Geography Commons^™

Characterization And Analysis Of Hailstorms In The Northern Great Plains, Thomas Sando

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Hail is a meteorological occurrence that appears frequently during spring and summer across the Northern Great Plains. This paper first characterizes patterns associated with reported hail events occurring within a five-state region (North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska) from 2000-2006 using records taken from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Severe Storms database. Patterns of interest include the seasonality of hail activity for each state and across the region, observational bias in the reporting of hailstone size, and temporal trends in the number of hail reports across the region and in each state. This paper then explores a …

Maya: An Integrated Curriculum Unit, Institute For The Development Of Gifted Education, Ricks Center For Gifted Children, University Of Denver

Ricks Curriculum Units Series

An integrated curriculum is an instructional approach that connects the disciplines to an underlying theme or topic. Immersing students in an integrated-thematic unit provides the backdrop for experiences to occur across the disciplines. Shaping coursework around integrated themes is especially appropriate for gifted students, however using an integrated-thematic curriculum is appropriate for all learners as it develops students' abilities to make connections, to solve problems by looking at multiple perspectives, and to integrate information from different fields of experience. An integrated-thematic curriculum permits students to be active participants in their own learning as they design their own explorations and take …

How The Formal Education System In Kenya Is Changing The Culture Of The Maasai Community, Jennifer Coles

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Colonialism brough Africa into the sphere of European dominance and laid the ground work for the adoption of neoliberal globalization. This has affected change for the Maasai of southern Kenya who had attempted to remain isolated for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. However, such cultural isolation has been disrupted by global tourism and the desire of western citizens to view and participate in ‘authentic’ experiences in unique Maasai environments; thus creating a global desire to visit the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR). The MMNR is part of Maasailand and has exposed many in the surrounding communities to new …

Paleohydrologic Reconstruction Of Three Shallow Basins, Slave River Delta, Nwt, Using Stable Isotope Methods, Cherie Mongeon

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

p>The long-term natural hydrological variability of the Slave River Delta (SRD), NWT, is not well documented and needs to be further developed to provide temporal context to understand and evaluate impacts of Slave River (SR) floodwater influence and climate variability and change on contemporary hydro-ecological doncidiotns of the SRD. The SRD has broad ecological and cultural significance, as it provides extensive habitate for wildlife and is important for local First Nations community who have an historical connection with the delta and its resources. Concners have been raised over recently reported drying trends in the SRD over the past few …

Reconstruction Of Peace River Flood Frequency And Magnitude For The Past ∼600 Years From Oxbow Lake Sediments, Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada, Suzanne Jarvis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ice-jam flooding in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) is an important hydrological process for the replenishment of shallow perched basins that support a highly productive northern ecosystem. The PAD is also used by nearby First Nations communities for traditional lifestyle occupations such as hunting and trapping. Previous research on laminated sediments collected from two oxbow lakes periodically connected to major Peace River distributaries has resulted in a 300-year record of flood frequency. In an effort to extend this record and broaden the understanding of the relationships among climate variability, Peace River hydrology, and delta hydroecology, a series of vibracores and gravity …

Multi-Method Assessment Of Newcomer Settlement Experiences In Kitchener-Waterloo, Qaseem Ludin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Every day hundreds of newcomers begin a new life in Canada. Some are refugees fleeing persecution, others come to join family, and yet others (mostly the economic and independent categories) are seeking to make a better life for themselves. In all, since 2000 around 250,000 people have settled in Canada each year. Their backgrounds and personal histories may be widely different and each one’s experience on arrival is unique. The communities across Canada into which they integrate differ too in their character and in the manner in which they receive newcomers. For many new Canadians, there are, nevertheless, certain shared …

Effective Teaching & Teaching Evaluation Practices: Canadian University Geography Departments, Susan Vajoczki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis teaching evaluation practices in Canadian university geography departments are examined. The objective of this research is to identify good practices for teaching evaluation that can be applied within geography departments at Canadian universities and may be applicable to other departments and within other countries. In order to meet this goal a number of research questions were identified. These include:

1. What is effective teaching in higher education?;
2. What is effective teaching within the discipline of geography in higher education?;
3. How and why is teaching evaluated in higher education?;
4. What is the breadth of teaching evaluation practices currently used …

The Perceptual Northwest, James Lowry, Mark Patterson, William Forbes

Faculty Articles

Our goal is to survey cultural perceptions defining the U.S. Northwest region. As geographers, we should concern ourselves with mental constructs of regions, as they can easily impede or facilitate communication. Assumptions of others’ regional boundaries and images may be erroneous. Over the past several decades, a handful of geographers have begun to examine these perceptual (or vernacular) maps and regions. Students at 21 colleges and universities were asked to identify: (1) boundaries of the U.S. Northwest region; (2) Northwest regional characteristics and symbols; and (3) what cities or other places best represent the Northwest.

