Hydrometeorological Phenomena and Hazards & Marine and Coastal Processes and Hazards

Hydrometeorological Phenomena – are processes of hydrological, oceanographic or atmospheric nature

involve hydrological cycle that occur in the atmosphere (evaporation, condensation and precipitation) and in the
ground (rainfall interception, infiltration and surface runoff) and their interactions.
Hydrometeorological Hazards - are processes or phenomena of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic
nature. It may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and
services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage.
 Monsoons – a seasonal change in the direction of the prevailing, or strongest winds of a region.
It causes wet and dry seasons throughout much of the tropics. It always blow from cold to warm
regions.
 Southwest Monsoon – known as Habagat. It occurs within months of May and October.
Characterized by hot, and humid weather. It brings heavy rain to the Philippines.
 Northeast Monsoon – known as Amihan. It occurs within months of November and
February. Experienced in the Philippines as a cool northeast wind. Characterized by
moderate temperature, little or no rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the east.
 Tropical Cyclones – known as bagyo. Their occurrence are monitored by the PAGASA
(Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration). The
PAGASA records an average of 20 cyclones entering the Philippine Are of Responsibility every
year.
 Tropical Depression – 30-60 km/h
 Tropical Storm – 61-80 km/h
 Severe Tropical Storm – 89-117 km/h
 Typhoon 118-219 km/h
 Super Typhoon – Faster than 220 km/h
 Flooding – another hazard that results from occurrence of cyclones. It happens when water from
heavy rainfall are not properly channeled. It causes human casualty, destruction of manmade
structures, environmental degradation.
 Tornadoes – a violently rotating column of air that rotates while in contact with both the surface
of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud. Houses that are hit will be demolished. Cars can be
lifted and thrown. The biggest safety hazard from being in the path of a tornado is being struck
by flying debris, which may be travelling at hundreds of miles per hour.
Mitigation and Prevention
The ultimate purpose of emergency management is to save lives, preserve the environment and protect
property and the economy.
Mitigation – the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters.
Measures Adopted by PAGASA
 Public Storm Warning System – PAGASA issues forecast and advisories in several mass media.
 3D hazard maps and Flood Maps
 Color-Coded Rainfall Warning System – helps communicates prepare for incoming heavy rain and
potential flooding and act accordingly.
 Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazard – addresses disaster prevention and mitigation in the
Philippines.
Using the PSWS of PAGASA, the DepEd has adopted a class suspension guideline with regards to classes
through EO No. 66 dated Jan. 9, 2012.

Marine and Coastal Processes

Marine Processes – associated with the action of waves.
Coastal Processes – mechanisms that operate along a coastline.
Global Context
The coastal zones occupies less than 15% of the Earth’s land surface year about 44% of the world’s
population lives within 150 km/s of the sea. Living in coastal areas provides many benefits such as food
production and revenue from tourism.
Coastal Areas – includes beach, dunes, mangroves, estuary, delta or lagoon.
Hazards living in Coastal Areas:
-Dangers of waves
-tides
-erosion
-flood or submersion
-saltwater intrusion
 Coastal Erosion – the wearing away of land or removal of beach sediments or dune sediments. It is
cause by waves brought by wind and storms. Also by rise and fall of ocean levels by the changing tides.
 Submersion – process of having land being held under water. May happen as a result of erosion or
rising of seal levels. Brings the risk of land being inhabitable.
 Coastal Management – to prevent flooding and erosion, structures can be built to attempt to stop the
transport of sand, uncontrolled rise of sea level, the forces of waves and tides.

Construction Techniques in Preventing Coastal Erosion

 Groynes – barriers or walls perpendicular to the sea, often made of greenhearts, concrete, rock or wood.
It limits the movement of sediment and interrupt the natural flow of water and waves.
 Seawalls – hard engineered structures with a primary function to prevent further erosion of the
shoreline. It is built parallel to the shore and aim to hold or prevent sliding of the soil, while providing
protection from wave action. It may be vertical, curved, or made of rubble and rocks. Eventually, they
get destroyed and then rebuilt again. These are very expensive to construct.
 Saltwater Intrusion – the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers, which can lead to
contamination of drinking water sources and other consequences. It is denser and has a higher water
pressure. Can be push inland beneath the freshwater.
 Mitigation Saltwater Intrusion
 Injection Wells – build up pressure so that the creating a hydraulic pressure ridge that should
hinder the further intrusion of saltwater into the freshwater aquifer.

