Geosystems Core
©2017 |Pearson | Available
Mastering
Robert W. Christopherson
Stephen Cunha, Humboldt State University
Charles E. Thomsen
Ginger H. Birkeland
©2017 |Pearson | Available
Mastering
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Highly regarded, best-selling author Robert Christopherson has partnered with renowned geographer and educator Stephen Cunha, longtime media author Charlie Thomsen, and established educator and researcher Ginger Birkeland to develop Geosystems Core, a brief, modular, highly visual and flexible textbook and springboard into physical geography. This approach allows instructors to teach concepts in their preferred order, empowering them to bring in their own case studies and applications to further illustrate the core concepts.
Instructors can also easily augment and extend the First Edition of the print book by leveraging the rich library of media and customizable assessment resources in MasteringGeography.
Key geographical concepts are presented as two-page modules that can stand on their own and be read in any order. Instructors can assign these flexible modules in whatever sequence best suits their course and teaching style. Each module in the text contains only the most essential content for any concept; this focused presentation prevents students from becoming lost in unnecessary detail.
Over 100 Animations and Videos are QR Linked to provide just-in-time reinforcement to learners as they read, giving instant mobile access to visualizations from robust science sources such as NASA/JPL, FEMA, and NOAA.
End-of-chapter features, The Human Denominator, explicitly focus on the human-Earth dimension of physical geography within context of the chapter topic. They include maps (spatial data), real-world examples (photos), and review of both current and potential future issues that help engage students by connecting physical geography concepts to their real-world environment.
Unique, two-page GeoLab capstone modules integrate a lab experience directly into the book without the need for a separate lab manual or lab section, enabling students to get hands-on with the data and tools of physical geography. Each GeoLab includes an online component in MasteringGeography that can be assigned and automatically graded.
Christopherson, Cunha, and Thomsen’s structured learning path and tightly integrated pedagogy give students a reliable, consistent framework for mastering the chapter concepts:
Christopherson’s 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.
Review the table of contents below for Geosystems Core to gain a better understanding of the textbook’s organization and the topics covered in each chapter.
Chapter 1: Solar Energy, Seasons, & the Atmosphere
Chapter 2: Energy in the Atmosphere
Chapter 3: Pressure, Winds, & Currents
Chapter 4: Atmospheric Water and Weather
Chapter 5: Water Resources
Chapter 6: Global Climate Systems
Chapter 7: Climate Change
Chapter 8: Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, & Volcanism
Chapter 9: Weathering & Mass Movement
Chapter 10: Stream Erosion & River Systems
Chapter 11: Coastal Systems & Wind Processes
Chapter 12: Glacial Systems
Chapter 13: Ecosystems & Soils
Chapter 14: Biomes
This material is protected under all copyright laws, as they currently exist. No portion of this material may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher.
MasteringGeography is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with Geosystems Core to engage students and improve results. Interactive, self-paced coaching activities provide individualized coaching to keep students on track. With a wide range of visual and media-rich activities available, students can actively learn, understand, and retain even the most difficult concepts.
NEW GeoTutor Activities help students master the toughest physical geoscience concepts with highly visual, kinesthetic activities focused on critical thinking and the application of core geoscience concepts.
NEW Video Activities from sources such as the BBC, Financial Times, and Television for the Environment’s Life and Earth Report series provide students with applied real-world examples of physical geography in action, a sense of place, and allow students to explore a range of locations and topics.
NEW Mobile Field Trips by acclaimed geoscientist, photographer, and pilot Michael Collier transport students out into the field to explore the patterns and processes of North America’s physical geography.
Geoscience Animations help students visualize the most challenging processes in the physical geosciences with schematic animations that include audio narration. Animations also have assignable multiple-choice quizzes with specific wrong answer feedback to help guide students toward mastery of these core physical process concepts.
Encounter Physical Geography Google Earth Activities provide rich, interactive Google Earth explorations of physical geography concepts, helping students visualize and explore earth’s landscape and physical processes. Available with multiple-choice and short answer questions. All Explorations include corresponding Google Earth KMZ media files, and questions include hints and specific wrong-answer feedback to help coach students toward mastery of the concepts.
COMING SOON MapMaster NextGen Interactive Map Activities are inspired by GIS, allowing students to layer various thematic maps to analyze spatial patterns and data at regional and global scales. Now fully mobile, with the ability for students to upload their own data, this tool includes zoom and annotation functionality, with hundreds of map layers leveraging recent data from sources such as NOAA, NASA, USGS, United Nations, and the CIA.
Current MapMasterView
Chapter 8, “Tectonics, Earthquakes, & Volcanism,“ is available for preview below.
What are Earth's History, Interior Structure, & Materials?
How Do Plate Motions Affect Earth's Crust?
How Does Plate Tectonics Explain Changes In Earth's Surface?
