This study investigates the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in reconstructing historical landscapes, with a focus on the estate and influence of Nicholas Jarrot, an influential French American entrepreneur in early 19th-century Cahokia, Illinois. By utilizing geospatial approaches, the research reconstructs the spatial dimensions of Jarrot's extensive landholdings and examines...
Abstract:
Domestic violence (DV) includes various forms of abuse—physical, emotional, and psychological—and can often push victims into homelessness as they try to escape unsafe conditions (source-https://www.thehotline.org). In Austin, TX, these challenges are compounded by limited shelter availability, financial dependence, and transportation barriers, leaving many victims without the...
The paradox between securitization and border integration has guided the formulation of territorial policies in a global scenario. Just as the rise of regional integration blocs led to borders acquiring an articulating function, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the expansion of border control and security policies, culminating in the partial or total closure of land, air and sea borders.
This...
The U. S. Census Bureau’s new Parcel Address Matching (PAM) operation uses national parcel and building footprint datasets to validate and update the Master Address File (MAF), with a focus on correcting the spatial accuracy of addresses’ locations. The datasets can be combined with addresses from the U.S. Postal Service and with automated change detection results from current aerial imagery...
Chinese settlement in central and eastern Arkansas extends back to the middle of the 19th Century and spans both rural landscapes of post-Civil War agriculture and urban landscapes of small business ownership. Despite the multi-generational presence of Chinese-Americans in the Arkansas Delta, the community is often subsumed by the dominant historical narratives of the region or overshadowed by...
This ethnographic research, conducted in collaboration with Uwottüja communities on the Venezuelan-Colombian Amazon border, investigates the geographies of dispossession in the context of illegal mining. Drawing on feminist political ecology and environmental justice scholarship, the study takes an approach to justice as a practice of healing, emphasizing its relational and restorative...
Sanitation studies focused on disabilities in Global South cities reveal structural environment and social stigma as significant challenges in access to urban sanitation for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLDS). This study examines sanitation experiences of Students Living with Disabilities (SLD) in their access to safe and accessible toilets at one public university in Kampala to shed...
In the northwest corner of Austin, Texas, a cluster of tech companies sits on limestone cliffs stretching above the Colorado river. This area is nicknamed “Silicon Hills”, the imagined successor of Silicon Valley and the new locus of technological development. While this toponym references the silicon microchip’s central role in modern electronics, silicon is present in many other forms...
Since 2014, the number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving to the U.S. from Central America has drastically increased. While most are reunited with family members, those with limited options are placed in long-term foster care (LTFC) awaiting the adjudication of their cases. This group is largely invisible in research on unaccompanied minors because of the restrictive nature of...
Globalization has significantly transformed the world in recent decades. In this post-modern era, cultures have been impacted by the “modern” ways of life. In the global south, people are increasing adapting to these ways that transcend all facets of life. Not only are cultures being transformed, but physical structures too. The fantasy of modern construction of buildings has engulf every...
Despite the perceived consensus on the intensity of the impacts of climate change on the livelihoods and food security of African rural farmers. Yet, there has been limited in-depth study on its impacts on existing agricultural systems and African rural farmers' socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change. Consequently, the introduction of climate resilience solutions such as the Green...
In this presentation, I discuss research at the Census Bureau focused on developing a continuum of settlement categories for use in analysis and data presentation. Practitioners generally agree that a dichotomous approach to defining urban and rural no longer adequately supports the needs of analysts, researchers, and policy makers. Instead, classification of communities along an urban-rural...
Gentrification is a process in which higher socioeconomic status groups displace lower socioeconomic status groups and is often associated with changes in the built environment. With the growth of street level imagery datasets like Google Street View, we now have access to a temporally deep repository of visual data at a property level spatial resolution. There is potential to leverage deep...
Since the onset of the Holocene, the American Southwest has undergone a climatic and ecological reorganization. After cool and wet glacial conditions were replaced by a warmer and monsoonal climate, pluvial lakes shrank, replaced by spring-fed wetlands, and biotic communities shifted up-slope. Geoarchaeological studies of areas associated with early human groups from Paleoindian and Archaic...
This study evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) in advancing sustainability within the U.S.-based airline industry. Utilizing thematic analysis of sustainability reports from eight major U.S. airlines, we explore recurring themes related to carbon...
Globally, 64 countries criminalize against homosexuality, which contributes to the forced displacement and exclusion of queer persons who must seek refuge in spaces of survival and sanctuary. Trans migrants often encounter triple marginalization, a result of discrimination based on race, sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SOGI), and immigration status. These individuals continue to...
AI is having a profound impact on many aspects of society, including on GIS workflows, spatial data, and tools. How can AI in GIS, or GeoAI, be effectively used in instruction and research? How can GeoAI be used thoughtfully and ethically to foster critical thinking and problem solving? Join Linda Peters and Joseph Kerski from Esri for a lively, interactive session that will include...
To reduce reliance on cars, the use of alternative transit options, including micromobility services, has been rising in US cities. Micromobility refers to any form of transportation using small vehicles, such as bicycles or scooters, typically for shorter distances. In 2019, 136 million trips were made in the United States on shared micromobility systems like dockless electric scooters...
Climate change misinformation refers to inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading climate change-related information created and spread in the public domain. Despite substantial consensus among the scientific community on the reality of anthropogenic climate change, public opinion still remains divided. Combating the climate crisis requires immediate and meaningful actions; however, various actors...
Introduction
Traditional methods of transportation planning focused on automobility have created mobility infrastructures that marginalize and decrease the mobility capabilities of vulnerable groups (Martens 2016, Vigar 2002). Mobility justice calls for a democratic approach to mobility decision-making that suggests changes to current practice that address the twin crises of climate change...
As rising numbers of refugee-migrants arrive seeking refuge at the US-Mexico border, they encounter shifting policies and the discretion of Border Patrol and ICE officials that result in a host of distinct statuses for different nationality groups. This paper seeks to understand the consequences of the uneven access across different national groups to US immigration policies at the southern...
Energy is essential for effective services, production, and consumption, such as healthcare, sanitation, transportation, clean water, cooking, and heating. However, access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy is a major developmental challenge in Africa, particularly Nigeria. Compounding this problem, on the 29th of May 2023, the President of Nigeria announced the removal of the petroleum...
The immigration system has in many ways merged with the criminal justice system, creating what migration scholars have called a “crimmigration” system that has disproportionately punitive consequences for undocumented Latino immigrants in the US. The criminalization of undocumented migrants perpetuates social inequalities and undermines the principles of justice and fairness. This research...
Abstract
Illegal artisanal gold mining (galamsey) accounts for about 40% of Ghana’s gold production and is an important contributor to the economy. However, it has significant negative impacts on the environment that are not well-documented. Using remote sensing analysis of land cover changes this paper examines the impacts of galamsey activities in two regions – Ashanti and Eastern – to...
On-demand transit (ODT) is a popular alternative to the traditional fixed-route bus transit. It is also viewed as a more efficient complement to the existing public transit system. Past research displayed the benefits of the ODT, but there is a lack of research on the community's perceptions of ODT in small cities, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of our research...
Traditional locational analysis in urban retail/business geography begins with the assumption that customers will visit retail locations that are most convenient, and that businesses that locate close to their customers’ residences or workplaces would be preferred to locations farther from those places. This assumption is problematic when applied to economic activities for which social stigma...
