Unit 1

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Definition, Nature and Scope

INTRODUCTION:
Geography is amongst the oldest earth science and much of the geographical work is the
contribution made by different Greek scholars. The word geography was coined by Eratosthenes,
a famous Greek scholar in third century B.C. Geography is a combination of two words ‘Geo’
means earth and ‘Graphy’ means to describe. Hence, if we look at the literal meaning of term
geography then it stands for description of the earth surface. Geography as a discipline
concentrates largely on interaction of all human and physical phenomena and the resultant features.
Geography is mainly divided into two major branches, Physical and Human geography

Branches of Physical Geography.

Out of the two major branches of geography, Physical Geography is the most important branch of
geography as it forms the basis of all geographical studies.

DEFINITIONS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Every person on this earth always wonders that, there are areas on this earth which are
extremely dry and on the other hand, there are areas which face heavy rain throughout the year.
Then, there are areas which are completely plain and on the other hand there are areas dominated
by mountains and plateaus. The answers to all these questions lie in physical geography. Thus, a
lot of explorers, tourists show a keen interest in the physical geography. There are many people
who have a great interest in the physical geography studies but, unfortunately have not got the
opportunity in realization of their goals.
Geography has also been defined as “the science of earth as the home of man” by scholars like
Kant and Ritter, and has two main branches, physical geography and human geography
There are many scholars who have defined physical geography but, all have done it in their
own ways:
Tarr and Von Engeln “Physical geography may be defined as the study of physical features of
the earth and their influence on man.”
Arthur Holmes has defined physical geography as “The study of physical environment by itself
is Physical Geography, which includes consideration of surface relief of the globe
(Geomorphology), of the seas and oceans (Oceanography) and of air (Meteorology and
Climatology).
According to A.K. Lobeck “The study of physical environment alone constitutes physiography.”
A.N. Strahler states that, “Physical geography is simply the study and unification of a number of
earth sciences which gives us a general insight into nature of man’s environment.

Growth and Development of Physical Geography

The history of geography spans across many centuries and over the time the subject has
greatly evolved and developed. A deep analysis of its historical evolution gives a clear insight into
the character as well as methodologies of the subject. These valuable insights can help us in a more
meticulous understanding of Physical geography. It has already been highlighted that, physical
geography has undergone many changes with respect to the meaning and definition, subject matter
along with various methods and approaches of study.
Physical geography has seen its development in the study of Greek scholars and further
extended by Roman and Indian scholars. The Greeks followed two kinds of traditions in their
work. One was the mathematical tradition in which focus was on location of places on the earth’s
surface, and the other tradition was gathering information through fieldworks.
 The Greeks contributed to physical geography through their works on change of climates,
winds, rainfall, mountains, delta buildings, earthquake, floods along with their causes, volcanoes
and transformation of topographic features. Aristotle discussed phenomena of expansion of land
in the shallow seas and the formation of the delta. Herodotus talked about tides in the red sea. The
Greeks said that the world can basically be divided into three temperature zones called torrid,
temperate and frigid zone.
Strabo was the most outstanding out of all Roman scholars and focused on the fact, earth
is spherical and divided it into different zones and the circles upon the sphere i.e., equator, the
zodiac, the tropics and the arctic circle. He discussed the changes that have occurred over the face
of the earth owing to transgression and regression of the sea as well as due to earthquakes and
volcanoes.
Indian scholars focused on accurate knowledge of the topography of an area along with its,
flora and fauna, natural resources etc. of India and adjoining countries. A great deal of geographical
information is available in Vedas and Puranas. With fall of the Roman Empire came the Dark Age
where practically no scientific development had taken place. During the medieval period Arabs
did make some contribution especially in field of mathematical geography. In present time,
American and European Scholars are making a good contribution to the modern physical
geography.
Over the years especially by 1950s man realized that, natural resources are highly limited
and are being used haphazardly which is ultimately leading to an extinction of many important life
forms on this earth. This can lead to an emergence of a great devastating situation including
pollution and depletion of essential resources. Such situations have led to a great resurgence in
studies in physical geography by researchers worldwide.
By the end of twenty-first century, physical geography developed as a more balanced,
integrated and comprehensive discipline. Thus, we can say from the above discussion that,
geography has really evolved through various stages of development as regards to the content,
methodology and approach to study.
In the beginning physical geography has been usually defined as the study of only the
physical environment (namely reliefs, air and water) of the earth e.g. ‘The study of physical
environment by itself is Physical Geography, which includes consideration of surface relief of the
globe (Geomorphology), of the seas and oceans (Oceanography) and of air (Meteorology and
Climatology)’ (Arthur Holmes).
Physical geography is interdisciplinary in nature and is a mixture of different branches of
earth and natural sciences. It has been realized that, physical geography is very vast. Arthur Holmes
has further elaborated in 1960 that ‘physical geography is simply the study of unification of a
number of earth sciences which give us a general insight into the nature of man’s environment.
Not in itself a distinct branch of science physical geography is a body of basic principles of earth
sciences selected with a view to include primarily the environmental influences that vary from
place to place over the earth surface’.

