Extreme situations examples in life sciences. Extreme situations in nature and their causes

Situations that may arise as a result of human interaction with environment and pose a threat to his life, health and property:
1. all kinds of injuries, poisoning with plant and animal poisons,
2. infection with natural focal diseases, mountain sickness, heat stroke and hypothermia,
3. bites of poisonous animals and insects, infectious diseases, etc.

Environmental factors contributing to the development or emergence extreme situations:
1. air temperature and humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, barometric pressure level, wind, hurricane.
2. terrain, water sources, flora and fauna,

Factors that provide protective functions that contribute to the normal functioning of people in extreme situations natural environment:
1. clothing, emergency equipment.
2. signaling and communication devices, water and food supplies, emergency floats, improvised means used for various purposes.

Depending on the material conditions (equipment, equipment, the presence of emergency stowage) and the characteristics of climatic and geographical conditions, the same situation can have different consequences: say, an emergency landing of a plane in the desert is certainly more extreme than the same landing in the taiga. As a rule, the degree of extremeness affects the life time factor, which determines the possibility of survival.

The man in this extreme situation remains alone with nature. In the periodical press you can often read reports about sailors who were shipwrecked and found themselves on boats and rafts in the middle of a stormy ocean, about fishermen carried away on fragments of ice floes into the open sea, about travelers caught in a snowstorm, about tourists who lost their way and got lost in the taiga or desert. Often, until help arrives, those in distress have to exist autonomously, that is, on limited supplies of food and water. using existing equipment to support life.

In this regard, in last years A new field of medicine has emerged that deals with the issues of human survival during an autonomous stay in geographical areas of the Earth that are extremely difficult to inhabit, when an insurmountable problem can become fresh water, food, protection from the scorching rays of the sun or, conversely, from the freezing cold.

When living autonomously in a deserted area, satisfying even the most ordinary needs of life sometimes turns into an intractable problem. A person’s life becomes dependent not on the usual criteria - education, professional skills, financial situation, etc., but on completely different ones - solar radiation, wind strength, air temperature, the presence or absence of bodies of water, animals, edible plants.

A favorable outcome of autonomous existence largely depends on a person’s psychophysical qualities, physical fitness, endurance, etc. But these alone are often not enough for salvation. People die from heat and thirst, not suspecting that three steps away there is a saving water source; they freeze in the tundra, unable to build a shelter out of snow; die of hunger in a forest teeming with game; become victims of poisonous animals, not knowing how to provide first aid for a bite.

The basis for success in the fight against the forces of nature is a person’s ability to survive.

Survival is understood as active, expedient actions aimed at preserving life, health and performance in conditions of autonomous existence.

These actions consist of overcoming mental stress, showing ingenuity, resourcefulness, efficiency in the use of emergency equipment and available resources of the natural environment and providing the body with food and water needs.

The main postulate of survival: a person can and must maintain health and life in the most severe physical and geographical conditions, if he is able to take advantage of everything that the environment provides.

Nature presents us with severe trials - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, forest fires, avalanches, snow drifts, etc. These natural processes arise as a result of the action of elemental forces in nature and can cause numerous human casualties, cause significant material damage. Such phenomena are usually called natural disasters. They are classified as natural emergencies. They are characterized by unpredictability and uncertainty of the time of onset.

Video: avalanche, forest fire, earthquake model.

But other types of situations are also possible, which also arise suddenly, often unexpectedly: a change in climatic and geographical conditions, a sharp change in natural conditions, illness, poisoning, bites and other injuries to the body that require emergency medical care, forced autonomous existence. At the same time, assistance to those who find themselves in such a situation from the outside, i.e. from other people, is excluded or limited. Such situations are called extreme.

Video: thunderstorm, hurricane 98.

For example, a person suddenly gets lost in the forest. He doesn’t know exactly where he is, in which direction to go, he has no food. The beautiful forest begins to seem sinister to him. Night is coming. There's nothing to eat. Lonely and scary. I want to go home. Thoughts are confused.

