20410532 - PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY WITH ELEMENTS OF GEOMORPHOLOGY

The course aims to provide knowledge regarding the environments of Planet Earth and the processes that take place on its surface. In detail, the course intends to 1) introduce a global vision of the planet and provide the basis for understanding the environments present and the physical phenomena that shape its surface, with particular regard to their geographical and climatic distribution; 2) to provide the knowledge to critically read and use topographic maps as a means of representing the earth's surface and the distribution of natural phenomena at different spatial scales. At the end of the course, the students will have developed basic knowledge on the characteristics of the atmosphere and hydrosphere and on their interaction with the earth's surface. In particular, the students will be able to recognize surface processes with their morphologies and their variation based on the substrate and climatic type. At the end of the course, the students will also have developed the basic skills for the use and interpretation of topographic cartography and will be able to solve simple problems associated with the representation of the earth's surface.
teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

ATMOSPHERE: the composition, the division of the atmosphere; the radiative balance of the Sun / Earth / atmosphere system; the air temperature; atmospheric pressure and winds; the general circulation of the atmosphere; air humidity and precipitation; atmospheric pertubation; meteorological weather and climate; the classification of climates and their distribution; the climate in Italy; climatic variations over time; HYDROSPHERE: the hydrological cycle; the sea; the physical-chemical characteristics of seawater; the movements of the sea (waves, currents, tides); coastal morphologies; Glaciers and Processes, forms and glacial deposits; Periglacial processes, forms and deposits;
CARTOGRAPHY: general introduction on geographical maps and their construction; the scale of the map; the shape of the Earth (ellipsoid and geoid) and the datum; the geographical network; the concept of latitude and longitude; geographic projections; hints of triangulation; the UTM system; cartographic symbology; reading and interpretation of topographic maps; Italian cartographic production; practical exercises on topographic maps at different scales of detail concerning: the calculation of the geographical and metric coordinates (UTM and Gauss-Boaga), the construction of the topographic profile, the delimitation of the river basin, the calculation of the percentage and angular slope, the altitude of a point, the planimetric and real distances and the magnetic declination for a correct orientation of the map


Core Documentation

MCKNIGHT T.H. & HESS D.H., GEOGRAFIA FISICA. COMPRENDERE IL PAESAGGIO. PICCIN, PADOVA

LUPIA PALMIERI E. & PAROTTO M., IL GLOBO TERRESTRE E LA SUA EVOLUZIONE, ZANICHELLI, BOLOGNA

SAURO U., MENEGHEL M., BONDESAN A. & CASTIGLIONI B. – DALLA CARTA TOPOGRAFICA AL PAESAGGIO. ATLANTE RAGIONATO. – ZETABETA EDITRICE SRL, VICENZA


Type of delivery of the course

Lectures are carried on using ppt slides. Practical lessons are based on the topographic map. During lessons, students are encouraged to ask questions and make comments.

Type of evaluation

Profit will be assessed by: - a multiple choice written test, relating to the topics covered during the lessons and a cartography test (Coordinate calculation, topographical profile, river basin); - an oral test aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired during the frontal lessons of Physical Geography and laboratory.

teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

Springs, rivers and lakes; River processes, landforms and deposits; Weathering; soils; slope processes, landforms and deposits; Karst processes, landforms and deposits; Aeolian processes, landforms and deposits; Tectonic geomorphology; Volcanic geomorphology; Planation landforms and landscape evolution models; geomorphological cartography

Core Documentation

DRAMIS & OLLIER, Genesi ed evoluzione del rilievo terrestre. PITAGORA EDITRICE BOLOGNA

MCKNIGHT & HESS, Geografia Fisica. PICCIN, PADOVA

CICCACCI, LE FORME DEL RILIEVO, Atlante illustrato di Geomorfologia. MONDADORI UNIVERSITA’



Type of delivery of the course

27 h lesson 6 h field excursion

Type of evaluation

Profit will be assessed by: - a multiple choice written test, relating to the topics covered during the lessons and a cartography test (Coordinate calculation, topographical profile, river basin); - an oral test aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired during the frontal lessons of Physical Geography and laboratory.