Physical Geography,
11th Edition

1. Physical Geography: Earth Environments and Systems.
2. Representations of Earth.
3. Earth-Sun Relationships and Solar Energy.
4. The Atmosphere, Temperature, and the Heat Budget.
5. Atmospheric Pressure, Winds, and Circulation Patterns.
6. Moisture, Condensation, and Precipitation.
7. Air Masses and Weather Systems.
8. Global Climates and Climate Change.
9. Low-Latitude and Arid Climate Regions.
10. Middle-Latitude, Polar, and Highland Climatic Regions.
11. Biogeography.
12. Soils and Soil Development.
13. Earth Materials and Plate Tectonics.
14. Tectonism and Volcanism.
15. Weathering and Mass Wasting.
16. Subsurface Water and Karst.
17. Fluvial Processes and Landforms.
18. Arid Region and Eolian Landforms.
19. Glacial Systems and Landforms.
20. Coastal Processes and Landforms.
Appendix A: SI Units and Unit Conversions.
Appendix B: Topographic Maps.
Appendix C: Understanding and Recognizing Some Common Rocks.

• James F. Petersen

  James F. Petersen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography at Texas State University in San Marcos, is a broadly trained physical geographer with strong interests in geomorphology and Earth science education. He enjoys writing about physical geography topics for the public and has written guidebooks and trail guides for parks. Dr. Petersen is a past president of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) and a recipient of a national teaching award. He has received the NCGE’s highest honor for distinguished service to geography education. Dr. Petersen has written for and served as a senior consultant for nationally published educational materials, ranging from middle school through university level. His published articles address education in geomorphology, climate history and climate change; the environmental history of central Texas; the role of field methods in geography; earthquake hazards and geography education. Believing in the value of experiential learning in the field, Dr. Petersen has conducted extended field courses every year during his career, enabling students to learn about Earth environments, processes, features and locations through firsthand experience.

• Dorothy Sack

  Dorothy Sack, professor and department chair of geography at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, is a physical geographer who specializes in geomorphology. Her primary research interests emphasize arid region landforms, particularly the geomorphic evidence of paleolakes, which contribute to understanding Earth’s paleoclimate. Other research themes include the impact of off-road vehicles on the landscape and the history of geomorphology. Dr. Sack has published research in a variety of professional journals and academic volumes as well as within Utah Geological Survey publications. Her work has been funded by numerous professional groups, including the National Geographic Society, National Science Foundation, American Association of Geographers (AAG) and American Chemical Society. She is active in professional organizations, having served as chair of both the Geomorphology and the History of Geography Specialty Groups of the AAG. She has also served in other offices for the AAG, Geological Society of America and History of Earth Sciences Society. In addition, she serves on the editorial boards for the journals Geomorphology and Physical Geography. Dr. Sack enjoys teaching as well as research and has received the Outstanding Teacher Award from Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

• Robert E. Gabler

  Robert E. Gabler has nearly five decades of professional experience. He has taught for five years in public elementary and secondary schools, in addition to teaching geography at Hunter College, City of New York, Columbia University, and Western Illinois University. At times in his lengthy career at Western, he served as chairperson of the Department of Geography and Department of Geology, and University director of International Programs. He received three University Presidential Citations for Teaching Excellence and University Service, served two terms as chairperson of the Faculty Senate, edited the Bulletin of The Illinois Geographical Society, and authored numerous articles in state and national periodicals. He is a past president of the Illinois Geographical Society, former director of coordinators and past president of the National Council for Geographic Education, and the recipient of the NCGE George J. Miller Distinguished Service Award. During his tenure at Western, Dr. Gabler traveled widely throughout the United States, western and southern Europe, eastern Asia, and India, planning, organizing, and leading university exchange programs, conducting field research, and compiling extensive slide photograph files. His major publications include, editor: A HANDBOOK FOR GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS (Illinois Office of Public Instruction); co-author: FOLLETT ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES SERIES (Follett Publishing Company); senior author: INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (Rinehart Press); and senior author: ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

• More than 200 new illustrations. New/updated topics: Sustainable development; GIS, digital landscape models, Lidar; star circles; photosynthesis, greenhouse effect, green roofs; volcanoes and air travel, El Niño/La Niña; Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, block diagrams of fronts/storms, warning systems on cell phones; atmospheric CO2, climate change, Saharan dust; lake effect snow; plant succession; continental accretion; Nepal earthquake; deadly landslide in Washington State, earthquake-induced avalanches on Mt. Everest, sinkhole collapse at the Corvette museum; removal of river dams, catastrophic flash flood in Texas.

