Physical Geography
West Coast river mouth with Southern Alps behind.
Physical geography is the study of the earth's surface features and processes. It seeks to explain the geographic pattern of landforms, soils, vegetation, hydrology, coasts and climate by understanding the processes operating at the surface of the earth.
Understanding the physical processes links the discipline closely to other Earth sciences, and the impact of human activity on physical resources and the environment links the subject to geography.
Climatology, hydrology, coastal processes, geomorphology and environmental change are among the sub-themes included in the topic. There is a particularly strong focus on those issues important for resource managers in New Zealand, such as climate change, landscape stability, water resources, hazard and risk in both the terrestrial and marine systems.
The postgraduate programme in Physical Geography at Victoria University is the only programme in New Zealand where students can major specifically in Physical Geography.
The course is taught by leaders in the field both from within the School and from the wider geoscience community of the Wellington region. It combines cutting edge research and the latest innovations with core competencies in the understanding of the New Zealand physical environment.
Current Research
Research in Physical Geography focuses on land and water resources and contemporary earth surface processes in the following areas:
- Contemporary earth surface processes: landslides, soil erosion, hydrology, and fluvial activity
- Slope stability and climate/process studies
- Hydrology - including soil moisture, groundwater, water quality and fluvial studies
- The relationship between people and the natural environment - natural hazards, recreational and land use impacts
- Coastal landforms and processes
- Long term landscape evolution
- Graphic representation and analysis - hazard mapping, terrain representation, and GIS
- Soil erosion and soil hydrology
- Glaciers and climatic change
- Quaternary environmental change
Contact – Professor Rewi Newnham