PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: WHAT IT STUDIES AND AUXILIARY SCIENCES - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The physical geography is the science that studies the Earth 's surface, the elements and natural phenomena that take place. It is directly linked to auxiliary sciences that are connected to each other and favor the understanding of elements that affect the development of planetary life.

The auxiliary sciences include oceanography, geomorphology, climatology, hydrography, and beogeography.

What do you study?

Physical geography studies the natural geographic space made up of the soil, relief, waters, climate and vegetation.

It determines possible uses of the earth's surface, prioritizes space distribution priorities, exalts its potentialities, points out possible limitations and estimates the repercussions that affect the environment.

This science also studies factors that shape space and their influence on the distribution of different forms of life on the planet. It includes physical phenomena that occur without the intervention of man.

Auxiliary Sciences

Physical geography favors the territorial ordering of a country through the contributions of auxiliary sciences. The convergence of knowledge of each discipline generates benefits in different orders:

• Alert on the prevention of natural risks.
• Helps minimize the negative impact of human intervention (pollution).
• Facilitates infrastructure development (ports, airports).
• Trace routes of maritime and land transport.
• Indicates areas with greater potential for human and industrial settlement.
• Contribute to the construction of dams that generate electricity.
• Agricultural and livestock production.
• Oceanographic studies highlight the aquatic spaces where oil platforms can be located for oil extraction, which generates economic benefits for the nation.
• The climatic predictions establish the times for the execution of livestock and agriculture activities.

Physical geography is related to other sciences by the nature of the work that corresponds to each one. They stand out:

Oceanography

His studies are aimed at the analysis of physical, chemical, biological and geological processes present in seas and oceans.

Basically it is classified into four areas:

-Physics : includes the physical processes that occur in the sea, such as currents, waves, tides, the transmission and absorption of caloric, light and acoustic energy.

-Chemistry : referred to the study of the chemical composition of the sea, the development of marine life and the existence of organic and inorganic polluting substances produced by human activity and that cause negative effects on the marine food chain.

-Biological : also called marine biology, it occupies its research on marine organisms and their relationship with the environment. Make significant contributions to the conservation and protection of endangered species.

-Geological : evaluates the transformations that occur in the oceans and the conformation of coasts. Basically it is dedicated to the study of rocks, minerals and geological processes of the sea.

Geomorphology

Study the shapes of the surface of the earth's globe. It evaluates the alterations of the relief and its geographical cycle, that is, the origin and transformations caused by the influence of erosive factors such as temperature, wind and water.

Two branches are distinguished:

-Geomorphology of processes: analyzes and describes the changes that originate in the present due to endogenous impacts such as the movement of the earth and exogenous such as erosion.

-Historical geomorphology: reviews the chronological age of the strata formed from the Quaternary era to the present.

Climatology

As a science that studies climate, it contributes to economic and social development in a region, since it predicts long-term atmospheric conditions for activities related to agriculture, livestock, engineering and architecture.

It inquires about the state of the atmosphere and the eventual variations that may arise, taking into consideration parameters such as temperature, wind, humidity and precipitation. Consider three dimensions:

-Analytics: establishes statistical values ​​of atmospheric elements and the probability of occurrence of phenomena.

-Dynamics: evaluates the changing manifestations of the atmosphere.

-Synoptic: analyzes the configuration of atmospheric elements according to the space and time of occurrence.

Hydrography

Study the waters of the earth, their physical and chemical properties. Provides contributions for irrigation systems, flood control, conservation of aquatic life and reduction of pollutants.

Depending on the activities you carry out, three areas are distinguished:

-Fluvial : it focuses on rivers and streams.

-Lacustre : specifically related to lakes and their elements.

-Maritime : deals with the study of the seas and their relationships.

The components of these waters, their location and ecosystem are the object of hydrography. They offer information of interest for the elaboration of charts and nautical plans on depths, location of channels, marine currents and possible navigation hazards.

Biogeography

It analyzes the spatial distribution of living beings, the reason for their presence in some spaces and their absence in others, identifying causes and mechanisms of such displacement.

It acquires a historical dimension when studying the evolution of the ordering of territories, species and habitats together with the transformation of environmental factors such as relief, soil and climate.

References

1. Clark, AN (1985). Longman Dictionary of Geography: Human and Physical. London: Longman Group Limited.
2. Goudie, A. (1994). The Encyclopedic dictionary of physical geography. Oxford: Blackwell.
3. Maury, MF (2003). The Physical Geography of the Sea and Its Meteorology. New York: Dover Publications, INC.
4. Strahler, AN (1978). Modern physical geography. Santa Barbara: Wiley.
5. Strahler, AN (2013). Systems Theory in Physical Geography. Physical Geography, 1-27.