Living Physical Geography
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Book Team
World Maps
The Geographer’s Toolkit
GT.1 Welcome to Physical Geography!
GT.2 The Physical Earth
GT.3 Mapping Earth
GT.4 Imaging Earth
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES GT.5 The Scientific Method and Easter Island
GT Focus Points
GT Key Terms
GT Concept Review
GT Critical-Thinking Questions
GT Test Yourself
GT Picture This, Your Turn
PART I ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS: Weather and Climate
Portrait of the Atmosphere
1.1 Composition of the Atmosphere
1.2 The Weight of Air: Atmospheric Pressure
1.3 The Layered Atmosphere
1.4 Air Pollution
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 1.5 Refrigerators and Life on Earth
CHAPTER 1 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 1 Focus Points
CHAPTER 1 Key Terms
CHAPTER 1 Concept Review
CHAPTER 1 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 1 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 1 Picture This, Your Turn
Seasons and Solar Energy
2.1 The Four Seasons
2.2 Temperature and Heat
2.3 Surface Temperature Patterns
2.4 The Sun’s Radiant Energy
2.5 Earth’s Energy Budget
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 2.6 The Rising Solar Economy
CHAPTER 2 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 2 Focus Points
CHAPTER 2 Key Terms
CHAPTER 2 Concept Review
CHAPTER 2 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 2 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 2 Picture This, Your Turn
Water in the Atmosphere
3.1 The Hydrologic Cycle and Water
3.2 Atmospheric Humidity
3.3 Lifting Air: Atmospheric Stability
3.4 Cloud Types
3.5 Precipitation: What Goes Up …
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 3.6 Clouds and Climate
CHAPTER 3 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 3 Focus Points
CHAPTER 3 Key Terms
CHAPTER 3 Concept Review
CHAPTER 3 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 3 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 3 Picture This, Your Turn
Atmospheric Circulation and Wind Systems
4.1 Measuring and Mapping the Wind
4.2 Air Pressure and Wind
4.3 Global Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
4.4 Wind Systems: Sea Breezes to Gravity Winds
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 4.5 Farming the Wind
CHAPTER 4 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 4 Focus Points
CHAPTER 4 Key Terms
CHAPTER 4 Concept Review
CHAPTER 4 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 4 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 4 Picture This, Your Turn
THE RESTLESS SKY: Storm Systems and El Niño
5.1 Thunderstorms
5.2 Thunderstorm Hazards: Lightning and Tornadoes
5.3 Nature’s Deadliest Storms: Hurricanes
5.4 Midlatitude Cyclones
5.5 El Niño’s Wide Reach
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 5.6 Are Atlantic Hurricanes a Growing Threat?
CHAPTER 5 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 5 Focus Points
CHAPTER 5 Key Terms
CHAPTER 5 Concept Review
CHAPTER 5 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 5 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 5 Picture This, Your Turn
The Changing Climate
6.1 The Climate System
6.2 Trends, Cycles, and Anomalies
6.3 Carbon and Climate
6.4 Climate at the Crossroads
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 6.5 Stabilizing Climate
CHAPTER 6 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 6 Focus Points
CHAPTER 6 Key Terms
CHAPTER 6 Concept Review
CHAPTER 6 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 6 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 6 Picture This, Your Turn
PART II THE BIOSPHERE AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF LIFE
PATTERNS OF LIFE: Biogeography
7.1 Biogeographic Patterns
7.2 Setting the Boundaries: Limiting Factors
7.3 Moving Around: Dispersal
7.4 Starting Anew: Ecological Disturbance and Succession
7.5 Three Ways to Organize the Biosphere
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 7.6 Journey of the Coconut
CHAPTER 7 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 7 Focus Points
CHAPTER 7 Key Terms
CHAPTER 7 Concept Review
CHAPTER 7 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 7 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 7 Picture This, Your Turn
CLIMATE AND LIFE: Biomes
8.1 Climates and Biomes
8.2 Lo
8.3 Midlatitude and Hig
8.4 Biomes Found at All Latitudes
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 8.5 The Value of Nature
CHAPTER 8: Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 8 Focus Points
CHAPTER 8 Key Terms
CHAPTER 8 Concept Review
CHAPTER 8 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 8 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 8 Picture This, Your Turn
Soil and Water Resources
9.1 The Living Veneer: Soils
9.2 The Hidden Hydrosphere: Groundwater
9.3 Problems Associated with Groundwater
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 9.4 Water Resources under Pressure
CHAPTER 9 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 9 Focus Points
CHAPTER 9 Key Terms
CHAPTER 9 Concept Review
CHAPTER 9 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 9 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 9 Picture This, Your Turn
THE LIVING HYDROSPHERE: Ocean Ecosystems
10.1 The Physical Oceans
10.2 Life on the Continental Margins
10.3 Life in Polar Waters
