| Preface |
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vii | |
| A Guide To The Features |
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xii | |
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1 Introduction to Physical Geography |
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1 | (10) |
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2 | (1) |
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Defining Physical Geography |
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3 | (3) |
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6 | (2) |
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Organization of This Book |
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8 | (1) |
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Exploring Cause-and-Effect Relationships Holistically |
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8 | (1) |
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Emphasis on Human Interactions with the Environment |
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8 | (1) |
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Geo Media Library: An Interactive Tool |
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9 | (1) |
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Focus on Geographical Literacy |
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9 | (1) |
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Physical Geography Is Interesting, Exciting, and Very Relevant to Your Life |
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9 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Stream Meandering |
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10 | (1) |
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10 | (1) |
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11 | (25) |
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12 | (1) |
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13 | (2) |
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15 | (1) |
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Using the Geographic Grid |
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16 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Using the Geographic Grid |
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17 | (1) |
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Human Interactions: The United States Public Land Survey |
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17 | (2) |
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Maps--The Basic Tool of Geographers |
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19 | (1) |
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19 | (5) |
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24 | (2) |
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26 | (1) |
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26 | (1) |
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Digital Technology in Geography |
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27 | (1) |
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27 | (5) |
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Global Positioning Systems |
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32 | (2) |
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Geographic Information Systems |
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34 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Using a Geographic Information System |
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34 | (1) |
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35 | (1) |
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35 | (1) |
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3 Earth-Sun Geometry and the Seasons |
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36 | (14) |
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37 | (1) |
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37 | (1) |
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Earth's Orbit Around the Sun |
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38 | (1) |
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The Earth's Rotation and Axial Tilt |
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39 | (3) |
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42 | (1) |
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43 | (2) |
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Human Interactions: How We See Earth-Sun Geometry on Earth |
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45 | (1) |
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45 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Orbital View and Earth as Viewed from the Sun |
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46 | (1) |
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Seasonal Changes in Sun Position (Angle) and Length of Day |
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46 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Celestial Dome |
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48 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Sun Angle and Length of Day |
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48 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Earth-Sun Geometry and Ancient Humans |
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48 | (1) |
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48 | (1) |
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48 | (2) |
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4 The Global Energy System |
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50 | (23) |
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Solar Energy |
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51 | (1) |
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum |
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51 | (1) |
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Solar Energy and the Solar Constant |
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52 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Electromagnetic Spectrum |
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53 | (1) |
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Composition of the Atmosphere |
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53 | (1) |
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53 | (1) |
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54 | (5) |
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59 | (1) |
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The Flow of Solar Radiation on Earth |
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60 | (1) |
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60 | (1) |
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Flow of Solar Radiation in the Atmosphere |
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60 | (3) |
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Interaction of Solar Radiation and the Earth's Surface |
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63 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Angle of Incidence |
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64 | (1) |
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The Global Radiation Budget |
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65 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Global Energy Budget |
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66 | (3) |
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Human Interactions: Solar Energy Production |
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69 | (3) |
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72 | (1) |
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72 | (1) |
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5 Global Temperature Patterns |
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73 | (17) |
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Layered Structure of the Atmosphere |
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74 | (1) |
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74 | (1) |
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75 | (1) |
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76 | (1) |
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76 | (1) |
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Surface and Air Temperatures |
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77 | (2) |
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Human Interactions: Calculating the Heat Index and Wind Chill |
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79 | (1) |
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Large-Scale Geographic Factors That Influence Air Temperature |
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79 | (2) |
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Local Factors That Influence Air Temperature |
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81 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Surface Temperature |
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82 | (1) |
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The Annual Range of Surface Temperature (A Holistic Assessment) |
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83 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Maritime vs. Continental Effect |
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83 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Global Temperature Patterns |
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85 | (1) |
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Human Interactions: Urban Heat Islands |
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86 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Temperature and Location |
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88 | (1) |
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88 | (1) |
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88 | (2) |
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6 Atmospheric Pressure, Wind, and Global Circulation |
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90 | (29) |
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91 | (1) |
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Factors That Influence Air Pressure |
