What is physical geography and how it relates to the natural resources

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL SCIENCES

Physical geography is the branch of geography that deals with location, distribution and interactions of all the natural elements and processes that make up the environment: energy, air, water, weather, climate, landforms, soils, animals, plants, microorganisms, and Earth itself.

These natural elements are parts of the big natural spheres of the earth namely the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere which physical geography studies

Physical geography is divide into branches that deals with the specific natural components of the earth

These braches include geomorphology, the branch that deals with landforms on the earth surface and processes causing them, the lithosphere.

Climatology which studies climate, its associated elements and processes, the atmosphere
Oceanography that studies ocean and costal process and their associated landforms.

Soil geography examines soils properties, distribution and processes that lead to their formation, pedosphere

Biogeography study plants and animals, their distribution and interaction with the natural environment, biosphere

Physical geography synthesizes (bring together) data from natural science disciplines to interpret information of the natural components of the Erath

Therefore Physical Geography is closely linked with natural sciences such as geology, meteorology, hydrology, penology and ecology and derive their data from these sciences.


PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT

The elements of physical geography are natural in origin, and for this reason physical geography is sometimes called environmental geography

Physical geography, emphasis understanding the surface environment of Earth and the ways in which humans utilize and alter their environment

The habitable environment for humans exists over almost the entire land surface of Earth, except the most extremely dry, cold, and rugged places where humans rarely venture. ¢Such parts are Arctic, most of Greenland, Antarctica, various mountainous regions, and several deserts

Even in such locations, other forms of life may be found.

Earth’s “life zone,” encompasses oceanic, terrestrial, and atmospheric life, extending from the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench to the atmosphere above the highest mountain.

It is primarily within this shallow life zone that geographers focus their interests and do their work.

In the human environment there activities and interactions between human and natural entities and processes such as ‘natural hazards’ and ‘natural resources’.

Therefore the geographical study which considers some element of society and nature relative to each other, merges physical geography and human geography and in the strict sense forms a discipline known as environmental geography.

Environmental Geography concerns with environmental problems such as land gradation, pollution, protection and conservation of environment.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND THE GEOSYSTEMS

Physical geography recognizes that the world is a system of interdependencies of subsystems that are coastally interacting through various processes (a set of actions or mechanisms that operate in some special order).

Physical geography deals with powerful Earth systems that influence our lives and includes the many ways humans impact those systems.

It explains the operations of Earth systems from a spatial perspective and gives you the tools to understand it.



Physical geography is at the heart of Earth systems science as it answers the spatial questions concerning Earth’s physical systems and their interaction with living things.

Physical geography is key to studying entire Earth systems because of its integrative spatial approach.

Our study of Earth systems

(Geosystems)—begins with a look at the science of physical geography and the geographic tools we use.