10.4 Life in Open Waters
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 10.5 The Problem with Plastic
CHAPTER 10 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 10 Focus Points
CHAPTER 10 Key Terms
CHAPTER 10 Concept Review
CHAPTER 10 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 10 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 10 Picture This, Your Turn
PART III TECTONIC SYSTEMS: Building the Lithosphere
Earth History, Earth Interior
11.1 Earth Formation
11.2 Deep History: Geologic Time
11.3 Anatomy of a Planet: Earth’s Internal Structure
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 11.4 Earth’s Heat and the Biosphere
CHAPTER 11 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 11 Focus Points
CHAPTER 11 Key Terms
CHAPTER 11 Concept Review
CHAPTER 11 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 11 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 11 Picture This, Your Turn
DRIFTING CONTINENTS: Plate Tectonics
12.1 Continental Drift: Wegener’s Theory
12.2 Plate Tectonics: An Ocean of Evidence
12.3 Plate Boundary Landforms
12.4 Hot Spots, Folding and Faulting, and Mountain Building
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 12.5 The Tibetan Plateau, Climate, and People
CHAPTER 12 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 12 Focus Points
CHAPTER 12 Key Terms
CHAPTER 12 Concept Review
CHAPTER 12 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 12 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 12 Picture This, Your Turn
Building the Crust with Rocks
13.1 Minerals and Rocks: Building Earth’s Crust
13.2 Cooling the Inferno: Igneous Rocks
13.3 Layers of Time: Sedimentary Rocks
13.4 Pressure and Heat: Metamorphic Rocks
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 13.5 Fracking for Shale Gas
CHAPTER 13 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 13 Focus Points
CHAPTER 13 Key Terms
CHAPTER 13 Concept Review
CHAPTER 13 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 13 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 13 Picture This, Your Turn
GEOHAZARDS: Volcanoes and Earthquakes
14.1 About Volcanoes
14.2 Pele’s Power: Volcanic Hazards
14.3 Tectonic Hazards: Faults and Earthquakes
14.4 Unstable Crust: Seismic Waves
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 14.5 The World’s Deadliest Volcano
CHAPTER 14 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 14 Focus Points
CHAPTER 14 Key Terms
CHAPTER 14 Concept Review
CHAPTER 14 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 14 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 14 Picture This, Your Turn
PART IV EROSION AND DEPOSITION: Sculpting Earth’s Surface
Weathering and Mass Movement
15.1 Weathering Rocks
15.2 Dissolving Rocks: Karst Landforms
15.3 Unstable Ground: Mass Movement
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 15.4 Deadly Mass Movements
CHAPTER 15 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 15 Focus Points
CHAPTER 15 Key Terms
CHAPTER 15 Concept Review
CHAPTER 15 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 15 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 15 Picture This, Your Turn
FLOWING WATER: Fluvial Systems
16.1 Stream Patterns
16.2 Downcutting by Streams: Fluvial Erosion
16.3 Building by Streams: Fluvial Deposition
16.4 Rising Waters: Stream Flooding
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 16.5 Dam Pros and Cons
CHAPTER 16 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 16 Focus Points
CHAPTER 16 Key Terms
CHAPTER 16 Concept Review
CHAPTER 16 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 16 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 16 Picture This, Your Turn
THE WORK OF ICE: The Cryosphere and Glacial Landforms
17.1 Frozen Ground: Periglacial Environments
17.2 About Glaciers
17.3 Carving by Ice: Glacial Erosion
17.4 Building by Ice: Glacial Deposition
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 17.5 Polar Ice Sheets and Sea Level
CHAPTER 17 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 17 Focus Points
CHAPTER 17 Key Terms
CHAPTER 17 Concept Review
CHAPTER 17 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 17 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 17 Picture This, Your Turn
WATER, WIND, AND TIME: Desert Landforms
18.1 Desert Landforms and Processes
18.2 Desert Landscapes
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 18.3 Shrinking Desert Lakes
CHAPTER 18 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 18 Focus Points
CHAPTER 18 Key Terms
CHAPTER 18 Concept Review
CHAPTER 18 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 18 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 18 Picture This, Your Turn
THE WORK OF WAVES: Coastal Landforms
19.1 Coastal Processes: Tides, Waves, and Longshore Currents
19.2 Coastal Landforms: Beaches and Rocky Coasts
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 19.3 The Sisyphus Stone of Beach Nourishment
CHAPTER 19 Exploring with Google Earth
CHAPTER 19 Focus Points
CHAPTER 19 Key Terms
CHAPTER 19 Concept Review
CHAPTER 19 Critical-Thinking Questions
CHAPTER 19 Test Yourself
CHAPTER 19 Picture This, Your Turn
APPENDIX 1 Unit Conversions
APPENDIX 2 Map Projections
APPENDIX 3 Topographic Maps
APPENDIX 4 Using Google Earth
APPENDIX 5 Wind Chill and Heat-Index Charts
APPENDIX 6 The Köppen Climate Classification System
Further Readings