Planetary Science

Physical geography is the study of the processes that shape the Earth’s surface, as well as the animals and plants that live there and their spatial patterns. Physical geographers, particularly geomorphologists, dominated the discipline of geography until the late 1930s, having self-identified in the mid- to late 1800s. However, an unhealthy dosage of environmental determinism and an emphasis on describing and classifying climates, landforms and biomes degraded physical geography to its lowest point in the 1950s. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, both physical and human geography underwent significant quantification. This was followed by a period of intensive disciplinary specialisation in the 1970s, which resulted in the identification of five broad divisions of physical geography:

Key Takeaways: Physical Geography

• The study of our planet and its systems is known as physical geography (ecosystems, climate, atmosphere, hydrology)
• Understanding the climate and how it is changing (as well as the potential consequences of those changes) has immediate implications for humans and can aid in future planning
• Physical geography has many sub-branches that specialise in diverse areas, from the upper limits of the sky to the bottom of the ocean, due to the vastness of the subject

Physical Geography The Four Spheres

Because each possible area of research involves so much, it’s a little misleading (or overly simplistic) to suggest that physical geography studies the Earth as our home and looks at the four spheres.

The atmosphere contains multiple levels to study, but it also covers research areas such as the ozone layer, greenhouse effect, wind, jet streams and weather as viewed through the lens of physical geography.

From the water cycle to acid rain, groundwater, runoff, currents, tides and oceans, the hydrosphere contains everything related to water.

The biosphere is concerned with the planet’s living beings and why they exist where they do, with issues ranging from ecosystems and biomes to food webs and carbon and nitrogen cycles.

Geological processes such as rock formation, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, soil, glaciers, and erosion are all studied in the lithosphere.

Built Environment

The built environment refers to the human-made surrounds that provide the background for human activity, ranging in scale from individual structures to parks and green space, as well as neighbourhoods and cities, and frequently including supporting infrastructure such as water supply and electricity networks. Physical components and energy are incorporated into forms for living, working, and playing in the built environment, which is a physical, spatial, and cultural output of human labour. “The ordinary human-made environment in which people live, work, and play,” according to one definition.

Built Environment History

Thousands of years ago, the first concepts of the built world were introduced. From 498 BC to 408 BC, Hippodamus of Miletos, renowned as the “Father of Urban Planning,” constructed Greek cities that created order through grid layouts that mapped the metropolis. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, these early city plans gave way to the City Beautiful movement, which was inspired by Daniel Hudson Burnham, a Progressivism reformist who “A landscape reform in tandem with political revolution” was vigorously promoted.

Modern built environment

The word “built environment” is now used to refer to an interdisciplinary area that investigates the overall design, construction, administration, and use of man-made environments, as well as its impact interaction with human activities over time (rather than a particular element in isolation or at a single moment in time). Economics, legislation, public policy, public health, management, geography, design, technology, and environmental sustainability are all used in the field, which is not considered a traditional career or academic discipline in and of itself. Built environments are defined in the field of public health as spaces that are constructed or renovated in order to promote the community’s well-being by creating “aesthetically, health-improving, and environmentally improved landscapes and dwelling structures.”

Conclusion

We discussed that the physical geography of Earth is important for every serious student studying the planet because the natural processes of Earth affect the distribution of resources (from carbon dioxide in the air to freshwater on the surface to minerals deep underground) and the conditions of human settlement. Anyone researching Earth’s processes does so within the limits of the planet’s physical topography.

Built environment is also International development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals are both dependent on the built environment. By 2050, it is expected that 68 percent of the world’s population would reside in cities.

The majority will live in Africa and Asia’s small and medium-sized cities, with almost half of them in Africa.

which have yet to be constructed This offers a significant challenge to policymakers and experts working in the built environment.

Changing the way towns and cities are created, including sustainable practices, is both chevalier and opportunity.

cheap, low-carbon construction approaches that are climate-resilient and promote equity

and long-term supply of essential services. The purpose of this article is to give you some knowledge about physical geography and the built environment.