Density of People and Property

The density of people and things they value within the hazard area also affects their exposure. Exposure is generally higher in areas of dense development, such as cities, where each additional square kilometer affected by the hazard will expose large numbers of people and property to potential harm. Thus, while flooding of 1 square kilometer of shoreline might affect only a few people in rural Delaware, flooding of 1 square kilometer in the New York City metro area would affect thousands.

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Population Density

The density of persons and property in the hazard zone is an important component of exposure. As shown in the "night lights" map below, the amount of light a place produces is one way to measure this density.

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Figure 10.13: "Night lights" image from 2012 – showing the lights from global cities and other human infrastructure (including oil fields and fishing boats) and also from some natural sources such as lightning and wildfire.
Credit: NASA: Night Lights 2012

Question 1 - Essay

Which countries are brightest on this map, and what does this tell you about the density of people and property at these locations

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Question 2 - Essay

Can you think of any problems with using night lights to measure the density of people and property?

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