...rational description and interpretation of the variable character of the earth surface." - Richard Hartshorne, 1959 Geography is divided into two main branches: human geography and physical geography. Physical geography (or physiography) focuses on geography as an Earth science. It aims to understand the physical problems and issues of : lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, pedosphere, and global flora and fauna patterns (biosphere). Physical geography can be divided into many following categories, including: | | | | Ecology | Climatology & Meteorology | Pedology | Hydrology & Hydrography | | | | | | Geomorphology | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Physical geography, or geomorphology, is the study of the shape and composition of the upper surface of the earth (Fairbridge 1968, McIntyre 1991). Geomorphology encompasses earth processes such as changes in sea level, erosion, formation of rivers and flood plains, coastal dynamics of wind, water, and sediments, and island formation, as well as other processes. Geography is fundamental to the study of tourism, because tourism is geographical in nature. Tourism occurs in places, it involves movement and activities between places and it is an activity in which both place characteristics and personal self-identities are formed, through the relationships that are created among places, landscapes and people. Physical geography provides the essential background,...
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...Coastal Geomorphology Title: To identify and describe the main coastal erosional and depositional landforms produced by wave action observe at Peyton’s Cove, Don Christopher Cove and Blowing Point along the coastline at Robin’s Bay, St. Mary, Jamaica Name: School: School Center: 100107 Teacher: Year of Examination: 2016 Due Date: Table of Content Title Page Aim of Study………………………………………… Location of Study …………………………………… Method of Data Collection…………………………... Presentation and Explanation of Data……………….. Analysis and Discussion of Data…………………….. Conclusion…………………………………………… Bibliography…………………………………………. Aim of Study The aims of the study were to: * Describe the main coastal erosion and depositional landforms produced by wave action or processes at Peyton’s Cove, Don Christopher Cove, Blowing Point along the coastline of Robin’s Bay in St. Mary, Jamaica * To study the effects of constructive and destructive wave processes on coastal landforms development * To determine the influence of the local rock and structure on the development of coastal...
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...Lecture 1: Landscape concepts What are landscapes? Natural (natural sceneries) and built (well-known structures and buildings, ordinary sites and environments, human activities over space). Landscapes are not just the natural and physical features of the earth’s surface. But also features of the earth’s surface that are produced by humans, both those that inspire awe (iconic structures) as well as the more ordinary scenes and environments. Landscapes can also refer to spatialised individual and collective human. Landscapes can be materially and tangibly perceived as well as represented in a book, on a postcard, through a film, as a painting etc. Symbolic landscapes are described symbolically by what it signifies, such as when it depicts abstract ideas like wealth, place to relax etc. Why are geographers interested in landscapes? 1. The way landscapes take shape show the values, ideologies, politics of the society. 2. Change of society over time can be seen in the landscapes (past, present, future) as repositories of how societies function at any time. 3. Human activities 4. Geographic scales indicate importance of spatial scales to everyday geographies of people. 5. Power relations and politics Therefore, landscape as a tool to analyze societies- ‘Geographers use landscape as a lens to study social life and change’ Landscape concepts: useful to understand how landscapes are experienced, and the tangible and symbolic values of landscapes ...
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...Geographical Theory. 1. To what extent does the channel profile of the Wildbour Clough River follow the Bradshaw model? I predict that the river will follow the Bradshaw model and that the Width and Depth of the river will increase as it travels downstream. I predict this, because the Tributaries which attach to the river, and the water added from the drainage basin will increase the rivers discharge. With all this extra water added, when the river travels downstream, increasing its velocity, the river’s banks and beds will become eroded; therefore making it deeper and wider. This process is called Hydraulic action. The width and depth will also be affected because of abrasion. Abrasion is where stones carried downstream with the river bash against the river bed and banks, causing them to become worn-down. 2. To what extent is there a relationship between the velocity of the Wildbour Clough River and erosional processes acting on bed load size and shape? I predict that as the rivers velocity increases, the bed load size and shape will decrease and become smoother. I predict this because I noticed that upstream the rivers velocity was slower, and the bed load was much larger and rougher. And downstream the velocity had increased, and the bed load was much smaller and a lot smoother. As the velocity down stream was much faster than upstream, as the stones were washed down river they picked up more momentum and began to move faster, this...
