Chapter 1 7 1 2014 5 58 00 PM Flash cards http quizlet com 12062612 geography 2051 flash cards Chapter 1 Introduction to Geography Geography Geography is very old and asks the question what is where literally it means earth writing The study of spatial distribution of phenomena on or near the earth s surface Old Geography o The question What is where o All about description describing what other places are like o Why people did geography through human history 1 Curiosity could be a survival instinct 2 Economics 3 Political Power expansion 4 Cultural included priests to spread their beliefs 5 Military Power Practical Activity only recently has is become a university thing New Geography o Changed over the past 150 years o 1900s is when departments of geography developed in universities o Maps Global Distribution all available before o Geographers realized they have to find something to do o The question Why requires an explanation Why are things arranged the way the are Why is gold where it is Why does Sugar Cane thrive here More of a challenging endeavor that involves explanation and a deeper degree of understanding o Answered through explanations Need to know much more about them than just where they are Requires much more knowledge Divisions of geography o Human vs Physical Geography Human Physical Focuses on people and culture cities economy industrial enterprises etc Focuses on the natural environment how we influence Four spheres of physical geography what is around us o 1 Lithosphere Refers to the solid earth portions mountains beaches valleys sand dunes Geomorphology geomorphologists o 2 Hydrosphere Refers to the water portions moisture in air clouds oceans The relatively thin envelope of gases that surround the earth rivers Water resources hydrologists o 3 Atmosphere that makes life possible Climatology climatologists o 4 Biosphere The living organisms and non living surroundings Biogeography biogeographists o All are interconnected and influence each other o In the center where they all come together is management and planning 5 common themes in Geographic research o 1 Location the use of longitude and latitude What is where Describing where things are mapping coordinate systems Always related to where something else is How things are arranged in space o 2 Place where things are in relation to each other refers to the characteristics and the attributes that make a location unique and different from any other place on the earth ex New Orleans has unique attributes that make it a place o 3 Regions an area that is eternally homogeneous the same with respect to some characteristic or attribute The south shares certain characteristics that make it different from the north cultural attributes that a location shares with other places Could be a climate region things a location shares with other areas around it o 4 Movement Networks linkages pathways connections Ties regions together roads power lines Ecosystems are tied together by flows of nutrients and energy Ideas and information that travel from place to place o 5 Human environment Interactions The environment influences people and people influence the Shapes the opportunities and resources that people have environment available to them Encourages and discourages connections between certain groups Pollution Biodiversity Methods and Tools o The Scientific Method To generate new knowledge to solve new problems or demonstrate the validity of an idea or trying to understand how the world works Primary tool in physical geography to develop new knowledge Method of trial and error in which ideas are tested before they are being accepted in order to identify the best solution Hypothesis guess hasn t been verified yet The verification step involves lots of different things experimentation collect data analyses etc based on the result of that process we either accept or reject the hypothesis Method the way of doing something a series of steps a method for creating knowledge to solve problems Theory generally accepted knowledge A priori knowledge There are times when we run into a gap and that s where the scientific method comes into play System of Trial and Error Based on the best possible work you can come up with Even the theory has not been proven true and is still open for Starts with a priori knowledge pre existing knowledge image of the world Then you identify a problem gap in the knowledge try and learn as much as you can about the gap Background research collect and process information on the Hypothesis provisional explanation of some phenomenon that problem requires verification debate o How it works Evaluate the hypothesis determine if it really works called the testing phase do experiments collect data try to falsify or prove our hypothesis is wrong If we fail to identify that our hypothesis is correct then we accept it and the hypothesis is verified and becomes part of the theory If we prove that the hypothesis is wrong it is rejected and we go back to the earlier steps of the process and do additional research o We can never PROVE truth o Theory Commonly accepted knowledge What is generally believed to be correct May or may not be correct Systems Theory o Abstract theory used to identify key components in any given surface o Group of concepts that allow us to determine important concepts o System set of objects and their attributes that are linked together by flows of matter and energy ex objects like planets are linked together by gravity 2 types of systems Open System matter and energy are free to enter and leave Ex ecosystem solar system earth All natural systems are open Closed System matter and energy can t enter or leave Can t persist over a long time because energy is escaping Self contained Ex battery powered watch Cannot have a true closed system THE EARTH IS NOT A CLOSED SYSTEM o Budget Law of Conservation Energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed budget energy matter can t be destroyed Inputs outputs change in storage Inputs Feed into our system Add energy or matter into storage Negative when outputs are more than inputs the storage If inputs are great than outputs the storage will increase decreases Outputs Carry matter and or energy out of the system Subtract from storage Inputs storage outputs 3 different budget types Positive budget storage increases Inputs outputs Negative budget storage decreases Inputs outputs Over the long term we can t have either positive or negative budgets neither are