Grade 9 · Natural Hazards · Hazard and Risk
Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience
Analyse hazard data to judge risk, and evaluate engineering and planning solutions that make communities more resilient.
Learning objectives
- Distinguish between a hazard, exposure and risk.
- Use data to forecast the likelihood of natural hazards in a region.
- Evaluate engineering solutions that reduce hazard impact.
- Explain how human activity changes hazard risk and climate.
NGSS alignment
HS-ESS2-1
Develop a model to illustrate how Earth's internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
HS-ESS1-1
Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the sun's core to release energy that eventually reaches Earth in the form of radiation.
HS-ESS3-2
Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-ESS1-5
Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.
HS-ESS3-4
Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
HS-ESS2-5
Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.
HS-ESS1-3
Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, produce elements.
HS-ESS3-6
Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
HS-ESS2-7
Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth's systems and life on Earth.
HS-ESS2-3
Develop a model based on evidence of Earth's interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.
MYP criteria
- Criterion A — Knowing and Understanding
- Criterion C — Processing and Evaluating
- Criterion D — Reflecting on the Impacts of Science
ENGAGE
Start here
The hazard was identical. The risk was not.
Think about it
Two cities face the same magnitude earthquake. One loses a handful of buildings; the other loses thousands of lives. What differs?
Hint: Consider building codes, population density and preparation.
EXPLAIN
Hazard, exposure, risk
A hazard is a natural process that can cause harm. Exposure is what lies in its path — people, homes, infrastructure. Vulnerability is how badly those things are affected. Risk combines all three, so risk can be reduced even when the hazard cannot.
Forecasting from data
Some hazards can be forecast over short times (storms, flash flooding) and others only as probabilities over decades (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions). Scientists use historical records, monitoring networks and models of the underlying process.
| Hazard | Forecast basis | Mitigation example |
|---|---|---|
| Flash flooding | Rainfall radar, drainage models | Storm drains, permeable paving |
| Extreme heat | Temperature and humidity records | Shading, cooled public spaces, work-hour rules |
| Dust storm | Frontal and wind forecasting | Air-quality alerts, windbreaks |
| Earthquake | Fault history, seismic monitoring | Building codes, flexible structures |
Remember
Human decisions — where we build, how we build, how we manage water and energy — shape hazard risk as much as the natural process does.
Key vocabulary
- Mitigation
- Actions taken to reduce the damage a hazard can do.
- Risk
- The chance that a hazard actually causes harm to people or property.
Practice questions
0/1 correct
Level 3 · Criterion D
A city cannot reduce earthquake hazard. What can it reduce?
Reflect & track
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