Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography, Canadian Edition, 4th edition

For courses in physical geography.

An essential introduction to physical geography, from atmosphere to biosphere

The gold standard in the discipline, Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography is a practical text explaining the essentials of physical geography. Organized into four sections by Earth systems topics as they naturally occur – atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere – the text guides students through the principles of physical geography with real-world applications. Christopherson's approach is known for its meticulous attention to detail and up-to-date accuracy. Real-world case studies and activities engage students and help them apply geography to the real world.

Canadian students and instructors appreciate the texts organization, scientific accuracy, integration of figures and examples specific to Canada while maintaining an international flavour throughout.

Hallmark features of this title

• Chapter-opening Geosystems Now case study feature presents current issues in geography and Earth systems science. These original, unique essays, updated for the Canadian edition, immediately engage readers into the chapter with relevant, real-world examples of physical geography.
• A Quantitative Solution. This feature leads students through a solution to a problem, using a quantitative approach. Formerly called Applied Physical Geography, several of these were expanded or updated for this edition, and a new one was added (Map Scales, in Chapter 1).
• Twenty-two Focus Studies, with either updated or new content, explore relevant applied topics in greater depth and are a popular feature of the Geosystems texts. In this edition, these features are grouped by topic into five categories: Pollution, Climate Change, Natural Hazards, Sustainable Resources, and Environmental Restoration.
• Critical Thinking exercises are integrated throughout the chapters. These carefully crafted action items bridge students to the next level of learning, placing students in charge of further inquiry.

New and updated features of this title

• As the world shifts to a greater reliance on digital media, it is appropriate that this text evolves as well. This updated fourth edition is the first fully digital version of Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography. Instructors and students will find that, although the medium has changed, the content is fully consistent with prior editions.
• A new chapter on climate change. Although climate change science affects all systems and is discussed to some extent in every chapter of Geosystems, we now present a stand-alone chapter covering this topic - Chapter 11, Climate Change. This chapter covers paleoclimatology and mechanisms for past climatic change (expanding on topics covered in Chapter 17 in the previous edition), climate feedbacks and the global carbon budget, the evidence and causes of present climate change, climate models and projections, and actions that we can take to moderate Earth's changing climate.
• The Human Denominator links chapter topics to human examples and applications. At the end of Chapters 2 through 20, this new feature includes maps, photos, graphs, and other diagrams to provide visual examples of many human - Earth interactions. This feature replaces and expands on the former Chapter 21 in previous Geosystems editions, called Earth and the Human Denominator. 
• New and revised illustrations and maps to improve student learning. More than 250 new photos and images bring real-world scenes into the classroom. Our photo and remote sensing program, updated for this edition, exceeds 500 items, integrated throughout the text.