Significant changes in US immigration/asylum policy, coupled with increasing flows and drivers of forcibly displaced people, has led to a transformation and expansion of the human smuggling economy in the Americas. Since 2016, US asylum policy has shifted from a system based primarily on detention and deportation to one that includes policies of exclusion and expulsion, aiming to prevent...
Over the past two decades, the United States has experienced a troubling increase in pregnancy-related deaths, with Texas consistently reporting one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. This crisis is particularly acute in rural and underserved communities, where limited access to healthcare exacerbates maternal health disparities. Recognizing the complex factors...
Accurate Aboveground Biomass (AGB) measurement is vital for understanding global carbon dynamics, particularly in forests, where biomass is constantly influenced by natural and human disturbances like extreme weather and logging. Traditional field methods, such as measuring Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and tree height, are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to error. This study...
This cross-sectional study aimed to identify priority areas for improving nutrition support among older adults (60 years or older) in twenty-three counties in Central Texas. With Austin and San Antonio, two of the largest and fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S., experiencing increasing gentrification and disparities, there is an urgent need for policy stakeholders to enhance senior...
In rapidly-growing Montgomery County, Texas, directly north of Harris County (Houston), population increased from 294,000 residents in 2000 to an estimated 711,000 in 2024. As a result, the San Jacinto River Basin (SJRB), which includes all of Montgomery County, has experienced major changes in land use/land cover with development encroaching into floodplains. In addition to development,...
Ghana's economy is heavily reliant on small-scale gold mining, however, there are growing concerns about how this mining activity impacts the ecosystem. This study provides a thorough examination of the environmental implications of Ghana's small-scale gold mining industry, focusing on the various ways it affects the rates and patterns of land cover change, especially around the river Offin-a...
This research puts forth an index to measure equitable development across Pittsburgh and surrounding communities, integrating key socioeconomic and municipal indicators to provide a detailed view of spatial disparities. The central question addressed is: how do restorative subsidies, specifically Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs), impact the long-term development of underprivileged...
This research puts forth an index to measure equitable development across Pittsburgh and surrounding communities, integrating key socioeconomic and municipal indicators to provide a detailed view of spatial disparities. The central question addressed is: how do restorative subsidies, specifically Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs), impact the long-term development of underprivileged...
Nestled in a residential neighborhood along railroad tracks in northwest San Marcos, Texas lies Cementerio Guadalupe, a historically Hispanic cemetery established in the early 20th century to serve the burial needs of the local Mexican-American community at a time when segregation prevented interment at the whites-only City Cemetery on Old Ranch Road 12. Though the cemetery is still in use, it...
In today’s competitive digital landscape, a LinkedIn profile that stands out and authentically represents who you are as a professional geographer or spatial analyst is essential. This workshop is tailored to help participants create a LinkedIn profile that communicates your unique skills, experiences, and expertise while ensuring it aligns with career goals and values.
Participants will...
Housing prices in major cities have been rising rapidly in both China and the United States. Hedonic modeling has been typically used in analyzing the determinants of housing prices, considering structural attributes, locational and neighborhood factors. This paper explores how structural forces influencing housing prices differ between China and the United States. We found that in the Chinese...
This poster presents the development and implementation of an Open Educational Resource (OER) course titled Qualitative Mapping: Theory, Methods, and Research at Texas Tech University (TTU). Designed to explore qualitative mapping, participatory GIS, and social cartography, the course offers an innovative framework for integrating qualitative research methods into geographic education. By...
This project explores the relationship between land use/cover and instream barriers in the Stillaguamish Watershed, which drains into the Skagit Bay and is part of the larger Puget Sound Watershed in western Washington. The watershed is more heavily urbanized near the coast, with large swaths of agricultural land along the Stillaguamish River, and predominately evergreen forests in the east....
Located in Las Animas County, Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) has an exciting paleontological, anthropological and geomorphological history. However, the geomorphic settings of PCMS have received limited prior research. For this reason, this research aims to assess the cultural material potential of this site through mapping of ecologic, pedologic, and geologic features. The results of this...
In June and July of 2023, public health air quality warnings severely limited outside activities for residents across New York State and especially in the metro New York City region. The air quality warnings were due to highly elevated particulate matter levels related to wildfire smoke from Canada. This study compares the extent of atmospheric pollutants directly related to mapped data on...
In June and July of 2023, public health air quality warnings severely limited outside activities for residents across New York State and especially in the metro New York City region. The air quality warnings were due to highly elevated particulate matter levels related to wildfire smoke from Canada. This study compares the extent of atmospheric pollutants directly related to mapped data on...
The term “footprint” is commonly used in Antarctic environmental research. Only recently has research been conducted to help develop a set of definitions of various types of environmental footprints. This recent work attempts to develop a GIS-based methodology for synthesizing environmental monitoring observations to quantify the spatial extent of various environmental footprints around...
This study introduces a framework that integrates Routine Activity Theory into hybrid physical-virtual spaces. Using a space-time path metaphor, it examines how susceptibility to phishing correlates with daily activities in these environments. The research employs a mixed-method approach, combining surveys and experiments—such as simulated phishing emails—to analyze response patterns across...
Abstract: Indoor shopping malls in the United States have been declining for decades. In the 1980s, the U.S. had around 2,500 malls, but that number has dropped sharply and continues to fall with about 700 of these “zombie” malls remaining. This research answers four related questions: Where are ghost malls in southeastern Pennsylvania? Which ghost malls have been redeveloped and what form has...
Indoor shopping malls in the United States have been declining for decades. In the 1980s, the U.S. had around 2,500 malls, but that number has dropped sharply and continues to fall with about 700 of these “zombie” malls remaining. This research answers four related questions: Where are ghost malls in southeastern Pennsylvania? Which ghost malls have been redeveloped and what form has...
Through both a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Cooperative Agreement Award and voluntary conservation measures commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) and Zara Environmental LLC were contracted to analyze and reassess distributional patterns of federally listed endangered karst invertebrates in the Austin and...
High temperatures during heat waves can significantly limit opportunities for outdoor recreation, negatively impacting individuals' quality of life and well-being, particularly vulnerable groups like the elderly and children. Researchers emphasized that shading facilities in parks helps mitigate the urban heat island effect and offers residents a comfortable thermal environment providing...
This study analyzes changes in mangrove cover within the Montecristi wetland reserves in northwestern Dominican Republic from 2013 to 2023, focusing on the decline of mangrove forests. Utilizing Landsat 8 satellite imagery and the Mangrove Classification model in ArcGIS Pro, we classified mangrove areas and conducted a spatio-temporal analysis using space-time pattern mining and hot spot...
From 2022-2024, we taught five courses centered on concepts of energy sovereignty and environmental justice in energy transitions. The present moment of energy transition serves well as a case study because it shifts the geographic location of energy-related extractive industries and their narratives. Our courses explicitly engaged guest speakers from both community and industry. We have...
Formula 1 racing is the most popular word wide form of automobile racing. With a race season lasting from February to December and Grands Prix races on all the continents except Africa and Antarctica, the sport is exposed to a large variety of climates during their season.
This poster documents the climate of each of the 24 events during the 2024 race season. Particular attention is given...
During recent decades, many studies have identified enhanced precipitation downwind of large urban areas. Typically, the so-called urban rainfall effect (URE) is most apparent in calm synoptic conditions during the warm season. Research examining the underlying mechanisms driving the URE particularly concerning the role of aerosols is less abundant. While the frequency of near-urban...
This study aims to predict future land use land cover (LULC) changes in Harris County, Texas using satellite remote sensing data based on Landsat 7 and 8 between 2000 and 2020 with 30 m spatial resolution. Cellular automata (CA) and the Markov Chain (MC) model were integrated to predict future LULC changes. LULC dynamics were derived by supervised classification of Landsat images. The LULC...
This study investigates the spatio-temporal evolution of glacial lakes and Land Surface Temperature (LST) changes in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA), Nepal, from 2010 to 2023. Using high-resolution PlanetScope imagery and Landsat data, we analyzed glacial lake dynamics and LST variations within a 200-meter buffer around Randolph Glacier Inventory boundaries. Our findings reveal...
This study explores the concept of legal deserts in Texas, focusing on regions where access to legal services is severely limited. Legal deserts are areas, often rural, where residents face significant barriers to obtaining legal representation or advice, exacerbating inequalities in justice. Using geographic spatial analysis, this research identifies and maps the spatial distribution of legal...
Land use and land cover are essential for maintaining and managing the natural resources on the earth's surface. A complex set of economic, demographic, social, cultural, technological, and environmental processes usually result in a change in the land use/land cover change (LULC).
Pokhara Metropolitan is influenced mainly by various driving forces: Geographical location, high population...
Beguilingly associated with the friendly hike and bike trails, nature and beauty, privacy and seclusion of the Juniper-Live Oak Woodlands in the Austin, Texas area is a significant and sinister wildfire threat. Floods, Hail Storms and Wildfires are the three major natural hazards in Central Texas. Austin, Texas is located along the Balcones Escarpment. Millions of years of floods along the...
Abstract
As urban areas continue to expand, the phenomenon of daytime surface urban heat island (DSUHI) has become a pressing global issue, contributing to increased energy consumption, elevated emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and compromised human health and comfort. Addressing this challenge is crucial for sustainable urban development and climate resilience. This study...
Understanding the relationship between various socioeconomic factors and urban forest structure is essential for directing resources to ensure equitable distribution of green space. Through a case study of a desert city, i.e., Phoenix, AZ, this study provides a novel application of Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) in which we explore the spatially variable relationships...
Shopping malls have undergone many transformations over the years. In our conspicuous consumption society, there has been a long-standing degree of comfort and solace in taking a trip to the mall, whether for functional, nostalgic or purely hedonistic purposes. Despite the media chorus of the retail apocalypse, many malls have shown remarkable resilience to shocks over the years, from the...
The East Coast of the United States could be susceptible to tsunamis or even mega tsunamis. With this in mind it becomes essential to answer the question: Where is vulnerability to a tsunami greatest along the East Coast of the United States? To answer this question the following parameters have been set. First, the study will include county level subdivisions along the USEC that have coasts...
While the next mandated federal redistricting cycle is several years off, litigation persists across multiple courts and redistricting continues for city councils, county commissions, and other local governing bodies. Given legislative, political, and social repercussions, understanding electoral redistricting at multiple scales is vital to a healthy community. A brief review of the history of...
Appraisals of large commercial and industrial properties are typically 100–150-page books providing extensive detail about the property and its surrounding market area. Details include everything from underlying environmental contamination issues like leaking underground storage tanks, site topography, easements, leases, and other obligations that might adversely encumber the property, the...
Despite recurring flood hazards in FEMA Region 6, this region has experienced tremendous growth, especially in Texas along the coast. While growth creates diversity in the area, the influx of people leads to entire developments being created in hazardous areas and the loss of ecological services that provide flood and heat mitigation. To address this growing flood risk, many communities in...
This paper is aimed at exploring some opportunities, amidst the threats of climate change impacts for Katsina State, Northern Nigeria. Climate change is a long-term shift, alteration or change in type of climate prevailing over specific location or region. It is one of the most topical issues in the world agenda today, and scientific evidences revealed that it is an all-encompassing threat...
This is panel session.
Moderator: Dr. Joann Doering Zadrozny
Panelist: Dr. Richard G. Boehm, "Implementing Powerful Geography"
Panelist: Dr. Joann Doering Zadrozny, "Teacher Resources in Powerful Geography"
Panelist: Bren Vander Weil, "Powerful Geography in Undergraduate Physical Geography"
Panelist: Dr. Ross Guida, "9th-grade Geography Teacher-University Partnerships"
The US Southwest, characterized by the hottest and driest region in the US, presents a climate change challenge to sustainable development by human and natural systems. How inequality shifts among races/ethnicities with climate change is unclear in this region. The inequalities analyses arise from socioeconomic disparities, intensity of environmental issues, and trend of environmental change...
In recent years, there has been an extraordinary increase in wireless capable devices and network infrastructure, which spawned a corresponding rise in data produced from the interactions of these technologies. Mobile devices constantly roam, leading to a perpetual dialog between a mobile device and wireless access points. This dialogue generates a continuous stream of device-specific data,...
Approximately 30% of land in Texas is under absentee ownership. Understanding who absentee landowners are and their land management behaviors is vital for the protection of privately owned landscapes and the ecosystem services that they support, including surface water quality. By focusing on absentee landowners with properties in five watersheds in Texas, we utilized the theory of place...
Teleconnections like the El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the North American Oscillation are known to affect background climate conditions like temperature, pressure, humidity, instability, and even jet stream patterns. Through these complex and cross-scale interactions, teleconnections have been shown to be statistically and physically related to the occurrence of numerous climate and weather...
One approach to increasing heat resiliency within urban environments is cool pavement, which is a water-based asphalt treatment that can potentially reduce temperatures by reflecting more sunlight, absorbing less heat, and emitting less longwave radiation. Cool pavement may help keep the surrounding air cooler and combat the urban heat island effect. In 2024, the City of San Antonio began a...
From Technical Challenges to Transformative Practices: Collecting Data at Homestead Cemetery, Munhall Homestead Cemetery (henceforth Homestead) in the borough of Munhall began operating in 1886. As an old cemetery, Homestead not only reflects the borough’s history “from the Civil War, the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike, the Great Depression… to the civil rights movement of the 1960s” (Homestead...
This research is based on deciphering the levels of naturalness from a holistic point of view of the hemerobia, to determine the geoecological degradation of the landscapes, based on the postulation of an algorithm developed in four main functions, I Fx = Morphology-Territorial-Dynamics; II Fy = Rivers in the Basin; III Fz= Land Use (Satellite Image-Landsat and Shape), and IV Fd= The...
Lichens are excellent bioindicators of air pollution, particularly nitrogen, as they rely on atmospheric deposition for nutrients and water. Despite this, the interaction between lichens and nitrogen has received limited research focus. This study aims to assess the atmospheric nitrogen and metal ions deposition and their impacts on the physico-chemical responses of lichen. Himalayan lichens...
Climate change presents a significant threat to vulnerable communities, with rural areas being disproportionately impacted due to their reliance on natural resources, higher poverty rates, and limited adaptive capacity. Despite this, climate resilience research has largely concentrated on urban areas, leaving rural resilience understudied. CONFLUENCE, a multi-institutional NSF-funded EPSCoR...
