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| Introduction to Physical Geography | |
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| The Scope of Geography | |
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| Defining Physical Geography | |
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| The Earth's Four Spheres | |
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| Organization of This Book | |
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| Exploring Cause-and-Effect Relationships | |
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| An Interactive Tool | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Stream Meandering | |
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| Focus on Geographical Literacy | |
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| Physical Geography Is Interesting, Exciting, and Relevant to Your Life | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| The Geographers' Tools | |
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| The Geographic Grid | |
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| Latitude | |
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| Longitude | |
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| Using the Geographic Grid | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Using the Geographic Grid | |
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| Amazing Places: Big But Hard to Reach | |
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| Maps-The Basic Tool of Geographers | |
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| Map Projections | |
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| Map Scale | |
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| Isolines | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Using Maps | |
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| Digital Technology in Geography | |
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| Remote Sensing | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Infrared Images | |
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| Global Positioning Systems | |
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| Geographic Information Systems | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Using a Geographic Information System | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Earth-Sun Geometry and the Seasons | |
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| Our Place in Space | |
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| The Shape of the Earth | |
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| Amazing Places: The Sun | |
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| Earth's Orbit Around the Sun | |
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| The Earth's Rotation and Axial Tilt | |
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| The Seasons | |
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| Solstice and Equinox | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Orbital View and Earth as Viewed from the Sun | |
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| How We See Earth-Sun Geometry on Earth | |
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| Day and Night | |
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| Seasonal Changes in Sun Position (Angle) and Length of Day | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Celestial Dome | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Sun Angle and Length of Day | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Sunrise in the Southern Hemisphere | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| The Global Energy System | |
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| The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Solar Energy | |
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| The Electromagnetic Spectrum | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Electromagnetic Spectrum | |
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| Solar Energy and the Solar Constant | |
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| Composition of the Atmosphere | |
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| Constant Gases | |
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| Variable Gases | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: The Formation of Rainbows | |
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| Particulates | |
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| The Flow of Solar Radiation on Earth | |
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| Heat Transfer | |
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| Flow of Solar Radiation in the Atmosphere | |
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| Interaction of Solar Radiation and the Earth's Surface | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Angle of Incidence | |
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| The Global Radiation Budget | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Global Energy Budget | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Global Temperature Patterns | |
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| Layered Structure of the Atmosphere | |
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| The Troposphere | |
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| The Stratosphere | |
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| The Mesosphere | |
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| The Thermosphere | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Auroras | |
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| Surface and Air Temperatures | |
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| Calculating the Heat Index and Wind Chill | |
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| Large-Scale Geographic Factors That Influence Air Temperature | |
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| Amazing Places: Temperature Extremes on Earth | |
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| Local Factors That Influence Air Temperature | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Surface Temperature | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Maritime vs. Continental Effect | |
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| The Annual Range of Surface Temperature (Putting It All Together) | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Temperature and Location | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Atmospheric Pressure, Wind, and Global Circulation | |
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| Atmospheric Pressure | |
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| Factors That Influence Air Pressure | |
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| Measuring and Mapping Air Pressure | |
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| Atmospheric Pressure Systems | |
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| Low-Pressure Systems | |
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| High-Pressure Systems | |
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| What A Geographer Sees: Migrating Pressure Systems | |
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| The Direction Of Air Flow | |
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| Unequal Heating of Land Surfaces | |
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| Pressure Gradient Force | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Fluctuations in the Pressure Gradient | |
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| Coriolis Force | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Coriolis Force | |
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| Frictional Forces | |
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| Global Pressure and Atmospheric Circulation | |
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| Tropical Circulation | |
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| Midlatitude Circulation | |
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| Polar Circulation | |
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| Seasonal Migration of Pressure Systems | |
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| Amazing Places: Mt. Washington | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Global Atmospheric Circulation | |
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| Local Wind Systems | |
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| Land-Sea Breezes | |
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| Topographic Winds | |
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| Oceanic Circulation | |
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| Gyres and Thermohaline Circulation | |
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| El Nino | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: El Nino | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation | |
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| Physical Properties of Water | |
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| Hydrogen Bonding | |
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| Thermal Properties of Water and Its Physical States | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Latent Heat | |
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| The Hydrosphere and the Hydrologic Cycle | |
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| Humidity | |
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| Maximum, Specific, and Relative Humidity | |
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| Dew-Point Temperature | |
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| Amazing Places: Death Valley | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Atmospheric Humidity | |
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| Evaporation | |
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| Adiabatic Processes | |
