Week 1 Geo.PDF

Lecture 1 Chapter 1: Essentials of Geography Robert Christopherson, American River College Ginger Birkeland, Arizona State University M...

Lecture 1 Chapter 1: Essentials of Geography Robert Christopherson, American River College Ginger Birkeland, Arizona State University Mary-Louise Byrne, Wilfrid Laurier University Philip Giles, Saint Mary’s University Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-1  Today we will focus on: 1) What Is: Geography? Spatial? Earth Science? and the Scientific Method 2) The Five Themes of Geographic Science: place, location, region, movement, and human– earth relationships. 3) Content of Geography 4) The Scientific Method: Testing a Hypothesis 5) Human-Earth Interactions Forecast 6) Earth Systems Concept: open and closed systems 7) Earth’s Four Spheres? / Systems 8) System Feedback and Regulation 9) System equilibria: steady-state and dynamic equilibrium 10) Interactions Between Earth systems 11) Earth’s Dimensions 12) Earth’s Locations and Time 13) Earth’s Maps and Cartography 14) Map Projections 15) Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience 1-2 A snow avalanche roars down mountain slopes at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains, British Columbia. Between 1885 and 1950, nearly 100 lives were lost Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-3 Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-4 Learning Objectives  Define geography in general and physical geography in particular.  Discuss human activities and human population growth as their relate to geographic science and summarize the scientific process.  Describe systems analysis, open and closed systems, and feedback information, and relate these concepts to Earth systems.  Explain Earth’s reference grid: latitude and longitude and latitudinal geographic zones and time.  Define cartography and mapping basics: map scale and map projections.  Describe modern geoscience techniques: Remote Sensing, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and explain how these tools are used in geographical analysis. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-5 What Is Geography? Spatial? Earth Science?  Geo means “Earth,” graphein means “to write,” and geography means “to write something about Earth.”  Geography is the science that studies the relationships among  Geographic areas,  Society,  Natural systems,  Cultural activities,  and the interdependence of all the above through space (spatial) and time (temporal).  The term spatial refers to the nature and character of physical space, its measurement, and the distribution of things within it.  We often divide geographic science into five themes: location, place, region, movement, and human–earth relationships.  The sciences are a group of disciplines, Among them Earth Science, that have a common approach to finding out how aspects of the universe work.  This approach is called the “Scientific Method.” Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-6 Content of Geography Geography synthesizes Earth topics and human topics, blending ideas from many different sciences. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-7 The Five Themes of Geographic Science Satellite image shows Mexico’s Baja peninsula, including Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-8 Earth’s curvature. The Scientific Method: Test a Hypothesis  Collect further observations and measurements?  Think of experiment that you have Conduct?  Search for cottonwood tree distribution map in canada?  Basic vs applied science Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1-9 The Scientific Method: Basic vs applied science Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 10 Human-Earth Interactions Forecast Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 11 Earth Systems Concept  What is a system?  A system is any ordered, interrelated set of things and their attributes, linked by flows of energy and matter.  An open system is a system with inputs of energy or matter and outputs of energy or matter.  A closed system is shut off from the surrounding environment so that it is self-contained. Closed systems are rare in nature.  Earth system is an open system in terms of energy.  Earth system is a closed system in terms of physical matter and resources. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 12 Earth Systems Concepts Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 13 Earth’s Four Spheres / Systems GEOG 272 GEOG 274 Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 14  GEOG 274 GEOG 272 Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 15 Earth’s Four Spheres / Systems  We divide Earth into abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) spheres.  Three abiotic spheres: Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere or Geosphere  One biotic sphere: Biosphere  Conservation Laws of Mass and Energy: – Mass is neither destroyed nor created. – Energy is the capacity to change the motion of, or to do work on, matter. – Energy is neither destroyed nor created. – Input − Output = Storage Change Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 16 Earth’s Magnetosphere System A magnetosphere is the region around Earth dominated by the Earth's magnetic field, which has played a crucial role in our planet's habitability. https://science.nasa.gov/ Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 17 The systems in your textbook Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 18 The systems in your textbook geoid Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 19 System Feedback and Regulation  Feedback loop: Outputs of a system influence the system’s operation through a pathway.  Negative feedback: The feedback information discourages response/operation in the system. — a self regulation, stable condition  Positive feedback: The feedback information increased response/operation in the system. — a runaway condition (snowballing)  The Arctic Sea Ice–Albedo Positive Feedback: Albedo is the ratio of reflected solar radiation to the total incoming solar radiation. