Geo 1290 Lecture 1-12

  1. What is Geography?
    • The study of
    • Physical features of the earth
    • Atomosphere
    • Human Activity
  2. What is Reginal Geography?
    • Looks at places and what makes them unigue
    • i.e descriptive
  3. What is Systematic Geography?
    • is concerned with discovering understanding and modeling processes that differentiate the Earth's surface into places
    • i.e. looks at common principles and phenomena
  4. What is Human Geography?
    How human activities and behaviour shape places
  5. What is Physical Geography?
    • How natural processes shape the earth and its landscape
    • Sets stage for human activities and the nature of the biosphere
  6. What is Climatology?
    • Heat and moisture processes associated with the land surface
    • Weather vs. ClimateImage Upload 2
  7. What is Geomorphology?
    The study of landform-making processesImage Upload 4
  8. What is Hydrology?
    The study of movement, distribution and quality of water throughout the EarthImage Upload 6
  9. What is Coastal and Marine Geography?
    Examine coastal processes, marine resources and their human interfaceImage Upload 8
  10. What is Geography of Soils?
    • Distribution of soil types and properties 
    • The processes of soil formation  (geomorphology, climatology and biogeography)Image Upload 10
  11. What is Biogeography?
    Examines the distrabution of organisms and the processes that produce these distrabution patternsImage Upload 12
  12. What is Cartography?
    The science and art of map makingImage Upload 14
  13. What is Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
    Computer based systems that can store and manipulate spatial dataImage Upload 16
  14. What is Remote Sensing?
    Aerial photographs and satelite images obtained remotely from the earth's surfaceImage Upload 18
  15. What is Mathematical Models and Statistics
    To produce analyse and prodictionsImage Upload 20
  16. What are the 4 Spheres?
    • Atomosphere
    • Lithosphere
    • Hydrosphere
    • Bioshpere
    • Image Upload 22
  17. Atomosphere
    Gaseous layer surrounding the Earth
  18. Lithosphere
    Outermost solid layer of the Earth
  19. Hydrosphere
    • The Earth's water
    • oceans, rivers, ice and water vapour
  20. Biosphere
    All living organisms
  21. Life layer
    • supports the majority of life on earth
    • includes land surface and upper ~100 meters of the ocean
    • Image Upload 24
  22. Scales
    • Four spheres are interdependent
    • operate at various spatial and temporal scales
    • are typically defined as a cascade of a continuum
  23. What are the 5 scales
    • Global
    • Continental
    • Reginal
    • Local
    • Individual
  24. Global Scale
    • Earth Sun relationship
    • need to take a vantage point from space, considering the global energy balance as a whole
    • Image Upload 26
  25. Continental Scale
    • Unequal Solar heating, drives currents of air and water
    • currents are knownas the global atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems
    • can distinguish continents and oceans, enabling us to track winds and ocean currentsImage Upload 28
  26. Reginal Scale
    • Obseve phenomena such as cloud patterns of weather systems or broad scale land cover types (The prairies)
    • Relationshop between weather systems and solar control of surface temperature form the basis for the climate of the world
    • Image Upload 30
  27. Local Scale
    • Factors are important in determining the exact patterns of vegetation and soils
    • Treed vegetation along rivers and standing water, cultivated lands, ect. Image Upload 32
  28. Individual Scale
    • Study specific soil types or biological communites
    • are formed by unique proporties of natural processes
    • lowlands willow cover need very moist conditions, where as spruce forests require slightly drier conditions available at higher elevations
  29. Time Scales
    • Mountain ranges formnover millions of years of tectonic activity
    • Earthquake can result in
    • significant surface changes over a matter of minutes
    • It is important to note that natural processes occur over various space and time scales
    • Climate change over large scales whereas weather systems (such as a hurricane) operate on smaller scales
  30. System
    Set of related or organized objects
  31. Flow System
    energy and/or matter flows in and between the 4 spheres
  32. Pathways
    a mechanism by which matter or energy flows from one part of the system to another
Author
HeatherM14
ID
247612
Card Set
Geo 1290 Lecture 1-12
Description
Physical Geography
Updated