Geological Processes

Volcanic Eruptions – sudden occurrences of a violent discharge of steam and volcanic material. It is dramatic
and violent agents of change. Can alter drastically the landscape, they can also cause changes in the world’s
climate.
Hazards:
 Pyroclastic Falls – known as volcanic fallout. Usually not directly dangerous unless a person is close
enough to an eruption to be struck by larger fragments. It may cause collapse of buildings when ash
settles on roofs.
 Lava Flow – molten rock that flows out of a volcano or volcanic vent. Lava can be very fluid or very
sticky depending on its composition and temperature. It causes severe burns and often burn down
vegetation and structures. It creates enormous amounts of pressure, which can crush or bury whatever
survives being burned.
  Lahars- specific kind of mudflow made up of volcanic debris. It can crush, abrade, bury, or carry away
almost anything in their paths. May partially or completely bury buildings and valuable land. It destroys
bridges and roads and can also trap people in areas vulnerable.
 Volcanic Gases – perhaps the least showy part of a volcanic eruption, but they can be one of an
eruption’s most deadly effects. Mostly water vapor but contain other gases. Carbon dioxide emissions
also have the capacity to affect the global climate. Sulfur oxide can cause acid rain and air pollution
downwind of a volcano and has role in ozone depletion.

Earthquake – the perceptible shaking of the surface of the Earth. Caused by a sudden slip on a fault. The
tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on
the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the
earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel.
Effects:
 Shaking and Ground Rupture
 Shaking – caused by passage of seismic waves, especially surface waves near the epicenter of
the earthquake.
 Ground Rupture – occurs when earthquake movement along fault actually breaks the earth’s
surface.
 Tsunami – series of ocean waves generated by sudden displacements in the sea floor, landslides, or
volcanic activity. It is generated by the displacement of water.
 Landslides – a rapid movement of a large mass of earth and rocks down a hill or a mountainside. It can
be induced by earthquake and may be induced by oversaturation of moisture.
*It is not possible to prevent these geological processes and the hazards they bring. However, careful
management of these hazards can minimize the damage that they cause.

Coping with Geological Hazards

 Monitoring – since 1968, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has
recorded 12 destructive earthquakes. This largely due to the Philippine location within the pacific Ring
of Fire.
 Earthquakes
 Volcanic Eruptions – the Philippine lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, there are 22 historically active
volcanoes in the Philippines.
 Tsunami Warning System – used to detect tsunamis in advance and issue warnings.
 Network of Sensors – to detect tsunami.
 Communications Infrastructure – to issue timely alarms to permit evacuation of the coastal
areas.
 Landslides – when earthquakes happen in human made embankments and natural slopes in
mountainous areas hazards of landslides greatly increases.
Practical Ways of Coping
*Role of Gov’t agencies and public officials
1. Assess geologic hazards.
2. Participate in development of geologic hazards coordination plans.
3. Monitor geologic activities.
4. Issue warnings of impending geologic activity
5. Deliver updates via a formalized notification system.
6. Keep their communities safe by developing and exercising emergency plans and by providing hazards
education and notification about local hazards and emergency procedures.
7. Advise residents about closures, evacuation routes, and recommendations for recovery during natural
emergencies.
*Role of the Public
1. Learning about the hazards where they live or visit.
2. Following local recommendations to ensure households and businesses are prepared.
3. Preparing to be self-sufficient for up to two weeks by making an emergency plan and compiling an
emergency kit.
Exogenic Processes, Rocks and Minerals

Exogenic Processes – processes are carried through by Geomorphic Agents: gravity flowing water (rivers),
moving ice (glaciers), waves and tides (oceans and lakes), wind, plants, organisms, animals and humans.
 Weathering – disintegration and decomposition of rocks in situ – no transportation involved – produces
regolith.
Types:
 Physical or Mechanical Weathering – disintegration and decay of rocks via weathering
elements: high temperatures, extreme cold and freeze-thaw cycles. No change in chemical
composition of rocks.
 Exfoliation – due to thermal expansion/contraction and/or release of pressure when
buried rocks are uplifted and expose, stripping of outer layer.
 Block disintegration – due to successive heating and cooling which causes expansion
and contraction of rocks.
 Frost Wedging – due to alternate freezing and thawing.
 Chemical Weathering – decomposes rocks through a chemical change in its minerals.
 Oxidation – oxygen reacts with rocks’ important in iron-rich.
 Hydration – absorption of water and substance on rock.
 Carbonation and Solution – carbon dioxide dissolved in water reacts with carbonate
rocks to create a soluble product.
 Biological Weathering/Biotic Weathering – plants and animals and humans contribute to
weathering.
 Roots – physically break or wedge rock
 Lichens (algae and fungi as single unit) – remove minerals and weaken rock by releasing
acids.
 Burrowing animals – can increase weathering.