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91 | (1) |
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Measuring and Mapping Air Pressure |
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92 | (1) |
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Atmospheric Pressure Systems |
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93 | (1) |
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93 | (1) |
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94 | (1) |
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95 | (1) |
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Unequal Heating of Land Surfaces |
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95 | (1) |
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96 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Fluctuations in the Pressure Gradient |
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97 | (1) |
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97 | (1) |
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98 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Coriolis Force |
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98 | (2) |
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Global Pressure and Atmospheric Circulation |
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100 | (2) |
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102 | (1) |
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103 | (3) |
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Geo Media: Global Atmospheric Circulation |
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106 | (1) |
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106 | (1) |
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Seasonal Migration of Pressure Systems |
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106 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Asian Monsoon |
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107 | (1) |
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Human Interactions: Harnessing Wind Energy |
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108 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Global Atmospheric Circulation and Water Vapor Movement |
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108 | (3) |
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111 | (1) |
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111 | (1) |
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111 | (3) |
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114 | (1) |
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Gyres and Thermohaline Circulation |
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114 | (1) |
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115 | (1) |
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116 | (2) |
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118 | (1) |
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118 | (1) |
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7 Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation |
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119 | (28) |
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Physical Properties of Water |
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120 | (1) |
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120 | (1) |
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Thermal Properties of Water and Its Physical States |
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121 | (1) |
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122 | (1) |
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The Hydrosphere and the Hydrologic Cycle |
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122 | (2) |
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124 | (1) |
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Maximum, Specific, and Relative Humidity |
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124 | (3) |
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127 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Atmospheric Humidity |
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129 | (1) |
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129 | (1) |
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130 | (1) |
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The Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate |
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131 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Adiabatic Processes |
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132 | (1) |
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The Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate |
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132 | (1) |
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Cloud Formation and Classification |
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133 | (3) |
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136 | (1) |
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136 | (1) |
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137 | (1) |
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137 | (1) |
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137 | (4) |
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Geo Media: Orographic Processes |
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141 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Convectional Precipitation |
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143 | (1) |
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Human Interactions: Recent Droughts in the U.S. |
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144 | (1) |
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145 | (1) |
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146 | (1) |
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8 Air Masses and Cyclonic Weather Systems |
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147 | (27) |
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148 | (1) |
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148 | (1) |
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149 | (3) |
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Evolution and Character of Midlatitude Cyclones |
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152 | (1) |
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Upper Airflow and the 500-mb Pressure Surface |
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152 | (1) |
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Interaction of Upper Airflow and Surface Airflow |
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153 | (2) |
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155 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Formation of a Midlatitude Cyclone |
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157 | (1) |
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157 | (1) |
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Evolution of Thunderstorms |
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157 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Migration of a Midlatitude Cyclone |
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157 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Formation of Thunderstorms |
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159 | (1) |
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159 | (2) |
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161 | (4) |
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165 | (1) |
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166 | (1) |
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166 | (2) |
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Human Interactions: Coping with Destructive Hurricanes |
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168 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Tracks of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy |
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169 | (4) |
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173 | (1) |
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173 | (1) |
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9 Global Climates and Global Climate Change |
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174 | (30) |
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Climate and the Factors That Affect It |
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175 | (1) |
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Koppen Climate Classification |
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176 | (3) |
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Geography of Koppen Climates |
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179 | (1) |
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180 | (1) |
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Arid and Semi-Arid (6) Climates |
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180 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Tropical Savanna Climate (Aw) |
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181 | (2) |
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183 | (1) |
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Microthermal (D) Climates |
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184 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Humid Subtropical Hot-Summer Climate (CFA, Cwa) |
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184 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Marine West-Coast Climates (CFB, CFC) |
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185 | (1) |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Global Climates |
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187 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Remote Sensing and Climate |
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187 | (1) |
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Reconstructing Past Climates |
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188 | (1) |
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188 | (2) |
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190 | (1) |
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190 | (3) |
