What are modern geographers doing now? Geographer who is this
After all the white spots disappeared from the map of the Earth, the main task of geographers was to study the laws according to which nature and human communities develop. And today new amazing discoveries are possible in geography.
Geographical objects and processes
Geography studies the objects, processes and phenomena that exist on Earth. Geographical objects are very diverse; they can be divided into natural (mountains and plains, seas and rivers) and man-made (cities and factories, power plants and irrigation canals). In nature and people's lives, the role of geographical phenomena (events) and processes (changes in time) that occur around us every day is also great. Many geographical phenomena are destructive: volcanoes and earthquakes, floods and sea waves, thunderstorms and hurricanes. Geographers characterize their origin and destructive power.
The most important subject of studying geography is the processes of interaction between man and nature. After all, every year people change natural objects more and more, extracting minerals, cutting down forests, polluting waste, etc.
How modern geographers study the Earth
To study natural objects and phenomena, geographers widely use various instruments. Along with traditional ones (thermometer, barometer, tape measure), modern instruments also appeared (navigators and radars, electronic rangefinders and depth gauges).
In various corners of the Earth, geological expeditions, marine scientific vessels, and hot air balloons are collecting information bit by bit, step by step. Specialists in various fields of geography receive information from space satellites every day. Based on this diverse information, modern electronic maps are created, natural phenomena and the development of natural processes are predicted.
Why does a person need geography?
The surface of our planet is extremely diverse, and geography helps us understand the reasons for this diversity. Man has always been interested in what is hidden behind. And today, geography allows us to see the world in all its diversity, teaches us to navigate space and plot our route on a geographical map. Citizens of the Earth must know where and how people live, create cities and states, transform nature, protect and preserve it. Despite the fact that geography is an ancient science, it still opens up to us the wonderful world of different peoples, introducing us to their customs and traditions.
Modern geography
A person, exploring his native planet, discovers new horizons of knowledge for himself. Wells drilled into the depths of the earth's bowels have discovered only a small part of the underground storehouses. Deep-sea vehicles descend to the bottom of the seas and oceans to explore the ocean floor and the unique underwater world. Ice hides unique lakes from the eyes of scientists. Every year, in the impenetrable forests of the Amazon, scientists discover new species of animals and plants. Geographers around the world are combining their research due to the threat of climate change and environmental pollution. The main tasks of temporal geography are to know, protect and increase the wealth of our planet in order to pass them on to future generations.
From early childhood I love geography, because it’s so interesting to learn new things about the world around us. Honestly, sometimes I regret that I didn’t become a geographer :(
Who is a geographer
Science itself is one of the most ancient - the foundations were laid back in the 1st century AD. It was then that Ptolemy summarized all the data into a single science. Nowadays scientists study the geographical envelope, which, in fact, is the interpenetrating sphere of all shells, namely:
- atmosphere;
- lithosphere;
- biosphere;
- hydrosphere;
- noosphere.
The main subject of study is interaction between humanity and nature, and the main goal of science is the rationalization of environmental management.
Geographer as a scientist - enough wide-profile specialist, comprehensively studying the entire planet. We can say that he is engaged in both the study of the entire planet and the events taking place on it. Science itself is, as it were, double: both natural and social. It is not limited to description alone, but deals with decision, clarification and prediction. Its importance today is obvious - it is actually works for the future of humanity.
Modern geography
Nowadays, when it would seem there are no more blank spots on the map, science does not lose its relevance. Scientists continue to explore our planet, no longer making territorial discoveries, but trying to establish one or another geographical pattern. Geography today - a system of sciences, in which 3 directions are distinguished:
- physical geography- study of relief and rocks, plants, animals and so on;
- socio-economic- studies the relationship between nature and man - the territorial organization of society;
- cartography- compilation and addition of maps.
Modern science uses both old methods and new ones, for example, aerospace research and modeling. With the help of spacecraft, it has become possible to accurately orient various geographical objects in space. Several high-altitude lakes were discovered in the Himalayas, and an entire mountain range was discovered in Antarctica.
Even in the 21st century it is too early to say that new discoveries are impossible, because the planet is constantly changing. This means that geographers always have a subject to study, and it is quite possible that major discoveries are yet to come.