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| The Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate | |
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| The Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Adiabatic Processes | |
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| Cloud Formation and Classification | |
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| Fog | |
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| Cloud Classification | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Unusual Clouds | |
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| Precipitation | |
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| Types of Precipitation | |
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| Precipitation Processes | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Convectional Precipitation | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Orographic Processes | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Air Masses and Cyclonic Weather Systems | |
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| Air Masses and Fronts | |
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| Air Masses | |
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| Fronts | |
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| Evolution and Character of Midlatitude Cyclones | |
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| Upper Air Flow and the 500-mb Pressure Surface | |
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| Interaction of Upper Air Flow and Surface Air Flow | |
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| Cyclogenesis | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Formation of a Midlatitude Cyclone | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Migration of a Midlatitude Cyclone | |
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| Thunderstorms | |
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| Evolution of Thunderstorms | |
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| Severe Thunderstorms | |
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| Tornadoes | |
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| Amazing Places: Tornado Alley | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Tornadoes | |
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| Tropical Cyclones | |
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| Hurricanes | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Migration of Hurricane Katrina | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Global Climates | |
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| Climate and the Factors That Affect It | |
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| Koppen Climate Classification | |
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| Geography of Koppen Climates | |
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| Character and Geographic Distribution of Tropical (A) Climates | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: The Relationship of Climate and Vegetation | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Tropical Savanna Climate (Aw) | |
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| Character and Geographic Distribution of Arid and Semi-Arid (B) Climates | |
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| Amazing Places: Atacama Desert | |
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| Character and Geographic Distribution of Mesothermal (C) Climates | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Humid Subtropical Hot-Summer Climates (Cfa, Cwa) | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Marine West-Coast Climates (Cfb, Cfc) | |
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| Character and Geographic Distribution of Microthermal (D) Climates | |
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| Character and Geographic Distribution of Polar (E) Climates | |
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| Character and Geographic Distribution of Highland (H) Climates | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Remote Sensing and Climate | |
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| Global Climate Change | |
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| The Carbon Cycle | |
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| Is Anthropogenic Climate Change Really Occurring? | |
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| Predicting Future Climate Change | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Plant Geography | |
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| The Process of Photosynthesis | |
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| The Relationship of Climate and Vegetation: The Character and Distribution of Global Biomes | |
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| Forest Biomes | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Wildfires | |
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| Amazing Places: The Coastal Redwoods | |
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| Grassland Biomes | |
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| Desert Biomes | |
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| Tundra Biome | |
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| Local and Regional Factors That Influence the Geographic Distribution of Vegetation | |
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| Slope and Aspect | |
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| Vertical Zonation | |
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| Plant Succession | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Plant Succession | |
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| Riparian Zones | |
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| Human Influence on Vegetation Patterns | |
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| Deforestation and Its Consequences | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Deforestation | |
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| Agriculture in the Midlatitude Grassland Biome | |
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| Overgrazing | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Remote Sensing and the Biosphere | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| The Global Distribution and Character of Soils | |
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| What Is Soil? | |
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| Basic Soil Properties | |
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| Soil-Forming (Pedogenic) Processes | |
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| Soil-Forming Factors | |
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| Amazing Places: Buried Soils at the Eustis Ash Pit in Nebraska | |
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| Measurable Soil Characteristics | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Soil Conservation on Steep Slopes | |
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| Soil Chemistry | |
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| Soil pH | |
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| Colloids and Cation Exchange | |
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| Soil Profiles (Reading the Soil) | |
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| Time and Soil Evolution | |
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| Soil Science and Classification | |
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| The Twelve Soil Orders | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: African Climate, Vegetation, and Soils | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Regional Pedogenic Processes | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: North American Climate, Vegetation, and Soils | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Earth's Internal Structure, Rock Cycle, and Geologic Time | |
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| Earth's Inner Structure | |
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| The Major Layers | |
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| Rocks and Minerals In The Earth's Crust | |
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| Igneous Rocks | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Exposed Igneous Intrusions | |
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| Sedimentary Rocks | |
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| Metamorphic Rocks | |
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| The Rock Cycle | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Rock Cycle | |
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| Geologic Time | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Geologic Time | |
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| Telling Geologic Time | |
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| Putting Geologic Time in Perspective | |
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| Amazing Places: The Grand Canyon | |
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| Integrating Geologic Time and the Rock Cycle: The Spanish Peaks | |
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| Basic Geomorphology of Continents and Ocean Basins | |
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| Alpine Chains | |
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| Continental Shields | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Tectonic Processes and Landforms | |
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| Plate Tectonics | |
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| The Lithospheric Plates | |
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| Plate Movement | |
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| Types of Plate Movement | |
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| Passive Plate Margins | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Continental Drift | |
