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GEOGRAPHY 110: THE BLUE PLANET:AN INTRODUCTION TO EARTH’S ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
The Great Systems of the Earth – the Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, Atmosphere, and Biosphere – are the blood, bones, and organs of our planet. These systems are deeply interconnected in myriad and complex ways. Modify one part of one system, for example by changing atmospheric chemistry, and the consequences can ripple through the entire Earth System. Intrepid explorers on voyages of discovery mapped and catalogued much of the physical earth, emphasizing description of distant lands, and answering the question “What is where?” These beginnings formed the basis for much of our current knowledge about our planet. Modern earth scientists seek to understand how the earth works. What are the regulating processes and interdependencies among Earth’s systems? How do these processes, cycles, and feedbacks generate the patterns that we observe in our world, at the global scale and locally? How do these processes influence human activities, and how, in turn, are they affected by humanity? Through study of these topics students will develop a foundation for understanding the geography of nature, the Earth system, and our place in it.
LECTURES: 11:15 – 12:05 MWF PEABODY 104 SPRING 2015 ● UNC-CHAPEL HILL
Dr. Aaron Moody