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...In what ways may the risk of flooding in a drainage basin be increased by human activities? (16) //Floods occur during periods of high discharge, when a stream runs out of its confines and submerges surrounding areas. A flood is an unusual high-water stage in which water overflows its natural or artificial banks onto normally dry land. Floods are not only be caused by natural factors, high precipitation intensity but also human activities. Hence, this essay seeks to explain how the risk of flooding in a drainage basin is increased by human activities. //Firstly, urbanization can increase the risk of flooding in a drainage basin. Urbanization is defined as the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities. Urbanization drastically alters the drainage traits of natural catchments, or drainage areas, by increasing the volume and rate of surface runoff. While the impact of on river system may be minimal, the carrying capacity of small streams may be quickly exceeded, causing flooding and erosion issues. Often, the runoff from intense rainfall exceeds the carrying capacity of the sewer system, creating a backup in the system and hence the flooding of basements and roads are aggravated. Hence, this highlights the human activities such as urbanization increases the risk of flooding in a drainage basin. //Secondly, the risk of flooding in a drainage basin can be increased by human activities such as dam failure. Flooding can result from dam failure or other hydraulic...
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...eference is likely to be made to changes in the dominant processes – from vertical erosion nearer the source to lateral erosion becoming more dominant lower down. Deposition may also be referred to here. There should be understanding of these, why they are dominant in different sections and the impact they have on the valley cross profile. Reference to reasons for this relating to graded profile, the effect of height/gravity in connection with potential energy and the impact of increasing discharge on kinetic energy are valid here. May refer to meander migration in connection with widening the valley. May refer to other factors, such as geology, rejuvenation, glaciation, mass movement, quarries. Level 1 (1-4 marks) Is aware of the changing processes responsible. Begins to explain – in the context of erosion/deposition processes. Some use of appropriate terminology present at the higher end. Level 2 (5-7 marks) Processes responsible are linked clearly to changing shape. Explanation is developed, with reference to underlying reasons – changes in energy, links to graded profile/base level. Appropriate geographical terminology is used. (4 marks) AO1–1 AO2–1 AO3–2 1 (a) (ii) 1 (b) (4 marks) AO1–1 AO2–1 AO3–2 (7 marks) AO1 – 4 AO2 - 3 Geography 2030 - AQA A Level Mark Scheme 2010 June series Section A Question 1 5 Geography 2030 - AQA A Level Mark Scheme 2010 June series 1 (c) Content will depend on case studies used. Flooding may be defined within the answer...
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...The Causes of massive movements are due more too human or physical factors? What can increase the chance of a landslide? Several factors can increase a slopes susceptibility to a landslide event: * water (rainfall or the movement of the sea) — this acts as a grease to the material increasing the likelihood that it will slip and also adds extra weight to the rock * erosion processes — such as coastal erosion and river erosion * steepness of slope * type of 'rocks' — soft rock such as mudstone or hard rock such as limestone * shape of the rock 'grains' * jointing and orientation of bedding planes * arrangement of the rock layers * Weathering processes — for example freeze-thaw reduces the stickiness (cohesion) between the rock grains. * lack of vegetation which would help bind material together * flooding * volcanoes and earthquake activity nearby * man's activity — mining, traffic vibrations or urbanisation which changes surface water drainage patterns Aberfan disaster 1966 * 21st October 1966, involving a coal tip slag heap at Aberfan, killed 147 people. * A build-up of rain water inside the tip at Aberfan probably burst the base of the tip and caused 2 million tons of waste to slid down the valley * Thus cause of man’s activity as dumping kept increasing the weight on the slope on the slope, increasing sheer stress and reducing sheer strength. * Physical causes of hill (the clay) being eroded by water increase...
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... A definition of myself. A seventeen year old female athlete in high school. That is what anyone walking down the street would say, but that random person walking down the street is not writing this essay. So, I am going to start over. A definition of myself. I am temperamental, I get aggressive, I tend to trust easier than I should, I forgive too easily, I am almost always angry, the glass tends to be half empty, I throw fits, my words tend to be venom, and I do not know who I am. I cannot pinpoint where I fit into society and what my purpose is. I do know that I am an aggressive teenage girl that runs Cross Country and Track, I am a girl that sings in my school's choir, I am a girl that tapes and bandages together wounded athlete in my school's athletic activities, I am a girl that enjoys listening to music so loudly that people have to repeat themselves at least twice before I can form a coherent sentence in my head, and I am a girl that is still trying to form a cohesive definition of myself. So, if I was asked right now at this moment in time to find a specific object that I would use to explain what has shaped me into the person I am, I would say look at my collection of The Beatles CD’s that I have in my room, go look at my dirty muddy spikes, look at my collection of poems that are pasted together with words that are full of emotion, look at my collections of candles, look at the walls of my room. Just look. The moments that people take and learn from, are the true...
