Description:

This course is a survey of the physical and environmental topics of geography, including the methods used to study them. The Earth as a system and the subsystems of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere constitute the major units of study. Students will acquire basic terminology that they will use to explain the earth, the atmosphere, the landscape, and the processes that occur on earth to change the landscape. Topics may include mapping with topographic maps and remote sensing; development and structure of the atmosphere; weather; water resources; climate; rock formation; mountain building; chemical and physical weathering; mass movement; soil formation; erosion, transportation and deposition by running water, wind, ice, currents, waves and tides; and the foundation that these processes build for the biosphere on earth. 3 hrs./wk.

Supplies: Refer to the instructor’s course syllabus for details about any supplies that may be required.

Prerequisites: NONE

Textbook(s): For information see - http://bookstore.jccc.net

Course Fees: NONE

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Identify the environmental spheres of the Earth and explain the dynamic processes functioning within them and the interactions between them.
2. Explain the basic building blocks of matter and the nature of energy and its transformations.
3. Draw the structure of the atmosphere and characterize each part.
4. Describe the pathways that energy takes through the atmosphere.
5. Describe the temperature controls and patterns on the Earth.
6. Explain the forces that drive air and water circulation and describe the patterns of air and water circulation on the Earth.
7. Describe the occurrence and properties of atmospheric moisture and its relationship to weather.
8. Explain the causes of weather, particularly condensation and precipitation.
9. Sketch the hydrologic cycle and explain each part in terms of its characteristics, dynamics and effects on the Earth.
10. Classify climates and identify and explain their distribution on the Earth.
11. Describe the parts of the Earth, identify the major rock products of the Earth's lithosphere and describe the processes that allow for change between them.
12. Relate the processes of volcanism and earthquakes to tectonics.
13. Describe the weathering processes that change rock in place and the mass movement of weathered rock material by gravity.
14. Explain how soils form and describe their major horizons, properties and distribution.
15. Describe the fluvial processes of erosion, transportation and deposition, and the features they produce, including stream patterns, channel and valley landforms, and the effect of human alteration of the floodplain.
16. Describe the eolian processes of erosion, transportation and deposition, and the features they produce including landforms in desert environments formed by wind and running water.
17. Describe the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition by waves, currents and tides as they construct and deconstruct coastal landforms along erosional and depositional coastlines. Discuss the effect of human occupation on coastal landscapes.
18. Describe the glacial processes of erosion, transportation and deposition, and identify and define the alpine and continental landforms that result.
19. Describe the abiotic and biotic components and operations within the ecosystem.
20. Identify, define and locate the terrestrial biomes.
21. Relate human impacts to these biomes and to the Earth.

Content Outline & Competencies:

I. Environmental Spheres of the Earth
   A. Describe the four spheres of the Earth.
   B. Define System Theory and explain how it applies to the Earth.
   C. Explain the uses of remote sensing and geographic information
systems to the study of physical geography.
   D. Explain Earth’s reference grid.

II. Matter, Energy and Earth
   A. Explain the origin, formation and development of Earth and the
atmosphere.
   B. Describe the Sun’s operation and explain the characteristics of the
solar wind and the electromagnetic spectrum of radiant energy.
   C. Portray the intercepted solar energy and its uneven distribution on
Earth.
   D. Explain the reasons for Earth’s seasonality.

III. Structure of the Earth’s Atmosphere
   A. Compare and contrast the zones of the atmosphere according to
composition, temperature and function.
   B. Discuss the types and causes of natural and anthropogenic
pollution.
   C. Describe how ozone is broken down in the stratosphere.

IV. Energy’s Pathways
   A. Identify and define the pathways of solar energy: transmission,
refraction, reflection, scattering, conduction, convection and advection.
   B. Analyze the effects of clouds on solar radiation received at Earth’s
surface.
   C. Describe the microclimatology of urban areas compared to rural
areas.

V. Global Temperatures
   A. Explain how latitude, altitude, cloud cover and land-water heating
differences control temperatures.
   B. Interpret temperature patterns for various locations using isotherm
maps.
   C. Explain the effects of temperature extremes on humans.

VI. Global Circulation within the Atmosphere and the Oceans
   A. Define wind and describe how it is measured.
   B. Define air pressure and locate the air pressure zones in the Earth.
   C. Explain the driving forces on circulation.
   D. Describe upper air circulation and local surface winds.
   E. Describe the pattern of Earth’s surface and deep ocean currents.

VII. Atmospheric Moisture
   A. Describe the origin and occurrences of water on the Earth.
   B. Explain the heat properties of water and explain how water changes
from a solid to a liquid and to a gas.
   C. Define relative humidity and explain how it is related to
temperature.
   D. Define atmospheric stability and describe the changes that take
place in an ascending or descending air mass.

VIII. Weather
   A. Identify the requirements for cloud formation and classify clouds.
   B. Identify types of fog and explain the conditions that lead to their
formation.
   C. Describe the air masses and their source regions affecting North
America. 
   D. Compare and contrast the types of atmospheric lifting mechanisms.
   E. Describe the formation of violent weather (mesocyclones and
tornadoes, mid-latitude cyclones, northeasters and hurricanes).

IX. Hydrologic Cycle
   A. Sketch and label the hydrologic cycle.
   B. Relate the importance of the water-budget concept to soil moisture.
   C. Describe the nature of groundwater and define the characteristics
necessary for an aquifer.
   D. Identify and discuss problems related to the overuse of
groundwater.
   E. Explain how stream discharge is measured and how it varies in a
downstream direction.
    
X. Climate Systems
   A. Define climate and explain the difference between climate and
weather.
   B. List the factors used to classify climates in the Koppen System.
   C. Describe the A, B, C, D, E and H climate categories and locate these
regions on a world map.
   D. Interpret a climograph. 
   E. Explain the El Nino and La Nina patterns.
   F. Outline future climate patterns and explain causes and potential
consequences.