If it is necessary to change your usual place of residence, i.e. when changing climatic and geographical living conditions, the risk of finding yourself in an extreme situation arises due to a violation of: temperature conditions (sharp transition from cold to heat and vice versa); daily regime as a result of changing time zones, solar regime; diet and drinking regimen. This situation is not unexpected. You know in advance about your upcoming move, trip or flight (for example, on vacation). Therefore, you need to prepare for new conditions in advance.

The reasons for this may be such sudden natural phenomena, such as severe cold snap, rain (rain), blizzard, blizzard, heavy snowfall and frost, extreme heat, drought, etc. At the same time, a person located far from populated areas is forced to change the schedule and route of movement. Because of this, the time of his return is delayed, which can lead to a lack of food and water, forced starvation, exposure to unfavorable environmental factors (frostbite, hypothermia, overwork, overheating of the body, thermal and solar blow, etc.). If before settlement more than a dozen kilometers, and bad weather makes it difficult to navigate and move, the problem of long-term survival arises.

Video: tornadoes, sandstorms

Diseases or injuries to the human body that require emergency medical care are not so rare among travelers, tourists, as well as people whose profession involves being in the natural environment. They can occur as a result of injuries (bruises, dislocations, fractures, muscle strains), poisoning with plant and animal poisons, animal bites, heat strokes and hypothermia, and infectious diseases. Depending on the degree of their adverse effects, a threat to human health and life may arise.

Autonomous existence is the most dangerous extreme situation, since the situation of a person who finds himself alone with nature, as a rule, arises unexpectedly and forcedly. Let's consider the reasons for such situations.
Loss of orientation on the ground, especially often as a result of the inability to use a compass, navigate, maintain the direction of movement, and avoid obstacles. However, this can happen not only to inexperienced tourists.
Loss of a group as a result of falling behind or being separated from it, or untimely access to the group meeting place.
Vehicle accident (airplane, car, ship, etc.).

However, not every autonomous existence should be considered an ex-tremal situation. For example, a group on a hike is in an autonomous existence. But she is provided with food, knows her route and follows it without incident. The same applies to various research expeditions.
Another thing is that during a hike or expedition, circumstances may arise that lead to an extreme situation: for example, food will run out, or someone’s backpack with equipment will be carried away during the crossing.
Of course, it is impossible to predict and describe all possible situations and give specific advice on how to act in them. But, as you will see later, in all such cases you have to solve one, main task - to survive, to survive.

There is a difference in the concepts of “natural disaster (natural emergency) and “extreme situation in nature.”
- We need to prepare in advance for changes in climatic and geographical conditions.
- A sharp change in natural conditions or illness (injury) can lead to an extreme situation in nature.
- Not every situation regarding the autonomous existence of a person in natural conditions may be considered extreme.

Survival is an active, purposeful activity aimed at preserving life, health and performance in conditions of autonomous existence.

Excerpts from Andrei Ilyichev’s book “The Great Encyclopedia of Survival”:
How many times have I and my comrades extricated myself from the clutches of death that were almost closing on the throat. How many times, looking back, we were surprised at what we managed to create. And they are not some kind of supermen - ordinary people, without mountains of muscles and super-strong-willed chins, who do not neglect everyday comfort. Average. So why were we able and survived, while others died in less extreme situations? A natural disaster is a natural process.

REMEMBER!
An extreme situation in natural conditions is a sudden change in the situation when outside help is limited or impossible.

REMEMBER!
Overcoming an extreme situation in nature largely depends on your actions.

There will be a file here: /data/edu/files/n1461168497.pptx (Natural hazards)

Often nature presents people with severe trials - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, forest fires, avalanches, snow drifts, etc.

All these processes and phenomena arise as a result of the action of natural forces in nature and can cause numerous casualties, cause significant material and other damage (destruction of industrial structures, residential buildings, populated areas, etc.). Such processes and phenomena are called natural disasters - natural emergencies. They are usually characterized by unpredictability and uncertainty of the time of onset.

