Geography Part 1

An Introduction to Geography

Geography is always been part of our lives. From researching weather to

decipher many of the mysteries of life, geography is always a beautiful subject
to explore. Learning about new traveling routes and seeing the wonders of the
topographic aspects of the Earth, geography has enriched human lives for
thousands of years. This new series will focus on the diversity of humanity
and the Earth in general. It will deal with populations, demographics, animal
species, biology, transportation, and human existence too. This subject matter
is international in scope and vital to comprehend in order for us to see a better
world during the future.
 The Table of Contents
1. Preface 2. Physical 3. Climate and 4. The Biosphere
Geography Weather
5. Geology 6. Flora and Fauna 7. Bodies of Water 8. Landscapes
9. Conclusion
 Preface
One of the greatest subjects to study is geography. The greatness of geography is that it is a field of science
that studies the Earth’s topographical features, people, and its total components in general. It also involves
the study of the Moon and other planets. Geography is complex too. There can be no study of geography
without understanding the diversity found in the human race. Cultures and various traditions are diverse
in scope. You have to love people to learn geography fully as geography deals with sociology plus the
comprehension of world cultures. The more that we appreciate the diversity of humanity, the more
tolerant that we become. That is why geography is indispensable in a democracy. When you learn about
the flow of rivers or streams that relates to geography. When you study geopolitics and various
populations, these items involve geography. Therefore, geography is never monolithic. It is very
widespread in scope. Physical geography is about the knowledge of plants, biosphere, flora, and fauna of
the Earth. The concepts of meteorology, the environment, landscapes, and oceanography all encompass
physical geography as well. Human geography is geared to research the lives of human beings. Culture,
history, geopolitics, population geography, sociology, religion, tourism, transportation, urban geography,
and other concepts all are a part of human geography. In real life, every class that I have took in college
involving geography, I have enjoyed greatly. So, this subject is a very fun one to research. Maps,
geographers, and other facets of life enrich us in many ways. That is why geography is important, because
the more that we understand about the Earth, the better that we can improve it. With climate change and
various issues in the world, we certainly need more collaboration in solving global or international
problems. Geography is very important. From studying the seven continents of planet Earth to witnessing
the applications of geography in everyday life, I truly love geography.
 Physical Geography
One of the most important aspects of geography is to understand about the world around us. Physical
geography encompasses many studies of weather, climate, and other parts of the Earth. When you see an
image of the Earth with the green, blue, and other colors, it outlines plant life, mountains, forests, rivers,
and oceans. All of these entities are interconnected with each other. Physical geography is a natural science
that studies the processes and patterns in the natural environment. That is why it must involve research
into the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. Physical geography is divided into many sub
divisions too. Geomorphology studies the Earth’s surface. Hydrology is concerned with water on land
surfaces including lakes, rivers, aquifers, and glaciers. The study of glaciers and ice sheets is called
Glaciology. Biogeography is the study of geographic patterns in species distributions and the processes that
result in the patterns. When weather TV anchors and scientists talk about meteorology in public, they
individuals are dealing with the scientific study relating to physical geography too. The study of soils in the
natural environment is called pedology. When people investigate fossils, plate tectonics, ancient
supercontinents, and geologic time, all of these fields are related to paleogeography. Coastal geography
deals with the research into the ocean and the interface of the ocean and the land as well. Learning about
the Earth’s oceans and seas relates to oceanography. When researchers study the Quaternary period (or the
last 2.6 million years), it is called the Quaternary science.

Many dedicated human beings use landscapes, geomatics (or gathering information relating to
geography), and environmental geography in order for folks to have a better picture on how planet Earth
operates. In geomatics, researchers use maps, globes, satellite images, photographs, diagrams, etc. in
finding out facts. Some people use GIS or Geographic Information Systems, databases, and primary
sources to find the nature of countries, cities, and environments. Areas are defined by scales too. Satellites
and other devices are utilized to find the area of a place. Some maps are distorted in their images. The
Mercator, Robinson, and Polar styles of maps help us see places in unique ways. Major land biomes
include: tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, temperate grassland, desert, temperate
woodland and shrub land, temperate forest, boreal forest (taiga), tundra, and mountain and ice caps. 7%
of the Earth’s surface is made up of water.