Over the last forty years an indeterminate number of persons, ranging into the thousands, have died along the US-Mexico border during migration, fleeing poverty, armed conflict, situations of violence, and disasters. An accurate accounting of migrant deaths along the southern US border is the first step toward an understanding of the extent and the contributing factors of these deaths. In the...
The planted alien mangrove species (i.e., Sonneratia apetala, SOA) was deliberately introduced to control invasive species (i.e., Spartina alterniflora, SA) and restore mangrove ecosystems in Qi’ao Island, the largest artificially planted mangrove reserve of China. However, the effects of the alien species triggered a debate over whether they invaded or restored the mangrove vegetation. There...
Public engagement is a critical component in shaping effective policies, fostering community involvement, and driving meaningful change. Successful engagement is achieved with overcoming significant challenges that can render a project impotent. Participants will explore key challenges including varying levels of public trust, reaching underrepresented groups, overcoming misinformation,...
Background: In the United States, childhood asthma prevalence is higher among low-income communities and Hispanic minorities. Studies found asthma education could improve health and quality of life among individuals with asthma. This study evaluates the impact of the evidence-based asthma education program on health outcomes among children with asthma and their families in South Texas using...
The approach of geotechnologies in Mexico has contributed to the integrated study of the environment, socio-ecological systems and societies, through the application of remote sensing and the use of satellite images such as GOES, MODIS, VIIRS, Sentinel and Landsat, among others, in addition to the application of geoecological degradation methods, generation of algorithms for modeling in...
The Beaumont-Port Arthur region, home to extensive industrial activities, has long faced significant air pollution challenges. To address this, our study leverages citizen science and low-cost sensing technologies to develop a community-based air monitoring campaign. Our campaign aims to capture high-resolution air quality data in ~60 monitoring locations across two cities, potentially...
On January 19, 2021, in the Federal Register, the Office of Management and Budget (0MB) requested public comment on the recommendations it had received from the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Standards Review Committee for changes to OMB's metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area standards. The "Overview of Recommendations From the Metropolitan and Micropolitan...
Land cover and land use change (LCLUC) have profound impacts on the climate system. Yet, current modeling studies rarely capture the real-world LCLUC evolving. This study integrated high-resolution, more accurate, dynamic remotely-sensed land cover and land use (LCLU) data from 1982 to 2013 into the Community Earth System Model (CESM) to assess its performance in simulating precipitation...
Dark Sky International promotes the use of outdoor lighting that mitigates the impact of light pollution through their International Dark Sky Place program which designates places for committing to dark sky friendly lighting practices. Two previous studies examined if designation results in reduced light emissions by comparing the upward radiance of designated communities to non-designated...
Conventional spatial analysis has largely ignored the temporal dimension that is embedded in geographic data. Using geographic data to describe the occurrences, patterns, and trends of changes in geographic phenomena allows us to detect spatial clusters, such as hotspots/coldspots. These have been applied widely in fields of criminology, epidemiology, or any disaster studies, habitats...
Based on an in-depth review of 40+ peer-reviewed journal articles that study environmental pollution (especially air pollution), health risks, and community engagement with a study area within or relevant to the region along Texas gulf coast, this presentation will summarize the status of theoretical and empirical knowledges about the triangle of environment – health – community. The emphasis...
The escalating frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events have posed a significant threat to human society in recent decades. Understanding the dynamic patterns of human mobility under extreme heat will contribute to accurately assessing the risk of extreme heat exposure. Despite that heat-related deaths and illnesses can be greatly decreased through adaptation measures by...
The South Texas Sand Sheets (STSS) are located near the Gulf of Mexico and were formed during the Holocene, approximately 10k B.P. In Kenedy county, Texas, sand dune dynamics are a concern due to their potential impacts on land use, habitats, and ecosystem services. Existing studies lack comprehensive long-term evaluations, which integrate remote sensing data and climate variables to assess...
Monitoring and mapping inland water quality is critical for sustainable water supplies for human consumption, agriculture, industry, and other economic activities. Satellite remote sensing provides spatially continuous and temporally consistent data for retrieving water quality information in a cost-effective manner. In previous studies, empirical models have been widely used to map water...
Global wine production is on the verge of calamitous impacts caused by global warming-induced climate change, resulting in resource scarcity and growing international conflict. A growing body of research suggests that future climate change will increase conflict with devastating impacts on grape production and growers’ needs for predictable weather and water availability (Ponti et al. 2018,...
Paving a pathway to sustainability in Texas wine: A community-based research project in an iconic fermented landscape
By: Colleen Myles, Claryce Bosson, Mik Lopez, Nicole Anguiano, and Matt Roberts
*presenting authors
The study of fermented landscapes allows for the exploration of ways that literal and figurative processes of fermentation drive cultural and environmental landscape...
Gentrification and food access have emerged as significant topics in urban social sciences research over the last two decades. While they are frequently addressed independently, there is a growing understanding of their intricate relationship. Gentrification, a process of urban transformation characterized by an inflow of higher-income residents into previously underinvested areas, results in...
Urban areas globally face increasing vulnerability to natural hazards, particularly flooding, due to climate change, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation. There is a need for real-time flood analysis, flood forecasting under extreme rainfall events, and effective communications with stakeholders to design and implement efficient management strategies. Advances in 1D-2D...
Urban expansion, including infill within open spaces in previously developed areas and sprawl outside previously developed areas in cities, is associated with improved infrastructure and the development of cities as centers of modernization and innovation. Urban expansion also has a variety of negative social and environmental consequences. However, previous studies in Africa mostly focused on...
Since the spring of 2021, Dr. Murray Rice has team taught Foundations of Geographic Thought with other faculty members at the University of North Texas. The course is designed to invite incoming geography majors into a conversation about how to succeed as a major. In this presentation, we describe how we have built the class, increasingly what we have done to help our majors gain traction in...
The Southeast Texas region, particularly the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, is grappling with significant environmental challenges due to industrial pollution and climate change, which adversely affect both physical and mental health. This study aims to investigate the impact of climate change and air quality on mental health in Southeast Texas, employing the social determinants of health (SDOH)...
Scientific advancement has led to the use and development of chemicals that have helped humans efficiently extract resources. However, given the rapid development of these chemicals, there have been unforeseen consequences of their use on humans and the environment. In this study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used as subjects to test the toxic effects of glyphosate, copper, and lead. Zebrafish...
Uncovering the multi-dimensional interplay between geospatial data and community health outcomes has significant theoretical and practical implications for public health, urban science, and justice studies. A community-driven geospatial approach integrates location-based social data while addressing health equity, social justice, and access to resources. This approach incorporates diverse,...
The massive bronze Land Run Monument created by artist Paul Moore ranks as one of the most familiar of the major projects supported by Oklahoma’s Centennial Commission. That commission planned and orchestrated the commemoration of Oklahoma’s 100th “birthday” in 2007. Ironically, the Land Run Monument was only partially finished at the time of the centennial. It would take until 2019 for the...
This study focuses on the rainfall-runoff ratio as an indicator of Anthropogenic Land Cover Change in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area. Rapid urbanization has increased impervious surface cover, promoting fast surface runoff over slow subsurface flows. Five urbanized and five rural sub-watersheds were selected for the study. Annual rainfall and runoff data were used to calculate...
