Abstract
Physical geography is the cornerstone of geography. In this article, the starting points of disciplines in physical geography in recent years in China are discussed. With the coupling of systems set as the research object, and sustainable development as the ultimate goal, the upgrade of physical geography can be deconstructed into three steps: deepen physical geography from the perspective of pattern-process coupling, improve the focus of physical geography from ecosystem processes to ecosystem services, and increase the understanding of the physical geography ‘pattern, process, service, sustainability’ research cascade. The incorporation of human activities into physical geographic processes is essential to conduct integrated analysis on physical and human factors at different scales. The development of ecosystem service models that couple supply-demand and sustainable development are of great importance to bridge the role of ecosystem services between the natural environment and human well-being. Moreover, human-land systems and sustainable development have become the core areas and frontiers of integrated physical geography and even geography in general. China faces the great strategic demand of constructing an ecological civilization in a new era, and the development of the disciplines of physical geography should give full access to the advantages of intersecting and comprehensive disciplines, focus on the human-land system patterns, processes, and services in key research areas, and provide disciplinary support for regional, national, and global sustainable development.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aspinall R, 2010. A century of physical geography research in the Annals. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(5): 1049–1059. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2010.523338
Bettencourt L M A, Kaur J, 2011. Evolution and structure of sustainability science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(49): 19540–19545. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1102712108
Blij de H J, Muller P, Burt J E, et al., 2013. Physical Geography: The Global Environment. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bryan B A, Gao L, Ye Y Q et al., 2018. China’s response to a national land-system sustainability emergency. Nature, 559(7713): 193–204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0280-2
Cheng Guodong, Li Xin, 2015. Integrated research methods in watershed science. Science China Earth Sciences, 58(7): 1159–1168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-015-5074-x (in Chinese)
Clifford N J, 2009. Globalization: a physical geography perspective. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 33(1): 5–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133309105035
Davis W M, Snyder W H, 1901. Physical Geography. Boston, MA: Ginn & Company.
Day T, 2017a. Core themes in textbook definitions of physical geography. The Canadian Geographer, 61(1): 28–40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12354
Day T, 2017b. The contribution of physical geographers to sustainability research. Sustainability, 9(10): 1851. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101851
Feng Xiaoming, Fu Bojie, Yang Xiaojun et al., 2010. Remote sensing of ecosystem services: an opportunity for spatially explicit assessment. Chinese Geographical Science, 20(6): 522–535. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-010-0428-y
Feng X M, Fu B J, Piao S L et al., 2016. Revegetation in China’s Loess Plateau is approaching sustainable water resource limits. Nature Climate Change, 6(11): 1019–1022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3092
Finch V C, Trewartha G T, 1949. Elements of Geography: Physical and Cultural. 3rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Fu B J, Wang S, Su C H et al., 2013. Linking ecosystem processes and ecosystem services. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5(1): 4–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.12.002
Fu Bojie, 2014. The integrated studies of geography: coupling of patterns and processes. Acta Geographica Sinica, 69(8): 1052–1059. (in Chinese)
Fu Bojie, Leng Shuying, Song Changqing, 2015. The characteristics and tasks of geography in the new era. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 35(8): 939–945. (in Chinese)
Fu B J, Li Y, 2016. Bidirectional coupling between the Earth and human systems is essential for modeling sustainability. National Science Review, 3(4): 397–398. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nww094
Fu Bojie, Pan Naiqing, 2016. Integrated studies of physical geography in China: review and prospects. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 26(7): 771–790. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-016-1298-8
Fu Bojie, 2017. Geography: from knowledge, science to decision making support. Acta Geographica Sinica, 72(11): 1923–1932. (in Chinese)
Fu B J, Wei Y P, 2018. Editorial overview: keeping fit in the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 33: A1–A4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2018.07.003
Fu Bojie, 2018. Thoughts on the recent development of physical geography. Progress in Geography, 37(1): 1–7. (in Chinese)
Gao L, Bryan B A, 2017. Finding pathways to national-scale land-sector sustainability. Nature, 544(7649): 217–222. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21694
Gervais B, 2015. Living Physical Geography. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Company.