XI. Earth and the Rock Cycle
   A. Diagram Earth’s interior in cross-section and describe each layer.
   B. Compare and contrast Catastrophism and Uniformitarianism.
   C. Sketch the rock cycle and relate the processes to the rock types
they produce.
   D. Describe the contributions of Wegener (Continental Drift) and Hess
(Sea-floor Spreading) to the development of Plate Tectonic Theory.
   E. List and describe the types of plate boundaries.
   F. Outline the formation and breakup of Pangea.

XII. Tectonics
   A. Define the stresses that deform crust.
   B. Explain what causes folding and draw and define the types of folds.
   C. Explain what causes faulting and draw and define the types of
faults.
   D. Relate the types of plate boundaries to mountain building and
identify an example of each.
   E. Explain the nature of earthquakes, their measurement and their
relationship to plate boundaries.
   F. Compare and contrast an effusive volcanic eruption with an explosive
volcanic eruption and describe the related landforms, using a specific
example of each.

XIII. Weathering and Mass Movement
   A. Define weathering and explain the importance of parent rock,
structure, climate and topography in determining rates of weathering.
   B. Describe frost action, crystallization, hydration and
pressure-release jointing as physical weathering processes.
   C. Describe hydrolysis, oxidation, carbonation and solution as chemical
weathering processes.
   D. Describe the processes and landforms associated with karst
topography.
   E. Use the dynamic equilibrium model and the concept of a geomorphic
threshold to explain a mass movement.
   F. Classify mass movements and determine possible triggers of these
hazards.

XIV. Soil Geography
   A. Describe the properties used to define soil horizons.
   B. Diagram and define the soil horizons found in a typical soil
profile.
   C. List the factors affecting soil formation.
   D. Describe the soil orders and explain their general locations on the
Earth.

XV. Fluvial Processes and Landforms
   A. Describe the fluvial processes of erosion, transportation and
deposition.
   B. Identify stream patterns and determine the underlying cause for
each.
   C. Define base level.
   D. Draw a map view of a meandering channel and label the point bar,
cutbank and cutoff and explain how stream gradient changes when a cutoff
occurs.
   E. Identify and define the landforms associated with a stream channel,
a stream valley and delta types.
   F. Describe the relationships between velocity, depth, width and
discharge of a stream.
   G. Describe the efforts humans have made to control rivers and discuss
the effects of urbanization on the floodplain.

XVI. Eolian Processes and Landforms  
   A. Describe how the wind erodes, transports and deposits material.
   B. Identify and describe the types of sand dunes and the wind direction
that produced each.
   C. Define loess and describe its occurrence in an arid environment.
   D. Discuss the role of running water as a builder of desert landforms
such as the alluvial fan and as an eroder of desert landforms such as the
butte and mesa.
   E. Discuss the origin of the Basin and Range Province.
   F. Discuss the effects of damming a river in an arid environment in
relationship to water availability.

XVII. Coastal Processes and Landforms
   A. Describe the chemical composition of seawater and the  physical
structure of the ocean.
   B. Describe wave motion at sea and near shore and explain how wave
refraction affects the coastline.
   C. Explain how a longshore current forms and how it moves sediment.
   D. Identify and define landforms associated with erosional and
depositional coastlines.
   E. Describe barrier islands and their hazards as they relate to human
settlement.
   F. Explain the causes of tides.
   G. Describe the occurrences of coral reefs, salt marshes and mangrove
swamps.

XVIII.  Glacial Processes and Landforms
   A. Distinguish among the various types of glaciers.
   B. Describe the way in which glaciers form and move.
   C. Identify and describe the erosional and depositional landforms
produced by alpine and continental glaciation.
   D. Compare and contrast glacial till and glacial outwash (stratified
drift).
   E. Outline the effects of the Pleistocene glaciation to North America.
   F. Explain the mechanisms for climate fluctuation that could lead to
glaciation.
   G. Define permafrost and describe locations of permafrost today.

XIX. Ecosystem
   A. Define ecosystem.
   B. Relate the concepts of community, habitat and niche using any
organism.
   C. Explain the role of plants in photosynthesis and respiration and as
a measure of primary productivity (biomass) on the Earth.
   D. List abiotic components of the ecosystem and relate them to the
operation of the ecosystem.  
   E. Describe the roles of the autotrophs, heterotrophs and decomposers
in the food chain.
   F. Explain how diversity is related to the stability of an ecosystem.
   G. Describe the process of succession in both a terrestrial and aquatic
setting.

XX. Terrestrial Biomes
   A. Define biome.
   B. Describe the terrestrial biomes.  Relate them to climate and locate
them on a world map.

XXI. Humans and Earth
   A. Relate the human impact on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere
and biosphere.
   B. Define the Gaia Hypothesis.

Methods of Evaluation of Competencies:

Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the following methods:

Exams consisting of any combination of matching,
multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, diagrams,
analysis of data and essays.                        500 points

Homework assignments consisting of any
combination of graphing and analysis of data,
outline of a case study, research on a physical
geography current problem and landscape analysis.    200 points

The grade for the course will be determined by the student's performance
on the exams and homework assignments.  A total of 700 points is possible
for the course.  Final grades are determined as follows:

Grading Criteria     Minimum Points

   A                   630  (90%)
   B                   560  (80%)
   C                   490  (70%)
   D                   420  (60%)

Caveats:

1. Computer Literacy Expectations: Students will need basic word processing and Internet searching skills for the completion of some papers, exercises and projects.

Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services. Access Services will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director. The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact the office of Access Services for Students With Disabilities (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.