It studies the patterns and interactions between human activities and physical environment
analyze the spatial pattern and relationships of environmental components of the globe in a
regional context and studies the causes of regional patterns of such relationships. It takes into view
both the spatial and temporal aspects of environmental components and their causes.
The main concern of physical geography is biosphere which the layer of the life around the globe
which supports the life of all biota (plants and animals) on the earth surface.

The quality of biosphere is determined by the immediate physical environment which

consequently is dependent on interactions between the endogenetic and exogenetic forces.
Endogenetic forces are the forces coming from within the earth and exogenetic forces are
originating from the atmosphere i.e., denudational processes which include the processes of
erosion and weathering).
The earth crust is a habitat to a variety of living organisms in the biospheric ecosystem. Different
reliefs like mountains, hills plains etc. are created on the earth surface by endogenetic forces which
introduce diversity in the habitats.
The exogenetic forces originates from the atmosphere in form of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
and nitrogen etc. giving rise to different kind of climates on earth surface. These forces also help
in circulation and exchange of heat between the atmosphere and earth surface and on formation of
different landforms by various denudational works on one hand and diversity in the habitats
formed by endogenetic forces on the other. Thus, physical environment affects the life forms
(plants and animals) of the biosphere while man produces a change in the physical environmental
conditions through economic activities.
 NATURE AND SCOPE OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Nature
In present world, geography is the only discipline which brings a perfect combination of
physical and human geography on a common platform. In order to understand the true nature of
geography it is essential to know the two major approaches of geography which are systematic and
regional geography. Systematic geography is complete study of certain specific natural or human
phenomena in all details and regional geography is complete study of a region taking into account
all the systematic geographic processes. Physical geography if we notice basically is an
amalgamation or mixture of many other branches of earth and natural sciences

Relationship of Oceanography with other Sciences

The major branches of physical geography can be classified in the following categories:
1. Geomorphology: is a science which deals with study of landforms and includes Geotectonics
and Lithosphere (Landforms). It is highly systematic and organized description of different types
of landforms on this earth surface. It mainly deals with the study of the physiography and structure
of the earth surface and thus includes the study of the continents and ocean basins, great mountain
systems, the broad plains, slopes of hills and valleys and so on. Thus, it is mainly focuses on the
classification, measurement and description of landforms, along with the history of the processes
that have brought these landforms in their present forms.

