Knowra Physical geography Physical geography Physical geography studies Earth’s natural features and processes, including landforms, climate, water, soils, and ecosystems, and how they interact across space and time.
Geomorphology : The study of landforms and the processes that shape them. It examines the terrain produced by erosion, tectonics, weathering, and deposition.
Plate tectonics : The theory that Earth’s lithosphere is divided into moving plates. Plate motion builds mountains, opens ocean basins, and drives earthquakes and volcanism.
Natural hazard : A natural process or event that can threaten people, property, or infrastructure. Physical geography identifies where hazardous processes occur and how they behave.
Climate change : Long-term changes in climate patterns, including the present warming driven mainly by human greenhouse-gas emissions. Its effects vary across regions and interact with water, ecosystems, and landforms.
Climatology : The study of climate, including its patterns, causes, and changes. It explains long-term atmospheric conditions that shape environments and landscapes.
Weathering : The physical, chemical, and biological breakdown of rock at or near Earth’s surface. It supplies loosened material that erosion can transport.
Flood : An overflow of water onto land that is usually dry. River and coastal processes help explain flood extent and recurrence.
Sea-level rise : An increase in the average height of the ocean surface relative to land. Its regional effects depend on ice loss, ocean processes, and local land movement.
Hydrology : The study of water’s movement, distribution, and properties on and beneath Earth’s surface. It connects rainfall, rivers, groundwater, and landscapes.
Erosion : The removal and transport of soil or rock by water, wind, ice, or gravity. It wears down landforms and redistributes sediment across landscapes.
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