Geography deals with finding places. The latitude and longitude define absolute location. Absolute
location is the definite place of a structure, a person, or any entity. Relative location describes the spatial
relationships between and among places. For example, the relative location of New York City is that it is
nearly 100 miles from Philadelphia. Mental maps are indicators of how well people know of the spatial
characteristics of certain places. Tons of maps have the equator, the prime meridian, and other areas. Some
graphs outline the human characteristics of a place from languages, the types of housing, dress, recreation,
customs, and traditions. That is why maps must have symbols, colors, lines, boundaries, and contours.
More complex maps can outline population (i.e. distribution and density), economic activity, resource,
language, ethnicity, climate, precipitation, vegetation, physical lands, and political views. Scientific
journals are abundant to show the research about the information found in physical geography or ecology
in general like the Polar Research, Soil Science, Geomorphology, etc. This field of study has been around
since the days of Strabo and Eratosthenes (plus before their times). Currently in 2019, even more scholars
are doing great work in discovering the mysteries of the Universe. The heat transport in the biosphere is
unequal heating of Earth’s surface. This drives winds and ocean currents. Warm air at the equator rises
and cool air at the poles sinks. Cold water at the poles sinks and rises in warming regions. Landmasses
affect winds and ocean currents (physically interfere). Winds, currents, landmasses influence temperature
and precipitation which in turn creates the Earth’s climate. The polar zone, the temperate zone, and the
tropical zone are all part of the human climate.
 Climate and Weather
Anyone must understand climate to fully comprehend geography. With the existence of climate change, it
is very vital for us to know about our climate. Climate is about the reality of weather conditions in a
general area over a period of time. Climate has many characteristics. Climate patterns are formed by the
interplay of common elements. Climate regions have specific vegetation and weather is diverse in many
climate regions as well. Climate and weather phenomena do affect how people live in different regions.
For example, a climate with a very cold climate will cause people to have certain societies in adjusting to
that weather. Climate characteristics are temperature, precipitation, and seasons (with hot, cold, wet, and
dry realities). The climatic elements are the influence of latitude, the influence of winds, the influence of
elevation, the proximity to water, and the influence of ocean currents. That is why meteorologists all of
the time talks about wind pressure, ocean currents, and low pressure when describing weather. In areas of
low latitude, you can have tropical wet, dry, and semiarid highland. In middle latitude, there are semiarid,
Mediterranean, humid continental, marine west coast, and highland. In high latitude, you have subarctic,
tundra, and icecap. Vegetation regions in climates worldwide are very diverse. They include the following:
rain forest, savanna, desert, steppe, middle latitude forests, taiga, and tundra. Corps, clothing, housing,
and natural hazards deal with climate. In South and Southeast Asia, there are monsoons. Typhoons exist
in the Pacific Ocean (which is a weather phenomenon). Hurricanes form in the Atlantic Ocean, and
tornadoes are common in America.
 Well Known Weather Concepts

To understand Humidity is the A hygrometer is an Involving air A barometer

barom eter is used to
weather is to amount of water instrument used by pressure,
pressure The measure air pressure.
understand vapor in the air. a meteorologist to higher the
weather is to When humidity is measure humidity. attitude on
comprehend high, there is fog An air mass is a Earth, the less
information and precipitation. large volume of air air there is.
about If the air is very with the same That means
temperature. humid, the air has a temperature and that there is less
Temperature is large amount of humidity air pressure in
the measure of water. This can throughout a region. high
how hot or cold denote a change in mountains,
something is. weather. because there is
less air
overhead. Air
is less dense on
a heated
surface. Air
density
declines cause
air pressure to
decline.

3 Major Cloud Types (among over 100 Types of Clouds)

Stratus clouds hang low in the sky as flat. They Cumulus clouds are puffy, rounded clouds. Cumulonimbus clouds span the low, middle,
resemble a fog. They can exist during a drizzle. Their bottoms are flat and dark. They exist on and high layers. They look like cauliflower.
sunny days when the sun heats the ground These clouds exist when there are rain,
directly. snowstorms, storms, and hail.
 EXTRA WEATHER CONCEPTS

A Front is a boundary between two air masses.

A warm front is about A cold front is a cold air The occluded front The stationary front is when two air
when a warm air mass mass that bumps into and happens when a cold masses are in the opposite direction. They
slides up over a cold slides under a warm air front merges with a meet and stop moving because air masses
air mass. A warm front mass. This causes the warm front moving in are not strong enough to replace the
brings status clouds, warm air mass to rise. Rain, the same directors. This other. The stationary front is the
light rain, or snow. thunderstorms, etc. causes colder boundary among these air masses.
After a warm front happen at cold fronts. temperatures, because
leaves, the When the cold front the warm air rises fast.
temperature rises. In passed, the temperature
winter, it may be cold, drops.
just not as cold before
the font passed.

