Chapter 3 – INTERACTIONS and
Utah Geography
DRAFT webtext in: Geography of Utah, by G. Atwood, 2012 modified 2014.
Use
with professional courtesy and attribution, including attribution of original
sources where indicated.
LINK
to printable version… it differs a bit from this web-posted version.
Subtitle:
Interactions
– webs of relationships among people, places, and environments
BIG CONCEPTS, meaning… these concepts
provide ways to explore concepts of geography of Utah … specifically, the third
of geography’s great themes… interactions. The five great themes of geography
are: location, place, interaction, movement, and region. Interaction is the
most encompassing of all, virtually synonymous with “webs of relationships
among people, places, and environment." Why "Big Concepts?" (a) mastery and (b) credibility. Big Concepts intend to summarize what is understoon about a theme. When one is able to discuss a "Big Concept" it shows that one's discussion is based on more than gut feel, it is based on others' thoughts.
1. Interaction is the third of the
great themes of geography. Maps, including digital models, show interactions in space.
2. What makes geography special?
It’s spatia... meaning... interactions in the context of location / space. .
3. Interactions can be within… or
beyond
4. Interactions can be correlated,
or causal
EVIDENCE. Examine these images in the
context of interactions.
Two images we'll revisit again and again... Utah and environs - Source Google Maps / Google Earth 2015
Google Earth overlay- Utah and environs (including Las Vegas and Denver)
Google Maps overlay - Utah and environs (including Las Vegas and Denver)
Youth dependency ratios -- Census Bureau CENSR-29 Ch 4 p 55
UofU image of Wasatch Front incl campus and Mt Olympus
WSU 1981 Atlas of Utah, p 183 - Land suitable for farming
UT-Inter-bEvid02-CliffDwelling
Surface Drainages of Utah showing county boundaries, Atwood 2006, adapted from Miller, unpublished UGS. .
Utah's Topography and Vegetation WSU 1981, Atlas of Utah, p. 6 Satellite Image of Utah
UT-Inter-bEvid04-CountyBoundaries
Quotation:
“All
I am saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we’re
caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of
destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. For some
strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought
to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”
CASES:
Case
#1: Salt Lake Valley’s winter smog – interactions of physical geography
(geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere…) and human geography
(demographics, economics, political science, quality of life)
Case
#2: County boundaries… why they are where they are -- interactions of physical
geography (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere…) and human geography
(demographics, economics, political science, …
sociology/religion)
Topics… Questions to Ponder…
What
is the difference between INTERACTIONS and GEOGRAPHY?
Do
any of the five themse of physical geographies NOT interact with others?
Do
any five disciplines of human geographies NOT interact with each other?
Do
any of the physical geographies not interact with human geographies?
Overarching Goal of the
Chapter:
EMPOWERMENT
by knowledge: recognize systems (a) have subsystems that (b) interact, and (c)
interact non-linearly. When faced with a big problem, examine its smaller
parts. Geography is about relationships... interactions... correlations... and causality.
Major concept:
Understand nuances of interactions, specifically, causality: understand that the factor that causes change in an other is significant. In math the concept outcrops as "independent" versus "dependent" variables. Utah's location is an independent variable (unless you're considering tectonics over the next few million years). Utah's LOCATION causes differences in temperature. Temperature in this example is a dependent variable to location. When exploring interactions, explore causality.
Geographic interactions take place in space. What makes geography special?? It’s spatial.
Specifics: by the end of this
chapter … you should:
Be able to give examples at least a dozen interactions among the the 15 Themes of Geography of Utah
Be able to define correlation and causality and distinguish them when discussing interactions.
Specifically, be able to discuss correlation and causality for geographic interactions in Utah, specifically, the classic interactions among human and physical geographies. For example: be able to discuss LOCATION of Utah's highways and LOCATION of Utah cities and LOCATION of Utah rivers.
Be able to explore the concept of a BOUNDARY, and, specifically be able to discuss the logic behind Utah's county BOUNDARIES
Understand
these terms (a) because they indicate mastery of content, and (b) for the
mid-term (use your own words) or on quizzes
Interaction
Rural
Urban
Interaction
of human and physical environment
Webs
of relationships among people, places and environments
Geographic
thinking
Boundary
Geographic
dimensions
Spatial
scale
Time scales -- also called temporal scale
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Causality
Correlation
THEORY / CONCEPTS towards an
understanding of INTERACTION and geography of UTAH
1.
INTERACTION is the third of the
five great themes of geography.
What
is meant by “THEMES” of geography?
Think
symphonies… themes… recurring themes… they link, they are memorable, and they
are handles for understanding the big picture. They are rarely isolated
concepts, but appear in context, for example in the context of regional geography.
