GEOG 1000 Introduction to Physical Geography
Dr. Hester Jiskoot Fall 2010
Lectures
Mon-Wed-Fri: 10:00-10:50, Room: PE-250, Period: 8 Sept – 9 Dec 2010, Holiday: Monday 11 Oct,
The course consists of 39 lectures and 4 tests (see Grading for details and dates)
Instructor
Dr. Hester Jiskoot
Office: WE2050 in the Alberta Water & Environmental Science Building (AWESB)
: 403-329-2739, Email: hester.jiskoot@uleth.ca,
Office hours: Mon 11:00-12:00 & Wed 13:00-15:00 or by appointment.
Course webpage
http://classes.uleth.ca/201003/geog1000a. Lecture notes will be available here.
Required Textbook
RW Christopherson, “Elemental Geosystems” (2010: 6th Edition). Prentice Hall.
The book is for sale at the University bookstore as a print or e-book version (half the price). For more
information on the e-book version contact the bookstore or go to http://uleth.jumpbooks.com. Earlier
editions of the book “Elemental Geosystems” are acceptable, but their chapter order and content will
be slightly different and some detail may be missing.
Course Description
Fundamental processes and interrelationships between the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and
hydrosphere using a systems science approach. Topics will include landforms and landscapes,
geodesy, earth surface materials, soils, biogeography, weather and climate, hydrology, water
resources, and glacial processes.
The course objective is to develop an understanding of the major elements and processes of the earth
system and to recognise the effects of anthropogenic activities on our environment, such as pollution,
soil erosion, and climate change. We will cover a vast amount of material in this course and students
are required to do a lot of reading. It is important that you keep up with the readings assigned.
Course schedule
The course outline closely follows the required textbook. The main topics covered are:
I. Introduction (Chapter 1)
Introduction to course, to Physical Geography, Systems and the Scientific Method
Remote sensing and Geographic Information Science (GIS)
II. Determining location on Earth (Chapter 1 & Appendix A)
Spheres, geoid, geographic coordinate systems, time zones
Maps and map projections
III. Earth-Sun-Moon system and our Atmosphere (Chapter 2)
Universe, solar energy, earth motions and seasonality
IV. Weather & Climate (Chapters 3-5 and 7)
Structure and compositions of the atmosphere
Global radiation and energy balances (insolation, radiation and temperature)
Atmospheric and oceanic circulation
Atmospheric moisture and precipitation
Air masses, fronts, storm systems
Introduction to climate; climate classification, distribution & associated vegetation
Global climate change - Greenhouse gases
VI. Water Resources (Chapter 6)
Hydrological Cycle and Water Resources
Soil water budget, Groundwater and
Water supply
VII. Geology and geomorphology (Chapters 8-14)
Lithosphere, crustal & tectonic processes, geologic time and processes
Earthquakes and volcanoes
Weathering, erosion and mass movement
Fluvial, Aeolian, Marine, Glacial and Periglacial systems and landforms
Landforms close to home
GEOG 1000 Introduction to Physical Geography
Dr. Hester Jiskoot Fall 2010
VIII. Soils (Chapter 15)
Pedology, Soil characteristics, soil formation
Soil classification and distribution
Soil erosion
IX. Landscape ecology (Chapter 16)
Ecosystems
Terrestrial Biomes
X. Human-Earth interactions (Chapter17 and revising previous material)
Population issues and the human footprint
Pollution and disturbance of natural systems
Grading
Your knowledge of the course material will be tested through four tests. All tests are computer-based
and will be run through Blackboard(WebCT). They are scheduled to be taken at the student’s chosen
time over a four day period (Mon-Thurs) in the University’s Testing Centre (UHall B700). An email
will be sent to all students before each test, to remind students of the material tested on the exam. The
chapters listed in the examination schedule below make reference to the required textbook. Slight
changes in chapters tested may occur and will be announced!
EXAMINATION SCHEDULE FALL 2010
Test
Date
Chapters and Material tested
1
4-7 Oct
1-6
Essentials, Solar System, Atmosphere, Weather, Water
% of
final grade
25
2
25-28 Oct
7-10
Climate and Geology
25
3
15-18 Nov
10-14 Geomorphological Processes and Landforms
25
4
15-18 Dec
15-17 Soils, Biogeography, Human-earth interactions & Review
25
It is important that you properly identify yourself both by name and ID-number, when completing
Blackboard(WebCT) tests. A cumulative percentage mark will be determined using all test results,
which will be converted to a final letter grade as follows:
Percentage
90.0-100
85.0-89.9
80.0-84.9
77.0-79.9
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
67.0-69.9
63.0-66.9
60.0-62.9
55.0-59.9
50.0-54.9
< 50.0
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Grade Points
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.0
Marks will be posted on Blackboard(WebCT): https://courseware.uleth.ca/webct/
Instructions will be given as to how to access your grades and test results on Blackboard(WebCT).
If for reasons such as illness or a serious family problem you are unable to attend a test, a doctor's or
other official note is required within one week. Otherwise zero marks will be given for that test. Makeup tests will be scheduled for students that were legitimately unable to attend a test.
Other Requirements
Each student must have a University of Lethbridge email address.
Communications and test details will be given via email, in class and on the course website.
It is your responsibility to keep your email account empty enough so that you can receive emails.