The Greek word geography, as you know, means land description. The initial task of this science was indeed to describe: where and what on Earth rises and flows, grows and runs, is built and plowed. This inventory took several centuries. At first, people simply looked around, getting to know their surroundings so they could use them in their lives. Over time, they moved away from close places, and mainly sailed away, expanding their horizons and opportunities for receiving earthly gifts. It came to sailing the seas and oceans. New continents, islands, rivers, mountains were discovered.
By the way, something seen, described and put on a map should be considered a geographical discovery. Many peoples, including highly developed ones, like the American Aztecs, Mayans and others, did not think of putting their lands on the map and allowed themselves to be “discovered” by the Spaniards, Portuguese, British and French. Such slow-wittedness resulted in the loss of their own lands and freedom.
By the middle of the 20th century. the globe was discovered, described and put on the map. Our entire country had topographical, geological, soil, climate and other maps. So that's it? Has geography served its purpose? Now it is needed only for general education and improving the culture of schoolchildren?
No! Geographical science, like any other, is inexhaustible. Yes, geography has fulfilled the first part of its purpose. She answered questions about what is located and where. But she was faced with more complex and necessary tasks for humanity - to answer the questions “why?”, “how?” and how many?". The most complex and fascinating part of geography begins, the only science that studies the interrelations of the components of nature in general and in the conditions of their use by people.
To study all this, various research methods are being introduced. Remote methods are intensively used, the fastest in understanding many relationships in nature.
The remote sensing method began to be used in 1934 when creating a topographic state map. A black and white aerial photograph contains 64 different tonal gradations. From them, during the initial deciphering of an aerial photograph on Earth, it is possible to identify almost all objects, including various grass-moss-lichen covers, dark coniferous and light coniferous, small and broad-leaved forests, sandy, clayey, saline deserts, etc. Having received a photograph of one deciphered on the ground area, you can create a topographic map of other areas by analogy, without mandatory visits and ground research. As a result, by 1954 the entire area of the country was mapped at a scale of 1:100,000 by very accurate topographic surveys. Somewhat later, a state geological map was compiled using the same method. Geographers familiar with aerial photography methods played an important role in its creation.
Over time, the method of aerial photography developed and refined. Many regions are covered by clouds for most of the year. However, now this is not a hindrance.
In such cases, a high-frequency wave range is used, which is not perceived by the human eye, but is recorded by special equipment and then converted into visible images.
For the radio range, the earth’s atmosphere is transparent, and uneven terrain and differences in vegetation are “visible” both under the clouds and at night. In addition, radio signals penetrate to a certain depth into the soil (up to 0.5-1.5 m) and provide information about the composition of soils, their humidity, and the level of groundwater, which is extremely important for agriculture.
In the thermal range, special equipment can determine temperature differences in vegetation, soil, and water with an accuracy of 0.1 - 0.2 ° C. This is akin to the blind sensitivity of bats or snakes, which “see” prey on waves invisible to humans.
This method has been widely used. For example, forest fires produce extensive smoke screens. Where to drop paratroopers-firefighters? The images provide the exact area of the fire, the direction of movement of the fire, and immediately identify dry flammable areas and, conversely, damper areas of the forest that help extinguishing. Without leaving the plane, firefighters will know exactly where it is most profitable for them to go down and what fire extinguishing methods to use.
In the same way, soil temperature and moisture are determined, which is extremely important when deciding when and what crop to sow. Multispectral remote sensing is also used to study volcanic regions, permafrost soils, various water areas, arable fields and many other objects.
By combining various survey methods, it is possible to study the features of relief, hydrography, geology, the distribution of vegetation and soils over a large area, and obtain objective and timely information about temperature, humidity and some other surface parameters, the nature and course of processes in the atmosphere and oceans.
The figure shows a picture of pollution in the Gulf of Finland, obtained by adding (synthesizing) images taken in different spectral zones.
For special purposes, other types of filming are also used - laser scanning, gamma photography, etc.
In general, a revolution is currently taking place in geographical science. Previously, numerous expeditions collected day after day samples of soils and plants, took measurements of the heights of river terraces, measured the areas of various types of forests, swamps, meadows and many other components of the natural complex. This took many years and enormous physical stress, which is described in this book. Now the same data can be obtained in a matter of hours using aerial photography and space photography.