The field of geomorphological studies is too vast and different views are being expressed by
various scholars of physical geography with regard to the definition and scope of the subject. Some
of the definitions given by some famous scholars are as follows:
According to Sparks “Geomorphology is essentially the study of the evolution of landforms,
especially landforms produced by the process of erosion. The origin of the major features of the
earth’s crust is usually not considered to be within the sphere of geomorphology”.
Worcester claims that “Geomorphology is the interpretative description of the relief features of
the earth. In other words, geomorphology is the science that describes the surface of the
lithosphere, explains its origin and interprets its history.”
Strahler has given wider meaning to geomorphology. According to him, Geomorphology is an
analysis of origin and evolution of earth’s features. It does not study merely the physical, chemical
and biological processes affecting the evolution of landforms but also the structure of earth’s crust,
the geological processes as well as climatic influences, because it is the combined influence of all
these factors that determines the landforms.”
Looking into the definitions given by these scholars, we can mark that; geomorphology involves
a comprehensive understanding of the structure, process and stage as well as types of relief
features.
Structure: it is mainly concerned not only with features like rock features like folds, faults and
unconformities but also includes the ways by which the earth materials producing landforms
differs from one another in their physical and chemical attributes. Phenomena like rock attributes,
the presence or absence of joints, hardness and permeability of rocks etc. are all part of studying
the structure of the landform. Besides there are stratigraphic implications of structure. Structure of
a region indicates an appreciation of the rock sequence, both in surface and subsurface, as well as
the regional relationships of different rock strata.
Process: Landscape is the result of interplay of a variety of internal and external forces. Internal
forces will include forces (earthquakes and volcanoes) and external forces (weathering, moving
water, ice, air). Tectonic forces usually lead to crumbling of the rocks and results in pushing up of
the continents and mountain ranges. Weathering, on the other hand results in decay and
decomposition and transportation of rock to different places. Gravity always plays a universal role
in regulating the downward movement of rock material on the surface of the earth. With changes
in climatic conditions, vegetation and altitude above or depth below the characteristic of
geomorphic process undergoes a massive change.
Stage (Time): The fundamental principles of geomorphology are based on the processes that act
and bring a change in the appearance of different kind of landscapes with the passage of time.
Stage indicates the phases of development of landforms and the best example to explain this
concept is the work of W.M. Davis who has clearly explained this concept in his work of “cycle
of erosion”, in which he has mentioned that, every landform passes through three stages of
development viz., ‘youth’, ‘maturity’ and ‘old age’.
In geomorphological studies, it can be seen that, there is a clear-cut concept of hierarchy of relief
features as mentioned by Salisbury (1919) who introduced the concept of hierarchy of relief
features by dividing the relief features of the earth into following three orders on the basis of their
size:

Relief features of the first order: under this category we have features like continents which
accounts for 29.2 percent and ocean basins which accounts for 70.8 percent of the earth surface.
These relief features are fairly stable but have shown signs of change in form if their geological
history is analyzed. There are evidences of large-scale changes in their form, extension and
geographical location when we look at their long geological history. As much as 70.8 per cent of
the earth’s surface is covered by water (seas and oceans) and the continents account for only 29.2
percent of the earth’s surface.
Relief features of the second order: are called as structural landforms usually super-imposed on
continents and ocean basins like mountains, plateaus and plains on the continents, and mid-oceanic
ridges, oceanic plains and trenches on the ocean floor along with major features on the continental
margins. These relief features are the result of interaction of endogenetic forces (forces working
in the interior of the earth) and exogenetic forces (forces acting on the surface of the earth). Relief
features of the second order prepare the base for the development of relief features of third order.
Relief features of the third order: Relief features of the third order are formed on the relief
features of the second order. These are an outcome of the actions of exogenetic forces like work
of running water (river), moving ice (glacier), and wind and sea waves. These forces basically act
as agents of erosion as well as deposition. On the other hand, relief features formed as a result of
the erosional work of exogenetic forces are valleys, hanging valleys, Roche moutonnée, mushroom
or g ara, cliffs, bays, promontories etc. Relief features formed by the depositional work of the
exogenetic forces are alluvial cones and alluvial fans, overflow lakes, natural levees and flood
plains, deltas, moraines, eskers, kames, drumlins, sand dunes, barkhans, beaches etc. All these
features hold an important place as they give the description of the landforms formed on the surface
of the earth.

New concepts have come up in the field of Geomorphology

A. Over the years a better relationship has develop between geography, geomorphology and
geology. Geomorphology is closely associated with geography and geology. Both geographers and
geologists have contributed vastly to the development of geomorphological studies especially
work of scholars like Davis, Wooldridge and Morgan and B.W.Sparks who believed that;
geomorphology is a part of geology as it has been realized during recent decades that,
geomorphology has been more geological than geographical. In European nations, there is an
increasing trend recognizing geomorphology as a branch of geography and thus there has been an
increase in geomorphological studies as several scholars are making significant contribution to the
development and growth of geomorphology.

