo explains that rising sea levels could cause more damage than the hurricanes themselves. It causes more flooding in coastal areas that experience the storm surges. Sea levels have risen almost 4 inches in the past 40 years and that will increase to almost a foot by the year 2100 (Henry 2018).
I believe that the issues presented in this article are factual. Warmer ocean temperatures allow
for more evaporation. When water vapor evaporates and condenses, it releases latent heat energy
allowing for rapid intensification in hurricanes. This can cause higher winds and more precipitation.
When a hurricane reaches coastal areas, ocean temperatures rise quickly and the hurricane can
pick up massive amounts of energy. Sea levels rising is directly associated with storm surge. As
coastal areas are more covered with water, it has the ability to move further inland and at higher
levels than before.
According to Jon Keeley, wildfires are directly associated to rising global temperatures. With the
land becoming dry due to drought, fires are more easily ignited by dry lightning (Keeley 2016). When
biomass is dry, the fires are spread further and quicker. Annual temperatures in Western US states
have doubled in the past 50 years  The sun’s energy dries out forests, especially because these
areas are getting hotter. Greenhouse gases are trapping the shortwave energy from the sun in the
troposphere drying out the forests that are regularly affected by fires.
Although fires are associated with seasonal temperature change, rising temperatures can
cause spring to come earlier, and summer to be hotter. This dries out biomass and can wildfire
season to start earlier, and last longer.
I believe that global warming can cause drastic changes in many natural hazards and we must
work to stop the rising global temperatures. A warming Earth can cause many human related
problems, and we may have the greatest influence on this warming.

Sources
Fountain, Henry. “The Hurricanes, and Climate-Change Questions, Keep Coming. Yes, They're
Linked.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2018,
Keeley, Jon E., and Alexandra D. Syphard. “Climate Change and Future Fire Regimes: Examples
from California.” Geosciences (2076-3263), vol. 6, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 1–14. EBSCOhost,
  doi:10.3390/geosciences6030037.
Nesbit, Jeff. “California’s Wildfires Are an Ominous Sign.” U.S. News - The Report, Aug. 2018, pp.
C33–C35. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=asn&AN=131303253&site=ehost-
live&scope=site&custid=s3915793.


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Friday, October 12, 2018

Benefits of Forest Fires

Forest fires cause extreme devastation in dry areas, but there are many benefits to these
natural hazards. Fires can kill off diseases, eradicate invasive species, and provide rich
soils for agriculture. Even though these raging fires can cause massive destruction to
nearby communities, if they can be kept away from buildings, they can do great things
for the agricultural community and the health of the people nearby.

Image taken by Spencer McKee August 22, 2018 in Colorado


Forest fires can eradicate dangerous diseases that can affect livestock and the people
living in the area. Fires can kill insects that can wipe out crops. These insects can also
be carrying dangerous diseases such as lyme disease. When an entire population of
insects carrying the disease is wiped out, it is hard for them to establish a new
population (Benefits of Fire).


Invasive species can overpopulate forests and infiltrate our communities as we have
seen in recent years with the Spotted Lantern Fly. These types of species have no
native predators and can do a lot of damage to the community. When a forest fire
burns through an area, it can eradicate the invasive species in the area (After the
Forest Fire).
Rich nutrient soil is needed to produce thriving crops each year. Each time a certain
plant grows, it takes nutrients out of the land. In order to replenish those crops, farmers
will sometimes do routine burning of trees to replenish the soil of needed minerals.
Forest fires do the same thing but it is completely natural. When the trees and brush
burn completely into the soil, all of the nutrients that were inside of the plants are now
incorporated into the soil. The ash also creates a softer soil. This nutrient rich soil is
fantastic for new crops. The environment also takes this routine burn to its advantage.
The soil, now rich with nutrients allows for seeds to sprout. Older trees burnt down
allowing for sun to reach the ground and germination of new trees and ground
cover to occur. This is a fantastic opportunity for forests to restart and grow lush and
green again. These forests are usually a huge tourist attraction and great sites for
camping and hiking (Impact of Fire).