Maps from space often reflect details that are not noticed even during ground-based studies. In comparison, satellite images provide more accurate data on faults, tectonic cracks, forests, swamps, meadows, and even reflect plant types.
Modern aerial photographs are used to update and create more accurate topographic maps. They immediately indicate not only the heights of river terraces, but also trees with timber reserves in each area. If previously 100 km2 was photographed in three to four months, depending on the complexity of the terrain, now one flight of an airplane, and especially a satellite, is enough to get an image covering a hundred square kilometers. Moreover, everything that exists can be measured with an accuracy of 1-2 m in width and 15 cm in height.
It is important that methods have emerged for processing and storing huge amounts of information. Computer technology takes care of recording and archiving all data so that, if necessary, you can easily select all the information for any region of the country.
The most important achievement of geography is the awareness of the interdependence of objects and phenomena on Earth. On the basis of past ground-based research, the science of landscapes has developed, that the entire Earth consists of small areas that have only their own structure, specific directions of development and fairly defined boundaries. They live in their own mode and pace of development and interaction with each other. The task of modern geography is to discover the laws of interaction between the parts that make up landscapes and to study the interdependence between landscapes. And for this it is necessary to compile a large-scale landscape map.
Taking into account global changes in space and time is now absolutely necessary for any intervention of human activity in nature; It is this calculation that will eliminate numerous miscalculations of departments when using individual natural resources (overmoistening and salinization of soils during irrigation, plowing virgin lands, over-drying swamps, cutting down forests on various forms of relief, the destructive effects of processes in permafrost soils, and much more).
Geography begins to use the achievements of cybernetics. This creates a geographic information system (GIS), i.e. combination of all information about the territory: soil composition, tectonic position, natural vegetation and its variants, soil conditions and differences depending on relief and moisture, climatic and mesoclimatic data, development by industrial and agricultural enterprises and the dynamics of their impact on the natural state of the territory, air, water, soil, medical conditions, etc. The data bank is constantly updated by remote sensing in a wide range of electromagnetic waves in combination with the necessary ground-based observations. All this is included in the GIS.
Geography is now included in the circle of exact sciences, with the help of which it is possible to calculate rational intervention and plan its doses in natural conditions and processes. Having equipment and methods, geographers can carry out landscape mapping of a number of territories (we essentially do not yet have accurate landscape maps). On such maps it is already possible to reflect the reasons for the occurrence or change of each of the natural components. First of all, data is identified on the consequences of civilized activities on the landscape, which means that methods and methods can be developed to prevent disastrous environmental consequences.
However, this is only a new stage in geography. Over time, other problems will arise, for science is inexhaustible, like life and its progress.
Related materials:
Geographers are scientists who specialize in geography.
This word is also used to refer to a geography teacher in colloquial school slang.
Georgaf studies the geographic envelope of the Earth - the sphere of interpenetration and interaction of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and noosphere, its structure, dynamics. The most important subject of geographical study is the processes of interaction between man and nature.
The main goal is the scientific substantiation of ways of rational territorial organization of society and environmental management, the creation of the foundations of strategies for environmentally safe development of society.
A geographer can specialize in local history, physical geography, geomorphology, glaciology, economic geography, and geoinformatics. A local historian collects material about his native land, studies it, and conducts educational work. A physical geographer comprehensively evaluates natural complexes and determines their suitability for a particular purpose, develops geographical forecasts of the state in which the landscape may be influenced by various reasons in 10, 20, 50 years. Studies the relief of the earth's surface and the results of the interaction of the earth's crust with the outer shells of our planet. This is done when searching for minerals, during the construction of mines, gas pipelines, roads, in hydraulic construction, for the needs of agriculture and nature conservation.
The work of a geographer most often consists of three stages: preparatory, field and office. At the preparatory stage, the problem is stated, available materials, maps, and the results of previous research are studied, and a program of field work is determined. During the field stage, factual material is collected. All data is recorded in field diaries. At the desk stage, the collected material is processed and the research results are interpreted.
The word geography itself (ancient Greek land description, Earth and write, describe) has two definitions:
A unified set of sciences that study the geographic envelope of the Earth and focus on identifying spatiotemporal patterns. The main objects of study of geographical sciences are the geosphere (biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and soil cover) and geosystems (landscapes, natural areas, biogeocenoses...)