B. Growth of structural Geomorphology: The subject has gained a lot of importance in the recent
years; the laws and agents of denudation are gaining importance. There has been a greater trend
towards the study of different landform structures created by activities like vulcanicity and tectonic
activity, crustal behavior and deformation are becoming highly visible. Since the concepts of sea-
floor spreading and plate tectonics have gained popularity; physiography of ocean basins has
developed as an important part of geomorphological studies hence, a lot of research is being
pursued in this field all across the world.
C. Increasing criticism of Davisian model: Although davisian concept is considered as an
important part of geographical studies and all the scholars have included davisian concepts but
modern geomorphological st concepts contains no or little davisian thinking.

D. Growth of Climatic Geomorphology: Climatic geomorphology has emerged as an important

field as number of scholars believed that climate has a deep impression on the landscape if other
things remain the same. Different kinds of landscape emerge with varying climatic conditions.
Climate exerts an indirect influence in form of distribution of natural vegetation. Thus, in this
sense it is very clear that climate controls process (es) and process (es) control form, therefore,
form is the ultimate product of climate.

E. Growth of Applied Geomorphology: deals with the application of geomorphologic knowledge

in our day to life. It is comparatively a new branch of geography with a very different and minute
vision of the geomorphological processes. Fields like engineering, construction of roads and dams,
mineral resources, irrigation projects, flood control and regional planning and development,
conservation and setting up of human settlements have seen a greater use of geomorphological
techniques which shows its much-needed importance in human lives. This has given a new
dynamism to the world of geomorphological studies.

F. Growth of Quantitative Geomorphology: Geography has always been recognized as a subject

based on field studies. Greater improvement in techniques of field surveys, laboratory and other
practical experiences, has led to emergence of a new branch quantitative geomorphology. These
have drastically improved the standards of research by improving the level of measurement and
understanding geomorphic concepts with greater precision and accuracy. So, a new light has been
brought in the geomorphological studies with the development of quantitative studies.

1. Climatology: covers the study of Atmosphere (Climate and weather). Weather refers to the sum
total of the atmospheric conditions in terms of temperature, pressure, direction and speed of winds,
humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, visibility etc. of a particular place at a given time. It varies
greatly over the entire face of the earth, and hence is a subject of great geographical significance.
The term ‘climate’ is closely related to weather because the indicators of both weather and climate
like temperature, rainfall, pressure, humidity, wind etc. are the same. However, climate differs
from weather with respect to time and space. Weather studies are part of a science called
Meteorology which scientifically studies the atmosphere and different kinds of atmospheric
phenomena. The science of meteorology can be classified under following five categories:
Aerology: deals with the study of the structure of the atmosphere.
Dynamic or theoretical Meteorology: studies the motions of the atmosphere by analysing the
physical variables of pressure, density, temperature and velocity in order to protect the future state
of the atmosphere.
Physical Meteorology: covers all physical atmospheric phenomena and amongst which electrical,
optical and thermodynamic processes are highly important. It systematically describes the working
of different kind of forces in the atmosphere. As a part of natural science, it analyzes concepts of
physics, chemistry and dynamics of the entire atmosphere. It also helps in predicting weather
accurately along with an understanding of artificial control of the atmospheric phenomena.
Synoptic Meteorology: focuses on specific region with a highly analytical and comparative
approach. Synoptic charts are usually preferred for weather forecasting. It studies the metrological
conditions spread over a wide area and is based on the principle that, certain atmospheric
conditions result in a particular type of weather.
Aeronautical Meteorology: It is a category of natural-cum applied science which analyzes the
weather conditions suitable for aviation purposes. It has gained a lot of importance over the years
especially with the development of aviation industry.
2. Oceanography: deals with the water bodies such as oceans and seas. According to H.A.
Marmer, “Oceanography, the science of the sea, embraces primarily the study of the form and
nature of the oceanic basins, the characteristics of the waters in these basins and the movements to
which these waters are subjected to.” oceanography has also always been an integral part of the
studies of physical geography.

