Unit PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GIS
- Course
- Earth science and environment
- Study-unit Code
- A004560
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Laura Melelli
- Teachers
-
- Laura Melelli
- Hours
- 52 ore - Laura Melelli
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2024
- Offered
- 2024/25
- Learning activities
- Base
- Area
- Formazione geologica di base
- Academic discipline
- GEO/04
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- PART ONE - PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
1 The Earth: introduction
2 The atmosphere
3 Insolation and temperature
4 Atmospheric pressure and winds
5. The wind and local winds
6 atmospheric humidity
7 atmospheric disturbances
8 climate and climate change
9 the hydrosphere
PART TWO - GIS
1 The Representation of the Earth's Surface
2 Maps and globes
3. The reading of topographic and thematic maps
4. GIS (Geographical Information Systems). - Reference texts
- 1. Tom L. McKnight, Darrel Hess, Francesco Dramis, Paolo Mozzi (2021) “Geografia fisica. Comprendere il paesaggio”, Piccin-Nuova Libraria ISBN 978-8829932122
2. Elvio Lavagna, Guido Lucarno (2014) “Geocartografia. Guida alla lettura delle carte geotopografiche”, Zanichelli ISBN: 978-8808157898 - Educational objectives
- Knowledge of the main endogenous and exogenous phenomena and the interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere.
Ability to link causes and effects inherent to endogenous and exogenous phenomena on the planet. Reading and interpretation of geographical and topographical maps.
Knowledge of Geographical Information Systems useful for input, visualisation and project creation. - Prerequisites
- Student must have minimum knowledge (acquired during the high school of second degree) on phenomena that interact on the planet Earth. The teacher will evaluate informally previous knowledge of the students so that they can remedy in the initial stage of course, of the cognitive gaps and bringing students to a base level as uniform as possible. After this stage will start the course proper.
- Teaching methods
- Theoretical lessons and practical training
- Other information
- No other additional information
- Learning verification modality
- Oral examination lasting at least 20 minutes in which students will be evaluated on the ability to express the knowledges acquired by individual study and the ability to develop logical arguments cause / effect.
Informations about support for DSA students are available at http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa - Extended program
- PART ONE - PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
1 The Earth: introduction
Environmental Spheres and Earth Systems
The Earth in the Solar System
Earth-Sun relationships and the seasons
The measurement of time
2 The Atmosphere
Dimensions and compositions of the atmosphere
The vertical structure of the atmosphere
Human-induced changes in the atmosphere
Atmospheric weather and climate
3 Sunshine and Temperature
Solar energy
Atmospheric heating and cooling processes
The balance of solar radiation on Earth
Variations in insolation as a function of latitude and seasons
The thermal contrast between land and water
Mechanisms of heat transfer on a global scale
The vertical and areal distribution of temperatures
4 Atmospheric pressure and winds
Atmospheric pressure
Wind and local winds
Atmospheric circulation and its changes over time
El Nino and the Southern Oscillation
6 Atmospheric humidity
The nature of water and changes of state
Water vapour, evaporation and their measurements
Condensation
Adiabatic processes
Clouds
Atmospheric stability
Precipitation and its global distribution
6 atmospheric perturbations
Air masses
Fronts
Cyclones and anticyclones
7 climate and climate change
Classification of climates
Global climate change: past fluctuations and future prospects
8 the hydrosphere
The hydrological cycle
The oceans
Surface and groundwater and the cryosphere
PART TWO - GIS
2 The Representation of the Earth's Surface
Maps and globes
The cartographic scale
Geographic projections
The reading of topographic and thematic maps. The topographic section. Calculation of latitude and longitude
GIS (Geographical Information Systems): data formats and principles of spatial analysis.
The management of Cartographic Reference Systems in GIS.
Global navigation satellite systems
Notes on remote sensing and photointerpretation
Cartographic portals for numerical spatial and territorial data. - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- 11, 13, 14, 15