GEOG 1290 Section A FS2024 PDF Lecture Notes

Section A. Introduction to Physical Geography Introduction to Physical Geography GEOG 1290 Department of Environment and Geography University of Manitoba...

Section A. Introduction to Physical Geography Introduction to Physical Geography GEOG 1290 Department of Environment and Geography University of Manitoba Lisa Ford and Janna Wilson © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Copyright Lecture slides, course notes, and educational resources are copyright-protected and made available to you for your personal educational use and private study only. Unless stated otherwise, further copying and distribution of these materials is strictly prohibited. © Janna Wilson & Lisa Ford, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. Section A. Introduction to Physical Geography A.1 Welcome to Physical Geography A.2 Scales of Inquiry A.3 Matter and Energy in Earth’s Physical Systems A.4 Systems Theory A.5 The Scientific Method © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  A.1 Welcome to Physical Geography Learning Objective Comprehend the character & scope of geography as a scientific discipline & define the subdisciplines of physical geography. © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  “Geography is the World” Chris Hadfield Canadian Astronaut 45,000 pictures from space Figure A.1.a Chris Hadfield, Cnd. Astronaut (https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/change-makers-chris- hadfield) Figure A.1.b Cairo, Egypt Photograph: Chris Hadfield/NASA Figure A.1.c Rio Beni, NW Bolivia https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/chris-hadfield-on- Photograph: Chris Hadfield/NASA photographing-the-earth-from-space https://geographyeducation.org/2013/05/29/meandering-stream/ © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Defining Physical Geography Greek Meaning - “earth description” The study of the evolving character of the Earth’s surface Examines spatial attributes of Earth’s surface and how they vary from place to place Studies interrelationships What is where? Why there? Why care? (Gritzner, 2002) Spatial analysis of physical components and natural processes of Earth A way to analyze data that includes information about location about places and their characteristics Has two specializations: human and physical geography © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  The Overlap of Physical and Human Geography Anthropogenic Landscapes: landscapes created or influenced by humans humans modify Earth’s physical landscapes to meet our needs (we are an active force of change) all of our material goods are connected to natural resources derived from Earth’s physical systems Figure A.1.d Night Lights (https://www.darksky.org/eyes-in-the-sky-exploring-global-light-pollution-with-satellite-maps/) © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Anthropogenic Lithium mining in Chile’s Atacama Desert, Jan. 4, 2019 Figure A.1.e Lithium mining in Chile’s Atacama Desert https://climate.nasa.gov/system/gallery_images/mobile/2_Chile_smartphone_20180104_L8_2048px-90-after.jpg © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. Subdisciplines of geography and overlap with other disciplines Figures 1-1 The elements of geography (Hess and Finch, 2022, p. 4) © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  A.2 Scales of Inquiry Learning Objective Explain the difference between spatial & temporal scale. © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Spatial & Temporal Scales Spatial Scale: physical size, length, distance, or area of an object or the physical space occupied by a process Temporal Scale: window of time used to examine phenomena and processes or the length of time over which they develop or change Large Scale & Small Scale Perspective © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Spatial & Temporal Scales Figure 6 A space–time diagram (Richter et al., 2018) © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Spatial Scale Large Scale and Small Scale Small Scale: A geographic scale that Small Scale includes a large area of Earth’s surface, Perspective such as a map of a continent or a hemisphere Large Scale: A geographic scale that pertains to a geographically restricted area, such as a city or a neighborhood Large Scale Perspective © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  A.3 Matter and Energy in Earth’s Physical Systems Learning Objectives Differentiate between the major types of energy. Define the four Earth spheres. © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Matter Matter: Any material that occupies space and possesses mass Figure A.3.a Phases of Matter https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/147515main_phases_large.jpg © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/state.html © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  States of Water on Earth – Lake Louise, AB Figure A.3.bLake Louise, AB, Canada Image by S B from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/lake-louise-canada-banff-lake-2772827/ © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Categories of Energy Energy: Performs work on or can change the state of matter Potential Energy: energy stored in an object or material Kinetic Energy: energy of movement Figure A.3.c Kinetic & Potential Energy https://www.tes.com/lessons/txOQMVuOPMC6dQ/potential-and-kinetic-energy-pe-and-ke © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Categories of Energy in Physical Geography Radiant Energy: The energy of electromagnetic waves Heat Energy: created by internal motion of atoms Geothermal Energy: Heat from Earth’s interior Chemical Energy: energy released through a chemical reaction © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Path of the Sun’s Radiant Energy *Horseshoe Bend is a meander in the Colorado river, just upstream from the Grand Canyon Figure A.3.d Radiant Energy https://www.pexels.com/photo/view-of-white-clouds-and- blue-sky-965968/ Figure A.3.e Kinetic Energy* https://www.pexels.com/photo/horseshoe- bend-photo-86703/ Figure A.3.f Potential, Kinetic, & Electric Energy Photo by Ryan Thorpe on Unsplash © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  The Environmental Spheres Lithosphere Litho, Greek for “stone” Atmosphere atmo, Greek for “air” Biosphere Hydrosphere hydro, Greek for “water” Atmosphere Biosphere bio, Greek for “life” Lithosphere Hydrosphere Figure A.3.g Earth’s Spheres (J. Wilson, 2022) © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  A.4 Systems Theory Learning Objectives Explain the concept of a natural system. Differentiate between positive & negative feedback. © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Systems Theory System: a collection of things and processes connected together and operating as a whole holistic framework natural systems are greater than the sum of their parts Systems Theory Ability to analyze and/or describe a group of variables that work together to produce a definable result A set of energy inputs create various kinds of predictable outputs © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Systems Theory Closed systems Energy is an input and output, but the system is closed to matter Earth is (more or less) a closed system Open systems energy and matter are freely exchanged across systems Most Earth systems are open systems Inputs/Outputs © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Systems Theory River system Open system Inputs: precipitation (rain or snow), sediment (sand & soil), aquatic life (fish) and energy (sunlight) Outputs: water flowing out of the river, evaporation (water vapour to the atmosphere), heat energy, sediment, etc. Mid-bars Figure O.1.a. Kicking Horse River, Yoho NP, AB, Canada (© Janna Wilson, 2020) © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  System response to change Feedback loops create changes in other parts of the system 1. Positive feedback Initial change will bring additional change in the same direction Reinforce/accentuate 2. Negative feedback initial change will bring about additional change in the opposite direction Compensate/regulate Figure A.4.a Feedback loops http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/abrupt/story2.html © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Positive Feedback Positive Feedback - the initial action is reinforced Figure A.4.b Positive Feedback http://www.atmosedu.com/Geol390/feedbacks.htm © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  Negative Feedbacks Negative Feedback - compensate/reduces the change (tends to regulate) Atmospheric carbon dioxide increases Plants grow Atmospheric carbon dioxide decreases Figure A.4.c Atmospheric CO2 https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/webdata/ccgg/trends/co2_data_mlo.png © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. A.5 Assigned Readings: The Process of Science and Numbers and Measurement (Hess & Finch, 2022, p. 8-9) Learning Objective Describe how the scientific method is used in physical geography. Understand numbers and measurement systems. © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.  References Arbogast, A., Ford, L., Dagesse, D. (2018). Discovering Physical Geography (1st Cnd. ed.). Wiley. Gritzner, C.F. (2002). What Is Where, Why There, and Why Care? Journal of Geography, 101(1), 38-40. DOI: 10.1080/00221340208978465 Hess, D., & Finch, R. (2022). McKnight’s Physical Geography, A Landscape Appreciation (13th edition). Pearson. Richter, D., Billings, S., Groffman, P., Kelly, E., Lohse, K., McDowell, W., White, T., Anderson, S., Baldocchi, D., Banwart, S., Brantley, S., Braun, J., Brecheisen, Z., Cook, C., Hartnett, H., Hobbie, S., Gaillardet, J., Jobbagy, E., Jungkunst, H., … Zhang, G. (2018). Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks. Biogeosciences, 15(15), 4815–4832. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4815-2018 © Lisa Ford & Janna Wilson, 2024. Further electronic or hard copy reproduction and or distribution of this content in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.