Evolution of Geographical Knowledge and its Subfields
Evolution of Scientific Knowledge
Prehistory: Agriculture, natural resources, and populations represented by humankind.
Antiquity: Anaximander’s world map, Earth’s sphericity, parallels and meridians, the geocentric model by Aristotle, Ptolemy, Eratosthenes, etc.
Middle Ages: Compass (Chinese), invention of zero (Maya), Al-Idrisi’s world map and 70 local maps, Ibn Battuta’s travels.
Renaissance: Evidence of Earth’s sphericity from Magellan’s voyages, invention of the telescope by Galileo Galilei, the
Read MoreSpain’s Water Diversity: Influencing Factors and Geographical Analysis
Diversity Strategy and Spain’s Biogeographical Influence Factors
Factors influencing Spain’s water diversity are:
– The weather: River, lake, and aquifer water originates from precipitation. A sharp contrast exists between wet and dry Spain.
– Relief and topography: These influence basin organization, erosive capacity, and the formation of lakes and aquifers.
– Lithology: Rock type and characteristics determine permeable (filtered water) and impermeable rocks (favoring runoff).
– Vegetation: This retains
Environmental Systems and Impacts
Causal Relationships in Ecosystems
Causal systems involve interactions or causal relationships, which can be simple or complex.
Simple Causal Relationships
These involve a direct, unilateral influence of one variable on another.
- Direct: An increase or decrease in one variable causes the same change in another (e.g., increased atmospheric carbon dioxide leads to increased plant biomass).
- Inverse: An increase or decrease in one variable causes the opposite change in another (e.g., increased forest cover
Ecology Fundamentals: Exploring Ecosystems and Their Interactions
Ecology Fundamentals
Food
Establishing relationships with their living environment for the matter and energy needed for nourishment.
Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers
- Producers (Autotrophs): Manufacture their own organic matter from inorganic substances.
- Consumers (Heterotrophs): Feed on living organic matter. Types include herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
- Decomposers (Heterotrophs): Feed on detritus and turn it into inorganic matter.
Food Chain
A series of linearly ordered organisms.
Food Web
A
Read MoreClimate Change Impacts and Natural Hazards
Evidence of Global Warming
Retreating glaciers (in recent decades, glaciers have receded, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, also affecting the ice or frost layer covering polar oceans, losing 40% of their thickness), rising sea levels (currently 3mm annually due to melting ice), increased global temperature (reflected in the above), more frequent extreme weather events (droughts, floods, and heat waves are more common), and living organisms modifying their behavior and distribution (migrations
Read MoreBeach Formation and Sediment Composition
Beach Formation
A beach is a deposit of unconsolidated sediments, ranging from sand to gravel (excluding mud, typically found in alluvial plains or mangrove coasts). It extends from the base of the dune or vegetation line to a depth where sediment movement ceases. This depth varies depending on beach bathymetry, geomorphology, and wave action.
Sediment Composition
Beach sediments vary in composition depending on their source:
- Lithogenic/Terrigenous Sediments: Originate from the Earth’s crust. These