GEOG 1114 1stEdition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture A review of the class syllabus and class expectations Outline of Current Lecture Physical Geography An Introduction to Earth I A Geographic Perspective II Process of Science III A portrait of the Earth 1 Solar System 2 Size and Shape 3 The Geographic Grid Current Lecture A Geographic Perspective Geography is defined as a method of study that focuses on the human and the physical environment Geographers study the relationships of things in certain places Space and Place are underlying themes of Physical Geography Geography has two components 1 Human Geography Deals with the cultural diversity of place urbanization population political cultural and economics Specifically how people differ from place to place one underlying theme 2 Physical Geography Deals with the natural environment i e climatology biogeography geomorphology Specifically how natural characteristics of place differ These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Geographers seek to observe describe and interpret their observations Questions to focus on are 1 Why do people places and environments differ from place to place 2 How are people places and environments interrelated over space and through time 3 How do people view their natural environment Space and Place are the concepts for this inquiry Understand the patterns processes and interrelationships between the four principle components of the Earth s environment Environmental Spheres 1 2 3 4 Atmosphere Air Hydrosphere Cryosphere Water Ice Biosphere All parts of the Earth where living organisms are Lithosphere Earth s crust shape The study of the physical environment can be complex An overall describing word for it is LANDSCAPE which encompasses the physical environment as it comes together Process of Science Keep a Few things in mind 1 Knowledge is advanced through the process of Science 2 The Scientific Method Observe Phenomena Formulate a Hypothesis Design an experiment Predict the outcome of the experiment Draw Conclusions 3 Science does not prove ideas works by eliminating alternative explanations not supported by evidence 4 Build Theory highest order of understanding for a body of information 5 Accept theory based evidence NOT belief UNDERSTAND THAT Measurement systems are necessary to quantify scientific processes SI are used instead of English units i e centimeters kilometers liters Celsius Conversions of the SI units to and from English units Portrait of the Earth Place of the Earth in the solar system One of 8 planets 3rd from the sun The Sun a medium sized star that gets its energy from nuclear fusion is the central body source of energy The Solar System is part of the Milky Way galaxy which is just one of billions of galaxies in our universe The Universe originated from The Big Bang theory a cosmic explosion of matter and gases 13 7 million years ago Our Solar system originated between 4 5 and 5 billion years ago A Nebula is a huge cloud of gas that contracted inward from gravity to form the sun and the planets All planets revolve around the sun in an elliptical orbit counter clockwise to the sun There are 150 moons in our solar system We landed on the Earth s moon in 1969 Ours revolves around the earth once every 27 days Size and Shape Vertical relief 20 km 12 miles Equatorial diameter 12 756 km Polar Diameter 12 714 Diameter 8 000 miles Sphere or ellipse The earth bulges It is an ellipse that spins causing a bulge at the equator Geographic Grid used to determine location on spherical earth Lines of reference The North and South Pole which are earth s rotation axis The Plane of the equator the midline of earth between the poles and perpendicular to earth s surface is also reference Earth is the only planet that tilts The huge asteroid that hit 2 5 billon years ago tilted the earth reason for the seasons Great circles any plane passing through the earth dividing it into 2 equal parts is called great circle hemispheres They pass through the sphere s center Also called circle of illumination because this is what the sunlights at one point in time Great circle identifies the shortest distance between two points on a sphere used in navigation Lines of Longitude and Latitude The earth grid system is referred to as graticule made up of many lines Parallels run east west and north south Latitude parallels that measure your position North South of the equator run East West Important latitudes expressed in degrees and minutes Tropic of cancer and Capricorn 23 5 degrees N and S Equator 0 degrees Poles 90 degrees N and S Longitude meridians that measure your position East West run North South Point of reference is Prime Meridian Meridians Measure your position E W of prime meridian run N S Prime Meridian 0 degrees longitude Converge at the poles Lines of latitude and longitude are expressed in degrees and minutes 369 degrees 60 minutes in 1 degree Parallels of Importance tied closely to the earth s orbit around the sun Equator North Pole South Pole Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn Antarctic Circle Arctic Circle