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...Kathleen Merrill Campanolo quotes Smithson’s 1972 footnote about the Spiral Jetty “the land or ground from the site is placed in the art, rather than the art placed on the ground.” Spiral Jetty was created by Robert Smithson in 1970. This earthwork is located at Rozel Point, on the Great Salt Lake. There have been many who argue that earthworks are not art, they are destructive to the land. In this paper I plan to argue the polar opposite, sure in some cases other earthworks have caused destruction, however, the focus in this essay is the Spiral Jetty a beautiful ephemeral work of art that Smithson built as his own memorial. Paraphrasing Clark Lunberry, Spiral Jetty is compiled of rocks in various sizes that are carefully constructed to create a large spiral quite long, and flattened enough to create a path, winding its way out into the lake. Due to the location of this earthwork, it is most often experienced through photography. Lunberry continues on by quoting Roland Barthes, the Spiral Jetty is “a temporal hallucination, so to speak, a modest, shared hallucination”. This work does a fantastical job at fascinating the mind, from the way reflections of light on the water surrounding the structure, to the way the water chemically reacts with the rock formation changing the colors of the water ranging from brown to almost red. The ever-changing presence or lack thereof makes Spiral Jetty a phenomenal thought provoking work of art that will likely be celebrated and the subject...
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...The semi arid desert is an interesting biome that has a lot of traits that make it unique. It looks like a bare and lifeless place but that's not the case at all. The semi arid desert is hot and dry with little rain during the winter. During the summer it gets extremely hot days. “The heat peak to extremes during the daytime because there are little clouds to shield the desert from the sun's rays.”(“Desert Biomes.” World Biomes-Desert, Cutequote.com , Feb. 2017, www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_desert.htm) The summer temperatures are between 70° and 80°F. That Savana deserts. Semi arid deserts generally occur at low latitudes but there are multiple places that they are located. “Semi arid deserts found in North America, Asia, Europe, Greenland, and Northern Russia.”(“Desert Biomes.” World Biomes-Desert, Cutequote.com , Feb. 2017, www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_desert.htm) Even though the semi arid desert is hot there is still a lot of plants and animals. Most plants in a semi arid desert tend to have a spiny texture “the large numbers of spines shade the surface enough to significantly reduce transpiration.” (garcia, jocelyn. “Semiarid Desert.” Desert Biome, ajgarci5desert.weebly.com/semiarid-desert.html) The semi arid desert is home to many animals. Some of the animals are Kangaroo rats, rabbits, skunks, reptiles, owls, eagles, insects, and foxes.there is two seasons in this biome, summer and winter.. During the evenings temperatures cool down around 55°F. “Cool nights help plants...
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...Homework 3 Solutions 1. What indirect evidence provides us with information about Earth’s interior? Many pieces of evidence provide information about Earth’s interior, including meteorites, volcanic rock inclusions from the mantle, and laboratory experiments; however, we gain the most insight about Earth’s interior from the study of the behavior of seismic waves. 2. How do we know that the Earth’s interior is layered? We know that Earth’s interior is layered because seismic waves (S and P waves) refract and reflect at layer boundaries. Earth’s changing magnetic field also provides evidence of a layered Earth, because it indicates that some portion of Earth’s interior is composed of liquid metal, since fluid motions within this molten layer are thought to generate Earth’s magnetic field. 3. How do we know that the outer core is liquid? S-waves shadow zones (the lack of direct S wave energy arriving to regions located on the opposite side of the Earth from the earthquake focus) are the best evidence that the outer core is liquid. 4. How do we know that the mantle is solid? Where does Earth’s magnetic field originate? A solid mantle is indicated by the fact that S waves (which can only pass through solid material) can pass through the mantle. 5. Has Earth’s magnetic field always been oriented toward the present-day North Pole? Explain. No, studies of seafloor rocks and continental volcanic rocks indicate that Earth’s magnetic field reverses itself at random...
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...Deserts, Glaciers, and Climate: Landscapes and Changes Deserts, Glaciers, and Climate: Landscapes and Changes It is no great mystery that the Earth is always changing. Talk of global warming is inescapable, making it a moral imperative to become educated about the Earth’s climate cycles and watch for changes and signs in Earth’s diverse landscapes. The following is a brief sketch of desert and glacial landscapes, as well as a look at historical and future climate changes. Deserts VS Glacial Landscapes Desert and glacial landscapes are very much on opposite sides of the landscape spectrum; however in terms of adjective depiction they are related: “abstract, beautiful, immense, remote ... and vulnerable” (Murck, Skinner, & Mackenzie, 2008, p. 376). Deserts The desert landscapes are primarily fashioned by wind and sand, however they are truly defined by the region’s annual rainfall. The landscapes in the desert are full of sand, alluvial fans, playas, oases, arroyos as well as deposits of salt. Eolian, better known as wind erosion, is the type of erosion seen in the desert. Desert is constantly altered and changing based on the direction of the wind. A highly noticeable example of a changing geological feature in a desert landscape would be the dunes. Dunes are hills or ridges of sand that are produced when the wind blows. These mounds of sand are irregular, yet they come in five common types, barchan, transverse, star...
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...------------------------------------------------- How has the Australian Landscape been used to portray and show the development of Australian Character? Refer to 2 Texts. As a person that calls Australia home, I have seen and heard many criticisms and descriptions of this land that were observed from foreigners. Although there are aspects that create the image of Australia such as the people and the natural fauna, the main and central idea that represents our home are her deadly and awe-inspiring environments and landscape. Australia’s character is built upon first impressions. As most people rely on their sight, their first impressions are from visual perspectives. The environment of which they arrive in or have experienced from media depend largely on what they see, thus making the Australian landscape of vital importance in creating the “Australian Character.” Due to the fact that we rely on sight, this also includes our limitless imagination; and the key to imaginations are words. Description, tone and the feelings portrayed through words are the cause of imaginations and perceptions and because the iconic images of Australia are the landscapes we tend to include them in our portrayals. Written languages have been around for centuries, it is a way of communication and as informed so are images. The comparison for the development of Australia flows easily with words and is therefore usually portrayed in texts, other forms of literature and in songs. It goes into more...
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...These site www.tulane .edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/masswastproc.htm provides in-depth information about mass movements and the processes involved in the movement. It gives quite a number of causes of the earth movement and mostly how the human activities impact the processes. As human population increase and occupy more space on the earth surface, the mass movement processes have become more likely to have effect on human beings. The site also provides a tally in a table showing the mass movement impact on the human life over the past century. The website reveals that landslides in United States have caused roughly more than $2b in damages and (25-50) deaths. It clearly cuts to edge that the less developed countries have the highest number of losses because of population being high, lack of laws of zoning, lack of data regarding mass movement hazards and lack of preparedness on emergency issues. In addition the website cites that knowledge concerning geology and movements of mass can result to a better arrangement that can decrease vulnerability to such kind of hazards. The website further looks at the types or rather categories of mass movement process. They are divided into two broad types, sedimental flow and slope failure and then further into subcategories. Mass movement process in cold climates is also featured in the site. The information provided in the site corresponds to the reading based on mass wasting and mass wasting processes and can be helpful in my daily...
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...Describe and Explain what rejuvenation is and the effect rejuvenation has on the river. Rejuvenation is when a river has to readjust itself and the land around it, usually by increasing the amount of vertical erosion it carries out to a change in the base level. It is caused by various factors, including river capture, isostatic sea level change and eustatic sea level change. Due to it changing its processes, a river undergoing rejuvenation creates many new landforms. A river is said to be rejuvenated when the base level that it is flowing down to is lowered. This can happen for various reasons. Rejuvenated terrains usually have complex landscapes because remnants of older landforms are locally preserved. Parts of floodplains may be preserved as terraces along the down cutting stream channels. Meandering streams often become entrenched, so a product of older river systems is found with steep, very pronounced V shaped valleys - often seen with younger systems. One example of rejuvenation is the Nile, which was rejuvenated when the Mediterranean dried up in the late Miocene. Its base level dropped from sea level to over 2 miles below sea level. It cut its bed down to several hundred feet below sea level at Aswan and 8000 feet below sea level at Cairo. After the Mediterranean re-flooded, those gorges gradually filled with silt. Rejuvenation may result from causes, which are dynamic, eustatic or isostatic in nature. All of this cause the river suddenly to erode its bed...
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