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Causes of Past Climate Change |
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193 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Reconstructing Past Climates Using Oxygen Isotopes |
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194 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Milankovitch Theory |
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195 | (1) |
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Human Interactions and Ongoing Climate Change |
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196 | (1) |
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197 | (2) |
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Is Anthropogenic Climate Change Really Occurring? |
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199 | (1) |
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Predicting Future Climate Change |
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200 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Greenhouse Effect and Global Climate Change |
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201 | (1) |
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202 | (1) |
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203 | (1) |
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204 | (25) |
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Ecosystems and Biogeography |
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205 | (1) |
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The Process of Photosynthesis |
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206 | (3) |
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Geo Media: Photosynthesis and Respiration |
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209 | (1) |
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The Relationship of Climate and Vegetation: The Character and Distribution of Global Biomes |
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210 | (2) |
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212 | (3) |
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215 | (2) |
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217 | (1) |
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218 | (1) |
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Local and Regional Factors That Influence the Geographic Distribution of Vegetation |
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218 | (1) |
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218 | (1) |
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219 | (1) |
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220 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Plant Succession |
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221 | (1) |
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221 | (1) |
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Human Interactions: Human Influence on Vegetation Patterns |
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222 | (1) |
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222 | (3) |
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Agriculture in the Midlatitude Grassland Biome |
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225 | (1) |
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225 | (1) |
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226 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Remote Sensing and the Biosphere |
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227 | (1) |
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227 | (1) |
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228 | (1) |
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11 The Global Distribution and Character of Soils |
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229 | (36) |
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230 | (1) |
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230 | (2) |
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Soil-Forming (Pedogenic) Processes |
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232 | (2) |
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234 | (4) |
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Measurable Soil Characteristics |
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238 | (3) |
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241 | (1) |
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241 | (1) |
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Colloids and Cation Exchange |
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241 | (1) |
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Soil Profiles (Reading the Soil) |
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242 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Soil Colloids and pH |
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242 | (2) |
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244 | (1) |
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Soil Science and Classification |
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245 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Soil Horizon Development |
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245 | (2) |
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247 | (3) |
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Geo Media: African Climate, Vegetation, and Soils |
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250 | (6) |
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Geo Media: Regional Pedogenic Processes |
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256 | (3) |
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Geo Media: North American Climate, Vegetation, and Soils |
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259 | (1) |
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Human Interactions with Soils |
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260 | (4) |
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264 | (1) |
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264 | (1) |
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12 Earth's Internal Structure, Rock Cycle, and Geologic Time |
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265 | (24) |
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266 | (1) |
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266 | (4) |
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Rocks and Minerals in the Earth's Crust |
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270 | (1) |
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271 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Identification of Igneous Environments |
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272 | (1) |
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273 | (4) |
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277 | (1) |
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278 | (2) |
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Geo Media: The Rock Cycle |
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280 | (1) |
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280 | (2) |
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282 | (1) |
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282 | (1) |
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Putting Geologic Time in Perspective |
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282 | (1) |
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A Holistic View of Geologic Time and the Rock Cycle: The Grand Canyon and the Spanish Peaks of Colorado |
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283 | (3) |
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Human Interactions with Geologic Time: The Anthropocene |
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286 | (2) |
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288 | (1) |
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288 | (1) |
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13 Tectonic Processes and Landforms |
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289 | (35) |
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290 | (1) |
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290 | (1) |
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290 | (3) |
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Geo Media: Continental Drift |
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293 | (1) |
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294 | (1) |
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294 | (1) |
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294 | (1) |
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295 | (1) |
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296 | (6) |
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302 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Plate Tectonics |
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302 | (1) |
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303 | (1) |
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303 | (5) |
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Human Interactions: Earthquakes as Natural Hazards |
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308 | (5) |
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Geo Media: Types of Faults |
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313 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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314 | (4) |
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318 | (1) |
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318 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Walk the Pacific Ring of Fire |
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319 | (3) |
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322 | (1) |
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322 | (1) |
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322 | (2) |
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14 Weathering and Mass Movement |
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324 | (16) |
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325 | (1) |
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325 | (3) |
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328 | (2) |