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| Transform Plate Margins | |
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| Plate Divergence | |
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| Amazing Places: Olduvai Gorge | |
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| Plate Convergence | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Folding | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Plate Tectonics | |
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| Earthquakes | |
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| Earthquake Processes | |
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| Locating the Epicenter | |
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| Measuring Earthquake Magnitude | |
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| Types of Faults | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Types of Faults | |
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| Volcanoes | |
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| Explosive Volcanoes | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Crater Lake | |
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| Fluid Volcanoes and Hotspots | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Volcanoes | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Weathering and Mass Movement | |
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| Weathering | |
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| Mechanical Weathering | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: The Long-Term Effects of Weathering and Erosion on Mountains | |
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| Amazing Places: Anasazi Cliff Dwellings Chemical Weathering | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Weathering | |
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| Mass Wasting | |
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| Rockfall | |
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| Soil Creep | |
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| Landslides | |
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| Flows | |
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| Avalanches | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Weathering and Mass Movements | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Groundwater and Karst Landscapes | |
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| Movement and Storage of Groundwater | |
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| The High Plains Aquifer | |
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| Amazing Places: Oases in the Sahara Desert | |
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| Subsidence | |
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| Groundwater Contamination | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater | |
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| Karst Landforms and Landscapes | |
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| Caves and Caverns | |
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| Karst Topography | |
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| Amazing Places: Tower Karst in China | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Fluvial Systems and Landforms | |
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| Overland Flow and Drainage Basins | |
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| Origin of Streams | |
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| Drainage Basins | |
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| Drainage Patterns, Density, and Stream Ordering | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Rhine River | |
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| Hydraulic Geometry and Channel Flow | |
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| Stream Discharge | |
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| Fluvial Processes and Landforms | |
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| Erosion and Deposition | |
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| Stream Gradation | |
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| Amazing Places: Waterfalls | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Graded Stream | |
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| Evolution of Stream Valleys and Floodplains | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Stream Meandering | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Mississippi River Meanders | |
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| Other Depositional Landforms Associated with Streams | |
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| Human Interactions with Streams | |
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| Urbanization | |
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| Artificial Levees | |
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| Dams and Reservoirs | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Glacial Geomorphology: Processes and Landforms | |
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| Development of a Glacier | |
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| The Metamorphosis of Snow to Glacial Ice | |
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| The Glacial Mass Budget | |
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| Glacial Movement | |
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| Types of Glaciers | |
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| Glaciers in Mountainous Regions | |
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| Amazing Places: The Vatnajokull Ice Cap | |
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| Continental Glaciers | |
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| Glacial Landforms | |
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| Landforms Made by Glacial Erosion | |
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| Deposition of Glacial Drift and Resulting Landforms | |
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| History of Glaciation | |
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| How Many Pleistocene Glaciations Were There? | |
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| The Wisconsin Glaciation and the Evolution of the Great Lakes | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: The Channeled Scablands in Eastern Washington | |
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| What Causes Glaciation? | |
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| Glacial Periods and Earth-Sun Geometry | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: The Milankovitch Theory | |
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| Impact of Global Climate Change on Glaciers | |
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| Periglacial Processes and Landscapes | |
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| Permafrost | |
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| Ground Ice and Associated Landforms | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Arid Landscapes and Eolian Processes | |
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| Arid Landscapes | |
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| Desert Geomorphology | |
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| Eolian Erosion and Transport | |
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| The Fluid Behavior of Wind and Sediment Transport | |
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| Eolian Erosional Landforms | |
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| Eolian Deposition and Landforms | |
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| How Sand Dunes Form | |
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| Types of Sand Dunes | |
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| Amazing Places: Great Sand Dunes National Monument | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Eolian Processes and Landforms | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Sand Dunes on Mars | |
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| Loess | |
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| Human Interactions with Eolian Processes | |
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| Desertification in the African Sahel | |
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| Desertification in the Great Plains of the United States: The Dust Bowl | |
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| The Big Picture | |
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| Coastal Processes and Landforms | |
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| Oceans and Seas on the Earth | |
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| The Nature of Coastlines: Intersection of Earth's Spheres | |
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| Processes That Shape the Coastline | |
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| Amazing Places: Big Waves in Hawaii | |
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| Coastal Landforms | |
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| Erosional Coastlines | |
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| What a Geographer Sees: Marine Terraces on San Clemente Island, California | |
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| Depositional Coastlines | |
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| GeoDiscoveries: Longshore Processes and Depositional Coastlines | |
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| Human Imapcts on Coastlines | |
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| Coastal Engineering | |
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| Global Climate Change and the Impact on Coastlines | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Photo Credits | |
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| Index | |