Since these water bodies have become a matter of great economic and strategic significance
therefore, study of oceanography has gained a lot of importance in recent times with special
relevance to applied oceanography. Applied oceanography focuses on delineation, exploitation,
mapping utilization and management of marine resources. Marine ecology and marine ecosystem
have become the focal theme of oceanography.
‘Oceanography’ covers all the studies pertaining to seas and oceans. The vastness of the scope of
oceanography can be obtained from the studies of many past voyages as well as recent studies in
the field of Oceanography which describes the entire complexity of the oceanic system. It is again
interdisciplinary in nature and interacts with several other disciplines for a thorough knowledge of
oceans and seas. Both deductive and inductive approaches are being followed in order to
understand the vast domain oceanic environment.
Oceanography is generally divided into following two broad divisions:
Physical Oceanography: It focuses on the physical properties of the oceanic waters such as
temperature, pressure, salinity, density, compressibility, viscosity, water masses and their
distributional patterns. It seems to investigate into the thermodynamics of ocean water e.g.sea
waves, currents, tides, tsunamis etc. The theories and principles expressing physical properties and
thermodynamics of water is important in study of physical oceanography and as such the
application of hydrodynamics carries a great significance.

Just like the study of seas and oceans is important similarly in recent years it has become necessary
to study the part which is above the oceans and sea and these are studied under a science called
Marine Meteorology. Its development greately owes to the efforts made by Maury of the
U.S.Navy.
Marine Biology: studies deeply the animal and plant life present in the sea by investigating the
major causes and origin of animal and plant life. This branch has developed greately in recent
years as it has been realized that plant and animal resource thriving in the seas and oceans which
has great economic significance. The subject matter of Oceanography mainly deals with the
chemical composition of sea water, vast domain of oceanic life-plants, plankton, floating animals
and their distribution, and the sea as a biological environment.
Oceanography as we have already seen has emerged as a strong and important branch of geography
and is interdisciplinary in nature as it is associated with many other sciences like physics, geology,
mathematics, meteorology, hydrodynamics, chemistry, zoology and botany
3. Biogeography: It gives a spatial and temporal analysis of distribution of plants and animals on
the earth surface. It is the branch too closely associated with human beings as it studies Biosphere,
which is called as the life layer since, it supports life. The scope of biogeography is again very vast
as it is also interdisciplinary in nature and hence is a synthetic science and strongly relates to
geography, biology, soil science, geology, climatology, ecology and evolution.
The roots of biogeography can be traced in the work of Alfred Russel Wallace and other
evolutionary scientists. Wallace studied the distribution of flora and fauna in the Malay
Archipelago in the 19th century.
Biogeography again can be divided into two branches:
1. Plant Geography

2. Animal Geography

Plant Geography: it is an important part of biogeographical studies and can be studied through
different approaches but two most important approaches are floristic plant geography and
ecological plant geography. Floristic geography concentrates on geographic distribution of species
and taxonomic units. It has developed because the inherent characteristics of the species are largely
responsible for their extent and the location of the area occupied by them. Once these locations are
defined, solutions to these problems can be suggested.
It is a universal fact that every species flourishes in environmental conditions that is suitable for
their survival and growth. Such studies of plant distributions which analysed them in different
environmental conditions is termed as Ecological Plant Geography. Animal Geography: also,
popular as Zoogeography, deals with animals below the level of acculturated man. Geographers
usually studies zoogeography both in terms of region and taxonomy.

Overlapping of Biogeography with other disciplines

 Scope of Physical Geography
The main focus of geography has always been on man and environment relationship due to which
it has developed a vast scope. Humans are greatly influenced by their physical environment and
hence physical geography studies provides an insight into reasons essential for understanding the
different cultural patterns that have originated in this world.
The scope and content of physical geography has undergone a sea change during the last few
decades for which the following factors have been mainly responsible:
1. Geographers are putting a lot of efforts in order to develop physical geography as useful and
meaningful to the humans as possible so that, it can be brought closer to humans to enhance its
relevance in present times.

