Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Four giants of modern physical geography
KEY CONCEPTS
Four physical geographers whose contributions to the subject have been monumental are Richard Chorley, Sir John
Houghton, Kenneth Hare and Sir Ghillean Prance.
Richard Chorley
was a student of Strahler and became the pre-eminent British analytical geomorphologist of the
second half of the twentieth century. Most of his professional career was at the University of Cambridge. He was
a fervent advocate of systems analysis in physical geography, and made use of mechanics, modelling and the concept
of functional equilibrium in his research. He emphasized the multivariate nature of many geomorphological problems,
and focused on the adjustments necessary between form and process in the physical landscape. He was instrumental
in reducing the influence of Davisian concepts in research and teaching. Positive alternatives were expounded in a
series of seminal topics, including Frontiers in Geographical Teaching (1965) and Models in Geography (1967), both
with P. Haggett; Physical geography: a Systems Approach(1971) with B. Kennedy, and three volumes on the History
of the Study of Landforms(1964, 1973, 1991) with A. Dunn and R. Beckinsale. Among many honours he has received
the Patron's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.
Sir John Houghton
FRS has been at the forefront of climate change research for forty years. As Professor of
Atmospheric Physics at the University of Oxford, and then Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office, he was one
of the earliest researchers to use satellite technology to monitor global temperatures and carbon dioxide levels in
the atmosphere. He was chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 1992-98 and co-chairman
of Scientific Assessment for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1988-2002. He has devoted
considerable energy to persuading politicians like the Prime Minister and the US Senate to take climate change
seriously. Currently chairman of the John Ray Initiative, he is also a trustee of the Shell Foundation and continues to
campaign for greater responsibility by industry for its carbon emissions.
Kenneth Hare
, Companion of the Order of Canada, was a distinguished meteorologist and bioclimatologist. An early
researcher in the field of global climate and its stability, he produced several classic textbooks such as The Restless
Atmosphere (1953) and Climate Canada (1979) with M. K.Thomas. His work on the arctic climates of Canada was
seminal, and in this ecozone he was quick to realize the need for an interdisciplinary approach embracing glaciology,
oceanography and biogeography. In turn he has been Master of Birkbeck College, University of London; President
of the University of British Columbia; Provost of Trinity College, University of Toronto; and Chancellor of Trent University,
Ontario. He combined university service with an outstanding record of public service in Canada and abroad, chairing
many commissions investigating environmental concerns such as transboundary air pollution, lead in the environment,
nuclear safety review and nuclear waste management.
Sir Ghillean Prance
FRS is a biogeographer and conservation scientist of the first rank. He has explored the Amazonian
rain forest for the past thirty years, working on plant systematics (classification), plant ecology, ethnobotany and
conservation. During fieldwork he has lived with no fewer than sixteen Indian tribes. Formerly the Director of the
Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, he is currently Science Director of the Eden Project in Cornwall. His conservation
initiatives in Amazonia are aimed at identifying centres of endemism and priority areas for protection. His many honours
include the Patron's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal
of Honour. Among his thirteen topics, Extinction is forever(1976), with T. E. Elias, and The Cultural History of Plants
(2004) are much quoted.
These four environmental scientists have offered more than research. They have been keen to use science for the
benefit of society; they have given generous support and encouragement to young researchers; not least, they are
examples of scientists with spiritual commitment seeking to analyse and understand God's creation in order to heal
any environmental damage caused by human greed.
