Physical Geography: The Global Environment introduces students to the Earth and the way in which human interaction has shaped the Earth's evolution. In this much-anticipated second Canadian Edition, Professors Cathy Conrad and Peter Long seamlessly incorporate significant Canadian data and examples while maintaining Harm de Blij's international approach to the five major components of the Earth - atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. This edition adds a wealth of Canadian information on topics ranging from wind patterns to landscape types, permafrost to drought, and water use to soil classification. The result is a comprehensive and authoritative text that is truly global in scope. Specific to the Canadian Edition: * Provides Canadian and international data and examples * Presents relevant topics to Canadian audience: chinooks, cold weather hazards, permafrost, and glaciation * Metric measurements * Canadian sources cited in the end-of-chapter material * Canadian photos * Maps include all of North America where appropriate * Pedagogical boxes relate to Canada * Soil formation, classification, and mapping employ the Canadian System of Soil Classification * Compares US and Canadian soil classification systems Major revisions to the second Canadian Edition: * All tables and figures have been updated to include the most current data * Information on climate change has been updated and includes current, relevant examples * Additional information on heat balance and radiation has been included along with equations * Increased material on GIS and Remote Sensing * In-depth treatment of adiabatic lapse rates and atmospheric stability * New material on natural hazards and severe weather * New chapter devoted specifically to weathering processes and soils