For students with home Internet access, most of this unit can be taken without attending classes on campus. The unit provides an introduction to the main atmospheric, oceanic and other environmental processes that are responsible for our weather and climate. While the unit ranges from microclimates up to global climates, the focus is on Australian weather and climate. On-campus students participate in some local field exercises, such as releasing weather balloons and measuring climate. The unit presumes neither university-level maths nor physics knowledge.
External students require Internet access.
As global population grows, so too does the social and economic impact of natural disasters. Recent disasters in Australia have caused damage greater than 1 billion dollars each, and globally, individual disasters have caused damage greater than 100 billion dollars. These disasters are a significant drain on our economy and cause enormous human suffering. This unit introduces the main hazards, including earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, hailstorms, bushfires, droughts and epidemics. Aspects considered include the physical processes involved and the effects of hazards, the forecasting of hazardous events and the perception of, adjustment to and mitigation of hazards.