As AI and digital technologies continue to transform location intelligence, the reintroduction of fundamental geographic principles has never been more essential. Engaging deeply with the complexity of places brings a richness of subtle knowledge and values into observation and analysis that AI often lacks. The reductive nature of data-driven analysis has gradually displaced the understanding...
Border landscapes are the product of physical, cultural, economic, and political processes in border regions. Using the cities of São Borja in Brazil and Santo Tomé in Argentina as a case study, I argue in this paper that attending to the interactions inscribed at the border landscape allows us to explain social processes related to border formation. Paying close attention to the visible...
Location intelligence stands at a crossroads where the exponential growth of big data—especially mobility data from mobile devices, GPS technologies, and IoT sensors—is reshaping the research landscape. The integration of advanced analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence will enable the extraction of deeper insights from massive geospatial datasets. This evolution promises to...
Following the end of the Angolan civil war in 2002, human and livestock populations have increased exponentially within Iona National Park. An ongoing drought since 2017 has brought these people and livestock into increasing competition with local wildlife for resources – highlighting a conservation challenge that will become more entrenched as the effects of anthropogenic climate change...
Introduction:
The Southern Great Plains (SGP) region is a vital agricultural hub in the United States, encompassing vast croplands and rangelands highly sensitive to frequent droughts and shifting hydroclimatic variability. Increasingly frequent wet-dry dipole events, severe water shortages, and late false springs pose significant threats to vegetation health, crop yields, and water...
Spatial inequality in healthcare has traditionally been assessed by measuring the spatial accessibility to nearby medical facilities. Previous studies have simply calculated the difference between supply and demand within the study area or have rarely considered spatiotemporal factors and actual floating populations affecting accessibility. However, healthcare accessibility can vary...
Drought is a significant threat to ecosystems, agriculture, and water resources, particularly in Central Texas. This study presents an integrated approach to drought risk assessment that combines a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) framework, Geographic Information System (GIS), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Five key factors were analyzed: NDVI, Slope, Aspect, Precipitation, and...
More than half of the Native American population lives in the western US, where contaminants from more than 160,000 abandoned hard rock mines has created a legacy of chronic exposures to mine. Potential environmental exposure to Abandoned Uranium Mines (AUM) has caused communities concerns about adverse health impact on human health and livestock in indigenous communities in the US South West....
Ecosystems have been extensively altered across the globe due to a combination of anthropogenic land practices, changes to historic disturbance regimes, and rapidly shifting climates. Pinyon juniper woodlands are one of the most extensive and productive ecosystems within western North America and provide critical wildlife habitat and natural resources and services for humans. However, these...
Achieving food security remains a critical challenge in India, home to 18% of the global population. The agricultural sector, engaging over half of its rural workforce, predominantly cultivates rice and wheat across approximately 211 million cropped acres. Traditional crop yield prediction methods, including statistical models, biophysical processes, and remote sensing, often fall short in...
The Colorado River Basin (CRB) is vital for the Southwestern US, supplying water to 40 million people and supporting wildlife habitats. Recognizing the impacts of climate change and historical drought, as highlighted by the US Department of Agriculture, is crucial for addressing water resources and environmental sustainability challenges in the region. We investigated spatiotemporal changes in...
Since the 1960s, active adult communities have rapidly gained popularity in the United States, driven by effective marketing, rising retirement incomes, and evolving views on retirement. Initially concentrated in sun belt states, these communities offered a variety of recreational amenities. However, anecdotal evidence suggests a shift from the 1990s onwards, with more communities being built...
Woody plant encroachment—the replacement of grasses by woody plants in drylands— is a globally observed phenomenon with diverse and often negative consequences for social-ecological systems. One encroaching woody plant species, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), is of particular concern in the arid and semiarid Southwestern U.S.A. and Mexico. Its remarkable ability to thrive in these...
This research project aims to enable the Texas winegrowers and winemakers to become more sustainable and to improve quality by leveraging leading-edge technology and spatial analysis methods. The Texas wine industry has undergone significant transformation since its resurgence in the 1970s. Initially, vineyards relied on grape varieties common in California and Europe, yet these struggled to...
Two genetically distinct but related viruses, vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (hereafter VSNJV) and vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus (VSIV) are the agents of vesicular stomatitis (VS), an important disease of hoofed livestock that circulates endemically in southern Mexico and Central America and causes periodic outbreaks in the United States. The ecology of both viruses is poorly...
This study employs a combination of GIS, OpenStreetMap, open-source geospatial data, and available GeoAI models to perform a comprehensive spatial analysis of boil water notices (BWNs). The study aims to explore the spatial distribution of BWNs as an indicator of urban disparity from the perspective of service facilities. The study was conducted in Jackson, MS, USA, with a focus on unveiling...
Airports are key drivers of urban growth, yet the specific effects of terminal expansions on surrounding land use remain understudied. This research explores how new airport terminals influence local land use patterns by comparing airports with recent terminal expansions to those without. Using land use data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), the study employs a Multi-time Period...
Indigenous Geographies, as explained by Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles (University of Victoria), are ways of thinking about space and place that are based in and center Indigenous worldviews and epistemologies. Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) has been defined as knowledge rooted in ecological experience and culture and maintained through Indigenous language and storytelling, developed...
Farmers' markets are frequently proposed as a solution to food access issues in food deserts, but their impact on low-income communities remains unclear. Farmers markets offer essential access to fresh, locally grown produce and contribute to a more sustainable food system. However, it is not clear how significantly farmers' markets impact food access for their communities. Employing 2024...
Modern mezcal is heavily mediated. Numerous overlapping sociocultural spheres shape and define what mezcal is, what mezcal is not, and even what mezcal can be. Even as the mezcal sector thrives, tequila offers a cautionary tale. Tequila’s trajectory has some distinctive differences; however, the specter of being “a victim of your own success” looms large for those in the mezcal industry. As...
The City of Pittsburgh has 90 unique, diverse neighborhoods. Due to the varied geography, diverse histories and patterns of investment in these neighborhoods, mobility varies across neighborhoods. The goal of this research is to map spatial variations in traditional and micromobility across Pittsburgh neighborhoods. For this research, mobility is defined in two ways: micromobility and...
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural disasters, causing significant loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure and the environment. Assessing the extent of building damage after an earthquake is necessary for guiding rescue and response efforts. Traditional methods for building damage assessment, such as ground surveys or aerial image analysis, have limitations. Ground...
Contemporary solar development can be characterized as immense, profit-driven, inaccessible, and coveting of “underdeveloped” land. We assert that so-called “transformative” technologies, like photovoltaic cells in solar panels, can only be such if their implementation is also transformative. An alternative to the status quo is “agrivoltaics”- an expanding area of study seeking synergistically...
In recent decades ERC has become a significant ecological concern across the United States. Increased human activity in the state has caused ERC populations to increase at an exponential rate. Historically ERC populations were controlled with naturally recurring wildfires but due to human interventions in wildfire development. Due to a lack of natural checks, ERC has now become invasive in...
Urban forests play a crucial role in urban ecosystems and public health, making urban tree inventories essential for sustainable development. Tree inventories with the information on tree metrics such as tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), crown area, tree volume, characteristics of tree that defines tree health and growth status, spatial distribution, biomass and helps to do...
