Page 40 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

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Chapter 1 Essentials of Geography New
Maine
Brunswick
Streamflow gauge Lake gauge Water-quality gauge
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This application was made based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The claim will not result in a new boundary for many years, as other nations—United States, Russia, and Denmark—also have interests in the
geosystems now online To learn more about the Canada–U.S. border and the work of the International Boundary Com- mission in demarcating it, go to www .internationalboundarycommission.org/ index-eng.html.
Chiputneticook Lake
West Grand Lake
Sysladobsis Lake
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Spednic Lake
McAdam Maine
New Brunswick
Grand Falls Flowage
▲Figure GN 1.2 Canada–U.S. border along the St. Croix River. (a) The border separating New Brunswick and Maine includes a section that follows the course of the St. Croix River. (b) Ferry Point International Bridge crosses the St. Croix River between St. Stephen, New Brunswick (left), and Calais, Maine (right). The international border is approximately midchannel. [Fred J. Field.]
Big Lake
St. Stephen Calais
St. Andrews
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Arctic seafloor and its resources. Access- ing resources on the seafloor would be a monumental challenge, but establish- ing sovereignty is the current goal of the Canadiangovernment.
Welcome to the Fourth Canadian Edition of Geo- systems and the study of physical geography! In this text, we examine the powerful Earth sys- tems that influence our lives and the many ways humans impact those systems. This is an important time to study physical geography, learning about Earth’s environments, including the systems that form the landscapes, seascapes, atmosphere, and ecosystems on which humans depend. In this second decade of the 21st century, a century that will see many changes to our natural world, scientific study of the Earth and environment is more crucial than ever.
Consider the following events, among many similar ones we could mention, and the questions they raise for the study of Earth’s systems and physical geography. This text provides tools for answering these questions and ad- dressing the underlying issues.
• In June 2013, devastating floods hit southern Alberta, affecting one-quarter of the province. Several com- munities were placed under forced evacuation orders (Figure 1.1), and others were isolated for days. Parts of downtown Calgary were under water, and railway lines and roads were washed out. Environment Canada de- scribed the event as a super flood that is one of Canada’s costliest natural disasters, with projected losses over 6 billion dollars. What sequence of preceding weather
conditions caused the flooding? How have resi- dents and the government dealt with the aftermath? More about this event is found in Geosystems Now in Chapter 15, Focus Study 15.2.
• In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall along the U.S. East Coast, hitting New York and
▲Figure 1.1 Evacuation in High River, Alberta. Flooding on the Highwood River in June 2013 forced residents out of their homes and cost millions of dollars. [Lyle Aspinall/Calgary Sun/QMI Agency.]
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