Guerry A D, Polasky S, Lubchenco J et al., 2015. Natural capital and ecosystem services informing decisions: from promise to practice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(24): 7348–7355. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1503751112
Harden C P, 2012. Framing and reframing questions of human-environment interactions. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102(4): 737–747. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2012.678035
Kates R W, 2011. What kind of a science is sustainability science? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(49): 19449–19450. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1116097108
Li Y, Kalnay E, Motesharrei S et al., 2018. Climate model shows large-scale wind and solar farms in the Sahara increase rain and vegetation. Science, 361(6406): 1019–1022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar5629
Liu J G, Mooney H, Hull V et al., 2015. Systems integration for global sustainability. Science, 347(6225): 1258832. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1258832
Liu Yanxu, Fu Bojie, Zhao Wenwu et al., 2018. Ecological asset accounting and ecosystem services evaluation: concept intersection and key research priorities. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 38(23): 8267–8276. (in Chinese)
Malanson G P, Scuderi L, Moser K A et al., 2014. The composite nature of physical geography: moving from linkages to integration. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 38(1): 3–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133313516481
Marsh W M, Kaufman M M, 2013. Physical Geography: Great Systems and Global Environments. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Ouyang Z Y, Zheng H, Xiao Y et al., 2016. Improvements in ecosystem services from investments in natural capital. Science, 352(6269): 1455–1459. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf2295
Piao S L, Liu Z, Wang T et al., 2017. Weakening temperature control on the interannual variations of spring carbon uptake across northern lands. Nature Climate Change, 7(5): 359–363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3277
Potschin M B, Haines-Young R H, 2011. Ecosystem services: exploring a geographical perspective. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 35(5): 575–594. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133311423172
Schaefer M, Goldman E, Bartuska A M et al., 2015. Nature as capital: advancing and incorporating ecosystem services in United States federal policies and programs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(24): 7383–7389. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1420500112
Tadaki M, Salmond J, Le Heron R et al., 2012. Nature, culture, and the work of physical geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 37(4): 547–562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5661.2011.00495.x
Xi Jinping. Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Availible at https://doi.org/www.gov.cn/zhuanti/2017-10/27/content_5234876.htm. 2017-10-27. (in Chinese)
Wang S, Fu B J, Piao S L et al., 2016. Reduced sediment transport in the Yellow River due to anthropogenic changes. Nature Geoscience, 9(1): 38–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2602
Xu Jie, Xiao Yu, Xie Gaodi et al., 2019. Ecosystem service flow insights into horizontal ecological compensation standards for water resource: a case study in Dongjiang Lake basin, China. Chinese Geographical Science, 29(2): 214–230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-019-1025-3
Zeng Z Z, Piao S L, Li L Z X et al., 2017. Climate mitigation from vegetation biophysical feedbacks during the past three decades. Nature Climate Change, 7(6): 432–436. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3299
Zhao Wenwu, Liu Yue, Feng Qiang et al., 2018. Ecosystem services for coupled human and environment systems. Progress in Geography, 37(1): 139–151. (in Chinese)
Zhen Nahui, Fu Bojie, Lu Yihe et al., 2014. Poverty reduction, environmental protection and ecosystem services: a prospective theory for sustainable development. Chinese Geographical Science, 24(1): 83–92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-014-0658-5
Zheng Zhenmin, Fu Bojie, Feng Xiaoming, 2016. GIS-based analysis for hotspot identification of tradeoff between ecosystem services: a case study in Yanhe Basin, China. Chinese Geographical Science, 26(4): 466–177. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-016-0816-z
Zhou Min, Cai Yunlong, Guan Xingliang et al., 2015. A hybrid inexact optimization model for land-use allocation of China. Chinese Geographical Science, 25(1): 62–73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-014-0708-z
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation item: Under the auspices of Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. QYZDY-SSW-DQC025), and National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFA0604701)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fu, B., Tian, T., Liu, Y. et al. New Developments and Perspectives in Physical Geography in China. Chin. Geogr. Sci. 29, 363–371 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-019-1038-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-019-1038-y