Geography 101
Course Outline
Online Section

Dr. Michael Ritter
Office: Science D331
Phone: 715-346-4449
Email: mritter@uwsp.edu
Online Office Hours: Email your questions.  

• Required Texts:
  •  Ritter, M. E. The Physical Environment (Free web text- see link above.)
  • McKnight and Hess (2008) Physical Geography, A Landscape Appreciation (9th edition) (Text rental)

• Required Lab Manual : Lemke, Ritter & Heywood. The Physical Environment Lab Manual 5e (2005 - purple title page) Geography 101 Lab Manual (purchased from the Geog/Geol Department)

Jump to:

Unit I | Unit II | Unit III | Unit IV

Unit 1 Essentials of Geography & 
Introduction to the Atmosphere

Unit 1 Study Aids and Guide
 

Essentials of Geography

• TPE web text: Essentials of Geography

• McKnight Textbook Reading: pp. 1 - 15

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Visualizations:

  • Products of a GIS (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: Tools of the Geographer

  • Online exercise - Maps and Air Photo Interpretation

  • Online exercise - Environmental Inventory & Spatial Relationships

 The Atmosphere

• TPE web text:

  • The Atmosphere

• McKnight Textbook Reading: pp. 55 - 67
• Review & Resources
  • Earth System Review
  • The Atmosphere Review
• Suggested Media:
  • "Down To Earth" Earth Revealed Series
•  Lab exercise: None

Energy and Radiation

• TPE web text: Energy and Radiation 

• McKnight Textbook Reading:pp. 15 - 23; 75 - 92

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Particles and Waves" The Mechanical Universe ... and Beyond.

• Suggested Visualization:

  • Earth-Sun Relations

  • Seasonal Changes in light (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: 

  • Lab manual exercise 1 - Earth-Sun Relations

  • Lab manual exercise 2 - Radiation and Energy Balance

Air Temperature

• TPE web text: Temperature

• McKnight Textbook Reading: pp. 92 - 104

• Review & Resources

• Lab exercise: Lab manual exercise 3 - Air Temperature

Atmospheric and Ocean Circulation

• TPE web text: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 5

• Review and Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Temperature and Gas Laws" The Mechanical Universe ... and Beyond.

• Suggested Visualizations:

  • Land/Sea breeze (From Exploring Earth)

  • Coriolis effect and wind direction (From Exploring Earth)

  • Coriolis effect over Earth's surface (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: Lab manual exercise 4 - Atmospheric Pressure, Circulation, and Wind 

Unit 1 Exam 

• Unit 1 Study Aids and Guide

Unit II Weather and Climate Systems

Unit 2 Study  Aids and Guide
 

Atmospheric Moisture

• TPE web text: Atmospheric moisture 

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 6

• Review & Resources

• Lab exercise:

  • Lab manual exercise 5 - Moisture in the Atmosphere

  • Lab manual exercise 6 - Lapse rates

Weather Systems

• TPE web text: Weather Systems

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 7

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Storm That Drowned a City" Nova

• Suggested Visualization:

  • Compare warm  and cold fronts (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise:  Lab manual exercise 7 - Midlatitude Weather and Weather Maps

Climate Systems

• TPE web text: Climate Systems

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 8

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "The Climate Puzzle" Planet Earth Series

• Suggested Visualization:

  • Images of different climate zones (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: Lab manual exercise 8 - Climate classification

Unit 2 Exam & Lab Quiz

• Interactive North America Climate map

• Exam 2 map

• Unit 2 Study  Aids and Guide

Unit III The Hydrosphere and Biosphere

Unit 3 Study Aids and Guide
 

The Hydrosphere

• TPE web text: The Hydrosphere

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 9

• Review and Resources

• Lab exercise: Lab manual exercise 9 Soil Water Budgets

• Required Video Activity: Groundwater

Biogeography of the Earth

• TPE web text: Biogeography of the Earth

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapters 10 & 11

• Review and Resources

• Required Video Activity: Biodiversity

• Lab exercise: Lab manual exercise 13 Net Primary Production, and Decomposition

Soil Systems

• TPE web text: Soil Systems

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 12

• Review and Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Weathering and Soils" Earth Revealed Series

• Lab exercise:

  • Online exercise - Comparing Soils

Unit 3 Exam

• North America Climate/Soils map (KNOW THIS)

• Unit 3 Study Aids and Guide

Unit IV The Lithosphere

Unit 4 Study Aids and Guide
 

Earth Materials and Structure

• TPE web text: Earth materials and structure

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 13 & 17; pp. 443-444

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Earth's Interior" Earth Revealed Series

  • "Minerals" Earth Revealed Series

  • "Intrusive Igneous Rocks" Earth Revealed Series

  • "Sedimentary Rocks" Earth Revealed Series

  • "Metamorphic Rocks" Earth Revealed Series

• Lab exercise: 

  • Lab manual exercise 17 Topographic Maps  

Tectonics and Landforms

• TPE web text: Tectonics and Landforms

• McKnight Textbook Reading: pp. 413 - 428

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Earthquakes" Earth Revealed Series

  • "Earth Structures" Earth Revealed Series

  • "Birth of a Theory" Earth Revealed Series

• Suggested Visualizations:

  • Processes along Plate Boundaries (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: Tectonic Processes and Landforms 

Volcanic Landforms

• TPE web text:  Volcanic Processes and Landforms

• McKnight Textbook Reading: pp. 428-441

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Volcanism" Earth Revealed Series

• Suggested Visualization:

  • Volcanism along subduction zone (From Exploring Earth)

  • Volcanic island over hot spot (From Exploring Earth)

  • Volcanism along rift zone (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: None

Weathering, Mass Movement, and Erosion

• TPE web text: Weathering, Erosion and Mass Movement

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 15

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Weathering and Soils; Mass Wasting" Earth Revealed Series

• Suggested Visualization:

  • Landscape formed by erosion (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise: none

Fluvial Systems

• TPE web text: Fluvial Systems

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 16

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Running Water I & II" Earth Revealed Series

• Suggested Visualizations:

  • Sediment transported by flowing water (From Exploring Earth)

• Lab exercise

  • Lab manual exercise 19 Drainage Basin Analysis

  • Lab manual exercise 20 Fluvial Landforms

Glacial Systems

• TPE web text: Glacial Systems

• McKnight Textbook Reading: Chapter 19

• Review & Resources

• Suggested Media:

  • "Glaciers" Earth Revealed Series

• Lab exercise: Lab manual exercise 21 Glacial Landforms 

Arid Regions - See assignment here NOT REQUIRED FOR SUMMER 07-08

Unit IV Exam - Final Exam

• Unit 4 Study Aids and Guide

  Previous