• More than 200 new illustrations. New/updated topics: Sustainable development; GIS, digital landscape models, Lidar; star circles; photosynthesis, greenhouse effect, green roofs; volcanoes and air travel, El Niño/La Niña; Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, block diagrams of fronts/storms, warning systems on cell phones; atmospheric CO2, climate change, Saharan dust; lake effect snow; plant succession; continental accretion; Nepal earthquake; deadly landslide in Washington State, earthquake-induced avalanches on Mt. Everest, sinkhole collapse at the Corvette museum; removal of river dams, catastrophic flash flood in Texas.

• Improved Illustration Program: This edition includes more than 200 new illustrations and photographs, and others have been improved to increase clarity and enhance student understanding. New, updated, or expanded topics required new figures and updates or improvements, including all climographs, numerous photographs, line-art, remotely-sensed images, and maps. Selected photographs and imagery include a locator map, to provide a spatial reference for the feature or place pictured. These thumbnail maps provide the spatial context for the landmark or phenomena captured by the photograph. Most figures and photographs are accompanied by a thought-provoking question that engages the student and underscores the content’s relevance in the student’s life.

• Two New Illustrated Features: These figures, include questions that invite student inquiry about the content of the illustration, these are: Understanding Map Content and Thinking Geographically. Examples of one or the other feature appear in most chapters.

• Geography and Digital Technologies: The importance of ever-evolving technologies that support geography studies is evident throughout the book, and kept up to date. A full chapter is devoted to maps and many forms of spatial imagery and data used by geographers. Illustrations throughout the book include images gathered from space, accompanied by interpretations of the environmental aspects that the scenes illustrate. Also included are introductory discussions of the techniques geographers use to analyze and display locational and environmental aspects, including remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), digital cartography, and the global positioning system (GPS). The text makes extensive use of scientific visualization products (digital visual models) generated by NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), USGS, and other government, and some that were produced specifically for this text.

• Robust end-of-chapter activities support group or individual study. These include: key terms listed in the order that they appear in the chapter (Terms for Review), discussion questions (Questions for Review), critical thinking problems (Consider and Respond), hands-on activities (Practical Applications) and for some chapters, Google Earth exercises (Locate and Explore) reinforce the text and provide ample opportunities for review, retention, and test preparation. Students are also directed to online supplemental activities within MindTap for an interactive study option.

• Map Interpretation exercises reflect the authors' view that map-interpreting skills are a priority for any new physical geographer. This begins with an activity to learn interpretation of topographic maps, early in the text. Then there are 11 comprehensive exercises, which follow all the chapters that deal with landforms, which will sharpen your map-reading skills and teach new ways to analyze and interpret the physical world. The featured topographic maps present a wide spectrum of landform types from many areas of the U.S. These exercises may be also used as a supplement to lab assignments, where every student has a copy of the same map for an assignment. The topographic maps are shown alongside satellite imagery of the location, and latitude/longitude coordinates are provided so students can view the area in Google Earth or other Earth observation system.

• Unique "Geography's Perspective" boxes illustrate physical geography as a spatial science (how features are distributed and why), an environmental science (the processes of the Earth system and how humans interact with them), and a physical science (the properties and relationships among the Earth system's physical features). These compelling boxes grab students' attention with interesting, timely examples, ranging from natural hazard warnings presented on cellphones, to mapping the paths of hurricanes to the theory of island biogeography and the importance of watersheds to environmental management.

• Three chapters are devoted to climate, an integral and often insufficiently covered Earth system. Climate classification, climatic processes, climate change, and climate regions are covered in good detail. A complete new set of climographs in color attracts attention to the data that they represent and the average seasonal weather of a location.