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 20 System equilibria: steady-state and dynamic  Steady-state equilibrium: Rates of inputs and outputs are equal and the amounts of energy and matter are constant or fluctuate around a stable average in the system,  Dynamic equilibrium: When a system demonstrate a changing trend over time to a new operation level as it reaches a threshold called tipping point. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 21 Interactions Between Earth systems  A dramatic examples of interactions between Earth systems in response to a volcanic eruption; global impacts of Mount Pinatubo  Floods, tsunamis, hurricanes Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 22 Earth’s Dimensions Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 23 Earth’s Locations and Time  Latitude is an angular distance north or south of the equator, measured from the center of Earth (e.g., 49°N, 12°S).  A line connecting all points along the same latitudinal angle is a Parallel.  Do you know your present latitude?  You are at 45°29′49″N Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 24 Earth’s Location and Time  Longitude is an angular distance east or west of a point on Earth’s surface measured from the centre of Earth (e.g.,10°E, 10°W).  A line connecting all points along the same longitude is a Meridian. The International Meridian Conference, adopt the Greenwich meridian as the Prime or 0° Meridian,  Do you know your present longitude? You are at 73°34′41″W. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 25 Earth’s Locations and Time Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 26 Earth’s Locations and Time  A great circle is any circle of Earth’s circumference whose centre coincides with the center of Earth.  Only one parallel is a great circle—the equatorial parallel. All other parallels decrease in length toward the poles, which are called small circles. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 27 Earth’s Locations and Time  Latitude and parallels, longitude and meridian allow all places on Earth to be precisely located.  International Date Line is approximately along the 180th  We are now at 45° 29′ 49″ N, 73° 34′ 41″ W meridian (180°E or 180°W, DMS Or 45.496944, -73.578056 Decimal 180°E = 180°W).  The coordinates (0°N, 0°E) are where the equator parallel and prime meridian cross, it's all ocean. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 28 Earth’s Locations and Time/ The Modern international standard time zones  24 time zones  Earth revolves 360°/24 hours = 15°/hour  Each time zone is additional 15° of longitude Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 29 Earth’s Maps and Cartography  Three map scales: Representative fraction, Written scale, and Graphic scale  There is one advantage associated with the graphic scale, because if a map is enlarged or reduced, the graphic scale enlarges or reduces along with the map. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 30  Map Projections / Mercator projection Three dimensions Two dimensions To provide local detail, cartographers prepare two-dimensional flat maps representations of our three- dimensional Earth. Such conversion from three dimensions to two causes distortion. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 31 Map Projections / Mercator projection Rhumb line in reality is longer than the curve of the great circle (the shortest distant), but it is simple (constant direction) and straight (on Mercator maps, which is used in navigation) Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 32 Map Projections Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 33 Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience  Geographers observe, analyze, and map earth using the global positioning system (GPS), remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS).  Remote sensing: observing Earth from space  Active remote-sensing systems direct a beam of energy at a surface and analyze the energy reflected back.  Passive remote-sensing systems record wavelengths of energy radiated from a surface, particularly visible light and infrared (low wavelength).  GIS is a computer-based, data-processing tool for gathering, manipulating, and analyzing geographic information,  Maps can contain multiple data layers could be Physical features or Cultural features,  Layers can be added to create composite overlay. Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 34 Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 35 Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 36 Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience composite overlay Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 37 Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 38 Modern Tools and Techniques for Geoscience Copyright © 2019 Pearson Canada Inc. 1 - 39  Summary  Geography is the science that studies the relationships among geographic areas, natural systems, society, cultural activities, and the interdependence of all of the above through space.  The scientific method is essential to understanding Earth and the complex relations between Earth’s physical systems and human society.  Earth consists of three abiotic, or nonliving, systems: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. It has one biotic, or living, system—the biosphere.  Latitude and parallels, longitude and meridian allow all places on Earth to be precisely located.  A map is a generalized depiction of the layout of Earth’s surface area.  Remote sensing obtains information about Earth systems from great distances without the need for physical contact.  GIS is a computer-based, data-processing tool for gathering, manipulating, and analyzing geographic information. 1 - 40