Other types of situations are also possible, which also arise suddenly, often unexpectedly and have negative consequences for the life of people and the natural environment (changes in climatic and geographical conditions; sudden changes in natural conditions; diseases, poisonings, bites and other injuries to the body requiring emergency medical care; forced autonomous existence ). At the same time, help to those who find themselves in such a situation from the outside, i.e. from other people, is excluded or limited. Such situations are called extreme.

For example, a person suddenly gets lost in the forest. He doesn’t know exactly where he is, in which direction to go, and he has no food. The beautiful forest begins to seem sinister to him. Night is coming. There's nothing to eat. Lonely and scary. I want to go home. Thoughts are confused.

Such situations can arise when a person is in natural conditions (in a forest, in the mountains, in a desert, on a river, in a field) at a considerable distance from a habitable place.

Below are the main types of possible extreme situations in nature.

To get out of extreme situations, you need to show endurance and self-control. This is like the peak of tension of physical and mental strength.

Let's take a closer look at extreme situations that arise in natural conditions.

The main types of extreme situations in nature

Change of climatic and geographical conditions
Abrupt change in natural conditions
Diseases or injuries to the human body that require emergency medical care
Forced autonomous existence

Change of climatic and geographical conditions. When changing the usual place of residence, i.e. when changing climatic and geographical living conditions, the following disturbances quite often occur: temperature conditions (sharp transition from cold to warm, and vice versa); daily routine as a result of changing time zones; solar mode; diet and drinking regimen. This situation is not unexpected. As a rule, an upcoming move, trip or flight (for example, on vacation or a business trip) is known in advance. Therefore, you need to prepare for new conditions in advance.

Abrupt change in natural conditions. The reasons for this may be such sudden natural phenomena as severe cold weather, rain (downpour), blizzard, hurricane, extreme heat, drought, etc. In this case, a person located far from populated areas is forced to change the schedule and route of movement. Because of this, the time of his return is delayed, which can lead to a lack of food and water, forced starvation, exposure to unfavorable environmental factors (frostbite, hypothermia or overheating of the body, fatigue, heat and sunstroke, etc.). If the settlement is several dozen kilometers away, and bad weather makes it difficult to navigate and move, the problem of long-term survival arises.

Diseases or injuries to the human body that require emergency medical care, are not so rare among travelers, tourists, as well as people whose professions involve being in the natural environment. These can be injuries (bruises, dislocations, fractures, muscle strains), poisoning with plant and animal poisons, animal bites, heat and sunstroke, hypothermia, infectious diseases. Depending on the degree of their adverse effects on the body, a threat to human health and life may arise.

Forced autonomous existence- the most dangerous extreme situation, since the situation of a person who finds himself alone with nature, as a rule, arises unexpectedly and not at his request. Let's look at the most common situations.

Loss of orientation on the terrain especially often arises as a result of the inability to use a compass, navigate, maintain the direction of movement, and avoid obstacles. However, it can happen not only to an inexperienced tourist.

This is how the famous explorer of Siberia and Far East, writer and scientist G. Fedoseev, an incident that happened to him during one of the expeditions: “I cross the stream back and go into the darkness. Kuchum is running somewhere ahead.

Suddenly a rustling sound is clearly heard from below. I look around - Kuchum is catching up with me. But I thought that the dog was in front. What's the matter? He couldn't have been mistaken, he knows where we were going. So why was the dog behind me? Did I take a wrong turn? And I notice that on the spur along which I am climbing, the steepness is not the same, and there are fewer placers, and the dwarf trees are not as dense as they were on the descent into the gorge.

I don't understand where I lost my way...

After a long thought I turn back...

I hear a powerful inner voice: “Get up, run away from here, otherwise you will disappear!” With an effort of will I force myself to stand up. Where is the salvation? I remember that above the stream, above and below the place where we descended into the gorge, small rocks were visible. We must hurry there...”

Losing the group as a result of falling behind or being separated from it, or untimely access to the group gathering place.