Themes
of geography are pervasive across the subdisciplines of geography.
Specialty
areas of geography include: military geography; environmental geography;
hazards geography, transportation geography, medical… …They would share similar
THEMES
INTERACTION…
is the most pervasive, generalized, and recurring of the five themes of
geography.
When
the (DRAFT Language… committee on themes of geography) identified five themes
of geography, INTERACTION was the most controversial, because geography is all
about interaction. Some members of the committee thought INTERACTION of a theme of geography was redundant. The themes were in part the product of the Environmental
Movement and proponents of including INTERACTION as one of the five themes
wanted recognition that geography is all about environment… and their perspective
prevailed. So of the debate was about disciplinary territory. What is the
difference between environmental studies and geography? Other geographers wanted
to change the “old school” image of geography as static… as about LOCATION of
state capitols and names of PLACES.
INTERACTION
should be easy for geographers of Utah to discuss, with family, in exams and in
your atlas. Everything about geography is about interaction… webs of
relationships. As National Geographic’s definition of geography states LINK:
2.
What makes geography special?
It’s spatial.
EXAMPLES
Space…
spatial. Geography takes place in spatial relationships.
3.
Interactions happen “within”
and “beyond”
EXAMPLES
– Trade – Salt Lake County businesses interact with others within Utah… and
beyond Utah.
UofUT-VennDiagramOfGeogExpertise
We
can compare Utah to the rest of the USA… or the world.
We
can compare a specific attribute of geography as it varies within Utah
We
can do this qualitatively and, increasingly in time, quantitatively with
spatial statistics.
What
do geographers study?
GEOGRAPHY’s
overarching dichotomy classifies geographers and their fields of study as:
Physical or Human.
PHYSICAL
GEOGRAPHY –
Interactions
within and among the subsystems of Earth systems
Geosphere,
Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere,
HUMAN
GEOGRAPHY –
Interactions
within and among social and behavioral sciences.
Interactions
within and beyond include interactions among individuals and groups.
Interactions
include: power, money, culture, kinship, institutions, exchange;
VENN
DIAGRAM… so many interactions are possible… all those physical and all those
human, yikes…
At
the extreme… Everything impacts everything. Everything interacts.
Geographers
examine interactions in space. That’s what is special about geography. The
premise is that spatial relationships matter.
Geography
of Utah examines interactions within and beyond Utah… so long as they involve
Utah.
4. Interactions
can be correlated. They can be causal.
Merriam Webster definitions of INTERACTION, causality, and correlation...
INTERACTION
Function:
noun
Date:
1832
1. mutual or reciprocal action or
influence
CORRELATION…
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Medieval Latin correlation-, correlation, from Latin com- + relation-,
relation relation
Date:
1561
1the state or relation of being correlated; specifically a relation existing between phenomena or things or between mathematical or statistical variables which tend to vary, be associated, or occur together in a way not expected on the basis of chance alone...
CAUSAL
Function:
adjective
Date: circa 1530.
2. of, or relating to, or constituting a cause...
3. involving causation or a cause...
4. arising from a cause...
A impacts B
B impacts A
C impacts A and B
CASE #1 – Interactions… Salt
Lake Valley Smog
Evidence
– images:
Winter
smog…
INTERACTIONS…
geography of Utah…
(a)
COMPLEX…
An
example of “everything influences everything” …Salt Lake Valley and other
valleys of Utah... but not all valleys of Utah’s winter inversions.
Physical
(geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere)
Human
(politics, economics, consumer, lifestyle, health)
Human:
we pollute. Combustion pollutes. Industry pollutes. Cars pollute.
How
bad is it… and has it been? Utah was the first state to enact air quality
regulation in cities, for smelters… date… 1910-1915 -- In the 1940s and 1950s, spring
cleaning meant literally wiping the soot off walls.
Why
is smog so bad in Salt Lake … and other Utah valleys?
Geosphere:
shaped like a bowl due to down-dropping of valley by active faults, driven by
tectonics.
Atmosphere:
cold air; snow on ground (reflects energy back to sky); high pressure systems
keep air in place;
Biosphere:
Cache County blames the cows…with some reason
Hydrosphere:
the water cycle, snow on the ground.
STEPS
for a strong inversion:
Cold
… it’s winter.
Cold
ground (snow)
Cold
air (Arctic blast or air mass from the north)
White,
reflective ground (snow, and feedback loop, stays cold, doesn’t melt)
High
pressure system… holds cold air in place. Cold air is denser than hot air; it
naturally collects and stays low.
Keep
adding pollutants… folks get sick and depressed.
