The Association for Geographical Studies CONCEPT OF NATURAL SYSTEM IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Dr. Ritu Ahlawat Associate Professor of Geography, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi -110007. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Received: 5 February 2013; Revised: 19 April, 2013; Accepted: 22 April, 2013 Uploaded: 22 April, 2013 Introduction operations of Earth systems as we all Location, region, human-earth depend on Earth‟s systems to provide relationships, place and movement are five oxygen, water, nutrients, energy, and fundamental themes of geography. Within materials to support life. The growing these five themes, geography is governed by complexity and pressure on the human- a method rather than by a specific body of Earth relation requires that we shift our knowledge, and this method is called spatial study of geographic processes towards the analysis. Physical geography centers on more holistic or complete, perspective – spatial analysis of all the physical elements such is the thrust of Earth system science. and processes that make up the Hence, a general understanding of the environment: air, water, weather, climate, system concept is essential. In this paper, landforms, soils, animals, plants and Earth attempt has been made to give a itself. It investigates the spatial patterns and comprehensive understanding of the aspects processes of Earth‟s natural systems and as stated in learning objectives. their human interactions. Process, a set of actions or mechanisms that operate in some Learning Objectives: special order, is central to geographic - Origin of the Concept of System analysis. Numerous processes are involved - Definition and Characteristics of in Earth‟s vast water-atmosphere-weather System system or in continental crust movements - Earth System and earthquake occurrences. - Earth System Functions, Processes Geographers use spatial analysis to and Structure examine how Earth‟s processes interact over - Components of Natural Systems of space or area. As a science, physical Earth geographic studies use the scientific method which is very important in modern Earth Origin of Concept of System sciences, in which the goal is to understand Whether considering the first a whole functioning Earth, rather than systems of written communication with isolated, small compartments. Such Phoenician cuneiform to Mayan numerals, understanding allows the scientists to or the feats of engineering with the Egyptian construct models that simulate general pyramids, systems thinking in essence dates AGS Study Material Series, Paper- VII, 2013 Ahlawat, 2013 The Association for Geographical Studies back to antiquity. While modern systems are historically influenced all areas from the considerably more complicated, today‟s social to hard sciences, the original theorists systems are embedded in history. Now, the explored the implications of twentieth word system pervades our lives daily: century advances in terms of systems. “Check the car‟ cooling system”; “How Subjects like complexity, self-organization, does the grading system work?”; “There is a connectionism and adaptive systems had weather system approaching”. Systems of already been studied in the 1940s and many kinds surround us. Not surprisingly, 1950s. In fields like cybernetics, researchers system analysis has moved to the forefront examined complex systems using as a method for understanding operational mathematics and no more than pencil and behaviour in many disciplines. paper. John von Neumann discovered Systems theory as an area of study cellular automata and self-reproducing specifically developed following the World systems, again with only pencil and paper. Wars from the work of Ludwig von A few others worked on the foundations of Bertalanffy, Anatol Rapoport, Kenneth E. chaos theory without any computer at all. At Boulding, William Ross Ashby, Margaret the same time Howard T. Odum, the Mead, Gregory Bateson, C. West radiation ecologist recognised that the study Churchman and others in the 1950s. of general systems required a language that Cognizant of advances in science that could depict energetics and kinetics at any questioned classical assumptions in the system scale. Odum developed a general organizational sciences, Bertalanffy's (1950) systems, or Universal language, based on idea to develop a theory of systems began as the circuit language of electronics to fulfill early as the interwar period. Systems theory this role, known as the Energy Systems as a technical and general academic area of Language. System philosophy, methodology study predominantly refers to the science of and application are complementary to this systems in initiating what became a project science. It is an interdisciplinary field of of systems research and practice. In general science. It studies the nature of complex system theory (GST), he writes: "...there systems in nature, society, and science. exist models, principles, and laws that apply More specifically, it is a framework by to generalized systems or their subclasses, which one can analyze and/or describe any irrespective of their particular kind, the group of objects that work in concert to nature of their component elements, and the produce some result. This could be a single relationships or "forces" between them. It organism, any organization or society, or seems legitimate to ask for a theory, not of any electro-mechanical or informational systems of a more or less special kind, but of artifact. In all these studies, systems concept universal principles applying to systems in is often associated with cybernetics, which general”. is the study of feedback and derived Where assumptions in Western concepts such as communication and science from Greek thought with Plato and control in living organisms, machines and Aristotle to Newton‟s Principia have organisations. AGS Study Material Series, Paper- VII, 2013 2 Ahlawat, 2013 The Association for Geographical Studies System Definition and Characteristics connected and joined together by a web of The world is a concrete system, relationships. The Primer group defines which we define as a nonrandom system as a family of relationships among accumulation of matter and energy in a the members acting as a whole. Bertalanffy region in physical Space-time organized defined system as “elements in standing into interacting, interrelated subsystems and relationship”. components. The word "system" also refers Simply stated, a system is any to systems of actions abstracted from the ordered interrelated set of things and their behavior of organisms (abstracted svstems) attributes, linked by flows of energy and and to systems of ideas expressed in matter, as distinct from the surrounding symbolic form (conceptual systems); but the environment outside the system. The first meaning will be intended here unless elements within a system may be arranged we specify one of the others. Concrete in a series or interwoven with one another. systems are phenomena of the physical A system comprises any number of world. They include atoms, molecules, subsystems. planets, solar systems, star systems, All systems share the following seven galaxies, and; ultimately, the entire common characteristics: universe. Living systems of all sorts are also 1. Systems have a structure that is concrete systems, as are ecological systems defined by its parts and processes. with biotic and abiotic components. The 2. Systems are generalizations of various machines people make and use as reality. well as man-machine and animal-machine 3. Systems tend to function in the same systems are also concrete systems. Below way. All systems consist of groups atoms are electrons, protons, neutrons, and of parts that interact with each other other subatomic particles. The concept of according to various cause and effect level is of major importance. Systems at any processes. given level are more like each other in many 4. The various parts of a system have ways than like systems at other levels. Total functional as well as structural system variables are measurable in the same relationships between each other. way subsystem variables are. Within levels, 5. The fact that functional relationships systems can be compared with norms exist between the parts suggests the established for their particular types to flow and transfer of some type of determine adequacy of adjustment energy or matter. Systems exchange processes. Banathy defines a perspective energy and matter internally and/or that iterates this view: matter beyond their defined “The systems view is a world-view boundary with their surrounding that is based on the discipline of System environment through various Inquiry and central to systems inquiry is the processes of input and output. concept of system. In the most general sense, system means a configuration of parts AGS Study Material Series, Paper- VII, 2013 3 Ahlawat, 2013 The Association for Geographical Studies 6. Functional relationships can only Earth System functions occur because of the presence of a Within Earth‟s systems both matter driving force. and energy are stored and retrieved, and 7. The parts that make up a system energy is transformed from one type to show some degree of integration - in another. Matter is an entity that assumes a other words the parts work well physical shape and occupies space; energy together. is a capacity to change the motion of, or to do work on, matter. Depending upon flows The Earth System of energy and matter, the systems may be The planet Earth is a mixed living