Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Hydrology studies water in the land-atmosphere-ocean
system, especially the processes of the hydrological cycle
(such as evaporation, precipitation, and run-off ) and their
applications (such as in fl oods and droughts). It includes the
study of groundwater and water in the cryosphere.
Climatology investigates not only the average condition of
the atmosphere but also the range, frequency, and causes of
atmospheric events. It includes mass and energy exchange
between the Earth and atmosphere, the general circulation
of the atmosphere, and the regional and local atmospheric
circulations that account for weather patterns.
Biogeography studies all aspects of the distribution of
life - the 'living world' of plants, animals, micro-organisms,
and whole ecosystems. Major interests include the vegetation
formations of the Earth, such as tropical rainforest, savanna
grassland, and tundra, and their biodiversity.
Soil geography, sometimes regarded as part of biogeography,
focuses on variation in the soil cover of the Earth, especially
on differences in the development and degradation of soils.
Geocryology, overlapping in part with hydrology and also
with geomorphology, is the study of the Earth's snow, ice, and
frozen ground, including glaciers and ice sheets, perennially
frozen ground (permafrost), and seasonally frozen ground.
The interdisciplinary contribution
The breadth of physical geography means that there are many
actual and potential mutually benefi cial interactions with
established cognate sciences. Some of these links have developed
into well-established interdisciplinary research fi elds, such as
Quaternary science and geo-archaeology. In Quaternary science,
physical geographers work in teams with Quaternary geologists,
