Geography - Geography - Lecture Slides, Slides of Geology

Download Geography - Geography - Lecture Slides and more Slides Geology in PDF only on Docsity! EARTH SYSTEMS Introduction/Rules/Overview Information Who am I? Who are you? Syllabus Information Important Basic Concepts Global Energy Budget (start) Geography • The science that studies the relationships among: – natural systems, – geographic areas, – society, – cultural activities, – and the interdependence of all of these over Space and Time (link to History). The Science of Geography • Geography – from geo “Earth” and graphein “to write” • Geography is – a method, not just a body of knowledge – Holistic (no boundaries to thoughts) • Geographers use spatial analysis • PHYSICAL Geographers Study Earth Systems Science Physical Geography is … • … the spatial analysis of all the physical elements and processes that make up the environment: –Energy –Air –Water –Weather –Climate –Landforms –Soils –Animals –Plants –Micro organisms –The Earth itself Owen Hertzman—Who am I??? • 59 years old, married, live in New Westminster • BASc Engineering Physics UBC (1973) • MSc Climatology/Geography UBC (1979) • PhD Atmospheric Physics U. Wash. (1988) • Studied clouds and rain in last 2 degrees. • Worked at Dalhousie U in Halifax in the Meteorology, Marine Management and Environmental Studies Programs. • Since 2006, SFU senior lecturer Phys. Geog. • My biases are towards social democracy, though I don’t belong to any political party. Who are You? a. Your Individual Degree Goals here at SFU? i. Physical Geography ii. Human Geography iii. SIS/GIS (Information Systems) iv. Other Science v. Other Social Science vi. Business and Economics b. Age/Experience/Diversity— c. Each write me short email with info on points a. & b., plus where/when you last studied ( e.g. high school/college/other university ) (This information is at top of Lab. Assign. 1). Docsity.com Lectures G111 Spr. 2011 – Week 1 Intro., Themes in Physical Geography, Global Energy Budget – Week 2 Atmos. Structure, Solar and Infrared Radiation, Surfaces, Albedo – Week 3 Temperature, Jets, General Circulation, Local/Monsoon winds – Week 4 Weather—Air Masses, Pressure, Humidity, Precipitation 111.04 Lectures G111 Fall 2010 (2) – Week 5 Hydrosphere —Water Budget, Runoff/ Storage, Drainage, Evapo-transpir’on – Week 6 MIDTERM and Intro. to Plate Tectonics/Earth Energy System – Week 7 Structure of the Earth, Lithosphere, Earth Materials (elements, minerals, rocks) Folding, Faulting, Earthquakes, Volcanoes – Week 8 Stream-flow, Fluvial and Glacial systems G111 Lectures Fall 2010 (3) – Weeks 9-12 Geomorphologic Processes: Weathering, Erosion and Landforms Wind (Aeolian), Coastal, Ocean Soils, chemical cycling. Ecosystems & Biosphere— components, relationships, communities, Succession and Biomes. Global Climate Change & Course Evaluations Week 13 Review (Monday -- all welcome) (short one week of lectures so some topics shortened) G111 Laboratory Schedule • Week 1 MAPS -1 Introduction, Basics, Terminology ASSIGN 1#. • Week 2 MAPS 1 (cont.) + Basic Math/Plotting ASSIGN 2# • Week 3 Radiation And Energy Budget of Surfaces ASSIGN 3* • Week 4,5 MAPS-2 Rivers/Streams/Topography ASSIGN 4* WINTER BREAK • Week 6 VOLCANOES, Earthquakes, Sea floor spreading ASSIGN 5* • Week 7,8 Stream Drainage Patterns/Water Budget ASSIGN 6* • Week 9,10 Glacial Processes, Landforms, Mass Budget ASSIGN 7* • Week 11 Walk in the Woods# • Week 11 (last part) Review for lab examination • Week 12 LABORATORY EXAMINATION during scheduled lab period. • *--indicates marked assignment Due At the Start of the LAB PERIOD one week after the end of the lab • #--indicates assignment or activity which must be completed or penalty assigned. • The first 2 assignments will be marked but not counted at the end. Those entering the course late MUST complete ASSIGN 1 & 2 or lose marks at the end. Laboratory sections and schedules are in the Syllabus Please read the syllabus and your class schedule and go to the proper section in the room indicated at the proper time and BE ON TIME Plagiarism • SFU has policies on doing your own work and properly referencing others’ work. • In G111, there are laboratory assignments, some of which you may be told to do in groups. • You must share data with your group, but do your final write-up by yourself. If you get stuck on a point, ask a friend in the course to help you (and you help them). • We do NOT want to see identical write-ups, except if you are working in groups and are instructed to submit your answers together. Docsity.com Scientific Method (3)  SCIENCE is NOT democratic, politically correct, or sensitive to anyone’s NEEDS. • One person with a good argument DISPROVING a long-held HYPOTHESIS can beat 1000 or more scientists who believe the hypothesis, but can’t refute the argument. • SCIENCE Courses change over time as we learn more. • If your friends, relatives or children take this course in the future, information may change, as our understanding improves. Power point figures from text • Some are from older 1st Canadian edition • Texts (2nd and 1st Canadian editions) are similar, but the newer one has fixed several problems. Use Second Edition. • On next slide, note the Different colours of the two large lakes in northern Canada. • What might be causing this? 1-3 Essentials of Geography • The Science of Geography • Earth Systems Concepts • Location and Time on Earth • Maps, Scales, (and Projections) • Remote Sensing and GIS Earth Systems Science • International Polar Year 2007-2008 – http://www.ipy.org/ – example of international collaborative science – SFU involved via work in the Mackenzie Delta • Polar processes are linked to worldwide change: e.g. Arctic sea ice decreases can affect temperature, biota and economy