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Date |
Lecture
Topics |
Assignment
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1/20/04 |
Introduction to the course and to physical geography. Basic course plans. Distribute syllabus and discuss. Introduction to Properties of Systems. Atmosphere Lesson 1: Earth’s geometry and rotation; latitude and longitude; map projections and their properties; Coriolis effect. Earth’s Relationship with the Sun: orbital geometry and axial tilt: day and night; time zones; seasonality; solstice and equinox conditions. |
Read: Prologue: pp. 6 – 15; Chapter 1 pp. 23 – 26; 28 - 40. Review Questions p. 48 # 1 – 7 and Visualizing Exercises p. 49 #1 and 2. |
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1/27/04 |
Atmosphere Lesson 2: Solar radiation,
Earth radiation, and Earth’s radiation balance; seasonal and latitudinal
effects. Atmosphere Lesson 3: Introduction to
the atmosphere. Its composition and
properties; albedo; latent and sensible heat exchange. How the atmosphere affects solar and Earth
radiation; the greenhouse effect.
Global energy balance. |
Read Chapter 2 pp. 51 – 73. Review Questions p. 84 #1, 2, 5, 7 – 15. |
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2/3/04 |
Quiz #1:
Material covered thus far. Atmosphere Lesson 4: Patterns of temperature on Earth: vertically in the atmosphere; horizontally on Earth’s surface; temporal patterns of daily, annual and multi-year duration; isotherms. The adiabatic process. Begin Atmosphere Lesson 5: Past and Present Climate Patterns. Global climate change. |
Read
Chapter 3 pp. 88 – 94 (this material will not be covered in lecture); pp. 95 – 108. Review Questions p. 116: #5 – 9. |
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2/10/04 |
Continue Atmosphere Lesson 5: Past and
Present Climate Patterns. Global
climate change. Atmosphere
Lesson 6: Introduction to
atmospheric circulation. Atmospheric
pressure; gradient winds; local wind patterns: sea/land breezes;
mountain/valley winds; drainage winds. |
Read Chapter 3 pp. 108 – 14. Review Questions in “Eye on Global Change 3.1” #1 – 3; and “Eye on Global Change 3.2” #1, 2. Read: Chapter 5 pp. 151 – 158. Review Questions 1 – 4 on p. 182. |
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2/17/04 |
Quiz #2: Material from past two weeks. Atmosphere Lesson 7. The Coriolis effect and geostrophic winds; cyclones and anticyclones. Hadley cells; the ITCZ and global pressure and circulation patterns. Winds aloft: Rossby waves and the jet stream. Review for Midterm Exam #1 – The Atmosphere. |
Read: Chapter 5 pp. 158 – 172. Review Questions 5, 6, 10, 11, 12 on p. 182. |
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2/24/04 |
Begin Unit C:
The Hydrosphere Hydrosphere Lesson 1: Introduction to the Hydrosphere. Major water stores and fluxes; specific and relative humidity. Midterm
Examination 1: Earth’s Atmosphere and the Climate System. |
Read: Chapter 4 pp. 119 – 27. Review Questions 1 – 7 on p. 148. |
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3/2/04 |
Hydrosphere Lesson 2: Clouds and their formation; dry vs. wet adiabatic lapse rates. Fog. Precipitation and processes of formation: Orographic; convection; cyclonic. Hydrosphere
Lesson 3: Seasonal patterns in circulation and precipitation. |
Read: Chapter 4 pp. 127 – 39. Review Questions 7 – 12 on p. 148. Read: pp. 249 – 51: The Mediterranean Climate; 166 – 7: monsoon circulation. |
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3/9/04 |
Quiz #3: Hydrosphere Lessons 2 and 3. Hydrosphere
Lesson 4: Oceanic Circulation and El Niño. Hydrosphere Lesson 5: Weather systems – Air masses; mid-latitude and tropical cyclones. |
Read: Chapter 5 pp. 174 – 180. Review Questions 14, 15 on p. 182. Read: Chapter 6 pp. 185-201.Review Questions: 1, 3, 4, 5 on p. |
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3/16/04 |
Lithosphere Lesson 1: Major constituents of Earth’s crust: primary elements; minerals; rocks. How rocks are produced and modified. Lithosphere Lesson 2: Basic structure of the earth. |
Read: Chapter 11: pp. 371 – 379; 382 – 387; 390. Review Questions p. 392 #1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. |
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3/23/04 |
Lithosphere Lesson 3: History of
thought on formation and change of Earth’s surface features. Deep Time and the
Catastrophism/Uniformitarianism debate.
Radiometric dating. |
Read: Chapter 12: pp. 397 – 8. Review Questions on p. 422 #1, 2. |
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3/30/04 |
Quiz #4: Material covered during the past two lectures and assigned readings. Lithosphere Lesson 4: Plate Tectonics: Development of the idea of continental drift. Modern ideas of Plate Tectonics and the ways plate interactions produce and modify Earth’s surface features. |
Read: Chapter 12: pp. 399 – 409; 414 – 20. Review Questions on p. 422 #5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15. |
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4/6/04 |
Spring Break |
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4/13/04 |
Lithosphere Lesson 5: Volcanoes, hotspots, and the landforms they produce. Lithosphere Lesson 6: Tectonic landforms |
Read Ch. 13 pp. 425 – 35; 437; 440 - 449. Review Questions p. 452 #1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10. |
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4/20/04 |
Biosphere Lesson 1: Introduction to the Biosphere: Energy flow and nutrient cycling in ecosystems. Midterm Exam #2 – The Hydrosphere and Lithosphere. |
Read Chapter 8 pp. 269 – 277. Review Questions 1 – 3 on p. 307. |
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4/27/04 |
Biosphere
Lesson 2: Patterns in the
Biosphere and Adaptations. The carbon
cycle. Island biogeography. |
Read Chapter 8 pp. 277 – 295. Review Questions #8, 11, 12 on p. 307. |
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5/4/04 |
Quiz #5: Biosphere Lessons 1 and 2. Biosphere Lesson
3: Introduction to Evolution Biosphere
Lesson 4: Evolution continued – Evidence
and modes of evolution; extinction. |
Read Chapter 8 pp. 277 – 304. Review Questions #20, 21, 26, 30 on p. 307. |
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5/11/04 |
Biosphere
Lesson 5 – Biodiversity. History of biodiversity, threats to
biodiversity and current state of the biosphere. |
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5/18/04 |
Quiz #6:
Evolution and Biodiversity. Course Summary and Conclusions Review for final examination. |
Prepare for Final Exam |
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5/25/04 |
Final Examination |
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