B006592 - CLIMATOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Atmosphere dynamics, climatology and climate of the past. Human impact on climate and future scenarios.
Landscape analysis in different morphoclimatic environments. Human impact on the landscape.

Climatology
M. Pinna - Climatologia. UTET.
P. Casati e F. Pace - Scienza della Terra, L'atmosfera, i climi, i suoli. CittàStudi, Milano, 1991.
A.N. Strahler, Geografia fisica, Piccin, Padova, 1984.
Barry R.G. e Chorley R.J. (1979 or later) - Atmosphere, Weather and Climate. Methuen & Co., Londra, 432 pp.

Physical geography
Strahler A.N. (1984) - Geografia fisica, Piccin, Padova,.
Castiglioni G.B. (1979) - Geomorfologia, UTET, Torino, Pp. 436..
Panizza M. (1992) - Geomorfologia, Pitagora, Bologna.
Casati P. e Pace F.( 1991) - Scienza della Terra, L'atmosfera, i climi, i suoli. CittàStudi, Milano.
Small R. J. (1978.) - The study of landforms. A textbook of geomorphology. II Ed., Cambridge Univ. Press.
C. Bartolini, Le forme del rilievo, Pitagora, Bologna, 1992.

For geographical map reading
Nouvel Atlas des Formes du Relief, Nathan, 1985.
Atlas of Landforms, 2nd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 1965
Italia. Atlante dei tipi geografici. Istituto Geografico Militare, 2004.
Sauro, Meneghel, Bondesan e Castiglioni (2004) – Dalla carta topografica al paesaggio. Atlante ragionato. Istituto Geografico Militare – ZetaBeta Ed., pp. 178.

Competence acquired
Climatic data interpretation and climatic environment description.
Landscape physical component analysis.
Skills acquired at the end of the course:
Climatic approach in environmental sciences. Landscape analysis. Capabilities of relationship with side environmental professionals.

None

Lectures, seminars and practices

Frequency of lectures, practice and lab:
Highly recommended, mostly for the Physical geography module

Oral, with reading and interpreting topographic maps.

CLIMATOLOGY
Vertical structure of the atmosphere
Composition of the atmosphere
Solar energy
Heat budgey of the Earth
Lapse rate
The horizontal transport of heat
Atmospheric pressure, isobaric surfaces and pressure gradient
Geostrophiv wind, friction
Atmospheric moisture; measures of humidity.
Soil moisture budget
Runoff and hydrological cycle
Air masses, fronts and depressions
The global wind belts
Weather and climate in temperate latitudines
Continentality index
The climate of the coast
Hurricanes
Köppen’s climatic classification
Climatic data representation through Hythergraphs
Urban and rural climate
Climate of Florence
The climate during the Holocene
Human impact on climate
Future scenarios


PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Introduction to Geomorphology
Weathering
Mass wasting and Slope development
The fluvial processes
Long profile of a river
River erosion, transport and deposition
Drainage patterns and its evolution
Drainage pattern evolution in the Arno River basin
Coastal morphology and shore dynamics
Climatic geomorphology
Morphogenetic regions
Erosion rate in different climates
Man as a geomorphologic factor
Land-use and soil erosion
Tropical landforms
Arid and semi-arid landforms
Periglacial landforms
Glacial landforms
Rock-type and landforms
Karst processes and morphology
Geological structure and landforms
The cycle of erosion





Exercises
Lithological and structural interpretation of geographical maps. Topographical profile. Drainage density and network.