Vehicle accident(airplane, car, ship, etc.).

However, not every autonomous existence should be considered an extreme situation. For example, a group on a hike is in an autonomous existence. But she is provided with food, knows her route and follows it without incident. The same applies to various research expeditions.

Another thing is that during a hike (expedition), circumstances may arise that lead to an extreme situation: for example, food will run out, or someone’s backpack with the necessary equipment will be carried away during the crossing.

Of course, it is impossible to predict and describe all possible situations and give specific advice on how to act in them. But we must understand that in all such cases it is necessary to solve one, main task - to survive, to survive.

Survival is an active, purposeful activity aimed at preserving life, health and performance in conditions of autonomous existence.

Questions and tasks

What situation is called extreme? Name the main types of extreme situations in natural conditions.
Give examples of extreme situations in natural conditions and name their causes.
What kind of existence is called autonomous?
Using various sources, give examples of autonomous human existence in natural conditions.
Consider the options offered to your attention and determine where the extreme situation is and where the conditions are simply difficult.
Check your answer with that given in the “Answers to Assignments” section at the end of the textbook.

The entire history of human development is the evolution of the use of the natural environment in the process of human life, so his connection with nature has always been the closest. Later, thanks to technological progress, man created an artificial habitat that guaranteed him a safer and more comfortable existence. However, no matter how perfect and automated this comfortable world may be, a person in it always exists only at the expense of nature and its resources, therefore he cannot avoid contact with it, and therefore experience its influence, including in extreme situations .

They can arise as a result of human interaction with the environment and pose a threat to his life, health and property. For example, all kinds of injuries, poisoning by plant and animal poisons, infection with natural focal diseases, mountain sickness, heat stroke and hypothermia, bites of poisonous animals and insects, infectious diseases. A number of extreme situations (cold, heat, hunger, thirst, overwork, environmental poisoning, physical pain), which acquire special significance under certain circumstances, can be classified as environmental. The degree of their adverse effects can be so pronounced that it leads to the development of disease and stress.

Environmental factors contributing to the development or occurrence of extreme situations: air temperature and humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, barometric pressure level, wind, hurricane. These also include terrain, water sources, flora and fauna, photoperiods (polar day and night), fluctuations magnetic field Earth.

Factors that provide protective functions that contribute to the normal functioning of people in extreme situations of the natural environment: clothing, emergency equipment, signaling and communication devices, water and food supplies, emergency floats, improvised means used for various purposes.

Depending on the material conditions (equipment, equipment, the presence of emergency stowage) and the characteristics of climatic and geographical conditions, the same situation can have different consequences; say, a forced landing of an airplane in the desert is certainly more extreme than the same landing in the taiga.

Extreme situations usually occur when a person is forced to be at a considerable distance from his habitable place. Depending on the professional activity, lifestyle and habits, various extreme situations are possible.

Such a danger is possible primarily for people whose profession is directly related to being in the natural environment. These are not only geologists, archaeologists, hunters, fishermen, but also military personnel, long-distance drivers, workers Agriculture etc. Prerequisites for such situations may be:

A) insufficient qualifications. Heavy truck driver accustomed to good roads, suddenly found himself on a bad, dirt road, and his car got stuck. This forces him to seek help from people, to go to a populated area, and for this he needs to be able to navigate the terrain. The situation can be aggravated by perishable or urgent cargo;

b) sudden change in weather conditions. The climber was caught on the way by snow and rain and severe cold. He is forced to change the schedule and the calculated route, so the return time is delayed, which can lead to food shortages and forced starvation. The simplest extreme situation. And if at the end of the route he must be picked up by a helicopter, then bad weather can pose a problem for long-term survival;

V) failure of equipment and vehicles. A tractor driver who finds himself in a car with a stalled engine in a snowy winter, at a temperature of -20-30 ° C, is at risk, since in such conditions the distance in deep snow
The 5-6 km distance to the central estate is not easy to overcome. Will there be clothing suitable for walking in the cabin, and most importantly, shoes?

