PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: CONCEPTS AND PERSPECTIVES. Geography (geo, graphein) – Study of locations and...
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Transcript of PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: CONCEPTS AND PERSPECTIVES. Geography (geo, graphein) – Study of locations and...
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: CONCEPTS AND
PERSPECTIVES
• Geography (geo, graphein) – Study of locations and distributions of phenomena on earth, and their interrelationships.
What are geographic questions? What (Classification),Where (Locations / Distributions) → Descriptive Geography
Why and How (Explanations, Generalizations, Theory) → Analytic Geography
What Implications/Consequences (Finding Solutions) → Applied Geography
Geographic Questions?A Famous Illustration: (John Snow’s Map)
• What?Cholera cases
• Where? (When?)London’s Soho
District, (1854)• Why?
Concentration around a particular Water Pump• How?
Association/Link :contaminated water and cholera incidence• What Implications?
Need to Fix Pumps(Improve Sanitation)
Fig. 1-1, p. 4
Branches or Subfields of Geography:
Geographers study all kinds of phenomena, both Physical and Human
• Physical Geography – Physical Sciences
• Human Geography – Social Sciences
• Regional Geography – Encompasses both Physical and Human Geography
Not defined by phenomena studied, but by the Spatial Approach(Geography is a meta discipline like History, which is defined by its temporal approach)
Known as a holistic/integrative discipline
Major Perspectives and Concepts Spatial Science Perspective → Spatial refers to the
nature, character and attributes of physical or geographic space.
Location: Absolute Location, Relative Location
36◦ 59’ 56.3150” N109◦ 02’ 42.6210” W
Area, Place, and Region: Formal or Uniform Regions (Single-feature, Multiple-feature)
vs. Functional or Nodal Regions
Spatial Distributions (Extent of Spread over an Area) ↔ implies Movement; of people, goods, ideas, etc.
Spatial Patterns (Arrangements of features in space) → Generalizations about – regular, random, clustered, dispersed?
Spatial Interactions: Spatial Links among features and phenomena, Interconnectedness, Mutual Impacts → also signifies Human-Environment Interactions
Changes – Spatial and Temporal
Five Spatial Themes of Geographic Science:(NGS, 1986)
1. Location
2. Place
3. Region
4. Movement
5. Human-EnvironmentInteractions(or Human-Earth Relationships)
Physical Science PerspectiveScience… is the systematic and organized inquiry into the natural world and its phenomena. Science is about gaining a deeper and often useful understanding of the world.
Emphasizes the
Scientific Method – Observation – Hypothesis – Test Hypothesis
(Support/Reject) – Explanation – Theory
The Physical Science Perspective also views earth as – a dynamic System → any ordered, interrelated set of things, linked by
flows of energy and matter, as distinct from the surrounding environment.
– The Earth System – its components are variables (energy and matter) that interact through various processes, creating a functioning unit ← Feedbacks
(negative & positive)
– Subsystems: Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere– Overlapping subsystems, not discrete
Geographers use Models – Physical, Pictorial/Graphic, Mathematical/Statistical, Conceptual Models – to study and analyze Systems
Equilibrium in the Earth System(The Hydrologic Cycle)
Geographers apply Systems Theory and Systems Analysis to the Earth System
Open vs. Closed Systems
Planet Earth or the Earth System is essentially a Closed System
– so is the Hydrosphere
Most Earth Subsystems are Open Systems, e.g., a Stream
Environmental Science Perspective
Views earth as an Ecosystem (Ecological System)
-- Human Ecosystem
Human-Environment Interactions (Earth Impacts, Human Impacts)
Combines Environmental Science and Systems Perspectives
Natural Events System vs. Human Use System (Hazards, Disasters)
A Life-support System – Human Use (natural resources) and Abuse (pollution, etc.) of the environment
– Need for Sustainable Development
Physical Geography and YOU Characteristics of the Physical Environment
Affect Our Lives Every Day
Physical Geography Knowledge Helps Us Make Informed Choices and Decisions: in our personal situations, e.g., adjusting to
anticipated weather conditions, and
in job situations where maps and spatial analytical skills are prized
Tools of the Physical Geographer
Data Gathering: surveying, fieldwork, aerial photos, GPS, Remote Sensing (Satellite and Radar Imagery)
Data Analysis and Display: Physical Models Pictorial/Graphic Models, including Maps and
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mathematical/Statistical/Conceptual Models
The Little
Blue PlanetIncredible environmental diversity: an oasis of life in the vastness of space!