This document provides an overview of physical geography, including its definition, scope, and development. It discusses the key components studied in physical geography - geomorphology, pedology, biogeography, hydrology, oceanography, climatology, and biogeography. For each component, it outlines some of the main topics examined, such as landforms, soils, plant and animal distributions, water systems, ocean features, climate patterns, and interactions between living organisms and the environment. The document also traces the historical evolution of physical geography and how its methodologies and approaches have changed over time to study earth's natural processes and features.

1. NATURE OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(Definition , Scope, &Development)
Present By: DAYAMOY SANTRA
B.A. IN GEOGRAPHYM(BU)
M.A. STUDING(BU)
Email id: santradayamoy@gmail.com

2. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the study of
processes and patterns in the natural environment such as
the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere, as opposed to the cultural
or built environment, the domain of human geography.
Definition of Physical Geography:

3. We are know that physical geography examines and investigates natural phenomena
spatially. ... Thus, physical geography's scope is much broader than the simple spatial study
of nature. It also involves the investigation of how humans are influencing nature.
Physical Geography studies-
Geomorphology - studies the various landforms on the Earth's surface.
Pedology - is concerned with the study of soils.
Biogeography - is the science that investigates the spatial relationships of plants and animals.
Hydrology - is interested in the study of water in all its forms .
Scope of Physical Geography:
It is evident from the foregoing discussion on the nature of physical geography that the detailed
consideration of four components of the earth viz. lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and
biosphere, are included in physical geography wherein characteristic features of these
components are studied spatially and temporally.

4. The study of Geomorphology:
The study of features resulting from the interactions between endogenetic and
exogenetic forces involves the discussion of mode of denudational processes
(weathering and erosion), hetherto termed as geomorphic processes, their mechanism
of operation (machanism of erosion, transportation and deposition by running water-
river, groundwater, sea waves, wind, glacier and periglacial agent) and resultant
landforms.

5. The Study of Hydrospheric Component:
The consideration of reliefs of the ocean basins (continental shelves, submarine
canyons, continental slope, deep sea plains, ocean deeps etc.); thermal characteristics
of ocean water; salinity (composition of seawater, sources and distribution of oceanic
salinity); ocean deposits; ocean tides; ocean currents and coral reefs and atolls (their
distribution and origin, coral bleaching etc.).

6. The study of Atmospheric component:
The study of atmospheric component in cludes the discussion of composition and
structure of atmosphere, elements of weather and climate, insolation and heat
balance, terrestrial radiation balance and anthropogenic factors causing imbalance,
air temperature, air pressure and winds (permanent or planetay winds, seasonal
and local winds), characteristics and origin of monsoon, humidity and precipitation,
air masses , frontogenesis, cyclones and anticyclones, world climate etc.

7. The study of biospheric component involves the consideration of components of
biosphere (both abiotic and biotic), soil system, ecological production and energy
flow in the biospheric ecosystem, circulation of elements in the ecosystem,
biogeochemical cycles, evolution, dispesal and extinction of plants and animals,
biomes and man, ecosystem stability and man, man and atmospheric environment
(global radiation balance, ozone depletion, greenhouse effects and global warming),
man and environmental processes, main-induced soil erosion and sedimentation,
environmental degradation and pollution, extreme events, hazards and disaster,
environ- mental planning and management, global environmental problems and
international cooperaions.
The study of biospheric component:

8. DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY:
The discipline of physical geography has evolved through successive stages of its
development in terms of methodology and approaches to study. After taking its birth in the
philosophical ideas and reports of ancient thinkers, philosophers and historians of the ancient
seats of civilization and culture e.g. Greece, Rome and Egypt, the science of physical
environment attained its present status wherein different components were added from time
to time. Previously physical geography concerned with only three components i.e.,
lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere but biosphere has been recently added to this
discipline. It is desirable that the historical development of four distinct branches of physical
geography e.g., geomorphology, oceanography, climatology and biogeography should be
discussed separately dealing with lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere
respectively.

