InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society > Student Materials > Assessments > University Park: Blended > Prioritizing places for protection
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.

Prioritizing places for protection

Finally, use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Sea Level Rise Viewer (NOAA SLR Viewer) to identify those areas of Norfolk that are most vulnerable to sea level rise and related hazards, and should therefore be prioritized for protection.

Follow the instructions for using the NOAA SLR Viewer from the fourth section of this module ("Where should these strategies be implemented?"), except this time select "Virginia" instead of "Florida" from the "Zoom to: State or Territory" drop-down menu. Double click repeatedly near the label for Norfolk, Virginia to zoom in on that area. Stop zooming when the Viewer window looks like this:

Capture two screenshots, one showing the extent of flooding for 4 feet of sea level rise (that is, physical vulnerability) and another showing social vulnerability, and paste them into this document. For directions on how to show sea level rise flooding and social vulnerability, see the instructions for using the NOAA SLR Viewer from the fourth section of this module ("Where should these strategies be implemented?"). For directions on how to take a screenshot see Windows Screen Capture directions or Mac Screen Capture directions.

Paste the screenshot showing the extent of flooding for 4 feet of sea level rise into your worksheet.

Using the labels on the map, describe the location of one area that could be prioritized for protection due to its high physical vulnerability to sea level rise (1 sentence). TIP: Changing to "Streets" view (by clicking "Streets" in the upper right-hand corner of the SLR Viewer window) adds more labels to the map (including street names), which may make it easier to describe a location.

Add the description to your worksheet

Paste the screenshot showing social vulnerability into your worksheet.

Using the labels on the map, describe the location of one area that could be prioritized for protection due to its high social vulnerability (1 sentence). TIP: Changing to "Streets" view adds more labels to the map, which may make it easier to describe a location.

Add the description to your worksheet


These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »