Applied Physical Geography

Description

A variety of exercises provide flexibility in lab assignments. Each exercise includes key terms and learning concepts linked to Geosystems. The 10th Edition includes more integrated media, including Quick Response (QR) codes linking to Pre-Lab videos.

A variety of exercises provide flexibility in lab assignments. Each exercise includes key terms and learning concepts linked to Geosystems. The 10th Edition includes more integrated media, including Quick Response (QR) codes linking to Pre-Lab videos. Supported media resources needed for exercises including KMZ files for all of the Google Earth™ exercises found in the lab manual.

About the book

 

Significant content changes with the 10th edition

• Chapter 15: Aeolian Processes and Arid Landscapes has been restored as a standalone chapter in the 10th edition, helping teachers focus coverage on wind processes, deserts, and arid landscapes.
• Chapter 4: Atmospheric Energy and Global Temperatures consolidates coverage of atmospheric and surface energy balances with global temperatures (previously chapters 4 and 5 in the 9th edition).
• Systems Diagrams on all part-opener and chapter-opener pages emphasize the interactions and flow of earth systems’ concepts relative to each part and chapter, with questions that make readers reflect on the topics they are about to explore.
• Unique to the market, Chapter 10 on Climate Change presents a comprehensive overview of climate change science, exploring paleoclimatology, climate feedback, evidence and causes of present climate change, climate models and projections, and steps we can take to moderate earth’s changing climate.

Applying what students learn to the real world

• Everyday Geosystems features at the beginning of each chapter invite the reader to explore the “why” and “how” application of physical geography concepts to everyday phenomena.
• Systems Diagrams on all part-opener and chapter-opener pages emphasize the interactions and flow of earth systems’ concepts relative to each part and chapter.
• Work It Out activities throughout each chapter give students a chance to practice basic conceptual or quantitative reasoning as they read. Integrated into appropriate sections of each chapter, these activities give students the opportunity to stop and demonstrate understanding of learned concepts and practice critical thinking as they read.
• Geospatial Analysis exercises at the end of each chapter are capstone mini-lab activities, sending students outside of the book to primary science tools and data sets from NASA, USGS, NOAA, etc. to perform critical geospatial data analysis.
• Apply Concepts features, part of the text’s hallmark Focus Studies, are active learning tasks that compel students to reflect on the information they have learned and perform short activities.

Also available with Mastering Geography

Mastering™ Geography is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts. Students benefit from self-paced coaching activities that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain challenging physical geography concepts.

• Mobile Field Trips by acclaimed geoscientist, photographer, and pilot Michael Collier transport students out into the field to explore the patterns and processes of North America’s physical geography. Teachers can assign the videos with quizzes in Mastering Geography to assess student understanding.
• Project Condor Quadcopter Videos capture stunning footage of the Mountain West region with a quadcopter and a GoPro camera. The videos include annotation, sketching, and narration to improve how students learn about monoclines, streams, terraces, and so much more. Teachers can assign the videos with quizzes in Mastering Geography to assess student understanding.
• MapMaster 2.0 Interactive Map Activities are inspired by GIS, allowing students to layer various thematic maps to analyze spatial patterns and data at regional and global scales. Now fully mobile, with enhanced analysis tools, students can geolocate themselves in the data and upload their own data for advanced map making and spatial data analysis. This tool includes zoom and annotation functionality, with hundreds of map layers leveraging recent data from sources such as the PRB, the World Bank, NOAA, NASA, USGS, United Nations, the CIA, and more.
• GeoLab Activities are online, automatically-graded, and data-rich applied lab activities.
• Video Activities from sources such as the BBC, Financial Times, and Television for the Environment’s Life and Earth Report series provide students with applied real-world examples of physical geography in action, a sense of place, and allow students to explore a range of locations and topics.
• eText 2.0 optimized for mobile
• eText 2.0 mobile app offers offline access and can be downloaded for most iOS and Android phones/tablets from the Apple App Store or Google Play
• Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media
• Accessible (screen-reader ready)
• Configurable reading settings, including resizable type and night reading mode
• Instructor and student note-taking, highlighting, bookmarking, and search

About our authors

Robert W. Christopherson attended California State University-Chico for his undergraduate work and received his Masters in Geography from Miami University-Oxford, Ohio. Geosystems evolved out of his teaching notes and was his graduate thesis: this is his life’s work. He founded the geography program of American River College faculty. His wife Bobbé is his principal photographer and has provided more than 300 exclusive photos for each of his books. Together they have completed nine polar expeditions (most recently in spring 2010). They attended the 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Symposium in Reykjavik, Iceland to acquire photo and video coverage and research. Robert is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1998 and 2005 Text and Academic Authors Association Textbook Award for Geosystems and Elemental Geosystems, 4th Edition, respectively. He was selected by American River College students as “Teacher of the Year” and received the American River College Patrons Award. Robert received the 1999 Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award from the National Council for Geographic Education and the Outstanding Educator Award from the California Geographical Society in 1997. The Text and Academic Authors Association presented him with its Presidents’ Award in 2005. Amongst many other things, Robert has been deeply involved in the development of Pearson’s Geoscience Animation Library, and he led the editorial board of Rand McNally’s Goode’s World Atlas, 22nd Edition.

Ginger H. Birkeland received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and her M.A. and PhD in Geography from Arizona State University, with a focus in fluvial geomorphology. She taught physical geography at Montana State University and summer field courses at the Indiana University Geologic Field Station in Montana. Ginger worked as a professional river guide for 17 years on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, as well as on rivers in Australia and throughout the U.S. West. She also worked as a geomorphology consultant on several government-funded projects, including the Truckee River Recovery Plan in California and Nevada. She has worked as a coauthor with Robert Christopherson on Geosystems and Elemental Geosystems since 2010.

About the book

 

Significant content changes with the 10th edition

• NEW! Chapter 15: Aeolian Processes and Arid Landscapes has been restored as a standalone chapter in the 10th edition, helping teachers focus coverage on wind processes, deserts, and arid landscapes.
• NEW! Chapter 4: Atmospheric Energy and Global Temperatures consolidates coverage of atmospheric and surface energy balances with global temperatures (previously chapters 4 and 5 in the 9th edition).
• NEW! Systems Diagrams on all part-opener and chapter-opener pages emphasize the interactions and flow of earth systems’ concepts relative to each part and chapter, with questions that make readers reflect on the topics they are about to explore.
• NEW! Unique to the market, Chapter 10 on Climate Change presents a comprehensive overview of climate change science, exploring paleoclimatology, climate feedback, evidence and causes of present climate change, climate models and projections, and steps we can take to moderate earth’s changing climate.

Applying what students learn to the real world

• NEW! Everyday Geosystems features at the beginning of each chapter invite the reader to explore the “why” and “how” application of physical geography concepts to everyday phenomena.
• NEW! Systems Diagrams on all part-opener and chapter-opener pages emphasize the interactions and flow of earth systems’ concepts relative to each part and chapter.
• NEW! Work It Out activities throughout each chapter give students a chance to practice basic conceptual or quantitative reasoning as they read. Integrated into appropriate sections of each chapter, these activities give students the opportunity to stop and demonstrate understanding of learned concepts and practice critical thinking as they read.
• NEW! Geospatial Analysis exercises at the end of each chapter are capstone mini-lab activities, sending students outside of the book to primary science tools and data sets from NASA, USGS, NOAA, etc. to perform critical geospatial data analysis.
• NEW! Apply Concepts features, part of the text’s hallmark Focus Studies, are active learning tasks that compel students to reflect on the information they have learned and perform short activities.

Hallmarks of the text

• Mobile enabled-Quick Response (QR) codes immediately link students online to various videos and animations, for just-in-time access to case studies and visualization of physical geography processes.
• Geosystems Now chapter-opening vignette case studies draw students into the material by discussing an interesting, current application of the chapter concepts.
• Focus Study essays present additional, in-depth discussions of key geography topics, without interrupting the flow of core chapter narratives. These essays allow students to actively participate and engage in the content instead of just reading it.
• GeoReports present interesting factoids, examples, applications, or student action items that relate to the material in the main text narrative.
• Geosystems in Action explore key chapter concepts and physical processes with a focus on visualization and structured active learning. Located in each chapter, these features connect students to related online media via QR codes.
• The Human Denominator at the end of each chapter helps students explore the interconnections between humans and Earth’s physical environment, and the critical issues facing us in the 21st century. NEW! Human Denominator end-of-chapter infographics are now supplemented with Questions to Consider for active study.
• Key Learning Concepts Review reinforces the key learning concepts in the chapter, providing summaries and key terms under each Key Learning Concept identified in the chapter opener.

Also available with Mastering Geography

Mastering™ Geography is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts. Students benefit from self-paced coaching activities that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain challenging physical geography concepts.

• NEW! Mobile Field Trips by acclaimed geoscientist, photographer, and pilot Michael Collier transport students out into the field to explore the patterns and processes of North America’s physical geography. Teachers can assign the videos with quizzes in Mastering Geography to assess student understanding.
• NEW! Project Condor Quadcopter Videos capture stunning footage of the Mountain West region with a quadcopter and a GoPro camera. The videos include annotation, sketching, and narration to improve how students learn about monoclines, streams, terraces, and so much more. Teachers can assign the videos with quizzes in Mastering Geography to assess student understanding.
• NEW! MapMaster 2.0 Interactive Map Activities are inspired by GIS, allowing students to layer various thematic maps to analyze spatial patterns and data at regional and global scales. Now fully mobile, with enhanced analysis tools, students can geolocate themselves in the data and upload their own data for advanced map making and spatial data analysis. This tool includes zoom and annotation functionality, with hundreds of map layers leveraging recent data from sources such as the PRB, the World Bank, NOAA, NASA, USGS, United Nations, the CIA, and more.
• NEW! GeoLab Activities are online, automatically-graded, and data-rich applied lab activities.
• NEW! Video Activities from sources such as the BBC, Financial Times, and Television for the Environment’s Life and Earth Report series provide students with applied real-world examples of physical geography in action, a sense of place, and allow students to explore a range of locations and topics.
• GeoTutor Activities help students master the most challenging physical geoscience concepts with highly visual, kinesthetic activities focused on critical thinking and the application of core geoscience concepts.
• Geoscience Animations help students visualize the most challenging processes in the physical geosciences with schematic animations that include audio narration. Animations include assignable multiple-choice quizzes with specific wrong answer feedback to help guide students toward mastery of these core physical process concepts.
• Encounter Physical Geography Google Earth Activities provide rich, interactive Google Earth explorations of physical geography concepts, helping students visualize and explore Earth’s landscape and physical processes. Available with multiple-choice and short-answer questions, all explorations include corresponding Google Earth KMZ media files, and questions include hints and specific wrong-answer feedback to help coach students toward mastery of the concepts.
• Map Projections media help reinforce and remediate students on basic but challenging Chapter 1 map projection concepts.
• Dynamic Study Modules help students study effectively on their own by continuously assessing their activity and performance in real time. Here’s how it works: students complete a set of questions with a unique answer format that also asks them to indicate their confidence level. Questions repeat until the student can answer them all correctly and confidently. Once completed, Dynamic Study Modules explain the concept using materials from the text. These are available as graded assignments prior to class, and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers. NEW! Instructors can now remove questions from Dynamic Study Modules to better fit their course.
• Learning Catalytics helps you generate class discussion, customize your lecture, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. As a student response tool, Learning Catalytics uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more interactive tasks and thinking.
• NEW! Upload a full PowerPoint^® deck for easy creation of slide questions
• NEW! Team names are no longer case sensitive
• Help your students develop critical thinking skills
• Monitor responses to find out where your students are struggling
• Rely on real-time data to adjust your teaching strategy
• Automatically group students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning
• NEW! eText 2.0 optimized for mobile
• eText 2.0 mobile app offers offline access and can be downloaded for most iOS and Android phones/tablets from the Apple App Store or Google Play
• Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media
• Accessible (screen-reader ready)
• Configurable reading settings, including resizable type and night reading mode
• Instructor and student note-taking, highlighting, bookmarking, and search

1. Essentials of Geography

 

I. The Energy-Atmosphere System

2. Solar Energy to Earth and the Seasons

3. Earth’s Atmosphere

4. Atmospheric Energy and Global Temperatures

5. Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations

 

II. The Water, Weather, and Climate Systems

6. Water and Atmospheric Moisture

7. Weather

8. Water Resources

9. Earth’s Climatic Regions

10. Climate Change

 

III. The Earth-Atmosphere Interface

11. The Dynamic Planet

12. Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanism

13. Weathering, Karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement

14. River Systems

15. Aeolian Processes and Arid Landscapes

16. Oceans and Coastal Systems

17. Glacial Landscapes and the Cryosphere

 

IV. Soils, Ecosystems, and Biomes

18. The Geography of Soils

19. Ecosystem Essentials

20. Terrestrial Biomes

 

Appendix A. Maps in this Text and Topographic Maps

Appendix B. The Koppen Climate Classification System

Appendix C. Common Conversions

Additional information

Dimensions	0.95 × 9.00 × 10.90 in
Imprint	Pearson
Format	gen
ISBN-13	09780134686363
ISBN-10	0134686365
Author	Charles E. Thomsen, Ginger H. Birkeland, Robert W. Christopherson, Stephen Cunha
BISAC	SCI030000
Subjects	science, geography, SCI030000, higher education, physical geography, Geosciences