WAYS
to get rid of winter inversion
Warm
the air… wait for Spring
Blast
the cold air out with winds that gouge and carry the cold air out, circulation
Melt
the snow (such as with rain or by warm temperatures)
Sent
the high pressure system away. Have storms come in from the west and bye bye to
inversions
LINKS
to nifty websites for information about pollutants.
US
and pollutants
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.displaymaps&Pollutant=PM2.5&StateID=60&domain=super
Archived
pollution data for SLC
http://www.airquality.utah.gov/flashDataGraphs/getData.php?id=slc
Health
alerts for SLCo
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.fcsummary&stateid=52
AIRNow
– for national patterns, includes weather systems http://airnow.gov/
My
favorite weather site: blog of UofU meteorologist, Jim Steenburgh Wasatch
Weather Weenies. http://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com/ Joy!
SUMMARY
with respect to interactions… Earth systems… subsystems… these should be
familiar terms now… the 5 subsystems of Earth systems. ALWAYS expect
interactions among all five! Meaning, be surprised when there are not
interactions… and figure out why.
CASE #2 – County boundaries…
evidence of interactions among physical and human geographies of Utah
Evidence
– Images:
LINK
to simplified county map of Utah no names ;
LINK
Utah's counties with names;
LINK
to View of SLCounty-DavisCo boundary- BOWEN;
LINK
to USGS topo map of SLCounty-Davis County boundary;
LINK
to Google Earth image with boundary.
Interactions….
Why are Utah’s county boundaries where they are?
Think
of this as a game… rules of the game are to use The 15 Words of Geog3600 LINK
Think
like a geographer ... or as a governor... Brigham Young, Governor Matheson, Governor
Herbert
Boundaries
set limits. In geography, they set limits between physical areas. Usually they
are hypothetical lines, but sometimes physical lines that separate two
entities… such as two properties, two counties, two physiographic provinces.
(GIS… what side is something on… is it connected (connectivity), is it contiguous
(touching)… how is it bounded).
Your
challenge… to give plausible explanations why Utah’s counties’ boundaries are
where they are. Keep asking yourself, where would you draw the lines today? Or
150 years ago?
By
definition, county lines are delineations of HUMAN geography. They are called
“political” and counties are “political subdivisions.”
However,
to understand the location of county boundaries… think both human and physical
geographic thoughts.
JW
Powell suggestions for states based on watersheds.
http://www.good.is/post/john-wesley-powell-s-watershed-states-map/
http://www.aqueousadvisors.com/blog/?p=301
Map
of region LINK
Map
of west LINK
Detail
for Utah LINK
Territory of Utah - Map showing 5 original counties (WSU/BYU/Greer-Atlas of Utah p. 163)
Map of Utah showing classification of County boundaries . It uses a 5 – class, classification scheme for Utah’s county boundaries. Boundaries divide
what is within from what is without. (INTERACTIONS... within and without.) Think about interactions… physical and
human geographies. Analyze Utah’s county boundaries… and draw inferences on why
they were drawn where they were drawn.
ORANGE:
simple geographic reference (lines of latitude or longitude)
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Example:
BROWN:
Physical: approximately the ridgeline of a mountain range; the boundary of a
watershed.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Example:
BLUE:
Physical: a river
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Example:
YELLOW:
Checkerboard – township and range, human geography - land ownership or survey
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Example:
PURPLE:
arbitrary
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Example:
Move
back and forth between LINK digital elevation map (DEM) of Utah (by Sterner,
Fermi Lab, used with permission).
And
here are county boundaries classified. LINK
FINAL SECTION OF THIS Web-text chapter… Significance...
So What … is so important about
INTERACTIONS to Utah’s human and physical geographies?
It
might make more sense to ask what isn’t important.
Coaching…
just saying an interaction is important is not sufficient for credit in this
course. All interactions have some importance. What matters is your ability to
describe the interaction with specificity and its consequences with
specificity.
We’re
only on the first part of GEOG3600-Geography of Utah, the five themes of
geography. By the end of the course, you should be able to discuss interactions
among each of the matrix pairs… and even tie in others. Drill deeply into these
effects, use the matrix and consider causal relationships.
LIST
of “The 15 Words” (three columns)
Loc
Inter
Migra
Inter
Region
Geo
Hydro
Atmo
Bio
Anthro
Econ
Demog
PoliSci
Sociol
QLife
Chapter SUMMARY
INTERACTION,
the third of the five Themes of Geography.
INTERACTION
is a recurrent theme of geography, geographers study interactions... in space.
INTERACTION can be within or beyond a location.
INTERACTIONS can be causal, and understanding cause empowers.
Self Quiz …
March through the 15 Themes of Geography of Utah and randomly pick another. Think of an interaction that you have witnessed in Utah. Wonder about causality.
