Set against a backdrop of human interaction with the environment, the third edition of Physical Geography: The Global Environment offers comprehensive treatments of Earth's five major components: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, the cryosphere, and the biosphere. It includes personal photographs and writings from the travels of Professor de Blij, who has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America and NBC News.
Preface
PART 1. A Global Perspective
Unit 1. Geography
1.1. Physical Geography
1.2. A Century of Physical Geography
1.3. Systems and Models in Physical Geography
1.4. Geographic Magnitude
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Sliding Scale
Unit 2. The Planet Earth
2.1. Spheres of the Earth System
2.2. Hemispheres
2.3. Continents and Oceans
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Human Population and Natural Processes
Unit 3. Mapping the Earth's Surface
3.1. The Spherical Earth
3.2. Map Projections
3.3. Map Interpretation
3.4. Evolving Cartographic Technology
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Remote Sensing of the Environment
Unit 4. The Earth in the Universe
4.1. The Universe
4.2. The Solar System
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Collision!
Unit 5. Earth-Sun Relationships
5.1. Earth's Planetary Motions
5.2. Seasonality
5.3. Insolation and Its Variation
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Measuring Time on Our Rotating Earth
PART 2. ATMOSPHERE AND HYDROSPHERE
Unit 6. Composition and Structure of the Atmosphere
6.1. Contents of the Atmosphere
6.2. The Layered Structure of the Atmosphere
6.3. Research Frontiers
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Ozone Holes in the Stratosphere
Unit 7. Radiation and the Heat Balance of the Atmosphere
7.1. The Radiation Balance
7.2. The Heat Balance
7.3. Global Distribution of Heat Flows
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming
Unit 8. Atmospheric and Surface Temperature
8.1. What is Temperature?
8.2. The Vertical Distribution of Temperature
8.3. The Horizontal Distribution of Temperature
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Urban Dust Domes and Heating Patterns
Unit 9. Air Pressure and Winds
9.1. Atmospheric Pressure
9.2. Air Movement in the Atmosphere
9.3. Large-and Smaller-Scale Wind Systems
9.4. Local Wind Systems
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Air Pressure and Wind in Our Daily Lives
Unit 10. Circulation Patterns of the Atmosphere
10.1. A Model of the Surface Circulation
10.2. The Actual Surface Circulation Pattern
10.3. Secondary Surface Circulation: Monsoonal Windflows
10.4. Circulation of the Upper Atmosphere
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Sailor's Legacy-Naming the Winds
Unit 11. Hydrosphere: Circulation of the World Ocean
11.1. Surface Currents
11.2. Generation of Ocean Currents
11.3. Flow Behavior of Ocean Currents
11.4. Deep-Sea Currents
11.5. The Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere System
11.6. El Ni�o-Southern Oscillation
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The North Atlantic Oscillation
Unit 12. Atmospheric Moisture and the Water Balance
12.1. Physical Properties of Water
12.2. Measuring Water Vapor
12.3. The Hydrologic Cycle
12.4. Evaporation
12.5. Condensation and Clouds
12.6. Precipitation
12.7. The Surface Water Balance
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Water Usage in the United States
Unit 13. Precipitation, Air Masses, and Fronts
13.1. Precipitation-Producing Processes
13.2. Convergent-Lifting Precipitation
13.3. Convectional Precipitation
13.4. Orographic Precipitation
13.5. Frontal (Cyclonic) Precipitation
13.6. Air Masses in the Atmosphere
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Tornadoes and Their Consequences
Unit 14. Weather Systems
14.1. Low-Latitude Weather Systems
14.2. Weather Systems of the Middle and Higher Latitudes
14.3. Energy and Moisture Within Weather Systems
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Honduras After Hurricane Mitch
Unit 15. Weather Tracking and Forecasting
15.1. Weather Data Acquisition
15.2. Mapping Weather Data
15.3. Weather Forecasting
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Weather Extremes
Unit 16. Climate Classification and Regionalization
