Physical geography : science and systems of the human environment / Alan Strahler, Arthur Strahler.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A comprehensive fully integrated, systems-based approach to physical geography, Strahler's highly successful text is considered the standard for an undergraduate two-semester course in physical geography. The text's accurate and comprehensive coverage provides both the breadth and depth necessary to appreciate how humans are changing, and are changed by, the Earth.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Part 1 Introduction (p. 2)
• 1 Introducing Physical Geography (p. 4)
• Introducing Geography (p. 5)
• Realms of Geography (p. 6)
• Tools in Geography (p. 7)
• Systems in Physical Geography (p. 12)
• Understanding Physical Geography (p. 12)
• Physical Geography, Environment, and Global Change (p. 12)
• 2 Spheres, Scales, Systems, and Cycles (p. 20)
• The Four Great Earth Realms (p. 22)
• Scales in Physical Geography (p. 23)
• Systems in Physical Geography (p. 23)
• Part 2 Weather and Climate Systems (p. 32)
• 3 The Earth as a Rotating Planet (p. 34)
• The Shape of the Earth (p. 35)
• Earth Rotation (p. 37)
• The Geographic Grid (p. 38)
• Map Projections (p. 40)
• Global Time (p. 48)
• The Earth's Revolution Around the Sun (p. 53)
• 4 The Global Energy System (p. 60)
• Electromagnetic Radiation (p. 62)
• Insolation over the Globe (p. 76)
• World Latitude Zones (p. 81)
• Composition of the Atmosphere (p. 82)
• Sensible Heat and Latent Heat Transfer (p. 83)
• The Global Energy System (p. 84)
• Net Radiation, Latitude, and the Energy Balance (p. 90)
• 5 Air Temperature and Air Temperature Cycles (p. 98)
• Surface Temperature (p. 100)
• Air Temperature (p. 100)
• The Daily Cycle of Air Temperature (p. 102)
• Temperature Structure of the Atmosphere (p. 107)
• The Annual Cycle of Air Temperature (p. 112)
• World Patterns of Air Temperature (p. 115)
• Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect (p. 120)
• 6 Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation (p. 132)
• Three States of Water (p. 134)
• The Hydrosphere and the Hydrologic Cycle (p. 134)
• Humidity (p. 136)
• The Adiabatic Process (p. 139)
• Clouds (p. 142)
• Precipitation (p. 144)
• Air Quality (p. 153)
• 7 Winds and the Global Circulation System (p. 168)
• Atmospheric Pressure (p. 170)
• Winds and Pressure Gradients (p. 172)
• Global Wind and Pressure Patterns (p. 180)
• Local Winds (p. 184)
• Winds Aloft (p. 185)
• Temperature Layers of the Ocean (p. 192)
• Ocean Currents (p. 192)
• 8 Weather Systems (p. 204)
• Air Masses (p. 205)
• Traveling Cyclones and Anticyclones (p. 210)
• Tropical and Equatorial Weather Systems (p. 214)
• Poleward Transport of Heat and Moisture (p. 224)
• Cloud Cover, Precipitation, and Global Warming (p. 226)
• 9 The Global Scope of Climate (p. 230)
• Temperature Regimes (p. 233)
• Global Precipitation (p. 235)
• Climate Classification (p. 241)
• 10 Low-Latitude Climates (p. 254)
• Overview of the Low-Latitude Climates (p. 255)
• The Wet Equatorial Climate 1 (p. 256)
• The Monsoon and Trade-Wind Coastal Climate 2 (p. 256)
• The Wet-Dry Tropical Climate 3 (p. 261)
• The Dry Tropical Climate 4 (p. 270)
• Highland Climates of Low Latitudes (p. 276)
• 11 Midlatitude and High-Latitude Climates (p. 282)
• Overview of the Midlatitude Climates (p. 283)
• The Dry Subtropical Climate 5 (p. 284)
• The Moist Subtropical Climate 6 (p. 289)
• The Mediterranean Climate 7 (p. 291)