Tornadoes are produced by very violent
thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are created
by the sun warming the Earth, the air is
warmed, and then actions create storms (like
convection, clouds, and moisture). They can
have wind spread up to 300 mph. A tornado
watch means that conditions of a tornado
may form. A tornado warming means that a
tornado is sighted.
Hurricanes are severe tropical storms with winds of at least
74 mph. They have heavy rain, fast winds, and they can
damage property, etc. They have killed people too. Heavy
rains from hurricanes can increase the storm surge.
Hurricanes turn counter clockwise, and their eye is the central
rea of the lowest pressure, light winds, and few or not clouds.
Surrounding the eye is where the most powerful part of a
hurricane exists. Hurricanes form over warm water. They are
stopped by land or cold water.
 Source: Physik, Uni – München.
München Changes in air pressure usually means that the weather is about to
change. If air pressure drops rapidly, a low pre sure system is moving in the area. A low pressure usually
means that bad, rainy or snowy weather is going to come. If air pressure rises, a high pressure system is
moving in the area. When this happens, fair weather is probably in the way.

Regions can be both physical and cultural. Physical regions are places like the Sahara, Taiga, the rain forest,
the Great Planes, and the Low Countries. Cultural regions can deal with language, ethnic groups,
religions, economic groups (like the EU), and political organizations (i.e. NATO, the African Union, etc.).

Biomes are the major ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water. Biotic
and abiotic factors influence the nature of many Earth biomes. Climate differently can determine
terrestrial biomes in areas along with the factors of temperature, rainfall, and solar radiations. Examples of
terrestrial biomes include the tundra, southeast evergreen forest, Eastern deciduous forest, grasslands,
taiga, etc. Terrestrial biomes have vertical stratification. That means that it includes the canopy, low-tree,
shrub understory, ground layer, forest floor. Each section has certain animals and different fauna and
flora.
The image to the left showed the forecast in early
October 2019. As you can see, the H stands for
high pressure areas where there is sunshine. The
weather is clear or fair (where air is moving in a
clockwise fashion). You see the low pressure (L)
showing rain in certain parts of the South and the
Midwest (where air is moving in a counter
clockwise fashion in a low pressure). The blue
cold front image shows that rain in coming, and it
will cause a reduction of temperatures (moving
southeast). There is a small warm front and the
occluded front in parts of Canada. This is a basic
way to interpret a weather map.
 The Biosphere
The biosphere is the multiple regions of the Earth from the Earth’s surface (which is found in the bottom
of the ocean’s floor) into space. It encompasses the trees, the ocean trenches, and the mountaintops plus
the high reaches of the atmosphere. The biosphere is made up of all parts of the Earth where life exists. It is
part of all ecosystems. Scientists and researchers divide the biosphere into many different sections. The
solid surface layer of the Earth is called the lithosphere. The atmosphere is the layer of air that stretches
above the lithosphere. The Earth’s water on the surface, in the ground, and in the air is part of the
hydrosphere. Life exists on the ground, in the air, and in the water. Therefore, the biosphere is made up of
all of these different types of spheres. The biosphere is about 12 miles from top to bottom. Almost all life
existed in about 1,640 feet below the ocean’s surface and to above 3.75 miles above sea level. In the
biosphere, the food web helps to release nutrients in the world. Some remains of dead plants and animals
release nutrients in the soil and ocean. Growing plants re-absorbed those nutrients. Many ecosystems
make up the biosphere. As people travel higher in the atmosphere, oxygen levels go down. Carbon dioxide
levels grow when people clear forests or burning fossil fuels. The greenhouse effect is when materials in the
atmosphere like CO2 and water vapor retain heat. This raises atmospheric temperature (This is a reality
that has grown by human intervention which has decreased the ice caps too). More CO2 is in the
atmosphere as a product of the greenhouse effect. The hydrosphere is threatened by oil spills and
industrial wastes too. That is why we have to be careful in dealing with the biosphere. The atmosphere is
the gaseous component of the biosphere. Atmospheric oxygen is produced by photosynthesis.
 Geology
Involving continental drift, the single great landmass on Earth was called Pangaea. It broke up about 200
million years ago. There were two supercontinents that resulted from this break up. There were Laurasia
(i.e. North America, Eurasia, and Greenland) and Gondwana (i.e. South America, Africa, Madagascar, the
Arabian Peninsula, India, Australia, New Guinea, and Antarctica). Continental drift explains many
puzzling distributions of animals. There are similarities between some organisms in South America and
Africa. Wallace’s line represents a geographic separation between Asian and Australian faunas. A collision
of tectonic plates brought formerly distant land masses closer together.
 Flora and Fauna
The temperate deciduous forest receive ran year round. The winters are cold with hot, humid summers.
Animals in that region may migrate, hibernate, or survive on scarce available food (or stored through the
winters). The coniferous forest or taiga is common in the Northern Hemisphere. The evergreens are
dominant there. It has colder, less rain than the temperate forests. Mammals that inhabit the coniferous
forests include deer, moose, elk, snowshoe hares, wolves, foxes, lynxes, weasels, and bears. These animals
are adapted for long, snowy winters. The tropical rain forests have a lot of rain and are general warm year
round. The canopy part of the tropical forest has insectivorous birds and bats. They fly above the canopy.
Fruit bats, canopy birds, and mammals live in the canopy eating leaves and fruits. The middle zones are
home to arboreal mammals (like monkeys and sloths), bats, insects, birds, and amphibians. Many of these
animals move along the tree trunks feeding at all levels. Ground level has larger mammals (like capybara,
paca, agouti, pigs, etc.) including a very of reptiles plus amphibians. Nutrients in a tropical forest are tired
up in living organisms, so the soil is poor. Many folks use slash and burn agriculture. Vegetation is
removed to grow cops. Yet, the soil is so poor that fields must be moved often. Temperate grasslands
receive seasonal precipitation and have cold winters plus hot summers. Prairie is another term for
grassland.