The risk of ending up in an extreme situation increases for people forced to change their usual place of residence. Changes in climatic and geographical conditions can be aggravated by insufficient preparation or equipment of the traveler. This option applies not only to people whose profession requires frequent travel - military personnel, construction workers, but also to ordinary citizens traveling to the south, to the mountains or to other unusual or exotic places.

Less likely, but most dangerous, is a situation of forced autonomy. A person who finds himself alone with nature experiences the influence of not only natural factors (temperature, solar radiation, humidity), but also psychogenic ones - fear of loneliness, stress, which is especially dangerous when it is necessary to act decisively and quickly. The effect of these factors can be so pronounced that it can lead to the development of stress. The danger of a situation of forced autonomy also lies in the fact that any person can be exposed to it in the event of, for example, a transport accident or in the most prosaic situation (loss of orientation in a suburban forest, and there are no matches, no compass, no food supplies at hand).

We must not forget about possible cases when a traveler or tourist using water from untested sources runs the risk of getting poisoned so seriously that it could pose a threat to his life, especially if this happened in a remote area where qualified medical care is not available. It is always necessary to remember about the possible disruption of the ecological balance under human influence, and that more than 70% of water sources have water unsuitable for human consumption.

All of the above leads us to the conclusion that to prevent danger and increase human survival in extreme natural conditions it is necessary:

To achieve advanced training of specialists;

Reduce the degree of risk by improving the reliability of machinery and equipment;

Increase the level of physical development and fitness;

Conduct special training for survival in extreme situations in natural conditions, including preparation of equipment and equipment;

Teach people the correct behavior when forced to change climatic and geographical living conditions.

According to emergency services different countries, about 80% of people fall into a stupor in moments of danger, 10% begin to panic, and only the remaining 10% quickly pull themselves together and act to save themselves. See how a clear understanding of the situation and self-control help a person survive in any, even the wildest conditions.

A 17-year-old girl was one of the passengers on a plane that flew over the Peruvian jungle in 1971. The plane was hit by lightning and it fell apart in the air. Only 15 of the 92 passengers managed to survive the fall, but all except Julian were seriously injured and died before help arrived. She was the only one lucky - the tree crowns softened the blow, and, despite a broken collarbone and torn ligaments in her knee, the girl, fastened to the seat and who fell with him, remained alive. Juliane wandered through the thickets for 9 days, and she managed to reach the river along which a group of local hunters was sailing. They fed her, provided first aid and took her to the hospital. All the time she spent in the countryside, the girl was inspired by the example of her father, who was an experienced extreme sportsman and walked the path from Recife (Brazil) to Lima, the capital of Peru.

A British couple spent 117 days on the open ocean in 1973. The couple went on a trip on their yacht, and for several months everything was fine, but off the coast of New Zealand, the ship was attacked by a whale. The yacht received a hole and began to sink, but Maurice and Marilyn managed to escape on an inflatable raft, taking documents, canned food, a water container, knives and a few other necessary things that came to hand. The food ran out very quickly, and the couple ate plankton and raw fish - they caught it with homemade pin hooks. Almost four months later, they were picked up by North Korean fishermen - by that time both husband and wife were almost completely exhausted, so rescue came at the last minute. The Baileys traveled more than 2,000 km on their raft.

An 11-year-old boy showed an amazing example of endurance and self-control in an extreme situation. The light-engine plane, in which Norman's father and his girlfriend, the pilot, and Norman himself were, crashed into a mountain at an altitude of 2.6 km and crashed. The father and pilot died on the spot, the girl tried to go down the glacier and fell down. Fortunately, Ollestad Sr. was an experienced extreme sportsman and taught his son survival skills. Norman built some kind of skis found in the mountains and went down safely - it took about 9 hours. As an adult and writer, Norman Ollestad recounted the incident in his book Crazy for the Storm, which became a bestseller.

