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Physical Geography: Making Sense of Planet Earth

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Physical Geography: Making Sense of Planet Earth an eight part HD series that explores the dramatic discoveries of the forces shaping the planet Earth and provides a blueprint for understanding how place and process combined to shape every aspect of the planet's physical and cultural landscape. Host Dr. Alexander B. Murphy opens the door to a whole new way of seeing and making sense of the world we find ourselves in. Dr. Murphy is a renowned geographer and chair of the National Academy of Science's "Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences."

Episodes:

• Inventing The Tools of Geography

  In this program Alec Murphy presents an historical narrative of the principles that form the foundation of geography. These include the three laws of geology, the importance of scale and the origins of the two great branches of geography: physical and human.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Jan 10th, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:58
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• Portraying The Earth

  Alec Murphy focuses on the history of portraying the Earth and the earliest maps of ancient Greece, the 21st century computer-based GIS, Geographical Information Systems. The program includes a visit to the U.S. Geological Survey, the institution that has served as America's center for mapmaking for the past 150 years.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Jan 17th, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:27
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• Land Forms

  Landforms range in size from the continents themselves to the river valleys that most cities have developed around. In this program Alec Murphy categorizes and defines the major landforms found on the planet, including vast mountain ranges and narrow canyons.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Jan 24th, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:48
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• The Ever Changing Planet

  Our planet is ever-changing. Earth's landforms are constantly being created and destroyed on timescales ranging from days to tens of millions of years. In this program Alec Murphy walks you through the forces shaping and destroying the planet's many landforms.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Jan 31st, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:59
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• Layering The Planet

  Geography has found that Earth is organized into a sequence of spheres: the inner core, the crust or lithosphere, a soil layer, known as the pedosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere and biosphere. Alec Murphy shows how they are all interconnected in one dynamic system.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Feb 7th, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:57
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• Geographical Regions

  Regions are one of the most important tools used in geographical thinking. In this program Alec Murphy shows how the planet is divided into physiographic regions, each with internal dynamic processes. Then he defines the three types of regions: formal, functional, and colloquial.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Feb 14th, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:39
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• Physical Geographic Influences On Human Societies

  One of the great debates in geography has been: 'How much does place or physical geography determine human development - cultural and economic?' Using historical examples and present-day case histories, Alec Murphy guides you through both sides of the argument known as environmental determinism. Featured are leading geographical thinkers.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Feb 21st, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:59
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

• Human Impacts on the Natural Environment

  Human beings have become a geographical force. In the 21st century human beings each year bring more change to the surface of the planet than all the natural forces combined. In this final program Alec Murphy presents an intriguing history of how this came to be and what the future holds for the planet and the 7 billion people living on its surface.

  Next Airing:	Fri, Feb 28th, 2025 at 10:30 AM on UEN-TV
  Length:	00:28:53
  Usage rights:	Expires 6/30/2026

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