Elemental Geosystems, 9th edition

For introductory physical geography courses.

Explore Earth's dynamic, changing systems

Elemental Geosystems presents physical geography using unparalleled currency, accuracy and a rich integration of climate change science. The text provides a unique Earth systems approach that organizes the chapters around atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Content follows the natural flow of energy, materials and information to present topics in the same sequence in which they occur in nature.

The 9th Edition features new active learning activities and visual tools to help student engagement and mastery. Updated content includes up-to-date and coverage of climate change science and data.

Hallmark features of this title

• A unique Earth systems approach organizes chapters around atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, following the natural flow of energy, materials and information.
• A Strengthened Learning Path ties critical-thinking to Key Learning Concepts at the start and Key Learning Concepts Review at the end of each chapter.
• Geosystems Now: Chapter-Opening Case Studies discuss current and relevant applications of concepts while integrating discussions of systems, climate change and human impacts.
• The Human Denominator links topics to human examples and applications with maps, photos, graphs, and diagrams as visual examples of human-Earth interactions.
• Active Applied Physical Geography allow students to participate and engage in the content rather than just read.

New and updated features of this title

• Apply Concepts are active learning tasks that compel students to reflect on the information they have learned and perform short activities.
• Earth Systems Connections includes systems flow diagrams at the end of each chapter that summarize the cascading system operations and emphasize the inputs, actions, outputs, and human-Earth connections.
• Everyday Geosystems at the beginning of each chapter invite students to explore the why and how application of physical geography concepts to everyday phenomena.
• Geospatial Analysis exercises are mini-lab activities that direct students to online science tools and data sets from sources such as NASA, USGS, and NOAA in performing geospatial data analysis.
• Work It Out activities in each chapter allow students to practice conceptual and quantitative reasoning. Activities provide an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of learned concepts and to practice critical thinking.
• UPDATED: Focus Studies explore real-world examples and applications of chapter concepts in great depth, without interrupting the flow of the chapter narrative.