16.1. Classifying Climates
16.2. The K�ppen Climate Classification System
16.3. The Regional Distribution of Climate Types
16.4. Boundaries of Climate Regions
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Climate in Daily Human Terms
Unit 17. Tropical (A) and Arid (B) Climates
17.1. The Major Tropical (A) Climates
17.2. The Major Arid (B) Climates
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Deforestation of the Tropics
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Desertification
Unit 18. Humid Mesothermal (C) Climates
18.1. The Perpetually Moist (Cf) Climates
18.2. The Dry-Summer (Cs) Climates
18.3. The Dry-Winter (Cw) Climates
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Drought of '88
Unit 19. Higher Latitude (D, E) and High-Altitude (H) Climates
19.1. The Major Humid Microthermal (D) Climates
19.2. The Polar (E) Climates
19.3. High-Altitude (H) Climates
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Acid Precipitation
Unit 20. Dynamics of Climate Change
20.1. Evidence of Climate Change
20.2. The Climatic History of the Earth
20.3. Mechanisms of Climate Change
20.4. The Climatic Future
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Weather Extremes and Teleconnections
Unit 21. Human-Climate Interactions and Impacts
21.1. The Heat Balance of the Human Body
21.2. Shelter, Houses, and Climate
21.3. Urban Microclimates
21.4. Air Pollution
21.5. Human Activities and the Global Climate Machine
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Weather Modification in an Industrial Region
PART 3. THE BIOSPHERE
Unit 22. Climate, Soil, Plants, and Animals
22.1. Natural Geography
22.2. Conservation and the Biosphere
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Biodiversity Under Siege
Unit 23. Formation of Soils
23.1. The Formation of Soil
23.2. Processes in the Soil
23.3. Soil Profiles
23.4. Soil Regimes
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Exchange of Ions
Unit 24. Physical Properties of Soil
24.1. Sol and Ped.
24.2. Soil Texture
24.3. Soil Structure
24.4. Soil Color
24.5. Soil Acidity and Alkalinity
24.6. Soils of Hills and Valleys
24.7. The Soil Development System
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Fertilizer
Unit 25. Classification and Mapping of Soils
25.1. Classifying Soils
25.2. The Soil Taxonomy
25.3. The Spatial Distribution of Soils
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Soil Taxonomy-What's in a Name?
Unit 26. Biogeographic Processes
26.1. Dynamics of the Biosphere
26.2. Plant Successions
26.3. Geographic Dispersal
Perspectives on the Human Environment: A Biogeographic Puzzle: The Species-Richness Gradient
Unit 27. The Global Distribution of Plants
27.1. Biomes
27.2. Principal Terrestrial Biomes
Perspectives on the Human Environment: North America's Vegetation Regions
Unit 28. Zoogeography: Spatial Aspects of Animal Populations
28.1. Processes of Evolution
28.2. Emergence of Zoogeography
28.3. The Earth's Zoogeographic Realms
28.4. Further Studies in Zoogeography
28.5. Zoogeography and Conservation
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The African Stowaways
PART 4. THE RESTLESS CRUST
Unit 29. Planet Earth in Profile: The Layered Interior
29.1. Evidence of the Earth's Internal Structuring
29.2. The Earth's Internal Layer
29.3. The Earth's Outer Layer
29.4. The Crustal Surface
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Hills, Mountains, Plains, Plateaus--What's in a Name?
Unit 30. Minerals and Igneous Rocks
30.1. Minerals and Rocks
30.2. Classification of Rock Types
30.3. Igneous Rocks
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The World's Oldest Rocks
Unit 31. Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks
31.1. Sedimentary Rocks
31.2. Metamorphic Rocks
31.3. The Rock Cycle
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Oilfield Formation
Unit 32. Plates of the Lithosphere
32.1. Continental Drift
32.2. Continents and Seafloors
32.3. Distribution of Plates
32.4. Movement of Plates
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Faulting in the Los Angeles Basin: The 1994 Northridge Earthquake
Unit 33. Plate Movement: Causes and Effects
33.1. Mechanism of Crustal Spreading
33.2. Evolution of Continents
33.3. Isostasy
Perspectives on the Human Environment: How Fast Do Drifting Plates Move?