Agroecosystems in Oklahoma are facing severe challenges from climate change, and we can learn lessons from past extreme events. For example, the unusually extended La Niña phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation in 2021-2023 and associated drought resulted in one of the worst winter wheat harvest seasons in the state. Agricultural statistics show a significant decline in both winter wheat...
Among the important sectors of the freight transportation industry, agriculture is one that is not sufficiently studied when compared to shipping manufactured goods in containers or liquid bulk cargoes like oil and petrochemicals. Likewise, infrastructure such as roads, rail networks and maritime port morphologies are well represented in the freight transport literature. Agricultural...
Heavy metal in tap water has been reemerging as a significant public health threat in both developing and developed counties. A knowledge gap of how much effects of service line materials on the Pb and Cu contaminants in drinking water is not scientifically analyzed. This study, using the Flint Water Crisis (2014 -2016) in the USA as empirical research, is the first to demonstrate the...
This paper will explore how the originally French concept of terroir profoundly influences the production, promotion and reception of food and wine around the world. It will also examine how the concept has changed as it has been mobilized in several national contexts, and how it has attracted criticism in various quarters. The presentation will focus particularly on the forms of evidence and...
Minor league baseball team names and logos transcend mere sports branding, evolving into potent icons that shape cultural and geographic identities. Renowned for their creativity and geographical expressiveness, these symbols communicate complex stories deeply embedded in regional geography. Logos reflect psychological and sociological meanings within the cultural landscape, acting as...
An area of research that has received scant attention is the connection between agricultural cycles and the ability of transportation systems to adjust quickly to climatic phenomena. Recent droughts in the Upper Midwest over the past several years have impacted the agricultural landscape, specifically the yields of field crops such as corn, soybeans and sorghum. With the long-term...
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis with global public health impact, particularly in poor socioeconomic settings in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Transmitted through urine-contaminated water or soil from rodents, dogs, and livestock, leptospirosis causes over a million clinical cases annually. Risk factors include outdoor activities, livestock production, and substandard housing that foster high...
Over the past decade, Texas has witnessed a drastic decline in elementary social studies instruction. Geography education, in particular, is affected, resulting in a low demand for training. Elementary educators often profess limited geographic knowledge due to little coursework and professional development. However, some seek ways to integrate social studies into other curricula, such as...
Individuals familiar with immigration courts and the U.S. defensive asylum system agree that the U.S. immigration court system is complex, consisting of overlapping and competing influences from national, state, and local levels. Unlike other federal courts, immigration courts are overly influenced by their locality. This paper focuses on geographic disparity in immigration court asylum...
In the realm of secondary education in the United States, geography continually finds itself in the shadows, eclipsed by subjects deemed more vital in the modern curriculum, even when current events suggest that more knowledge about the world, the environment, and one’s community is beneficial to decisions being made by policy makers and individuals. This oversight is particularly evident in...
My research aims to provide insight into the environmental history and justice of the Albuquerque area by focusing on the relationship between humans and concrete and how it impacts other human-environment relationships. My research provides a new approach to the critical study of racial and social justice and the environment in New Mexico because it focuses on the urban and built environment...
In recent decades, the low birth weight (LBW) rate in New Mexico has consistently exceeded the Unites States average. Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may be a significant contributor to LBW in offspring. This study investigated the links between maternal residential exposure to air pollution from industrial sources and the risk of LBW in offspring. The analysis included...
Adoption of electric vehicles (EV) has been increasing in recent years in the US. Many studies have identified factors affecting EV adoption rates. Common factors include income, race, home ownership, housing structure, and age of residents. The trend of increasing adoption is partly facilitated by government policies across the country. However, EV adoption rates are not only influenced by...
Cartography provides a powerful and creative means to visualize and comprehend the world around us. Children offer a unique perspective to cartographers given their innate creativity and unique conceptualization of space. When asked to draw a map reflecting on their experience, what do children draw? We offer possible answers through the eyes of children aged 6-14 who visited the grounds of...
New Mexico is a diverse and predominantly rural state, which may present challenges in accessibility to cancer treatment for female breast cancer patients. The aim of this study is to identify regions where female breast cancer patients experience significantly high or low survival rates, with the goal of informing future targeted intervention strategies. Adjusted survival clusters are...
By many accounts, Laredo, Texas is the one of the largest inland ports in the Western Hemisphere. In 2022, 5.5 million cross-border truck cargos passed back-and-forth through its four crossings over the Rio Grande from Mexico. Along with the rising volume of trucks and freight, the expansion of the warehousing industry in and around Laredo has similarly boomed in recent years. The development...
Natural blue and green spaces provide a range of ecosystem services, mitigate climate extremes, enhance livability, and promote overall health and wellbeing. However, in rapidly growing cities, urban development and expansion to accommodate population demands often encroach upon these valuable natural spaces. Denton County is among the fastest growing counties of Texas with substantial nature...
Abstract :
Representing an environmental issue, mixed industrial wastewaters are the heterogeneous
effluents in nature combining several forms of pollutants including organic contaminants,
heavy metals, acids/alkalis and microplastics. These contaminants are difficult to break down
since conventional treatment techniques cannot totally eliminate them, thereby producing
poor...
With a rapidly growing population, the ever-present threat of drought, and the growing risk of climate change, Texas is constantly struggling with water availability and its scarcity. Water budgets are useful tools for understanding where water is coming from and where it’s going to better manage water supplies. Several water budgets for the state and the hydroclimatological regions of the...
Every time a natural disaster occurs, it presents an invaluable opportunity to better understand the nature of risk. However, it is often difficult to obtain a complete and detailed picture of the magnitude, intensity, and effects of the disaster. Amid the chaos, traditional recording systems may struggle to function effectively as well as geotechnologies in drone flight and the use of...
Planning for a disaster is often the job of an Emergency Manger (EM) or someone who is in a similar role. EMs face a reality where they are trying to allocate resources and plan for any number of disaster events that may or may not be weather related. However, weather related disasters are always a concern due to the number of occurrences and the relative predictability of these disasters...
Ghana has seen encouraging improvements in reducing infant and maternal mortality rates over the past decades but it remains a challenging issue. Transportation and socioeconomic factors in a region can influence spatial accessibility to maternal healthcare facilities, and eventually affect the healthcare outcomes. A clear understanding of the spatial accessibility patterns to healthcare...
Among the most essential elements for human survival are food, energy, and water, which are crucial global resources tied to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 6, and 7. The shortage of surface water and groundwater to meet agricultural, domestic, and energy demands is becoming increasingly challenging in many of the world’s dry regions. The Southern Great Plains (SGP)—including Oklahoma,...
ABSTRACT
Utilizing geospatial technology (GST) in the classroom is a significant teaching tool for enhancing middle school social studies and geography education. However, many teachers struggle to integrate GST due to a lack of knowledge and professional development (PD). In Mississippi, middle school teachers receive minimal training on GST, despite its potential to enrich their...
For the last 50 years, ancient foodways of the American Southeast have been extensively researched and documented. While great attention has been paid to topics like feasting traditions and food security, less attention has been given to identifying land management methods, including agricultural methods, of the southeastern region outside of the grand Mississippian era settlement of Cahokia;...
