Elemental Geosystems, 9th Edition

About the book

Engage students by connecting physical geography to their real-world environments

• The Human Denominator at the end of every chapter links chapter topics to human examples and applications. The feature includes updated maps, photos, graphs, and other diagrams to provide visual examples of many human–Earth interactions.

• New - Questions to Consider within the Human Denominator ask students to interpret graphs and maps and connect information to topics within the chapter.

• Updated - 11 of the Focus Studies have been updated and explore real-world examples and applications of chapter concepts in great depth, without interrupting the flow of the chapter narrative. 
• Active Applied Physical Geography content and data allow students to participate and engage in the content rather than just read.
• New - Interactive Media embedded in the text enabling instant access via QR codes

• New - Mobile Field Trip Videos
• New - Project Condor Quadcopter Videos
• New - Videos from NASA

Present current, relevant topics

• Updated - Chapter 8, Climate Change presents the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of climate change science and data. The chapter explores paleoclimatology, climate feedbacks, evidence and causes of present climate change, climate models and projections, and steps to moderate Earth’s changing climate.
• Updated - Chapter 5, Atmospheric Water and Weather isupdated and reorganized, including adding a new section on precipitation processes, and expanded discussion of thunderstorms.
• Updated - Chapter 17, Biogeography and Terrestrial Biomes’ coverage of biogeography is expanded, including a new Geosystems Now feature on grizzly bears and ecological corridors in the Rocky Mountains.

Give students a reliable, active, and visual learning path

• A unique Earth systems approach organizes the chapters around atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, following the natural flow of energy, materials, and information to present topics in the same sequence in which they occur in nature.
• Updated - A Strengthened Learning Path ties critical-thinking items more closely to the Key Learning Concepts at the front and Key Learning Concepts Review at the end of each chapter. Christopherson’s structured learning path and tightly integrated pedagogy give students a reliable, consistent framework for mastering the chapter concepts:
• New - Everyday Geosystems at the beginning of each chapter invite students to explore the why and how application of physical geography concepts to everyday phenomena.
• Updated - 17 Geosystems Now: Chapter-Opening Case Studies draws readers into each chapter by discussing interesting, current, and relevant applications of chapter concepts while integrating discussions of systems, climate change, and human impacts.
• New - Apply Concepts are active learning tasks that compel students to reflect on the information they have learned and perform short activities.
• New - Earth Systems Connections includes systems diagrams at the end of each chapter that summarize the cascading system operations that are the basis for chapter organization. These flow diagrams emphasize the inputs, actions, outputs, and human–Earth connections relevant to each chapter.
• New - Geospatial Analysis exercises at the end of each chapter are mini-lab activities, sending students outside of the book to access and explore online science tools and data sets from sources such as NASA, USGS, and NOAA, to perform critical geospatial data analysis.
• New - Work It Out activities in each chapter give students a chance to practice basic conceptual or quantitative reasoning. Integrated into appropriate sections of each chapter, these activities give students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of learned concepts and practice critical thinking as they read.
• New and Revised - Illustrations and maps bring real-world scenes into the classroom and improve student learning in every chapter.
• New - Interactive Mapping exercises at the end of each chapter direct students to MapMaster2.0 in Mastering Geography, where they can access, analyze, manipulate, and create regional and world maps related to each chapter topic. Now, students can share these maps as well!
• Updated - Geosystems in Action appear as two-page foundation figures and cover key concepts in a visual and process-oriented way. Each GIA includes QR links to mobile media. Active learning questions appear on page and in the Mastering Geography item library.
• 60+ embedded URLs are integrated throughout the chapters, allowing students to link directly to source material.

Also available packaged with Mastering Geography or as an easy-to-use, standalone Pearson eText

Mastering^™ is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools developed to engage students and emulate the office-hour experience, Mastering personalizes learning and often improves results for each student. With a wide range of activities available, students can actively learn, understand, and retain even the most difficult physical geography concepts. Learn more about Mastering Geography.

• New - MapMaster 2.0 Interactive Map Activities available for assignment with assessment or student self-study. Inspired by GIS and purpose-built for education, MapMaster enables students, of all levels, to layer and explore thematic map data at global and regional scales. It includes hundreds of map layers with a multitude of data points, leveraging recent data from sources; including: US Census Bureau, the United Nations, CIA, World Bank, PRB, NOAA, NASA, USGS, and more. You can also upload, visualize, and probe your own data for a true WebGIS experience. Now, fully mobile and accessible, MapMaster 2.0 includes enhanced visualization and analysis tools such:
• Split screen                     
• Bivariate mapping
• Data filtering and probing
• Annotation
• Map re-projection and styling
• Map sharing
• Geolocation

Watch our MapMaster video to learn more.

• Updated - Pearson eText, optimized for mobile gives students access to their textbook anytime, anywhere. The Pearson eText mobile app offers:

• Offline access on most iOS and Android phones/tablets.
• Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media for select titles
• Accessible (screen-reader ready)
• Configurable reading settings, including resizable type and night reading mode
• Full eReader functionality includes page navigation, search, glossary, highlighting, note taking, annotations, and more. 
• Updated - Learning Catalytics^™ helps generate class discussion, customize lectures, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. Learning Catalytics acts as a student response tool that uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more interactive tasks and thinking.

• New - Upload a full PowerPoint^® deck for easy creation of slide questions.
• New - Team names are no longer case sensitive.
• Help your students develop critical thinking skills.
• Monitor responses to find out where your students are struggling.
• Rely on real-time data to adjust your teaching strategy.
• Automatically group students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning.

Bring the Field to the Classroom

• New - 20 Mobile Field Trip videos for geography from Michael Collier. These videos take students out into the landscape, providing an interactive avenue for exploring landscapes in North America  and the major themes of physical geography.
• New - Project Condor Quadcopter videos  capture stunning footage of the Mountain West region with a quadcopter and a GoPro camera. Annotation, sketching, and narrations help students learn about monoclines, streams, terraces and much more.
• New - GeoLab Activities are online, automatically-graded, and data-rich applied lab activities that augment select chapters.
• Updated - GeoTutor Coaching Activities coach students on the toughest topics in physical geography and employ the kinesthetic and visual tools of Mastering.
• Mastering Geography also includes: Reading Quizzes, Videos, Test Bank Questions, In the News articles of current events, and much more.

Pearson eText allows educators to easily share their own notes with students so they see the connection between their reading and what they learn in class—motivating them to keep reading, and keep learning. Portable access lets students study on the go, even offline. And, reading analytics offer insight into how students use the eText, helping educators tailor their instruction. Learn more about Pearson eText.

Check out the preface for a complete list of features and what's new in this edition.