Synopsis The main objective of this book is to introduce students to the exciting field of physical geography. Set against a backdrop of human interaction with the environment. It offers comprehensiv3e treatments of earth’s five major components: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, the cryosphere, and the biosphere. Offering a fully integrated, systems-based approach to physical geography, this book covers a diverse and lively selection of topics and incorporates contemporary developments and issues in the field. The accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive coverage provides both the breadth and depth necessary to appreciate how humans are changing, and are changed by, the earth. This book will be an essential companion to anyone studying or with an interest in this richly-diverse and ever-changing field of geography.