Fieldwork in Physical Geography

Fieldwork in physical geography is a standard method in the discipline whereby new understandings of physical phenomena can be obtained most clearly. When combined with other comprehensive mapping tools in the geographic information science (GIScience) laboratory, such as digital elevation models and land cover or land shape data derived from satellite imagery, fieldwork becomes a highly robust means to acquire new [Page 1106]interpretations. Surprisingly, however, in the United States at least, the training of students in the techniques of detailed fieldwork in physical geography is rather limited, although it is taught formally in more universities in Canada and in Europe. The chief reasons for this deficit may be the great diversity of geography and the considerable expense of much modern field equipment, coupled with the difficulty of finding faculty to teach the diverse and interdisciplinary methodologies of fieldwork in physical geography.

Fieldwork in physical geography has been recognized for many years as a central ingredient in the value system of many professional geographers. Some critics have argued that much fieldwork has no theoretical base and that while it may be clearly useful in research, it is not so in teaching; in fact, however, fieldwork in physical geography plays an essential role in both physical geographic research and instruction. A suggested solution to the neglect of fieldwork in much physical geography is improved dialogue between those who are conceptually or theoretically oriented and those who are empirically oriented, as well as between those oriented toward teaching and those toward research. Nevertheless, in spite of numerous publications over the past half-century for improved teaching of field methodologies, problems still occur because of the constant need to recognize new techniques and become skilled in their use. This state of affairs is thus a never-ending quest for improvement of methodologies as physical geographic science marches on.