• Improved Illustration Program: This edition includes more than 200 new illustrations and photographs, and others have been improved to increase clarity and enhance student understanding. New, updated, or expanded topics required new figures and updates or improvements, including all climographs, numerous photographs, satellite images, and maps. Selected photographs include a locator map, to provide a spatial reference for the feature or place pictured. These thumbnail maps provide the spatial context for the landmark or phenomena captured by the photograph, highlighting the spatial perspective and teaching location geography. Most figures and photographs are accompanied by a thought-provoking question that engages you to think and underscores the content’s relevance to your life. Three chapters are devoted to climate, an integral and often insufficiently covered Earth system.

• Two New Illustrated Features: These figures, along with an expanded set of questions invite student inquiry about the content of the illustration: Understanding Map Content and Thinking Geographically. An example of one or the other feature appears in most chapters.

• Geography and Digital Technologies: The importance of ever-evolving technologies that support geography studies is evident throughout the book, and kept up to date. A full chapter is devoted to maps and many other forms of spatial imagery and data used by geographers. Illustrations throughout the book include images gathered from space, accompanied by interpretations of the environmental aspects that the scenes illustrate. Also included are introductory discussions of techniques geographers use to analyze and display locational and environmental aspects, including remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), digital cartography, and the global positioning system (GPS). The text makes extensive use of scientific visualization products (digital visual models) generated by NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), USGS, and other government, and some made specifically for this text.

• Latitude/longitude coordinates are provided for many photographs, which you can enter into Google Earth or other digital mapping application for an alternative satellite view of the area, and visually explore the area shown in the image.

• Each chapter begins with a list of learning objectives, so you can anticipate exactly what you are about to learn (without having to refer to the TOC at the beginning of the book), as well as learning objectives. Learning objectives, popular in many universities, provide clear, measurable goals that you should be able to achieve. (For example: A student who completes this chapter should be able to “compare and contrast the advantages and limitations of the Thornthwaite and Köppen climate classification systems.”)

• Locator maps have been added to many photographs. These thumbnail maps provide the spatial context for the landmark or phenomena captured by the photograph, highlighting the spatial perspective and teaching location geography.

• Robust end-of-chapter activities support studying by you or in a study group. Key terms are listed in the order that they appear in the textbook (Terms for Review), discussion questions (Questions for Review), critical thinking problems (Consider and Respond), hand-on activities (Practical Applications) and for some chapters, Google Earth exercises (Locate and Explore) reinforce the text and provide ample opportunities for you to review, increase retention of information, and in your test preparation. Google Earth exercises (Locate & Explore) reinforce the text and provide ample opportunity for review, retention, and test preparation. You should also make use of the MindTap supplemental activities online for an interactive study option.

• Map Interpretation exercises reflect the authors' view that map-interpreting skills are a priority for any new physical geographer. This begins with an activity to learn interpretation of topographic maps that appears early in the text (Chapter 2). Then, there are 11 comprehensive exercises, which follow all the chapters that deal with landforms, which will sharpen your map-reading skills and help you learn new ways to analyze and interpret the physical world. The featured topographic maps present a wide spectrum of landform types from many areas of the U.S. These exercises may be used as a supplement to lab assignments. The topographic maps are shown alongside satellite imagery, and latitude/longitude coordinates are provided so you can view the area in Google Earth. There is also a weather map interpretation exercise, which invites you to compare a weather satellite image to a weather map from the same day, investigate and develop a combined interpretation of these two visual images.

• Three chapters are devoted to climate, an integral and often insufficiently covered Earth system. In this edition, climate change is given a greater emphasis, and sustainable living is discussed, along with global movements to better manage environmental impacts on Earth and its climate.

• Unique “Geography's Perspective” boxes illustrate physical geography as a spatial science (how features are distributed and why), an environmental science (the processes of the Earth system and how humans interact with them), and a physical science (the properties and relationships among the Earth system's physical features). These compelling boxes grab your attention with interesting, timely examples, ranging from mapping the paths of hurricanes to the theory of island biogeography and the importance of watersheds to environmental management.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Petersen/Sack/Gabler’s Physical Geography
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Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Petersen/Sack/Gabler’s Physical Geography, Instant Access
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MindTap: Physical Geography 12 Months
9781337109123