GE488 Natural Hazards
Course description for academic year 2026/2027
Contents and structure
The course provides the students with insights into different kinds of natural hazards. Focus is on landslides, severe weather and wildfires and their impact on inhabited environments and infrastructure. Examples of specific hazardous events and the processes involved are investigated during practical exercises. An important part of the training aims to enable the students to recognize and understand the potential danger of natural hazards and assess their risk. This training allows the students to evaluate the need for mitigation measures and the potential in risk reduction for different types of measures.
Learning Outcome
Knowledge
Students gain knowledge about:
- driving and triggering factors of natural hazards and how they interplay
- process development and propagation of hazardous events
- how climate change can affect the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards
- the potential impact of natural hazards on infrastructure and society
Skills
Students will be able to:
- understand the content of articles and reports dealing with natural hazards
- conduct basic assessments of the danger and extent of potential events based on the analysis of existing maps, databases, available reports and numerical models
General competence
Students will be able to:
- communicate with decision-makers and the general public about natural hazards
- identify and specify potential hazard zones in a given area
Entry requirements
60 ECTS in environmental sciences or geoscience
Recommended previous knowledge
GE489 Past and Present Climate/ GE483 Climate Change
GE487 Hydrology and Runoff Management
Teaching methods
Lessons, assignments and field trips
Field trips
Two 1-day and one 2-day excursions to different locations in western Norway, where students investigate unstable/slide-prone slopes and morphological landslide features.
Compulsory learning activities
- Approved reports from 3/3 written assignments
- Attendance of 3/3 field trips, approved associated preparations and field reports
- Attendance of Climate change and natural hazards lecture and discussion
- Reading of a scientific paper and approved presentation
Assessment
Written examination under supervision. Individual 4 hrs.
Grading A-F
Examination support material
- ruler
- simple calculator
- dictionaries in the international participant's native language