DOCUMENT RESUME ED 102 060 SO 008 098 AUTHOR Manners, Tan P., Ed.; Mikesell, Marvin W., Ed. TITLE Perspectives on Environment. INSTITUTION Association of American Geographers, Washington, D.C. Commission on College Geography. SPONS AGENCY National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 74 NOTE 400p, AVAILABLE FROM Association of American Geographers, 1710 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009 ($3.95, 15 percent discount on 10 copies or more) EDRS PRICE MF -'$0.76 HC Not Available from EDRS. PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS College Instruction; Ecology; Environment; *Environmental Education; Environmental Influences; *Environmental Research; Geographic. Concepts; *Geography; *Geography Instruction; Higher Education; Human Geography; *Inservice Education; Instructional Materials; Interdisciplinary Approach; Physical Geography ABSTRACT This collection of essays, devoted to geographic research on environmental education, is part of the Commission on College Geography's publication program. Twelve essays comprise the publication, capturing the breadth and depth of geography's past and potential contributions to environmental education. This document is designed to enhance the efforts of teachers who are trying to respond effectively to the national interest in environmental problems as well as to acquaint college teachers with environmental problems that are of interest to geographers. The essays demonstrate distinctive aspects of geographic training that are of particular value in dealing with environmental issues and that might lead to the development of environmentally-focused education programs. Titles of the articles, reflecting the content of the volume, include Geography as the Study of Environment: An Assessment of some Old and New Commitments; Biogeochemical Cycles and Energy Flows in Environmental Systems; Accelerated Soil Erosion: A Problem of Man-Land Relationships; Man's Impact on Stream Regimen and Quality; Climatic Modification; The Human Predator: A Survey; The Environmental Impact of Modern Agricultural Technologies; The Environmental Impact of Urbanization; Environmental Perception; Recreation and the Environment; Natural Hazards Research; and The Savanna Biome: A Case Study of Human Impact on Biotic Communities. (Author/JR) US DE PAW ?MEN! 01 HU ALT11 CUUCATION. WELFARI NAIIONM, INSTITUTE 01; km,.0,10,4toorP140t)ti( ttgIS li0U4AttON c opywa,111.13 00A if: WA( 'HISDoc olocnit toss0E1 Nkr; PRO mitsi0 ouctOExACtt.s. AS RectivED FROM Ftern: ONLv t14REIN uRAN ti tut Pt RSON Ok 000ANI2AtION ORIGIN Atoka, Ituousos ocvItoOIOPINIONS ....... StA11 0 1)0 NO, 10c1,SSARo.w WCPWE i(IV)_)itietne4rYe' .. %NI 011 iCIAL NA VIONAt IN't,lUtE OF to cIC AND ORGAN AtIONs ON:4A t 1.0o( A hot, posit 10,4 t)Q PO0C 'Ni,t.,NOt 0 AOkl;EMPt5 WITH Stir N: t!oniAt11,031 Itop orE DvcA 'ION $ owItiv.ci10E1)00011010N Ou t SIDE t141' (-kW Svestf.74i 14("Gitut/r.S DI RMIS mON 0$ tut{ COPYRIGH I OWN1,0 Perspectives on Environment Essays Requested by the P: nel on Environmental Education, Commission ot, College Geography Edited by Ian R. Manners University of Texas at Austin and Marvin W. Mikesell University of Chicago Copyright 1974 by the ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS Commission on College Geography 1710 Sixteenth Street, kW. Washington, D.C. 20009 PUBLICATION No. 13 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 73.88849 Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation 2/3 PREFACE The origin of this volume can he traced to the decision made by the Commission on College Geography in February of I97,0 establish a "Panel on Environmental Education" and its subsequent approval of this Panel's recom- mendation thata collection of essays devoted to geographic research on environmental problems would be a desirable addition to the Commission's program of publications. Informal surveys conducted by Panel members later in 147i produced evidence that a substantial number of geographers were offering courses with an environmental or ecological emphasis and that an assessment of professional commitments in this complex field would be useful.It was not thought that a publication designed to meet this need could be comprehensive. Nevertheless, the Panelfeltthat an appropriate selection of papers might indicate the breadth and depth of geography's past and potential contributions to environmental education. In discussing the possible character of this collection, the Panel was Well aware that the commitment of geographers to environmental education repre- sented a convergent movement from several fields. Geographers concerned with the effects of human activities on vegetation and soil had begun to take account of man's impact on air and water, while gergraphers devoted to perception had been investigating attitudes and decisionmaking in regard to natural hazards and the role of