Predicting Natural Disasters

Tornadoes occur most frequently in the Midwest and central United States. Hurricanes form in the oceans over warm water and are more likely to hit coastal areas. Wildfires occur in the western United States where it is dry and hot.

Humans can not eliminate or prevent natural hazards, but they can take steps to reduce their impacts.

Natural hazards happen everywhere, but certain types of natural disasters are more likely to occur in specific areas. For example, earthquakes are more likely to occur where tectonic plates meet.

Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits. Examples are building more stable architecture or developing instruments that help to predict natural disasters long before they happen.

Scientists can track upward movement of magma to predict when a volcano may erupt. Satellites monitor weather patterns over the oceans to predict where and when hurricanes may form and make landfall.

They are most likely to occur near plate boundaries.

Humans can reduce the impact of natural disasters by analyzing scientific data to make predictions about future events and also by improving engineering design to make buildings and structures that are more likely to withstand damage in earthquake activity.

Tornadoes are predicted by meteorologists analyzing atmospheric conditions like wind speed and air pressure. Hurricanes are predicted by satellite imaging that detects rotating air masses over warm, tropical, and subtropical waters.

Earthquakes occur most commonly along plate boundaries. When plates rub against or compress on one another, rock breaks beneath the surface of Earth, releasing energy and causing the Earth's crust to move and shake.

A seismologist uses trend data of past earthquakes to make predictions about future events. This helps to estimate the areas that have the highest risk for severe earthquakes that can cause mass destruction.

Earthquakes happen when tectonic plates rub and compress on one another causing rock to break beneath Earth’s surface. When the rock breaks, it releases energy causing Earth to shake. How much energy is released determines where the earthquake is measured on the Richter scale.

Both volcanologists and meteorologists use scientific instruments and data to observe patterns in natural hazards, allowing them to predict them with more accuracy. Volcanologists study geologic events while meteorologists study atmospheric events.