A traveler from Israel and his friend Kevin were rafting in Bolivia, and they washed up at a waterfall. Both survived the fall, but Kevin almost immediately managed to get ashore, and Yossi was carried down the river. As a result, the 21-year-old guy found himself alone in a wild forest far from civilization. One day he was attacked by a jaguar, but with the help of a torch young man managed to drive away the beast. Yossi ate berries, bird eggs, and snails. At this time, a rescue group was looking for him, which Kevin assembled immediately after the incident - after 19 days the search was crowned with success. One of the stories on the popular Discovery Channel program “I Shouldn’t Have Survived” was dedicated to this incident.

In 1994, a police officer from Italy decided to take part in the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 250-kilometer race in the Sahara Desert. Caught in a severe sandstorm, he lost direction and ended up getting lost. 39-year-old Mauro did not lose heart, but continued to move - he drank his own urine, and ate snakes and plants that he managed to find in the bed of a dry river. One day Mauro came across an abandoned Muslim shrine where there were bats - he began to catch them and drink their blood. After 5 days he was discovered by a family of nomads. As a result, Mauro Prosperi walked 300 km in 9 days, losing 18 kg during the journey.

The Australian lost almost half of his weight during forced wanderings through the deserts of the northern part of the continent. His car broke down, and he set off on foot to the nearest town, but did not know how far away or in what direction it was. He walked day after day, feeding on grasshoppers, frogs and leeches. Then Ricky built himself a shelter from branches and began to wait for help. Luckily for Ricky, it was the rainy season, so he didn't have much trouble getting drinking water. As a result, he was discovered by people from one of the cattle farms located in that area. They described him as a “walking skeleton” - before his adventure, Ricky weighed just over 100kg, and when he was sent to hospital, where he spent six days, his body weight was 48kg.

Two 34-year-old Frenchmen survived for seven weeks in the deepest part of Guiana in 2007, eating frogs, centipedes, turtles and tarantula spiders. The friends, lost in the forest, spent the first three weeks in place, building a shelter - they hoped that they would be found, but then they realized that the dense crowns of trees would not allow them to be seen from the air. Then the guys hit the road in search of the nearest housing. At the end of the journey, when, according to their calculations, there were no more than two days left to go, Gilem became very ill, and Luke went alone to bring help as quickly as possible. Indeed, he soon reached civilization and, together with the rescuers, returned to his partner - the adventure ended happily for both.

A tourist from France survived a fall from a height of about 20 meters, and then spent 11 days in the mountains in north-eastern Spain. A 62-year-old woman fell behind the group and got lost. She tried to go down, but fell into the ravine. She couldn't get out of there, so she had to spend almost two weeks in the wild waiting for help - she ate leaves and drank rainwater. On the 11th day, rescuers spotted a red T-shirt from a helicopter that Teresa had spread on the ground and rescued her.

A 29-year-old ship's cook from Nigeria spent almost three days underwater on a sunken ship. The tug was caught in a storm 30 kilometers from the coast, received severe damage and quickly sank - at that time Okene was in the hold. He groped his way through the compartments and discovered a so-called air bag - a “pocket” that was not filled with water. Harrison was wearing only shorts and was chest-deep in water - he was cold, but he could breathe, and that was the main thing. Harrison Okene prayed every second - the day before his wife sent him the text of one of the psalms via SMS, which he repeated to himself. There was not much oxygen in the air bag, but it was enough until the rescuers arrived, who could not reach the ship immediately due to the storm. The remaining 11 crew members were killed - Harrison Okene was the only survivor.

A 72-year-old Arizona woman survived in the wild for 9 days. On March 31, 2016, an elderly woman went to visit her grandchildren in a hybrid car, but it ran out of charge when she drove through completely deserted areas. Her phone had no network coverage, so she decided to climb higher to call the emergency services, but ended up getting lost. A dog and a cat were traveling with Ann - on April 3, the police, who were already searching, found a car and a cat sitting in it. On April 9, a dog was found along with the inscription “Help” lined with stones. Under one of them was a note from Anne dated April 3rd. On the same day, rescuers first found a makeshift shelter, and a little later, Ann herself.