values and taste in landscape evolution, Physical geographers had also begun to take account of current environmental problems and had been applying old and new skills in studies of modified climates and land forms. It was equally evident that both human and physical geographers had become aware of the fact that environmental deterioration is most clearly manifest in cities. In short, there seemed to be good reason to believe that the widespread interest among geographers in environmental problems was producing combina- tions and associations that had not previously been conspicuous in geographic education. It was also evident that these research commitments had not been sum- marized and that suitable materials for classroom 1,::e were not widely available. Hence itwas hoped that a volume designed to review old commitments and expose the dimensions of new ones would enhance the efforts of teachers who , were trying to respond effectively to the national interest in environmental problems. 1hat many of these teachers were facing larger and more enthusiastic classes than they had ever faced before gave added impetus to the Panel's rationale. It was also hoped that the several papers commissioned for the publication might document and demonstrate thOse distinctive aspects of geographic training that are of particlar value in dealing with environmental issues and hence might enable the profession to play a more active role in the initiation and develop- men tof environmentallyfocused education programs. These professional traits were thoughtto include (1) a long-standing commitment to environmental studies, (2) understanding of the significance of factors of location, diffusion, and scale, (3) awareness of the complexity of manenvironment interactions, iii 00004 iv PREFACE (4) recognition that problems of environmental qualitymust be considered not only in physical and biological terms but also in relationto human perceptions, needs, and desires, and (S) experiencein dealing with both systems and processes. With these objectives in mind, the Panel asked forcontributions from the several authors whose essaysare published here. They were invited to prepare review articles designed to acquaint college teachers withenvironmental prob loins that have been, are, or should be of interestto geographers, The members of the Panel are grateful to these authors flit theirwillingness to respond to a difficult charge and are also indebted to John F.Lounsbury, Director of the Commission on College Geography, for servingas host for a meeting of the contributors and organizers of the volume in Tempe, Arizonain January of 1073. Thanks must be offered in additionto Salvatore 1, Natoli, Educational Affairs Director of the Association of AmericanGeographers, for advice on trmat, design, and style, editorial assistance, and for thecover design. The index was prepared by Jane Cotner of the AAG National Office who also assisted with technical editing and with checkingbibliographies. In addition, Marie K. Nixon of the AAG National Office offeredher editorial assistance during the galley stage of the work. Since the bask rationale for this effort isa belief thatit will be useful in environmental. education, "feedback" from teachers andstudents will be deeply appreciated. Panel on Environmental Education of the Commission on College Geography Ian R. Manners, University of Texas (Co-chairman) Marvin W. Mikesell, University of Chicago (Co-chairman ) Ian Burton, University of Toronto Melvin G. Marcus, Arizona State University Harold A. Winters, Michigan State University 00005 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE I. GEOGRAPHY AS THE STUDY OF ENVIRONMENT: AN ASSESS- MENT OF SOME 01.1) AND NEW COMMITMENTS Marvin W. Mikesell 2. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES AND ENERGY FLOWS IN ENVIRON MENTAL SYSTEMS David Watts 3. ACCELERATED SOIL EROSION: A PROBLEM OF MANLAND RELATIONSHIPS Karl W. Butter 57 4. MAN'S IMPACT ON STREAM REGIMEN AND QUALITY Jack P. Mrowka 5. CLIMATIC MODIFICATION Werner IL Terjung 105 b. THE HUMAN PREDATOR: A SURVEY Robin W. Doughty 152 7. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MODERN AGRICULTURAL TECIINOLOGIES Lan R. Manners 181 8. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF URBANIZATION James A. Schmid 213 0. ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION Thomas F. Saarinen 252 10. RECREATION AND TIIE ENVIRONMENT J. G. Nelson and R. W. Butler 290 11. NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH James K. Mitchell 311 12. THE SAVANNA BIOME: A CASE STUDY OF HUMAN IMPACT ON BIOTIC COMMUNITIES Theo L. hills 342 Author Index 375 Subject Index 389 Otk6 Geographyas the Study of Environment: An Assessment Qf Some Old and New Commitments Marvin W. Mikesell Ihnyersi 0. of Chicago Toward the end of the 1960's the American public was overwhelmed with declarations of an impending environmental