This material is protected under all copyright laws, as they currently exist. No portion of this material may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Geosystems Core evolved out of his teaching notes and was his graduate thesis: this is his life’s work. He founded the geography program of American River College faculty. His wife Bobbé is his principal photographer and has provided more than 300 exclusive photos for each of his books. Together they have completed nine polar expeditions (most recently in spring 2010). They attended the 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Symposium in Reykjavik, Iceland to acquire photo and video coverage and research.
Robert is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1998 and 2005 Text and Academic Authors Association Textbook Award for Geosystems and Elemental Geosystems, 4/e, respectively. He was selected by American River College students as "Teacher of the Year" and received the American River College Patrons Award. Robert received the 1999 Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award from the National Council for Geographic Education and the Outstanding Educator Award from the California Geographical Society in 1997. The Text and Academic Authors Association presented him with its Presidents' Award in 2005.
Amongst many other things, Robert has been deeply involved in the development of Pearson’s Geoscience Animation Library, and he led the editorial board of Rand McNally’s Goode’s World Atlas, 22/e.
Dr Cunha is an active teacher, researcher, and mountain geographer. He has co-authored geography textbooks and the Atlas of California. Cunha was head of the California Geographic Alliance. He has international travel and experience in the Americas, Asia, and Africa, bringing a new international perspective and content to Geosystems Core. Cunha has numerous teaching and research awards and is active in various organizations like AAG.
Professor Thomsen received his BA from California State University Chico and MA from the University of California.He is the author of Pearson’s Encounter Geosystems and Applied Physical Geography: Geosystems in the Laboratory, as well as many other assessment and media projects.
She taught intro courses at Montana State University and Indiana University, spent time as a research associate at Arizona State, and has spent many years as an outdoor education instructor and commercial river guide. Ginger has worked in the field as a fluvial geomorphologist for industry and funded government projects. Some of her field projects include: a multidisciplinary plan for the recovery of two threatened fish species in the Truckee River Recovery Plan (California and Nevada) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; geomorphic oversight, technical expertise, and technical editing for the Menomonee River Sediment Study (Wisconsin); and geomorphic expertise, and co-authoring of several sections on fluvial geomorphology for reports on bank protection and salmon habitat enhancement for the Integrated Streambank Protection Guidelines and Channel Design Guidelines (Washington).
TestGen Test Bank (Download Only) for Geosystems Core
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Important: To use the test banks below, you must download the TestGen software from the TestGen website. If you need help getting started, read the tutorials on the TestGen site.
Instructor Resource Manual (Download only) for Geosystems Core
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Mastering Geography -- Instructor Access Code
Pearson Education
©2012
Format | Digital Access Code | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321809964 | |
Availability |
Live
|
Instructors, request access |
Geoscience Animation Library on DVD, 5th Edition
Pearson Education
©2011
Format | DVD | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321716842 | |
Online purchase price | $53.32 | |
Availability |
Available
|
Geography Coloring Book, 3rd Edition
Kapit
©2003
 | 208 pp
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Format | Electronic Book | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134857121 | |
Online purchase price | $39.96 | |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321958334 | |
Online purchase price | $44.99 | |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134011233 | |
Online purchase price | $49.99 | |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134166797 | |
Online purchase price | $84.99 | |
Availability |
Live
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Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Format | Unbound (Saleable) | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134166858 | |
Online purchase price | $99.99 |
|
Availability |
Available
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Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Pearson offers affordable and accessible purchase options to meet the needs of your students. Connect with us to learn more.
K12 Educators: Contact your Savvas Learning Company Account General Manager for purchase options. Instant Access ISBNs are for individuals purchasing with credit cards or PayPal.
Savvas Learning Company is a trademark of Savvas Learning Company LLC.
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Electronic Book | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134857121 | |
Online purchase price | $39.96 | Students, buy or rent this eText |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321958334 | |
Online purchase price | $44.99 | Students, buy access |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134011233 | |
Online purchase price | $49.99 | Students, buy access |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134166797 | |
Online purchase price | $84.99 | Students, buy access |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson  | 456 pp
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson  | 520 pp
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson  | 512 pp
For introductory physical geography courses.
A brief, visual, and media-rich approach to physical geography
Highly regarded, best-selling author Robert Christopherson has partnered with renowned geographer and educator Stephen Cunha and longtime media author Charlie Thomsen to establish Geosystems Core, a brief, modular, highly visual and flexible textbook and springboard into physical geography. This approach allows instructors to teach concepts in their preferred order, empowering them to bring in their own case studies and applications to further illustrate the core concepts.
Reach every student with Mastering Geography with Pearson eText
Mastering® Geography is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master physical geography concepts. Students benefit from self-paced coaching activities that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain challenging course concepts. Learn more about Mastering Geography.
Pearson eText is an easy-to-use digital textbook available within Mastering that lets students read, highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place. If youre not using Mastering, students can purchase Pearson eText on their own or you can assign it as a course to schedule readings, view student usage analytics, and share your own notes with students. Learn more about Pearson eText.