Grasses and herds of large grazing mammals are dominant in grasslands. Jackrabbits, prairie dogs, and
ground squirrels exist too. There are predators like coyotes, cougars, bobcats, raptors, badgers, and ferrets.
Savannas are tropical grasslands with seasonal rainfall. The chaparral receives highly seasonable rainfall.
Shrubs and small trees are common in the chaparral. They have adaptations to fire. The tundra has a
permanently frozen layer of soil called permafrost that prevents water infiltration. It is very cold, it has a
short season and it has little rain. The tundra is readily covered with bogs, marshes, or pounds. Grasses,
sedges, and lichens may be common too. Animals in the tundra include lemmings, caribou, musk-oxen,
arctic foxes, arctic hares, ptarmigans, and other migratory birds. Deserts have very low precipitation in less
than 30 cm. per year. There have variable temperatures. Animals are often nocturnal and live in burrows.
Reptiles and small mammals are common in deserts.

Zoogeography details the patterns of animal distribution and species diversity. It describes why species and
species diversity are distributed as they are. It is important to know the history of animal species, so we can
know why it lives there. Camels came from North America. They spread into Eurasia, Africa, and South
America. Camels became extinct in North America by 10,000 years ago. Today, we have camels in Eurasia
and Africa. In South Africa, there are llamas and alpacas. Geological change is responsible for much of the
composition of animals’ distribution. In zoogeography, you have disjunct distributions or closely related
species that live in widely separated areas. Dispersal is a population that moves into a new location.
Emigration from one region and immigration into another is part of dispersal. Some animals may have a
one way outward movement. That is difference form a periodic movement back and forth. There are
active and passive movements. Animals have a center of origin. Many animals travel to gain access to more
favorable habitats. Vicariance is part of environmental changes that break up a once continuous
population into small pockets. Distribution by vicariance deals with areas once joined may become
separated by barriers. Population becomes fragmented into smaller, isolated populations. This may be
caused by lava flows, continental drift, and the emergence of mountain ranges. Vicariance by continental
drift helps to explain the disjunct distribution of ratite birds. Ancestral species are widespread all over
Southern Hemisphere. As the continents moved apart, the ancestral species was fragmented into disjunct
populations that evolved independently. This caused the diversity we witness today. For example, there is
the moain New Zealand, kiwi in New Zealand, cassowary in New Guinea, emu in Australia, tinamou in
South America, rhea in South America, and the ostrich in Africa. The concept of continental drift was
proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. Continental drift is caused by the movement of plate tectonics. The
Earth’s surface is composed of 6-10 rocky plats which shift position on more malleable layers.
 Bodies of Water
Aquatic biomes are the largest part of the biosphere in terms of area. It can contain fresh or salt water.
Oceans cover about 75 percent of the Earth’s surface. Oceans have a large impact on the biosphere. Lotic or
running water habitats include streams and rivers. They have more oxygenic. Lentic or standing water
habitats include lakes or ponds. They have less oxygen. Oligotrophic lakes have nutrient poor and oxygen
rich areas. Eutrophic lakes are nutrient rich and sometimes oxygen poor. Streams and rivers have a current.
Animals living in vegetation or debris of the bottom are called benthic. These animals are snails, mussels,
crustaceans, and insects. Animals up in the water column are called pelagic. Swimming animals are called
nekton. Floating or weak swimmers are called plankton. Wetlands include areas that are able to support
aquatic plants. They may be freshwater or marine. Estuaries are transition areas between river and sea.
Salinity varies from nearly fresh to the salinity of seawater. Many aquatic biomes are stratified into zones
or layers defined by light penetration, temperature, and depth. The photic zone is the most productive.
The ocean is divided into the following from the least distance to the greatest distance from the surface:
Intertidal, Epipelagic, Mesopelagic, Bathypelagic, and other parts. The rocky intertidal zone is submerged
and exposed by the tides. Upper zones are exposed to air longer. Physical stress (like dessciation, waves,
temperature, and salinity), predation, and competition produce distinct bands. Rocky subtidal zone have
kelp forests dominated by brown seaweeds.

