Science Reviewer: Disaster Risk Reduction and Management & Population Dynamics

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), hazard types, population growth dynamics, logistic and exponential growth models, carrying capacity, and environmental resistance.

Disaster

A serious disruption in a community or society that causes widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses.

Hazard

A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity, or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, and property damage.

Geological Hazard

A type of hazard caused by processes within or on the Earth's surface.

Earthquake

The sudden shaking of the ground caused by the movement of rocks or tectonic plates along faults.

Volcanic Eruption

The release of lava, ash, gases, and other materials from a volcano.

Landslide

The movement of soil, rock, or debris down a slope, usually caused by gravity and often triggered by earthquakes or heavy rain.

Tsunami

A series of large sea waves caused by the sudden displacement of seawater, commonly resulting from an underwater earthquake.

Hydrometeorological Hazard

Hazards related to climate, weather, and water.

Tropical Cyclone (Typhoon)

A low-pressure system associated with a spiral inflow of mass at the bottom level and outflow at the top level, forming within air temperatures greater than $26\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Flood

The overflowing or accumulation of water in areas that are normally dry.

Storm Surge

An abnormal rise of seawater pushed toward the shore by strong winds during a tropical cyclone.

Drought

A prolonged period of unusually low rainfall that results in a shortage of water (e.g., El Niño).

Extreme Rainfall

An unusually large amount of rain occurring over a short or extended period, which can cause flooding or landslides.

Extreme Heat

A period of unusually high temperatures that can create risks to people's health, water supply, agriculture, and infrastructure.

Human-Induced / Technological Hazard

Hazards resulting from human activities, technological failures, accidents, or unsafe practices, such as urban fires, chemical spills, or transportation accidents.

Biological Hazard

Hazards caused by living organisms or biological agents (pathogens) that can harm humans, animals, or ecosystems.

Epidemic

A sudden increase of a disease within a particular community area.

Pandemic

A sudden increase of a disease occurring globally or spreading across international borders.

Vector-Borne Diseases

Diseases transmitted to humans or animals by insects such as mosquitoes and ticks.

Animal Disease

Diseases that affect animals and may cause significant losses, such as African swine fever (ASF).

Agricultural Pests

Organisms such as insects, fungi, or other pests that damage crops and threaten food production.

RA 10121

The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010, a law that strengthens the Philippine system for preventing, preparing, responding, and recovering from disasters.

Disaster Risk

The potential disaster losses in lives, health status, livelihood, assets, and services, expressed as $\text{Disaster Risk} = \text{Hazard} \times \text{Vulnerability} \times \text{Exposure}$.

Exposure

The people, property, or assets that are at risk of hazards in a specific location.

Vulnerability

How susceptible people, property, or assets are to damage.

Disaster Risk Reduction

The concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze and manage the causal factors of disasters.

Disaster Management

The systematic process of using administrative directives, organizations, and operational skills and capacities to implement strategies to lessen the adverse impacts of hazards and the possibility of disaster.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

The thematic area of DRRM aimed at avoiding disasters and reducing their possible impacts (e.g., flood-control measures, hazard mapping).

Disaster Preparedness

The thematic area of DRRM focused on making people and communities ready for an upcoming hazard through practice prior to the actual event (e.g., emergency drills, Go-bags, first aid training).

Disaster Response

The thematic area of DRRM focused on protecting lives and meeting immediate needs during and immediately after a disaster event (e.g., evacuation, search and rescue, relief distribution).

Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery

The thematic area of DRRM aimed at restoring and improving communities after a disaster (e.g., rebuilding homes, restoring schools, building back better).

Ecology

The study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area.

Population Density

The number of individuals living in a specific unit of area or volume.

Population Dispersion

The spatial pattern of how individuals are distributed within an area.

Uniform Dispersion

A dispersion pattern where individuals are spaced relatively evenly, often driven by territorial behavior or competition.

Random Dispersion

A dispersion pattern where individuals are spread unpredictably across an area, showing little strong attraction or repulsion among them.

Clumped Dispersion

A dispersion pattern where individuals gather in groups, commonly due to uneven resource distribution or social behavior.

Population Growth

A change in the number of individuals in a population over time.

Birth Rate (Natality)

The number of individuals born into a population over a given period.

Death Rate (Mortality)

The number of individuals that die in a population over a given period.

Immigration

The movement of individuals into a population or area.

Emigration

The movement of individuals out of a population or area.

Exponential Growth Model

A model where a population grows rapidly under ideal conditions with abundant resources and few limiting factors, producing a J-shaped curve.

Logistic Growth Model

A model where a population grows quickly at first, then slows and stabilizes as environmental limits are reached, forming an S-shaped curve.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size or number of individuals of a population that an environment can sustainably support over time without exhausting its resources or suffering lasting damage.

Lag Phase

The initial phase of logistic growth during which growth is slow while organisms establish themselves and adapt to the environment.

Exponential Phase

The phase of logistic growth where the population increases rapidly due to favorable conditions and abundant resources.

Transitional Phase

The phase of logistic growth where growth slows down as resources become limited and competition increases.

Plateau Phase

The phase of logistic growth where the population stabilizes near carrying capacity, and births approximately balance deaths.

Limiting Factors

Environmental conditions or resources that restrict population growth or keep a population from increasing indefinitely.

Environmental Resistance

The combined effect of all limiting factors that prevents a population from growing without limit.

Biotic Limiting Factors

Living or biological factors that restrict population growth, including predation, competition, and diseases.

Abiotic Limiting Factors

Nonliving or physical factors that limit population growth, including temperature, soil condition, moisture, harsh weather, pollution, and light intensity.