regionally and globally • Earth Systems Science = Geosystems Geography integrates biophysical sciences and social sciences Figure 1.2 Docsity.com Earth Systems Concepts • Systems Theory • Open systems • Closed systems • System feedback • System equilibrium Figure 1.3 Open and Closed Systems • An OPEN system allows flows of energy and/or materials across the boundary of the system. It has INPUTS & OUTPUTS. • CLOSED system has NO INPUTS or OUTPUTS. • EARTH as a whole is open wrt* ENERGY • EARTH as a whole is closed wrt WATER • Question to think about: Do the physical boundaries of systems = political boundaries? Implications if so or if not. *wrt = with respect to A Natural Open System Figure 1.4 System Feedback Suppose you make a change to a system. e.g. You increase the temperature. Positive feedback in the system enhances the original change--Result differs more and more from the starting state RESULT is… [destabilizing] e.g. Get Further Temperature increases. Negative feedback in the system diminishes, attenuates, or reduces the original change. Tends to preserve the starting state, so RESULT is [stabilizing]. e.g. Temperature returns to near its starting value. Equilibrium and Steady State • Equilibrium: When a system remains ‘balanced’ over time. Different Kinds… – Steady-state: values fluctuate around a steady average for a long time. – Dynamic: values fluctuate around an average which may itself change slowly – Metastable: results from an abrupt change from one state to another (Fig. 1.5b) – WHAT is the GLOBAL CLIMATE system like??? Dynamic, possibly metastable. Docsity.com Ice-Albedo Feedback as example of Positive Feedback Ice reflects a bigger fraction of sunlight than water does — ice has higher ALBEDO ( or fraction of light energy reflected ). • Melting ice to water is a positive feedback mechanism for an ocean. More melting leads to more water leads to more heating by the sun leads to more melting and so on. • Positive feedback ends when sun goes down for the year in the fall. (see p.7 of text) • IMPORTANT in Climate Change Debate. Positive Feedback in High-latitude Melt-ponds Figure 1.1.1 © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario 1-38 Earth’s Dimensions—Near Sphere Figure 1.10 © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario 1-39 Location and Time on Earth • Latitude (parallels of) – Angular distance North or South of the equator, 0-90° • Longitude (meridians of) – Angular distance east or west of a chosen point, 0-180° • Locating the Prime Meridian (Greenwich) and ‘standard’ time (GMT, UTC, Z) • Great Circles = shortest distance between any 2 points on a (near-) sphere. Plane defined by a great circle passes thru centre of Earth. • NOW FIGURES …. Great Circles and Small Circles Figure 1.14 © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario 1-41 Latitude Figure 1.13 Docsity.com Remote Sensing • Active remote sensing – The instrument sends out its own energy, which is reflected back to it by something in nature – Most common: Radar, Lidar • Passive remote sensing – The instrument receives reflected solar energy or emitted energy from something in nature – Most common: visible light, near and middle infrared energy, thermal energy  – GOES (Geostationary--located above the equator) Active and Passive Remote Sensing Figure 1.26 Large Area Remote Sensing Figure 1.25 Figure 1.26 RADARSAT-1 GOES-12 In 1997, Canada’s Radarsat mission actually turned the satellite around for four months to make the first composite image of Antarctica. This image shows 18 days of images from September and October, 1997, in the Antarctic spring. The GOES image represents one of a very long time series of whole-earth “weather satellite” information. The latest full-Earth images are updated every three hours and can be seen at http://www.goes.noaa.gov/goesfull.html. The GOES program also operates a “significant daily event” site where the latest images of storms, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions or other natural events are posted and explained. Access its past images at: http://www.osei.noaa.gov/. HOW is there LIFE on EARTH? 1) Sun has current size and surface temperature (~6000 K) 2) Our planet has an atmosphere which NOW allows the surface to be about 33 K (or 33 degrees Celsius) warmer than it would be with no atmosphere. 3) Sun is at a distance which produces a reasonable amount of solar energy at our location. Reasonable here means that, with our atmosphere, H2O is mostly liquid. How is there life on Earth (2)? 4) Our planet has an atmosphere which absorbs deadly cosmic rays and contains enough oxygen for respiration to take place. 5) Green plants, the base of almost all food chains, can grow here. WHY? They are adapted to the temperatures here and the radiation characteristics of our SUN. Docsity.com How is there life on Earth (3)? • If any of the 1st 4 facts [1)-4)] are changed SUBSTANTIALLY, then plants would be at risk and life as we know it would end. • How much will the climate change in response to changes in the Earth—Sun system, including changes in the composition of the atmosphere? GLOBAL ENERGY BUDGET • Solar radiation incoming to EARTH from the sun is balanced by: REFLECTED solar radiation (from clouds and all surfaces, mainly ocean) + Energy Emitted by Earth in the Thermal Infrared Earth’s Energy Budget Figure 2.8 The Electromagnetic Spectrum • Wavelength of radiated energy depends on the temperature of the radiating body. Sun is hot, so radiates shorter wavelength energy, mainly visible and near infrared – Shorter wavelengths have higher energy Earth is cooler, so it radiates longer wave energy, mainly thermal infrared Solar and Terrestrial Energy Figure 2.7 © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario 2-65 Docsity.com