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This Classics Revisited paper examines the contribution of Geikie’s seminal paper, presented to The Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1880, to physical geography as part of geomorphology, weathering, and necrogeography. From this standpoint, physical geography is approached as interdisciplinary, housing geomorphology and cross-disciplinary and applied research in the areas of climate and the environment affecting urban settings. Mortuary evidence is specifically addressed here, as Geikie presented observations and discussion of older churchyards situated in Edinburgh, Scotland. His emphasis permitted a focus on rock-air interactions of funerary remains carved from calcareous materials, sandstones and flagstones, and granites. The former (marbles and limestones) represent the main content of the paper, with an emphasis on superficial solution, internal disintegration, and curvature and fracture affecting calcareous rocks. Geikie’s areas of research interest are still prevalent in the literature today and can be construed as a pioneering work, representing a formative part of rock weathering affected by both climatic and environmental geomorphology in an urban setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the effects of changing environmental conditions on earth surface processes and landforms using the geomorphologic model presence-absence data from Finland. It evaluates the relationship between the probabilities of occurrence and observed abundance of different types of geomorphological features. It was found that environmental factors influencing distribution of geomorphologic features are similar to those limiting abundance at the landscape scale. Moreover, it concludes that a model of probability of occurrence based on presence-absence data may serve as a reasonable alternative for geomorphological feature abundance if a strong relationship exists between occurrence of geomorphological phenomena and available environmental variables.

Aim To produce a spatial clustering of Europe on the basis of species occurrence data for the land mammal fauna. Location Europe defined by the following boundaries: 11°W, 32°E, 71°N, 35°N. Methods Presence/absence records of mammal species collected by the Societas Europaea Mammalogica with a resolution of 50 × 50 km were used in the analysis. After pre-processing, the data provide information on 124 species in 2183 grid cells. The data were clustered using the k-means and probabilistic expectation maximization (EM) clustering algorithms. The resulting geographical pattern of clusters was compared against climate variables and against an environmental stratification of Europe based on climate, geomorphology and soil characteristics (EnS). Results The mammalian presence/absence data divide naturally into clusters, which are highly connected spatially and most strongly determined by the small mammals with the highest grid cell incidence. The clusters reflect major physiographic and environmental features and differ significantly in the values of basic climate variables. The geographical pattern is a fair match for the EnS stratification and is robust between non-overlapping subsets of the data, such as trophic groups. Main conclusions The pattern of clusters is regarded as reflecting the spatial expression of biologically distinct, metacommunity-like entities influenced by deterministic forces ultimately related to the physical environment. Small mammals give the most spatially coherent clusters of any subgroup, while large mammals show stronger relationships to climate variables. The spatial pattern is mainly due to small mammals with high grid cell incidence and is robust to noise from other subsets. The results support the use of spatially resolved environmental reconstructions based on fossil mammal data, especially when based on species with the highest incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a progress report from the published works relating to coastal geomorphology from last year in Australia. Productiveness of its goal to provide a useful and quick reference for academics, scientist and students; Identification of Quaternary evolution of the lower Saxony coast over a number of transgression based on sedimentary evidence; Identification of tsunami as a significant agent of coastal evolution.

Examines the scope of research into fluvial geomorphology for the two-year period between July 2001 and July 2003. Importance of palaeofluvial investigations on the evolution of fluvial systems and the imprint of the past on present-day forms; Function of sediment delivery in the transfer of residues from hillslopes to bodies of waters; Significance of predicting channel pattern and morphology in climate changes.

The article comments on theoretical issues addressed by Michael F. Thomas in his article "Lessons From the Tropics for a Global Geomorphology." It is argued that there is much to learn from the interactions between biological processes and geomorphological processes that are apparent in tropical environments. The challenge for global geomorphology is to scale up from the local effects and processes to a more general unified theory of landscape dynamics and evolution.