Reach every student with Mastering # with Pearson eText
Mastering® empowers you to personalize learning and reach every student. This flexible digital platform combines trusted content with customizable features so you can teach your course your way. And with digital tools and assessments, students become active participants in their learning, leading to better results. Learn more about Mastering Geography.
Pearson eText is an easy-to-use digital textbook available within Mastering that lets students read, highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place. If youre not using Mastering, students can purchase Pearson eText on their own or you can assign it as a course to schedule readings, view student usage analytics, and share your own notes with students. Learn more about Pearson eText.
About the book
Brief, flexible, modular approach for todays students
Give students a reliable and visual learning path
Engage students by connecting geography to their real-world environment
Present the latest climate change science and data
Reach every student with Mastering
Introduction to Physical Geography
Part I: Energy & Earth Systems
1. Solar Energy, Seasons, & the Atmosphere
2. Energy in the Atmosphere
3. Pressure, Winds, & Currents
Part II: Water, Weather, & Climate Systems
4. Atmospheric Water & Weather
5. Water Resources
6. Global Climate Systems
7. Climate Change
Part III: The Geosphere: Earth’s Interior & Surface
8. Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, & Volcanism
9. Weathering & Mass Movement
10. Stream Erosion & River Systems
11. Coastal Systems & Wind Processes
12. Glacial Systems
Part IV: The Biosphere
13. Ecosystems & Soils
14. Biomes
TestGen Test Bank (Download Only) for Geosystems Core
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Important: To use the test banks below, you must download the TestGen software from the TestGen website. If you need help getting started, read the tutorials on the TestGen site.
Instructor Resource Manual (Download only) for Geosystems Core
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017
Mastering Geography -- Instructor Access Code
Pearson Education
©2012
Format | Digital Access Code | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321809964 | |
Availability |
Live
|
Instructors, request access |
Geoscience Animation Library on DVD, 5th Edition
Pearson Education
©2011
Format | DVD | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321716842 | |
Online purchase price | $53.32 | |
Availability |
Available
|
Geography Coloring Book, 3rd Edition
Kapit
©2003
 | 208 pp
Pearson offers affordable and accessible purchase options to meet the needs of your students. Connect with us to learn more.
K12 Educators: Contact your Savvas Learning Company Account General Manager for purchase options. Instant Access ISBNs are for individuals purchasing with credit cards or PayPal.
Savvas Learning Company is a trademark of Savvas Learning Company LLC.
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Electronic Book | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134857121 | |
Online purchase price | $39.96 | Students, buy or rent this eText |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780321958334 | |
Online purchase price | $44.99 | Students, buy access |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134011233 | |
Online purchase price | $49.99 | Students, buy access |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Format | Website | |
ISBN-13: | 9780134166797 | |
Online purchase price | $84.99 | Students, buy access |
Availability |
Live
|
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson  | 456 pp
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson  | 520 pp
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson
Christopherson, Cunha, Thomsen & Birkeland
©2017  | Pearson  | 512 pp
Robert W. Christopherson attended California State University-Chico for his undergraduate work and received his Masters in Geography from Miami University-Oxford, Ohio. Geosystems evolved out of his teaching notes and was his graduate thesis: this is his life’s work. He founded the geography program of American River College faculty. His wife Bobbé is his principal photographer and has provided more than 300 exclusive photos for each of his books. Together they have completed nine polar expeditions (most recently in spring 2010). They attended the 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Symposium in Reykjavik, Iceland to acquire photo and video coverage and research. Robert is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1998 and 2005 Text and Academic Authors Association Textbook Award for Geosystems and Elemental Geosystems, 4/e, respectively. He was selected by American River College students as "Teacher of the Year" and received the American River College Patrons Award. Robert received the 1999 Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award from the National Council for Geographic Education and the Outstanding Educator Award from the California Geographical Society in 1997. The Text and Academic Authors Association presented him with its Presidents' Award in 2005. Amongst many other things, Robert has been deeply involved in the development of Pearson’s Geoscience Animation Library, and he led the editorial board of Rand McNally’s Goode’s World Atlas 22e.
Dr. Stephen Cunha is professor of geography at Humboldt State University. He received his BS, MA, and Phd from UC Berkeley. Dr Cunha is an active teacher, researcher, and mountain geographer. He has co-authored geography textbooks and the Atlas of California. Cunha was head of the California Geographic Alliance. He has international travel and experience in the Americas, Asia, and Africa, bringing a new international perspective and content to Geosystems Core. Cunha has numerous teaching and research awards and is active in various organizations like AAG.
Charlie Thomsen is professor of geography at American River College, where he teaches physical geography, cultural geography, and GIS. Professor Thomsen received his BA from UC Chico and MA from UCAL. He is the author of Pearson’s Encounter Geosystems and Applied Physical Geography: Geosystems in the Laboratory, as well as many other assessment and media projects.
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