2. There has been a large-scale increase in different natural hazards like cyclones, droughts, floods,
earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, tides, landslides, avalanches etc. all over the world. This has led
to a lot of research in this field which is no doubt an important segment of the physical geography
studies.

3. There has been introduction of many new methods and techniques for bringing greater precision
in measuring various processes in geomorphology, climatology and oceanography. Accuracy of
results for different phenomena has made physical geography a more useful discipline.

4. Addition of new dimensions, such as biosphere, ecosystems, hydrology, plate tectonics etc. has
further enhance the broad spectrum of physical geography. Thus, over the time the discipline has
become more broad-based.

5. Growing emphasis on microspatial and temporal scale in place of macro spatial and temporal
scale in the study of environmental processes has made our findings more accurate and enabled
physical geography to serve the social cause in a better way.

6. Like earlier years concentration on macro scale both in spatial and temporal analysis, now there
is a shift towards micro-level studies. This has led to findings which are more accurate and makes
physical geography a more relevant subject for understanding the social causes.

7. With greater development of the subject all over the world, there has been improvement in the
techniques of field work, laboratory and other measurement technique. A lot of scope has been
generated in the form of instrumentation and measurement of operation of the geomorphological
data processes. Along with this a greater use of mathematical and statistical techniques has greatly
enhanced the scope of the subject.

8. Thus, the scope of geography is in various disciplines, like armed services, environment
management, water resources, disaster management, meteorology, planning, tourism and so on.

RECENT TRENDS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

1. There has been a continuous development especially in field of applied physical geography. A
lot of work is being carried out in order to solve many human- induced environmental problems.

2. Development in field of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System has given
further impetus in scope of physical geography studies especially in field of monitoring of earth’s
resources and physical features. The hydrological and geomorphological systems have benefited
greatly from remotely sensed data as they have greatly enhanced the applicability in many fields.

3. There has been a great up gradation in the work on biogeography especially at school level as
the study of plants and animals have become an integral part of the school syllabus. Biogeography
is greatly focusing on ecological processes especially on energy flow and nutrient cycling.

4. There has been a lot of Growth in field of applied geomorphology. This branch which has
emerged in the recent years is highly relevant to the human beings as it deals with day to day life
events and hence, has greater applicability. Thus, it is closer to the humans.

Relevance of Physical Geography:

1. As regards the relevance of physical geography, it can be claimed that, it has lot of relevance in
present times due to its interdisciplinary nature. It is an interesting subject and highly useful in
day-to-day life of human beings.
2. Relevance of Physical geography is explained in the popularity of weather and nature programs
all over the world. The tourism industry is highly dependent on the physical geography studies all
across the world. A person who goes on different exotic vacations if usually enjoys the uniqueness
of the physical landscape in new places.

With a greater insight of physical geography, we can enjoy these trips further. We can feel more
connected with the immediate world around us.

3. In addition, an understanding of physical geography can help us in building more rational

opinions about important environmental issues in our country. Thus; it gives us the scope for
becoming better citizens who are capable of protecting the best interests of our society.

4. A carrier as a physical geographer is again an exciting option. A number of excellent, well-

paying jobs can be obtained with a specialization in physical geography including environmental
analysts, cultural resource managers, conservation agents, teachers, meteorologists and landscape
architects.

5. By pursuing a carrier in different fields as a physical geographer, we will have to do a lot of

collection, analysis and reporting of geographical data which is a highly rewarding activity.

6. An understanding of the physical geography will help us in understanding our home planed in
a much better way, after reading the text on physical geography.

CONCLUSION

Geography has been an important subject as it is very essential in person’s everyday life. It not
only deals with the study of earth but, where on this earth different activities are located. Physical
geography gains much importance here as it describes the distribution of landforms, learning of
environmental processes as all these helps in describing different human activities and social,
cultural, economic and demographic factors also produce changes in our physical landscape and
brings out new and altered landscapes by human interference. Today, our world is full of different
problems like food security, environmental pollution, disasters and hazards and so on. All these
problems can be tackled with a better understanding of the physical landscape and solving such
problems. This will ultimately help in bringing sustainable development.