9. GEOMORPHOLOGY
Geomorphology is a significant branch of physical geography. The term of
geomorphology stems from three Greek words i.e., ge (meaning earth), morphe (meaning
form) and logos (meaning discourse). 'Geomophology may be defined as the scientific
study of surface features of the earth's surface involving interpretative description of
landforms, their origin and development and nature and mechanism of geomorphological
processes which evolve the landforms' (Savindra Singh, 1998).
The subject matter of geomorphology is organized on the bases of
(i) dimension and scale of relief features (landforms),
(ii) processes that shape the landforms, and
(iii) the approaches to the geomorphic studies.
The systematic study of landforms requires some fundamental knowledge of geology as
the genesis and development of all types of landforms primarily depend on the materials
of the earth's crust (rocks) and partly on the forces coming from within the earth. Certain
principles of structural and dynamic geology are included in geomorphic studies.

10. First Order Relief Features :I nclude continents and ocean basins
Second Order Relief Features: Mountains, plateaus, faults, rift valleys etc
Third Order Relief Features : Running water , ground water, sea waves, wind, glacier and
periglacial agents , are included in this categories
The rapidly evolving discipline of geomorphology has undergone seachange in meth-
odology and approaches to the study of landforms and related processes since 1945 when
R.E. Horton introduced quantitative methods for the analysis of morphometric
characteristics of fluvially originated drainage basins
The most outstanding contribution to the advancement of geomorphological
knowledge has been replacement of 'form geomorphology’ by 'process
geomorphology' and postulation of 'functional theory' in place of 'evolution theory' and
emergence of 'environmental geomorphology' as a new branch of geomorphology. As
regards Indian contributions to geomorphology four centres of geomorphology have
developed at Allahabad university, Calcutta university, Poona university and Central
Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur

11. OCEANGRAPHY
The science of oceans i.e., oceanography includes marine geology, marine geomorphology, physical
oceanography, chemistry of ocean water and bio-oceanography. The origin of ocean basins (continental
drift and seafloor spreading), struc- ture of crust and mantle, characteristics of ocean deposits and
characteristics and origin of marine landforms are studied in marine geology and geomorphology.
Physical oceanography includes the consideration of physical properties of ocean water (e.g.
temperature, pressure, salinity, den- sity, compressibility, viscosity, water masses and their distributional
patterns) and dynamics of ocean water (e.g. sea waves, currents, tides, tsunamis etc.).
Recently, marine meteorology is also included in oceanography wherein atmos- pheric
conditions over ocean water are studied.
Bio-oceanography includes the study of the char- acteristics, evolution, distribution and
dispersal of marine organisms.

12. CLIMATOLOGY
The gaseous envelop surrounding the earth is called atmosphere while the science dealing with the
study of the atmospheric components and charactristics is called meteorology and climatology.
Climatology includes the systematic and regional studies of the atmospheric conditions i.e. weather and
climate. Weather refers to the sum total of the atmospheric conditions in terms of temperature,
pressure, wind, moisture, cloudiness, precipitation and visibility of a particular place at any given time.
In fact, weather denotes short term variations of atmospheric conditions and it is highly variable. On the
other hand, climate is defined as aggregate weather conditions of any region in long-term perspective.
There are three distinct branches of climatology e.g.-----
(1) physical climatology,
(2) regional climatology, and
(3) applied climatology.
Physical climatology deals with the interpretation of fac- tors responsible for the spatial and temporal
variations of exchange of air circulation, heat and humidity.

13. BIOGEOGRAPHY
Biosphere is a life supporting layer which surrounds the earth and makes plants and animal life
possible without any protective device. The organic world or biosphere is that part of the earth
which contains living organisms-the biologically inhabited soil, air and water' (J. Tivy, 1982).
According to A.N. and A.H. Strahler (1977) all the living organisms of the earth and the
environment to which these organisms interact make biosphere. Thus, the biosphere consists of
all the living organisms (the biotic component), energy (the energy component) and physical
environment (abiotic component) and there are continuous interactions between living organisms
and physical environment and among the living organisms themselves.
Biogeography is an integrative field of inquiry that unites concepts and information
from ecology, evolutionary biology, taxonomy, geology, physical geography, palaeontology,
and climatology

14. Source : S . Sing ( physical geography), google etc
Thank you