A body of knowledge about the spatiotemporal features of any territory, object, phenomenon or process (geography of continents and oceans, geography of Russia, geography of the tundra, geography of the spread of bird flu, geography of karst processes in the N region)
The object of study of geography is the laws and patterns of placement and interaction of components of the geographical environment and their combinations at different levels. The complexity of the object of study and the breadth of the subject area determined the differentiation of unified geography into a number of specialized (industry) scientific disciplines that form the system of geographical sciences. Within its framework, natural (physical-geographical) and social (socio-economic) geographical sciences are distinguished. Sometimes geographic cartography is distinguished separately as a separate geographical discipline.
Geography is one of the most ancient sciences. Many of its foundations were laid in the Hellenic era. This experience was summarized by the outstanding geographer Claudius Ptolemy in the 1st century AD. e.
We can say that a geographer is a person who studies the earth and everything that happens on it.
Geographical culture is most often understood as the culture of geography as a science. The culture of geographical knowledge of both geographers and the population. In his works “Geographical Culture” and “Geographical Picture of the World,” V.P. Maksakovsky examines these interrelated concepts from the perspective of modern geography. It includes the following components in geographic culture:
1) geographical picture of the world,
2) geographical thinking,
3) methods of geography,
4) the language of geography. Unfortunately, there is a gap between popular and scientific geographical culture, since society is mainly faced with descriptive geography and has no idea about the language and methods of modern geography.
There are different types of geography: physical geography, economic, political, medical and others.
There are basically two types:
Physiography
Socio-economic geography
The geographer works not only indoors, but also in open areas; there may be field trips (expeditions, field observations, even excursions with students or schoolchildren - if this is a geographer-teacher).
This specialist must be a physically strong person.
A geographer must also know mathematics, physics, geology, biology, soil science, and chemistry.
Professionally important qualities
Curiosity;
A penchant for research;
Eye gauge;
Developed memory;
Good location orientation;
Unpretentiousness;
Ability to analyze and think logically;
Physical endurance.
Medical contraindications
Infectious and skin diseases;
Neuroses;
Mental and nervous diseases;
Poor vision and hearing.
Paths to obtaining a profession are higher education institutions.
Related professions
Ecologist, hydrologist, geologist, geochemist, geophysicist, geomorphologist.
A geographer is a specialist who studies physical and economic phenomena. Its main goal is to scientifically substantiate the rationality of environmental management and ways of safe development of society.
Wage
35,000–45,000 rub. (rabota.yandex.ru)
Place of work
Scientific centers, educational institutions.
Responsibilities
The profession of a geographer is very interesting and responsible. Science itself is divided into two directions - physical and economic. Sometimes geography is combined with cartography.
Soils, glaciers, oceans, volcanoes, changes in the earth's crust, the composition and size of the population, tourist routes - all these are objects of study in the specialty.
The task of a geographer is to explain various processes and phenomena, make forecasts, write scientific articles, and teach schoolchildren and students. Specialists often travel on business trips.
At the first stage, the geographer draws up a work plan, studies available materials, develops a hypothesis for the study, and sets goals and objectives. The second stage is direct study of the area, taking samples, conducting experiments, recording data in diaries. Next, the information is processed and research is carried out in laboratories.
Important qualities
The specialty of a geographer requires an inquisitive mind and a penchant for the natural sciences. Organization, the ability to unite a team, communication skills, and an analytical mind will help in your work.
Reviews about the profession
“Geography is a field science, so every year there were practices... twice I went to practice in the Primorsky Territory, at the marine experimental base “Cape Schultz”. There was already real serious work there. I probably liked it most in the Far East. That's why I was there twice. A week-long train journey along the Trans-Siberian made a very strong impression on me. I realized how huge and beautiful our country is. But this is only a small part of it, a thread on the map.”
Andrey Balakin,
oceanologist, geographer.
Stereotypes, humor
The most common stereotype about the profession is equating the position with a school teacher. But teaching is just the tip of the iceberg.
Education
To become a geographer, you need a higher specialized education. To become a geography teacher, further graduate study is required.
Higher education can be obtained at universities such as: Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A. I. Herzen, Leningrad State University named after A. S. Pushkin.
In Moscow, education can be obtained at the Moscow State Mining University.