They occupy shallow subtidal waters. Grazing urchins and mollusks are common, and predators in this
region are sea stars, fishes, and otters. There are coral reefs are limited to the photic zone in tropical marine
environments with high water clarity. It is very diverse. Intertidal and subtidal environments with soft
sediments include beaches, mudflats, salt marshes, sea-grass beds, and mangrove communities. Salt marsh
habitat includes grasses, mussels, crabs, shrimp, and polychaetes. There are burrowing organisms, deposit
or filter feeders, small fishes, and birds that feed on them are common. At nearshore soft sediments, calm,
tropical, coastal areas support mangrove communities (mangrove trees grow submerged in soft
sediments). There is a rich community of detritus feeders like oysters, crabs, and shrimp. Many fishes were
often used as nursery ground. The deep sea includes the continental slope, the continental rise, and the
abyssal plain. Sand where there are currents, fine mud where currents are weak. Suspension feeding
invertebrates are common in that area. Deposit feeders are found in muddy areas. Hydrothermal vents
occur in the abyssal plain in areas of submarine volcanic activity. Arachaebacteria that derive energy by
oxidizing sulfides form the basis of the food chain. This area has crabs, limpets, and bivalves. Other
organisms like tube worms, have symbiotic archaebacteria.

The pelagic realm includes the open ocean area. It has high oxygen, low nutrient levels. Areas of upwelling
bring nutrients up from the sea floor. Surface waters are called Epipelagic. Twilight zone that supports a
varied community of animals is called Mesopelagic. Deep sea forms depend on a rain of organic debris
from above.

Landscapes
Physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface by many factors. Humans can influence the
environment and are influenced by it. Many of the physical and ecological processes are earthquakes,
floods, volcanic eruptions, erosion, and deposition. The human impact on the environment does deal
with water diversion of management. This is found in Aral Sea, the Colorado River, the Aswan High
Dam, canals, reservoirs, and irrigation. Landscape changes include agricultural terracing (in China and
Southeast Asia), polders (in the Netherlands), deforestation (as found in Nepal, Brazil, and Malaysia), and
desertification (as found in Africa and Asia). Environmental changes can occur by acid rain and pollution.
There is no question that technology has expanded the human ability to modify or adapt to the physical
environment. We know about agriculture using fertilizers and mechanization to develop crops. Energy
usage from fossil fuels, nuclear, and clean energy resources do impact the world. Transportation from
roads, railways, etc. can expanded human population growth. Automobiles and airplanes have grown
communication, trade, and travel. The types of housing, farming techniques, recreation actions, and
transportation patterns all relate to geography. In life, you have subatomic particles, atoms, molecules,
cells, tissues, organs, the organ system, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the
biosphere.

Conclusion
The journey of wisdom is beautiful. We can learn something new every day. The more that we
comprehend the value of geography, the more we appreciate our values as human beings. Geography is
more than about studying hills, rivers, trees, and rocks. It is the sacrosanct, pristine subject matter that
opens our minds to the complex functions of weather, environmental changes, worldwide cultures, and
the diversity of vegetation. Scholars and other scientists have fully developed project that document the
serious issues of climate change. Numerous human beings have also been involved in programs that try to
solve environmental issues (and find ways to improve the relationships among human beings worldwide).
True geography is about love. You have to love people and the environment in order for you to have the
true essence of geography research. You have to love research, animal life, plant life, and geology in order
for you to be an excellent scholar of geography. The watersheds, the oceans, and the climate regions al have
a role in the scientific makeup of planet Earth. Therefore, geography manifests itself in a myriad of ways,
and we have the same goal to use action in making sure that the Earth develops in magnificent ways.

By Timothy
 The Geography Series

Part 1: An Intro to Geography

Part 2: Human Geography
Part 3: The Continents
Part 4: Applications and Research
Part 5: The History of Geography

Peace Y’all