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Human Interactions: Acid Rain |
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330 | (2) |
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332 | (1) |
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332 | (2) |
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334 | (1) |
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334 | (1) |
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335 | (1) |
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336 | (1) |
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337 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Weathering and Mass Movements |
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339 | (1) |
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339 | (1) |
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339 | (1) |
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15 Groundwater and Karst Landscapes |
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340 | (14) |
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Movement and Storage of Groundwater |
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341 | (2) |
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Human Interactions with Groundwater |
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343 | (1) |
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343 | (4) |
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347 | (1) |
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Groundwater Contamination |
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348 | (1) |
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Karst Landforms and Landscapes |
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349 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater |
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349 | (1) |
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350 | (1) |
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351 | (2) |
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353 | (1) |
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353 | (1) |
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16 Fluvial Systems and Landforms |
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354 | (33) |
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Overland Flow and Drainage Basins |
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355 | (1) |
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355 | (1) |
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356 | (2) |
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Drainage Patterns, Density, and Stream Ordering |
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358 | (2) |
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Geo Media: The Rhine River |
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360 | (1) |
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Hydraulic Geometry and Channel Flow |
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361 | (1) |
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Fluctuations in Stream Discharge |
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361 | (3) |
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Fluvial Processes and Landforms |
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364 | (1) |
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364 | (2) |
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366 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Bedload Transport and Braided Streams |
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367 | (2) |
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Geo Media: The Graded Stream |
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369 | (2) |
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Evolution of Stream Valleys and Floodplains |
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371 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Stream Meandering |
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372 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Fluvial Geomorphology and Stream Processes |
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373 | (7) |
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Human Interactions with Streams |
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380 | (1) |
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380 | (1) |
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381 | (1) |
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382 | (4) |
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386 | (1) |
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386 | (1) |
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17 Glacial Geomorphology: Processes and Landforms |
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387 | (27) |
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388 | (1) |
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The Metamorphosis of Snow to Glacial Ice |
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388 | (1) |
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389 | (1) |
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Geo Media: The Glacial Mass Budget |
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390 | (1) |
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390 | (2) |
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392 | (1) |
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Glaciers in Mountainous Regions |
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392 | (2) |
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394 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Glaciers in the Cascade Mountains |
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394 | (2) |
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396 | (1) |
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Landforms Made by Glacial Erosion |
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396 | (3) |
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Deposition of Gtacial Drift and Resulting Landforms |
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399 | (4) |
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History of Glaciation on Earth |
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403 | (1) |
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Geo Media: Depositional Glacial Landforms |
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403 | (2) |
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The Wisconsin Glaciation and Evolution of the Great Lakes |
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405 | (1) |
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Probable Human Impact on Glaciers |
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406 | (2) |
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Geo Media: Glaciers and Climate Change |
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408 | (2) |
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Periglacial Processes and Landscapes |
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410 | (1) |
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410 | (1) |
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Ground Ice and Associated Landforms |
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411 | (2) |
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413 | (1) |
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413 | (1) |
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18 Arid Landscapes and Eolian Processes |
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414 | (23) |
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|
|
415 | (1) |
|
|
|
416 | (4) |
|
Eolian Erosion and Transport |
|
|
420 | (1) |
|
The Fluid Behavior of Wind, Erosion, and Sediment Transport |
|
|
420 | (2) |
|
Eolian Deposition and Landforms |
|
|
422 | (1) |
|
Airflow and the Formation of Sand Dunes |
|
|
423 | (2) |
|
Classification of Sand Dunes and Related Landforms |
|
|
425 | (3) |
|
Deposition of Windblown Dust |
|
|
428 | (1) |
|
Geo Media: Eolian Processes and Landforms |
|
|
429 | (2) |
|
Human Interactions with Arid Landscapes and Eolian Processes |
|
|
431 | (1) |
|
Desertification in the African Sahel |
|
|
431 | (2) |
|
Desertification in the Great Plains of the United States: The Dust Bowl |
|
|
433 | (2) |
|
|
|
435 | (1) |
|
|
|
435 | (2) |
|
19 Coastal Processes and Landforms |
|
|
437 | (28) |
|
|
|
438 | (1) |
|
The Nature of Coastlines: Intersection of Earth's Spheres |
|
|
439 | (1) |
|
Processes That Shape the Coastline |
|
|
439 | (6) |
|
|
|
445 | (1) |
|
|
|
446 | (1) |
|
|
|
446 | (4) |
|
Geo Media: Waves and Coastal Erosion |
|
|
450 | (1) |
|
|
|
450 | (6) |
|
Geo Media: Longshore Processes and Depositional Coastlines |
|
|
456 | (2) |
|
Human Interactions with Coastlines |
|
|
458 | (1) |
|
|
|
458 | (3) |
|
Global Climate Change and the Impact on Coastlines |
|
|
461 | (1) |
|
Geo Media: Evolution of the Louisiana Coastline |
|
|
462 | (1) |
|
|
|
463 | (1) |
|
|
|
463 | (2) |
|
20 Relevance of Physical Geography to Environmental Issues |
|
|
465 | (33) |
|
A Short History of Human Population |
|
|
466 | (1) |
|
Technological Development and Population Growth |
|
|
466 | (1) |
|
The Impact of Growing Human Population on the Natural Environment |
|
|
467 | (2) |
|
Case 1 Water Issues in the Arid American Southwest |
|
|
469 | (1) |
|
Establishing Water Rights |
|
|
470 | (1) |
|
Will Water Supplies Disappear? |
|
|
471 | (2) |
|
|
|
473 | (2) |
|
Case 2 Soil Salinization in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands |
|
|
475 | (2) |
|
|
|
477 | (1) |
|
The Current Global Extent of Salinization |
|
|
478 | (1) |
|
The San Joaquin Valley in California |
|
|
478 | (3) |
|
|
|
481 | (2) |
|
The Challenge of Sustainable Agriculture in Semi-Arid and Arid Regions |
|
|
483 | (2) |
|
Case 3 Developing Unconventional Oil Supplies in North America |
|
|
485 | (1) |
|
Oil Supply, Demand, and Geography |
|
|
485 | (2) |
|
Developing Unconventional Sources of Oil |
|
|
487 | (1) |
|
Potential Environmental Consequences |
|
|
488 | (2) |
|
Case 4 Giant Panda Conservation in China |
|
|
490 | (4) |
|
The Wolong Nature Reserve |
|
|
494 | (2) |
|
|
|
496 | (1) |
|
|
|
496 | (1) |
|
|
|
497 | (1) |
| Glossary |
|
498 | (11) |
| Index |
|
509 | |
