Geography Facts
Physical geography (or physiography) focuses on geography as an Earth science. It aims to understand the physical problems and the issues of lithosphere, hydrosphere,atmosphere, pedosphere, and global flora and fauna patterns (biosphere).
Physical geography can be divided into many broad categories, including:
Earth Science is the study of Earth and its neighbors in space.
Earth science or geoscience is an all-encompassing term that refers to the fields of science dealing with planet Earth.[2] It can be considered to be a branch of planetary science, but with a much older history. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences. The formal discipline of Earth sciences may include the study of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, andbiosphere. Typically, Earth scientists will use tools from physics, chemistry, biology, chronology, and mathematics to build a quantitative understanding of how the Earth system works, and how it evolved to its current state.
Fields of study[edit]
The following fields of science are generally categorized within the Earth sciences:
- Geography specifically Physical Geography covers aspects of geomorphology, soil study, hydrology, meteorology, climatology, and biogeography.[3]
- Geology describes the rocky parts of the Earth's crust (or lithosphere) and its historic development. Major subdisciplines are mineralogy and petrology, geochemistry,geomorphology, paleontology, stratigraphy, structural geology, engineering geology, and sedimentology.[4][5]
- Geophysics and geodesy investigate the shape of the Earth, its reaction to forces and its magnetic and gravity fields. Geophysicists explore the Earth's core and mantle as well as the tectonic and seismic activity of the lithosphere.[5][6][7] Geophysics is commonly used to supplement the work of geologists in developing a comprehensive understanding of crustal geology, particularly in mineral and petroleum exploration. See Geophysical survey.
- Soil science covers the outermost layer of the Earth's crust that is subject to soil formation processes (or pedosphere).[8] Major subdisciplines include edaphology andpedology.[9]
- Ecology covers the interactions between the biota, with their natural environment. This field of study differentiates the study of the Earth, from the study of other planets in ourSolar System; the Earth being the only planet teeming with life.
- Hydrology (includes oceanography and limnology) describe the marine and freshwater domains of the watery parts of the Earth (or hydrosphere). Major subdisciplines includehydrogeology and physical, chemical, and biological oceanography.[citation needed]
- Glaciology covers the icy parts of the Earth (or cryosphere).
- Atmospheric sciences cover the gaseous parts of the Earth (or atmosphere) between the surface and the exosphere (about 1000 km). Major subdisciplines includemeteorology, climatology, atmospheric chemistry, and atmospheric physics.