Relationship: Weathering, Mass Wasting and Erosion

*These processes are responsible for denudation of Earth’s surface.
 Mass Wasting – downslope movement of rock, regolith and soil because of gravity.
 Erosion – the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that remove soil, rock, or
dissolved material from one location on the Earth’s crust, then transport it away to another location.
 Wind Erosion – wind carry vast quantity of soil particles and sand.
 Sheet Erosion – removal of thin layers of soil because of surface run = off and rain.
 Rill Erosion – removal of soil by action of concentrated water.
 Gully Erosion – removal of soil in water channels.

Minerals and Rocks

Atoms – Elements – Compounds – Minerals – Rocks – Earth
What do all minerals have in common?
1. Are all naturally-occurring chemical compounds
2. Are inorganic
3. Are homogenous solids
4. Have definite chemical composition which can be described by chemical formula
5. Mineral’s structure arranges atoms in a crystalline pattern
How do minerals form?
1. Cooling of magma (hot, liquid rock and minerals inside the earth (from the mantle))
 Very fast cooling = no fast cooling = small crystals
  Slow cooling = large crystals
2. Elements dissolved in liquids (usually water)

Physical properties of Minerals

 Color – can be misleading, can vary with the type of impurities.
 Luster – surface reflection
 Metallic = shiny like metal
 Non-Metallic = dull, non-shiny surface
 Streak – the color of the powdered form of the mineral. It can be different than the mineral. Minerals
must be softer than the streak plate
 Pure quartz = clear
 Amethyst = purple
 Smoky quartz = black
 Adventurine = green
 Quartz = always leaves a white streak
 Hardness – how easily a mineral scratches materials.
 Mohs Hardness Scale – scale from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). A test by seeing if the mineral can
scratch different objects (like human fingernail, copper, penny, glass, steel file)
 Talc 1
 Gypsum 2
 Fingernail 2.2
 Calcite 3
 Flourite 4
 Apatite 5
 Glass, steel knife 5.5
 Feldspar 6
 Quartz 7
 Topaz 8
 Corundum 9
 Diamond 10
 Cleavage and Fracture – the way the minerals breaks.
 Cleavage – minerals break along smooth flat surfaces and every fragment has the same general
shape.
 Fracture – minerals that break at random with rough or jagged edges.
Other properties:
 Specific gravity
 Attraction to magnets
 Bending of light
 Reaction with hydrochloric acid
 Smell and Taste
Uses:
Flourite – in drinking water, toothpaste, steel manufacturing, aluminum products and chemicals.
Copper – writing, tubling, coins, brass communications, electronics, and appliances.
Talc – cosmetics, baby powder, paint and paper
Kaolinite – paper, paint, fertilizer, rubber products, PVC pipe, medicine
Galena – batteries, fishing tackle, lead crystal, medical shields, and ammunition
Silica – electronics, computer industry, all types of glass, nail polish, cleaners, ceramics, paint, and abrasives
Gypsum – plasters, wall board, porcelain, medicines, soil conditions, bakery goods and cement
Hematite – automobiles, ships, appliances, canned goods, vitamins, pigments, nails, and cooking utensils
Graphite – pencil lead, lubricants, bricks, sport equipment, and aerospace
*Minerals combine to form rocks, some rocks are made up of just one mineral and other rocks are made up of
many minerals.

Rock Cycle
 Igneous Rocks – form from molten rock or magma in the subsurface or from lava extruded at the
surface.
Categories of Igneous
 Intrusive – cool beneath Earth’s surface. It cools very slowly, higher Phaneritic and Textures
Ex. Granite, Diorite and Gabbro
 Extrusive – cool on the Earth’s surface, cool relatively fast, lower Aphanitic Textures and
Pryoclastic Textures
Ex. Rhyolite, Andesite, and Basalt
 Sedimentary Rocks – rocks are weathered, eroded, transported, deposited and lithified.
*Clay can become shale
*Sand can become sandstone
 Clastic – made of fragmentary material. It is deposited by water, wind, glacial action, and
gravity
Ex. Conglomerate, Sandstone, Quartz Sandstone
 Non-clastic/ Biochemical Sedimentary Rocks – evaporation, precipitation, biogenic sediments
Ex. Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Fossiliferous Limestone
 Metamorphic Rocks – pressure, heat and fluids cause preexisting rocks or sediments
*meta – this prefix is used if the rock is being metamorphosed.
*limestone – marble
*sandstone – quartzite
*shale – slate
 Foliated – “folios” = page or leaf-like. Has distinct banding or layering. Formed under directed
pressure.
Ex. Slate and Soapstone
 Non-foliated – no distinct layering character, often a massive crystalline texture and formed
under uniform pressures.
Ex. Quartzite, Serpentinite, and Marble