L&S70/HUM23:

Living on the Edge

Spring 2017
Lec: Tu, Th 9:30-11, 4 Le Conte
4 Units

Instructors:

Nicholas Sitar, sitar at berkeley.edu

Office Hours: W 10:30-12 am, Th 1 2:30 pm, 449 Davis Hall or by appointment

Robert Kayen, rkayen at berkeley.edu

Office Hours: Tu 2-3:30 pm, W 2-3:30 pm, 417 Davis Hall or by appointment

GSIs:

Robert Lanzafame, rlanzafame at berkeley.edu

Office Hours: TBD

Course Description:
Introduction to the geologic setting and natural hazards along the Pacific Rim and a general
discussion of their impacts current and future development of the coastal zone. Dangers
posed by earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, extreme climatic events, landscapes
affecting human health, and sea level rise will be discussed using observations of response to
past events in the context of analyzing long-term risks to society and options for future
development and mitigation.

Prerequisites: Basic high school math, physics and chemistry.

Text book:
Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes, 4th Edition. By
Edward A. Keller, Duane E. DeVecchio, Taylor and Francis, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0133907650 ISBN-10: 0133907651
Selected articles from popular science and current press will be used to make the lecture
material current and active.

i>clickers:
We will use the i>clicker student response system for lecture participation. Make sure to register
your device on the bcourses site and bring it with you every class to receive credit for your
responses.

Course Requirements and Grading:
The final course grade is based on a sum of scores on midterm and final, six assignments, and
participation in class lectures and discussion sections. Assignments will be provided by the
GSI in the discussion sections and posted on bcourses site.

Class Participation. Your participation grade is based on your lecture attendance (marked by

your i>clicker responses, beginning with lecture on Thursday, January 19) and your
contribution to discussion in your discussion section. If you regularly miss class or
discussion you will not earn full credit for participation.

The midterm will be during week 7, Thursday, March 2nd.The final will be on Wednesday,
May 10, 11:30 am -2:30 pm. Exams will combine multiple choice and short answer questions

Grading:

Midterm (during class time) - 30 %
Final Exam

- 40 %
Assignments

- 25 %
Class Participation
- 5 %

Discussion Sections:
Sections meet once a week, starting January 23 (2nd week of classes), and are run by the GSI.
If you are in the Monday discussion sections, we will have to make for the Presidents Day
holiday, Feb. 20, by having the last section meetings during the RR week.
Many activities take place in section, including assignments, discussion of lecture materials,
and exam review. Assignments and due dates will be given during your section meeting.
Grading is based on your effort, thoughtfulness, and demonstration of understanding.
Assignments lose 10 % for each week they are late; the day after your regular section
meeting on the due date is one week late.

bcourses:
The bcourses site will have supplementary information and materials that you will find
helpful as you take this course. Lecture slides will be posted following each lecture.
Assignments and additional optional readings and materials will be posted each week, to
allow you to explore examples of course topics.

Academic Integrity:
Cheating, plagiarism, and collusion in dishonest activities will not be tolerated. All work you
submit to fulfill course requirements must represent your own efforts. It is your
responsibility to know the campus rules about academic misconduct. Please familiarize
yourself with the code of conduct http://sa.berkeley.edu/conduct/integrity.

Exam Makeup Policy:
Any foreseeable reason for missing lectures, discussions or exam must be reported and
discussed with the instructor in person at the beginning of the semester or as soon as
possible thereafter. Accommodation will be made for a legitimate and documented reason.
In case of exams the instructor must be notified at least a week in advance and clear
documentation for the reason has to be provided.

Note: Any changes to the course schedule will be announced both during lecture and via
bcourses.

Tentative Outline:
Week
1

Lecture Topic
Introduction Discussion of
course objectives and
requirements. Examples of
recent events and their
coverage in media.
Structure of the earth,
magnetosphere, and
ionosphere. Plate Tectonics
and Volcanism

Oceanic Volcanism Hawaii
and Iceland case histories.
Subduction Zone Volcanism
Continental and Island Arc
Settings

Past catastrophic events Mt.
Vesuvius, Mt. Taupo,
Krakatoa, Soufriere? Concept
of Hazard and Risk, Hazard
and Risk Analysis, Types of
Uncertainty
Recent events Mt. St.
Helens and Mt. Pinotubo and
methods of predicting future
events
Volcanic Hazards and
Planning Mt. Rainier and
Puget Sound
Seismic Activity along Plate
Boundaries -Type of faults,
seismicity measures and
predictions
San Andreas Fault System and
Seismic Hazard in California,
UC Berkeley stadium case
history
Subduction zone seismicity
Recent events: Sunda Trench,
Chile, Japan
Tsunami hazard Examples
from recent events and

Discussion Topic,Reading
and Assignment
Reading: Ch1 + lecture notes
DiscussionNo discussion
week 1

Reading: Ch2
Discussion Hazard and Risk
Maps

Reading: Ch5
Discussion Risk Analysis
Principles Evaluation of
Probability of an Event
Random and Periodic Events,
Recurrence Interval
Assignment 1
Reading: Ch5
Discussion Use of Geologic
Record to Establish
Recurrence Interval

Reading: Ch3
Discussion USGS Seismic
Hazard Analysis Tools
Assignment 2

Reading:Ch4
Discussion Tsunami
Inundation Hazard Mapping,
Tsunami hazard probabilities
for specific locales.

10

11

12

13

implications for the coastal

zone Crescent City and San
Francisco Bay
Oceanic and atmospheric
circulation and extreme
climatic events: superstorms,
droughts and floods
Midterm

Coastal Processes Wave
action and coastal sediment
transport
Coastal Terrace evolution and
stability
Hurricanes and typhoons
Atlantic coast impacts
hurricanes Katrina and
Sandy
Pacific Coast and Pacific Rim
impacts of typhoons Coastal
California, Oregon, Pacific
Islands
Arid environment and impact
of extreme events: flash
floods, debris flows and
flooding Southern
California, Nevada, Arizona
Slope stability and landslides.
The role of climate and local
geology in landslide
formation Berkeley Hills,
Devils Slide, etc.
Sea level rise and impact on
the development of coastal
areas margins of the SF
Bay, Sacramento River Delta,
Los Angeles Harbor

Reading: Ch9
Discussion Role of
topography in climate along
the Pacific Coast: Alaska,
Western US, Peru and Chile
Assignment 3
Reading: Ch11
Discussion Understanding
rates of shoreline retreat, San
Mateo County. Beach

Reading: Ch6
DiscussionRainfall-runoff
relationships urbanization of
watersheds, unit hydrograph,
storm return period
Assignment 4
Reading: Ch6, Ch13
DiscussionCont. from week
9

Reading: Ch7
Discussion Remote sensing
air photography, satellite
imaging, LIDAR
Assignment 5
Reading: Ch12
Discussion Analysis of sea
level curves for the
Anthropocene, discuss of the
3rdWhitehouse report on
Climate Change and the EU
Intergovernmental Report.

The effects of droughts on
Reading: Selected Articles
groundwater supplies and land Discussion: Evaluating
subsidence San Joaquin
subsidence in response to
Valley, San Jose and Alviso aquifer dewatering. Sources of
Unfriendly geology of
solutes in irrigation water.
California: e.g. selenium,
Assignment6

14

15

mercury, asbestos.
Planning for the future and
discussion of the conflict
between planning, public
policy, insurance, and politics
in the context of dealing with
natural hazards
Review
Final Assignment Due
Review Sessions

Reading: Selected Articles

Discussion ABAG and land
use planning.