What is Geography?

• “Geo-” and “-graphy” = – “earth description” or describing the earth

• “Spatial variations” across the earth• Why do we find “that” there?• What, where, and why?

Cultural Geography

People: Where are they

What are they doing

…..and…. WHY?

Cultural Geography

Settlement patterns (Why settle Phoenix?)

Cultural Geography• Political geography

– Why do we care about…. – Why do the Israelis and Muslims

hate each other?

Cultural Geography

• Transportation systems and routes– Why do buses run on

that street and not this one?

– What about light rail?– Why should we care

about the docks in L.A.?

Physical Geography

Natural / Physical earth

– processes, systems, landforms

– cannot ignore the human aspect

Physical Geography

Weather and climate….. hurricanes…S

and

y, 2012

Physical Geography

Weather and climate….. tornadoes…

Physical Geography

… volcanoes….

Can a volcano in Indonesia affect the weather in Arizona?

Physical Geography

… volcanoes…. How could a volcano in Iceland affect you

here in Arizona?

Physical Geography: Earthquakes

2010 Chile:

(8.8)

China (6.9) & Haiti (7.0): quakes not as strong… but far deadlier??

Physical Geography: Tsunamis

2011 Japan

Physical Geography

Biosphere:

Flora and Fauna– interconnecting

linkages– Native? Does it

matter?– oil spills, air pollution,

etc.– animal attacks

Physical Geography

Think Phoenix is immune from the problems?

Think again!

Physical Geography

Recognize

This

scene?

Geography…….The

“Jack of All Trades” degree

Assoc. of American Geographers listing

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Geography

Science and the Scientific Method

• Everything must have an explanation• Science must explain it all• Everything is theory

Must have data / evidence to support your theory!

Is the goal to seek truth?

Science and the Scientific Method

• Beware of the “expert” opinion• Beware of the concrete statement

– “We know……”– “This is how it works….”– “This is how it happened….”

• ex. How was the universe formed?

Scientific Method: Global Warming

The theory:1. Global temperatures have

warmed over past 120 years.2. Warming caused by human

released CO2 into the atmosphere.3. Assumed theory:• increased CO2 leads to increasing

temperatures

Scientific Method: evidence“We have conclusive proof of

global warming….”Consensus is not science!

It is a logical fallacy:“appeal to popularity”

Evidence: data vs. interpretation

Same data; so, what does it prove?

What if we extend further back in time?Tells a different story, doesn’t it!

Notice the amount of temperature increase

Theory: Rising CO2 is causing warming

So, what happened here?

Evidence: DataWe can at least agree on the data, right?

Quality of the data collected??

Quality control??

Science? Scientific Method?• Put forward theory• Test theory• If theory fails even one test... It fails!• You must discard theory!

Theory: • Global temperatures have

warmed.

Assumed theory:• increased CO2 = increasing temperatures(The “Greenhouse Gas” concept)

• Warming caused by human CO2.

CORRECT!

FAIL!

FAIL!

Scientific Consensus“It does not matter who you are, or how smart you are, or what title you have, or how many of you there are, and certainly not how many papers your side has published, if your prediction is wrong then your hypothesis is wrong. Period.”

Richard Feynman

-- Nobel prize in physics

-- Manhattan Project

Science? Scientific Method?

“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.”

-- Albert Einstein

Science? Scientific Method?

“Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it. No matter how many times the results of experiments agree with some theory, you can never be sure that the next time the result will not contradict the theory. On the other hand, you can disprove a theory by finding even a single observation that disagrees with the predictions of the theory.”

- Stephen Hawking, physicist

The REAL reason for global warming!

Other Examples?

1. Vaccinations• 2012 = highest number of Pertussis cases since

1955!• 20 deaths, nearly all children under 3 yrs old• 2014 = 30% increase over 2013 (through Aug 16)• Mumps outbreak in NHL

2. Health claims• Saturated fat• High fructose corn syrup• Artificial sweetners

3. Environmental Claims4. Etc……..

Beware of the scary story!

"... The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary."

H.L. Mencken, In Defense of Women, II.13.