• The Marine West-Coast Climate 8 (p. 296)
• The Dry Midlatitude Climate 9 (p. 300)
• The Moist Continental Climate 10 (p. 303)
• Overview of the High-Latitude Climates (p. 305)
• The Boreal Forest Climate 11 (p. 306)
• The Tundra Climate 12 (p. 307)
• The Ice Sheet Climate 13 (p. 310)
• Part 3 Systems and Cycles of the Solid Earth (p. 318)
• 12 Earth Materials and the Cycle of Rock Change (p. 320)
• The Crust and Its Composition (p. 321)
• Igneous Rocks (p. 325)
• Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks (p. 330)
• Metamorphic Rocks (p. 337)
• The Cycle of Rock Change (p. 338)
• 13 The Lithosphere and the Tectonic System (p. 344)
• The Structure of the Earth (p. 346)
• The Geologic Time Scale (p. 348)
• Major Relief Features of the Earth's Surface (p. 349)
• Plate Tectonics (p. 353)
• Continents of the Past (p. 367)
• 14 Volcanic and Tectonic Landforms (p. 376)
• Landforms (p. 377)
• Volcanic Activity (p. 378)
• Landforms of Tectonic Activity (p. 389)
• Earthquakes (p. 394)
• Part 4 Systems of Landform Evolution (p. 406)
• 15 Weathering and Mass Wasting (p. 408)
• Physical Weathering (p. 410)
• Chemical Weathering and Its Landforms (p. 414)
• Mass Wasting (p. 416)
• Induced Mass Wasting (p. 422)
• Processes and Landforms of Arctic and Alpine Tundra (p. 426)
• 16 The Cycling of Water on the Continents (p. 436)
• Ground Water (p. 439)
• Limestone Solution by Ground Water (p. 441)
• Problems of Ground Water Management (p. 442)
• Surface Water (p. 445)
• Stream Flow (p. 450)
• Lakes (p. 456)
• Surface Water As a Natural Resource (p. 463)
• 17 Fluvial Processes and Landforms (p. 470)
• Fluvial Processes and Landforms (p. 472)
• Slope Erosion (p. 472)
• The Work of Streams (p. 475)
• Stream Gradation (p. 477)
• Fluvial Processes in an Arid Climate (p. 490)
• 18 Landforms and Rock Structure (p. 500)
• Rock Structure as a Landform Control (p. 502)
• Landforms of Horizontal Strata and Coastal Plains (p. 502)
• Landforms of Warped Rock Layers (p. 508)
• Landforms Developed on Other Land-Mass Types (p. 510)
• 19 The Work of Waves and Wind (p. 522)
• The Work of Waves (p. 524)
• Tidal Currents (p. 529)
• Types of Coastlines (p. 530)
• Wind Action (p. 535)
• Sand Dunes (p. 538)
• Loess (p. 544)
• 20 Glacier Systems and the Ice Age (p. 550)
• Glaciers (p. 551)
• Alpine Glaciers (p. 552)
• Ice Sheets of the Present (p. 556)
• Sea Ice and Icebergs (p. 556)
• The Ice Age (p. 559)
• Landforms Made by Ice Sheets (p. 564)
• Investigating the Ice Age (p. 570)
• Part 5 Systems and Cycles of Soils and the Biosphere (p. 578)
• 21 Soil Systems (p. 580)
• The Nature of the Soil (p. 582)
• The Soil Water Balance (p. 586)
• Soil Development (p. 587)
• The Global Scope of Soils (p. 593)
• 22 Systems and Cycles of the Biosphere (p. 608)
• Energy Flow in Ecosystems (p. 610)
• Biomass as an Energy Source (p. 620)
• Biogeochemical Cycles in the Biosphere (p. 621)
• 23 Biogeographic Processes (p. 636)
• Ecological Biogeography (p. 637)
• Ecological Succession (p. 646)
• Historical Biogeography (p. 648)
• Biodiversity (p. 657)
• 24 Global Ecosystems (p. 664)
• Natural Vegetation (p. 665)
• Structure and Life-form of Plants (p. 666)
• Terrestrial Ecosystems--The Biomes (p. 667)
• Appendix 1 The Canadian System of Soil Classification (p. 691)
• Appendix 2 Climate Definitions and Boundaries (p. 697)
• Appendix 3 Conversion Factors (p. 699)
• Answers to Problems (p. 700)
• Glossary (p. 705)
• Photo Credits (p. 730)
• Index (p. 732)