Image taken by John Walmsley in 2010. “Ferns After Fire”

Forest fires are an incredible feat but they are incredibly beneficial to humans and
the environment alike. They create incredible advances for agricultural opportunity
and can help the forest populations thrive in order to create a great tourist site.



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Friday, September 21, 2018

Volcanic Eruption in Guatemala

Natural hazards can be frightening events that destroy entire communities and devastate
nations. They are extremely unpredictable and many come without any warning at all.
In many countries in the world, it is hard to battle these hazards, especially for those
living in Guatemala. I have chosen to study the country of Guatemala because of my
grandfather. My grandfather visits Guatemala every few weeks. He has a whole other
family there. When Volcan de Fuego erupted in June, my entire family was devastated.
We were worried for his friends and family in Guatemala. Thankfully, they were all safe
and far away from the deadly eruption.



For Guatemala, natural hazards are a serious threat. The cities in Guatemala are not
developed. On the outskirts of Guatemala city, the people are very poor. Many people
build their own homes. These homes are not sturdy and do not serve as much protection
from environmental hazards, especially volcanic eruption. Guatemala has 37 active
volcanoes, but only 3 of them are active: Fuego, Pacaya, and Santiaguito (World Vision).
Volcan de Fuego or the Volcano on Fire is a stratovolcano just outside the city of Antigua
Guatemala. It sits on the Ring of Fire, or the ring of volcanoes along the ocean on active
faults. It has erupted multiple times since 2004. Most of the eruptions last for multiple hours
and will spew large rocks and lava in multiple directions. Pyroclastic flows will last for days
after the eruptions take place causing ash and smoke to completely drown communities
and cover the sky  (Fuego Volcano).
The most recent eruption of Volcan de Fuego occured on June 2, 2018. The ash covered
everything in a large radius of the volcano. Clouds of ash were sent nearly 4 miles into the
air in the disastrous eruption. At least 3,000 people were evacuated in nearby villages and at least 69 were killed. Many more were injured and left without homes or resources for food
and water (NASA). Lahars and lava flows cut of emergency aid teams from getting to
survivors and many died as a result.
Along with volcanos, comes lahars. A lahar is very fast moving mud and rock debris running
down a volcano after a large eruption. It can cause a lot of damage to homes and other
buildings. Lahars can trap people underneath it and cause many people to be injured or
even death. After a large eruption such as this one, a lahar is very common.

Volcanic rocks are seen around houses after the eruption of the Fuego volcano at El Rodeo in Escuintla, Guatemala June 6 2018.
A lahar plowing through a village (Times Live).
Many of the homes in small, poor villages in Guatemala are built by the dwellers themselves.
They use cement but the roofs are usually very light and created with scrap metal or
thatching. Many people make their living on making handmade items and selling them at the
markets, farming, or building. It is not a developed country and the infrastructure is not
built to withstand a large amount or ash and mud on top of it.


A common home in Antigua with a scrap metal roof (Compassion International).

If I wanted to map out which people are at higher risk I would need data including the
type of housing many have and the location of their homes. People further away from
the active volcano are much safer than those near the volcano. Ash may fill the sky,
but the lava flows will take much longer to get to homes, and people will have more time
to evacuate. In more developed villages, homes are able to withstand more outside forces
upon them, allowing for people to stay safer in the ash clouds.
I believe that most volcanic eruptions in Guatemala will result in disaster. The intensity
of these eruptions is so great, and the lahars they create are so destructive, they have
the ability to destroy entire communities. Homes are almost always leveled by the mud
and if not, they are covered in ash. In Guatemala, transportation is not easily accessible
in small villages so many people cannot get away very quickly.


After learning about volcanoes in Guatemala I have realized how truly important it is to
build communities in places that are not affected by these hazards. Although they may
only erupt once every ten years or more, many lives can be lost.
Sources:


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