In late July 2022 flash flooding resulted in 39 deaths and over 600 helicopter rescues across the Upper Kentucky River Basin. As part of the wider Appalachian region, these watersheds are characterized by rugged topography with steep inclines and significant relief. Strip mining across the region has also severely impacted surface drainage and runoff. To quantify the scale and impact of this...
The Texas Panhandle has become increasingly susceptible to extreme wind-driven wildfires, posing significant risks to local communities and ecosystems. The recent fires of February and March of 2024 have emphasized the urgent need to understand the evolving dimensions of social vulnerability in this region. This poster will present the initial stages of my thesis, “Heat of the Moment:...
The human-environmental challenges facing the Mississippi River Basin (MRB) exist on range of spatial and temporal scales, ranging from deltaic hypoxia due to agricultural runoff, to urban sprawl onto floodplains, to changes in migratory bird behavior over headwaters. These challenges may be unique or interlinked among individual states, sub-basins, or points of time in prior MRB research, an...
Understanding environmental responses to changing climates is a growing field of study. When climates shift, whether due to natural or anthropogenic forces, different local landscapes respond in unique ways. Local responses might include changes in flood regimes, intensification of droughts, changes in vegetative types, and shifts in soil development. Throughout the Quaternary period, Texas...
Project Watershed Aquatic Invasive Vegetation Suppression (WAIVS) is an initiative created to maintain and further restoration efforts in Spring Lake and the San Marcos River under the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP). WAIVS focuses on the removal of floating non-native aquatic vegetation found in Spring Lake and the upper reaches of the San Marcos River to mitigate the threat...
Scotland’s system of protected areas has evolved into a multiscale matrix of public and private spaces with varying degrees of protection. Approximately 23% of the country’s terrestrial area has some level of protection in 2024. Included in some of these protected areas are valuable peatlands; however, there is a spatial mismatch in some regions. This project maps and analyzes the spatial...
Rain-on-snow (ROS) events exacerbate flooding, resulting in substantial infrastructure damage, property loss, and potential loss of life. Despite notable trends in regional ROS-induced flooding, these events have been relatively understudied in the northeastern United States. ROS implications are further complicated under the context of climate change, where rising temperatures more frequently...
While a range of rapidly proliferating crises shaped by anthropogenic climate change are profound and generating a raft of spatially-centered energy research, energy geographies does not occupy a central position within emergent climate scholarship, nor within broader disciplinary confines of human geography. The centrality of energy is undeniable, and even in light of the considerable history...
Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Geographical Information System (GIS) were used to characterize coastal hydrochemistry and pollution health risks in Satkhira, Bangladesh, by examining heavy metal distribution in 67 groundwater samples. This study optimized the synthesis ratio of heavy metals (As, Fe, and Zn) by making their correlation with various variables via RSM-CCD (Central...
The increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change has led to a notable rise in heat-related health issues. Machine learning algorithms have shown promise in modeling and predicting such outcomes. However, previous studies often neglect spatial components, missing the crucial spatial heterogeneity needed to assess regional differences in environmental impacts. This study...
Field work conducted at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Texas coincided with the landfall of Tropical Storm Cindy in June 2017. It is known that powerful hurricanes can serve as geologic agents on coastal marshes along the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas; however, there is a paucity of information on how small tropical storms impact the coastal marshes of this region. The arrival of Tropical...
Wildfires can have devastating consequences on communities and the environment, including water bodies. This project examined water quality data collected in July 2022 in Larimer County, Colorado. The motivation behind this project was to understand how burn scars and elevation affect water quality up to two years after the wildfire. Abiotic stream characteristics from two locations (one...
GIS is a powerful tool for understanding, communicating, and advocating for systemic change to increase sustainability and resilience in communities around the world. However, the barriers to using GIS for community-driven change initiatives are substantial. These barriers include (but are not limited to) a lack of: awareness/understanding of GIS strategy among decision-makers; accessible GIS...
Across Central Texas, an increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as fire weather and resulting damage to energy infrastructure, are impacting adaptive capacity to climate change impacts. Adaptive capacity is defined by the IPCC as “the ability of systems, institutions, humans and other organisms to adjust to potential damage, to take advantage of opportunities, or to...
Current definitions of "maternal care deserts" primarily focus on the number of maternal healthcare facilities within counties, but ignore the level of care (basic, comprehensive, subspecialty, or specialty) provided at these facilities which greatly impacts maternal health outcomes. Using hospital facility location data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, demographic data from...
Climate change is receiving significant attention across many platforms including public education, mainstream and social media. As such, it is important to explore how it is addressed in social studies classrooms to better understand complexities and policy implications. This study examines three research questions in relation to climate change, K-12 education, and the public: 1) How...
The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EoCRC) in individuals under 50 has risen at a concerning rate globally over the past 30 years. Identifying the risk factors associated with EoCRC and its geographic variation holds immense potential for geographically targeted screening and other public health initiatives. We obtained 855 young adult participants (age < 50), including 161 cases...
The growth of the geospatial industry demands that more workers are trained not only with technology, but also with specialized geographic knowledge to interpret data and solve problems. An important part of learning occurs in out-of-school contexts such as youth organizations that aim to develop career skills. The purpose of this study is to explore ways that educators within this type of...
The proportion of renewable energy in South Korea's electricity generation has skyrocketed since 2018, with significant deployment of solar PV to ensure stability in supply. This increase is closely linked to economic support provided by the Moon Jae-in administration, including subsidies for installations, and unique circumstances of insufficiency shaped by the push for nuclear phase-out....
This research investigates spatial patterns of good or poor health outcomes and how health factors influence these outcomes. Health factors are usually classified into four categories: access to care, health behaviors, socioeconomic status, and the environment. Relying heavily on data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) as well as the U.S. Census and the National Center...
Tree canopy cover is known to provide amenity value to properties but also a host of other tangible sustainability benefits for urban neighborhoods, including direct health benefits and a range of ecosystem services such as in water run-off protection, carbon sequestration, and reduction in urban heat island effect. Media reports have also speculated that neglected urban neighborhoods may be...
Launching your career as a geographer can be both exciting and overwhelming, given the diverse skill set and knowledge base the field offers and the rapidly changing career landscape. This workshop provides a two-part exploration of career opportunities for emerging professional geographers. The session begins with a panel discussion that explores the key opportunities and challenges in career...
Geospatial information on barriers that affect aquatic organism passage (AOP) are often limited to datasets that only contain features of federal or state regulatory significance and do not contain comprehensive inventories of all aquatic barriers. Restoration efforts targeted to improve AOP require locational data on all barriers to make informed decisions on prioritizing barriers for removal...
One of the foundational truisms of white supremacy in the United States white privilege and the collective power of white people in our society is never really in danger. One of the many areas in our society where it can be observed is in the maintenance of the status quo in elected representation in government. This paper considers the recent example of the struggle to change how residents of...
Capitalism, or the prioritization of profit, is often integral in determining which communities have access to resources, where material injustices lie, and how politicians have implemented Neoliberal ideals into American communities under capitalist practices. In response, grassroots organizations and non-governmental organizations that use a bottom-up approach are key components to how...
Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) is an invasive phreatophyte native to Eurasia. Introduced to the United States as an ornamental planting and erosion control in the 19th century, it has since become invasive, particularly in the southwest. Within the upper Brazos River (UBR) basin, this invasive species has altered instream sedimentation dynamics along with channel and floodplain morphologies. The...
Nepal is a developing country situated between two gigantic economies; China and India. After 1956, with the establishment of democracy, planned development practices were initiated. Nepal undergoing a major political transition during late 1990s and which was yet to settle peace process till today. Nepalese economy has been witnessing a gradual change along with the change in political...
Can smaller colleges integrate history of place effectively into general education without a geography department? This presentation shares the teaching experiences of faculty engaged in two historical place-based learning courses delivered as part of a revised general education curriculum. The first course, the second-year level “It Happened Here,” is a public relations course focused on...
Soft power has been debated by international relations scholars since it was coined in the 1990s based on the argument that there are other means to achieve strategic goals than military might, in particular leveraging culture and economic influence. Scholars have noted that soft power efforts are often mediated by other actors such as news outlets. Our research asks, what is the role of news...
Invasive suckermouth armored catfishes (Hypostomus spp.) present significant ecological challenges in the San Marcos River (SMR), Texas. Effective management requires accurate population estimates to guide management efforts, but such data has been historically lacking. To address this challenge, we used a unique combination of underwater videos and statistical modeling to estimate the...
As development moves to the Eastside, there is a narrative of conscious development, yet this period has also led to gentrification and food insecurity in historically diverse neighborhoods, indicating a softening of gentrification discourses. Despite the conscious nature of the discourses surrounding it, these development approaches are part of a neoliberal framework classified by...
Despite increasing wildfire severity and range, rapid development in the fire-prone Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) has continued, and many neighborhoods are at risk of a constrained wildfire evacuation due to a high ratio of houses to community road-network exits. In Texas, Hays County is prone to fire, and rapid population growth has created a substantial WUI. Despite this, there is not...
Focused on the removal of non-native, floating aquatic vegetation, the Watershed Aquatic Invasive Vegetation Suppression (WAIVS) project is aimed at the enhancement of conservation measures within the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan with a history of various renditions that have evolved since 2021 in collaboration with the San Marcos River Foundation. Efforts are directed at the...
Using Butler City, PA area as a case study this research answers these questions: Do low-produce food stores outnumber high-produce food stores in low access areas? Is accessibility to community assets different between low access census tracts in rural areas?
The USDA measures food accessibility using distance measures and number of stores; individual-level resources including vehicle...
Participatory GIS (PGIS) Mapping has emerged as a valuable community-engagement tool in disaster-related research. Despite its great potential, there is a scarcity of research adopting PGIS methods to understand how specific communities access health care after disasters, especially tornadoes. We conducted two PGIS workshops with 28 residents of the Mississippi Delta, primarily from Rolling...
Launching your career as a geographer can be both exciting and overwhelming, given the diverse skill set and knowledge base the field offers and the rapidly changing career landscape. This workshop is the second part of a two-part exploration of career opportunities for emerging professional geographers. The workshop session explores the key opportunities and challenges for those seeing...
Launching your career as a geographer can be both exciting and overwhelming, given the diverse skill set and knowledge base the field offers and the rapidly changing career landscape. This workshop is the second part of a two-part exploration of career opportunities for emerging professional geographers. The workshop session explores the key opportunities and challenges in GIS career fields...
Using a political ecology framework, this study focuses on the impacts of ‘sustainable tourism’ in Belize, a peripheral country, bordering on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula in the north, Guatemala to its west, and Honduras to its south. To that end, the study investigates a multimillion-dollar tourism-related highway project – the Caracol Road Project (CRP) – which traverses the ecologically...
This paper describes research drawing on music as a repository of the experiential knowledges of Black, Brown, and working class communities during a period of city-regional transformation in Houston. During the 1920s and ‘30s, Greater Houston experienced dramatic growth in population, immigration, and economic productivity alongside the development of the Houston Ship Channel and associated...
The use of the athlete social media platform Strava has boomed in recent years alongside running and individual sport culture. While the platform is used to record runs much like Garmin Connect (which also has a social element) or RunKeeper, Strava is inherently geared towards creating a public identity as an athlete - in fact, most of the app is not useful without giving over at least some of...
According to Mauden (2021), sustainability could be classified as an evaluative concept because it can help to assess the implications of an environmental change, or the viability of a place. Therefore, sustainability is an important geographic core concept that can be used to analyze a great variety of topics related to nature, society, economy, and their interconnections and interdependence....
The Wittliff Collections collect, preserve, and present the cultural heritage of Texas and the Southwest through storytellers. This includes writers, photographers, musicians, filmmakers, and other artists. The monthly calendars of the Soap Creek Saloon created by artist Kerry Awn are our newest collection about to be available online. The Soap Creek Saloon was a music venue in Austin, Texas...
This paper argues that the first act of Beyoncé’s post-pandemic trilogy, Renaissance, draws on and expands the Afrofuturist tradition to imagine new (spatial) realities. Using theoretical frameworks such as métissage and cyborg theory, Beyoncé’s work is understood as a hybrid of cultural traditions that can contribute to the dismantling of oppressive systems. Beyoncé’s influence and artistic...
Navigation through open spaces presents challenges that traditional routing methods often fail to address. Most existing studies either draw lines based on allowed travel paths or represent the open space as a polygon and use its outer edge as the route, both of which inadequately capture how pedestrians actually move through such areas. These methods either restrict movement to predefined...
Rainwater harvesting is often perceived in Texas as unreliable which is why, in part, there is not much if any of it in the state water plans. In the parlance of resilient water planning, a water supply needs to be firm—that is, a supply that is available through the drought of record, an analysis that is typically not done. In this study, we developed a spreadsheet model that uses daily data...
The study of the dynamic evolution of neighborhoods over time and space has a long and robust history, often relying on rich socioeconomic and demographic datasets from sources such as the Census and the American Community Survey (ACS). However, a notable gap persists in the availability of specialized software tools that facilitate the streamlined analysis and visualization of spatiotemporal...
Blues tourism has been utilized as an economic resource for over six decades in the Mississippi Delta region. The city of Clarksdale, Mississippi has become a focal point for tourists in search of experiencing blues culture. Clarksdale is rich in blues and civil rights history. Much of this history occurred specifically in what was the Black side of town during the Jim Crow era, known as the...
The Southern Great Plains (SGP) region is a vital agricultural hub in the United States, encompassing vast croplands and rangelands highly sensitive to frequent droughts and shifting hydroclimatic variability. These challenges are projected to intensify, with rising risks from severe water shortages, frequent wet-dry dipole events, and late false springs, which threaten vegetation health, crop...
My advisor has received this extended abstract and approves its submission for the student competition.
Yuting Zhou, PhD
Yuting.zhou@okstate.edu
Food, energy, and water are essential global resources tied to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 6, and 7. These resources underpin human well-being and economic stability, with access to clean water, affordable energy, and sufficient food...
Project Watershed Aquatic Invasive Vegetation Suppression (WAIVS) is an initiative created to maintain and further restoration efforts in Spring Lake and the San Marcos River under the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP). WAIVS focuses on the removal of floating non-native aquatic vegetation found in Spring Lake and the upper reaches of the San Marcos River to mitigate the threat...