Unit 34. Volcanism and Its Landforms
34.1. Distribution of Volcanic Activity
34.2. Volcanic Mountains
34.3. Calderas
34.4. Landscapes of Volcanism
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Risking the Wrath of Goddess Pele
Unit 35. Earthquakes and Landscapes
35.1. Earthquake Terminology
35.2. Earthquake Distribution
35.3. Earthquakes and Landscapes
35.4. Tsunamis
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Earthquake Risk in the Eastern United States
Unit 36. Surface Expressions of Subsurface Structures
36.1. Terminology of Structure
36.2. Fault Structures
36.3. Fold Structures
36.4. Regional Deformation
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Decline and Fall of Southeast Texas
PART 5. SCULPTING THE SURFACE
Unit 37. The Formation of Landscapes and Landforms
37.1. Landscapes and Landforms
37.2. Gradation
37.3. Erosion and Tectonics
37.4. Regional Landscapes
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Using the Geologic Time Scale
Unit 38. Weathering Processes
38.1. Mechanical Weathering
38.2. Chemical Weathering
38.3. Biological Weathering
38.4. Geography of Weathering
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Dust Bowl
Unit 39. Mass Movements
39.1. Mass Movement
39.2. The Importance of Mass Movements
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Human Factor
Unit 40. Water in the Lithosphere
40.1. Water at the Surface
40.2. Water Flow in Rivers
40.3. Water Beneath the Surface
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Groundwater Contamination
Unit 41. Slopes and Streams
41.1. Erosion and the Hydrologic Cycle
41.2. Streams and Basins
41.3. Stream Functions and Valley Properties
41.4. Factors in Stream Erosion
41.5. The River as a System
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Hazards of Floodplain Settlement
Unit 42. Degradational Landforms of Stream Erosion
42.1. Factors Affecting Stream Degradation
42.2. Drainage Patterns
42.3. Overcoming Geologic Structure
42.4. Regional Geomorphology
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Controlling Rome's River
Unit 43. Aggradational Landforms of Stream Erosion
43.1. Alluvial Fans
43.2. Rivers to the Sea
43.3. Deltas
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Great Midwestern Flood of '93
Unit 44. Karst Processes and Landforms
44.1. Karst
44.2. Karst Processes
44.3. Karst Landforms and Landscapes
44.4. Karst and Caves
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Florida's Winter Park Sinkhole
Unit 45. Glacial Degradation and Aggradation
45.1. Glaciers of the Past
45.2. The Formation of Glaciers
45.3. The Glacier as a System
45.4. Glacial Movement and Erosion
Perspectives on the Human Environment: What Causes Ice Ages?
Unit 46. Landforms and Landscapes of Continental Glaciers
46.1. The Antarctic Ice Sheet
46.2. The Greenland Ice Sheet
46.3. Age of the Present Ice Sheets
46.4. Other Late Cenozoic Ice Sheets
46.4.1. North America's Glaciation: The Final Four
46.4.2.. Landscapes of Continental Glaciers
46.4.3. Aggradational Landforms of Ice Sheets
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Driftless Area
Unit 47. Landforms and Landscapes of Mountain Glaciers
47.1. Mountain Glaciers Today
47.2. Degradational Landforms of Mountain Glaciers
47.3. Aggradational Landforms of Mountain Glaciers
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Mountain Glaciers: The View from Space
Unit 48. Periglacial Environments and Landscapes
48.1. Permafrost
48.2. Geomorphic Processes in Periglacial Environments
48.3. Landforms of Periglacial Regions
48.4. Resource Development in Periglacial Environments
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Humans and the Periglacial Environment
Unit 49. Wind as a Geomorphic Agent
49.1. Wind Erosion
49.2. Degradational Landforms
49.3. Aggradational Landforms
49.4. Sand Dunes
49.5. Loess
Perspectives on the Human Environment: The Winds of Interstate-10
Unit 50. Coastal Processes
50.1. Coasts and Shore
50.2. Waves and Their Properties
50.3. Waves Against the Shore
50.4. Degradation and Aggradation by Waves
50.5. Tides and Shore Zone Currents
50.6. The Role of Storms
50.7. Crustal Movement
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Tides and Their Behavior
Unit 51. Coastal Landforms and Landscapes
51.1. Aggradational Landforms
51.2. Degradational Landforms
51.3. Coastal Landscapes
51.4. Living Shorelines
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Hazards of Barrier Island Development
Unit 52. Physiographic Realms and Regions: The Spatial Variation of Landscapes
52.1. Defining Physiographic Realms and Regions
52.2. Physiographic Realms and Regions of North America
52.3. The Physiographic Imprint
Perspectives on the Human Environment: Cumberland Gap
Appendix A: SI Units and Their Conversions
Appendix B: World Political Map, 2003
Pronunciation Guide
Glossary of Terms
Credits
Index