Understand Earth systems and landform processes

Reason about Earth's landforms, climate, and ecosystem processes

Forecasting how landscapes respond to tectonic uplift or climate change when physical processes (erosion, isostasy, ocean circulation) dominate.

• · tectonic plate configuration
• · erosion and weathering data
• · climate system parameters
• · hydrosphere circulation
• · biome distribution

• · landscape evolution forecast
• · hazard risk assessment
• · climate/biome pattern explanation

Tectonic/climatic timescale and spatial extent specified; baseline topography defined

Davis cycle (youth/maturity/old age) applied rigidly; dynamic equilibrium confused with stasis; ENSO prediction attempted beyond skill horizon

• · Wilson Cycle (continental rifting, seafloor spreading, subduction): ~200-500 My timescale confirmed by magnetic striping
• · Glacial landforms (U-shaped valleys, moraines) geomorphologically distinct from fluvial (V-shaped valleys, meanders)
• · Thermohaline circulation: ~1,000-year residence time measured by radiocarbon dating