Initial Publication Date: December 12, 2014
AGU Conversation Starters
1. Would a 1 m sea level rise flood the poster hall in Moscone South?
Answer: Moscone South is about 9 m above current mean sea level, so there would probably not be a direct threat to the building. There may be important infrastructure that would be impacted. No matter what the threat, having an accurate perception of risk (both vulnerability and protection) for your location is important for planning and preparedness. Understanding the local hazard risks is also important for local development.
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2a. Were more or fewer than 20 mineral resources used in making your cell phone?
There is variation by specific phone, but it's likely that more than 20 were used. Many of these have no substitute and all are in finite supply on Earth, leading to important trade offs between mining and recycling. (Don't like this answer? Comment)
2b. How might the increased demand for Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries (like those in your cell phone and some electric vehicles) effect the environment, and how do your habits play into this equation?
Of course, this is a complex system. Lithium-ion batteries are longer lasting than Lead, so that's good for sustainability. But, they contain other heavy metals that are carcinogens, which may have unintended health consequences for people who work with these materials. The habit of upgrading to new cell phones more often than needed can increase demand, mining and also waste. Choosing to buy an electric vehicle will increase lithium battery demand, but perhaps also decrease demand for lead batteries used in gas powered vehicles. This is arguably a good direction to move. Other thoughts? Comment below!
Do you teach about this topic? Get your students engaged with these InTeGrate teaching resources!
3a. Which is closer to the Moscone Center: the San Andreas fault, or the epicenter of the 1906 quake?
The Moscone center is closer to the epicenter [11.7 km], since the closest point along the fault is 14 km away. However, the hypocenter of the earthquake had a depth of 8 km, so that would be about 14 km away! (Don't like this answer? Comment below)
3b. At the AGU fall meeting, what factors contribute to our risk of experiencing a damaging earthquake?
Vulnerabilities:
- The Moscone center is right on the edge of an area with an historic occurrence of liquefaction
- Dense population
- Many of the 24,000 AGU attendees are likely from regions without earthquakes and may not know what to do in the case of an earthquake
- The Moscone Center has a published earthquake preparedness plan, though mostly good advice, includes a recommendation to stand in doorways. According to the USGS, doorways are typically no stronger than other parts of the building, and doors can injure you. In high-rise buildings, they recommend staying away from windows and outside walls, out of elevators, and try to get under a table.
Protections:
- San Francisco infrastructure and emergency response are aware of and prepared for earthquakes
- The Moscone Center has a published earthquake preparedness plan including good advice to remain calm, head toward the west or north hard walls of the building, avoid windows, avoid elevators, and listen for directions.
- Earthquake events are infrequent enough that it is unlikely that one will occur during AGU
Risk:
- Risk is a balance of vulnerabilities and protections. Now that you have some information on these, you can decide how high the risk is.
Want to teach your students about hazards, vulnerability and risk? Check out the following teaching materials:
4. El Niño... or not? As of December 8, NOAA reported a 65% chance that El Niño conditions will be present in our winter and spring this year. How might an El Niño year impact your morning coffee?
Answer: You would expect coffee prices to increase! Much of the worlds coffee is produced in areas that experience dry spells in El Niño years. (Don't like this answer? Comment below)
Global Coffee Production
1997 El Niño Impacts
![[reuse info]](/images/information_16.png)
Provenance: UN World Food Programme
Reuse: This item is in the public domain and maybe reused freely without restriction.
Have your students explore climate and short-term climate variability:
5. The amount of soil eroded from 1 hectare of North American farm land in 1 year is enough to fill how many bathtubs?
- 1/2 a bathtub
- 10 bathtubs
- 70 bathtubs
- 280 bathtubs
Answer : Soil erosion rates vary across Earth by more than 5 orders of magnitude. An average value for North America agricultural land is about 1 mm soil per hectare per year which translates into the volume of ~ 70 bathtubs. Erosion is influenced by physical factors, such as slope, as well as land use and management. Agriculture can change areas of historic soil production to areas of soil loss, which is a challenge in the face of increasing demand for agricultural products. (Don't like this answer? Comment below)
Do you teach about soil erosion?
6. Which of the following do you consider "a method of geoscience"?
a. Having to help everyone figure out what this or that rock is (working with incomplete data)
b. Using your rock hammer (observation)
c. Getting lost in the field and having to stay out past dark (spatial and temporal thinking)
d. All of the above
While not every geoscientist wields a rock hammer, observation, working with data, and spatial/temporal thinking are all methods applied broadly across geoscience disciplines. Geoscience methods are both similar to and different from the stereotypical experimental scientific method and people who learn these methods have skills they can apply to biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, social sciences and beyond. (Don't like this answer? Comment below)
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AGU Outreach Questions -- Discussion
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