Nationally, student respondents largely followed …

Hispanics And Asians Increase In Numbers In Cuyahoga County An Analysis Of 2007 County Population Estimates, Mark Salling

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

The Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Region Doing Well: More Persons Attending College And Getting Degrees, 2000 To 2007, Mark Salling

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

Discussions of economic development and job availability in northeast Ohio often lament the unavailability of a qualified workforce in some sectors. Workforce training and attracting more educated population to the region are sited as important, even critical, objectives for the region. While a more detailed study of the regions’ workforce by The Center for Community Solutions is nearing completion, the release of new data by the Census Bureau provides some enlightening observations about college enrollments and educational attainment in the region.

Ohio Continues To Lag In Population Growth And Comments On Prospects For The Future An Analysis Of 2007 State Population Estimates, Mark Salling

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Diminished Access, Diverted Exclusion: Women And Land Tenure In Sub-Saharan Africa, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

Increasing commercialization, population growth and concurrent increases in land value have affected women's land rights in Africa. Most of the literature concentrates on how these changes have led to an erosion of women's rights. This paper examines some of the processes by which women's rights to land are diminishing. First, we examine cases where rights previously utilized have become less important; that is, the incidence of exercising rights has decreased. Second, we investigate how women's rights to land decrease as the public meanings underlying the social interpretation and enforcement of rights are manipulated. Third, we examine women's diminishing access to …

A Requirement List For Geo-Ontology Tools, Jochen Albrecht

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Geography Newsletter, 2007-2008, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Geography.

Geography Newsletter

Inside this issue:

-- Alumni Newsletter
-- News From the Head
-- Department News and Activities
-- Notes from the Geographic Alliance of Iowa
-- Student News
-- Faculty News
-- Alumni News
-- University of Northern Iowa GeoInformatics Training, Research, Education and Extension

Land-Use/Land-Cover Characterization Using An Object-Based Classifier For The Buffalo River Sub-Basin In North-Central Arkansas, Robert C. Weih Jr., D. White Jr.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Sensors for remote sensing have improved enormously over the past few years and now deliver high resolution multispectral data on an operational basis. Most Land-use/Land-cover (LULC) classifications of high spatial resolution imagery, however, still rely on basic image processing concepts (i.e., image classification using single pixel-based classifiers) developed in the 1970s. This study developed the methodology using an object-based classifier to characterize the LULC for the Buffalo River sub-basin and surrounding areas with a 0.81- hectare (2-acre) minimum mapping unit (MMU). Base imagery for the 11-county classification was orthorectified color-infrared aerial photographs taken from 2000 to 2002 with a one-meter …

Geography: 1983-2007, Paul E. Todhunter

UND Departmental Histories

This departmental history was written on the occasion of the UND Quasquicentennial in 2008.

West Indies, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Shelly Kannada

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Caribbean, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Shelly Kannada

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 36, 2007-2008, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Land Tenure And Rental In Western Sudan, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

This paper reports on aspects of land tenure in western Sudan, especially the nature of tenure insecurity and the functioning of the land rental market. The active land rental market accounted for about one-third of cultivated land. Patterns of land rental transactions, and tests of the importance of insecurity in renting land, where the owner may not be able to reclaim land rented out, do not support the presumption that rental markets perform poorly. The role of the sheikh as administrator of village land, and the claims of large landowners to vast tracts, are, however, important political problems that must …

Ferry Parking And Landside Access Study: Implementing Public Outreach And Impact Assessment, Jochen Albrecht, Stephanie Camay, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Brandon Derman, Eric Bohn, William Milczarski, Maria Boile, Sotiris Theofanis

Publications and Research

Through federal regulations, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are mandated to perform public outreach and impact assessment. Although there are some established parameters, the quality and effectiveness of public outreach efforts vary widely, and in many instances information dissemination becomes the central focus of public outreach efforts. However, information dissemination, although essential, is not as effective as a two-way process of public involvement in which members of the public may provide feedback to shape agency initiatives. Research conducted for the Ferry Parking and Landside Access Study is used to describe best practices in public outreach, focusing on socio-economic and community impact …

Dwelling, Walking, Serving: Organic Preservation Along The Camino De Santiago Pilgrimage Landscape, Mercedes Chamberlain Quesada-Embid

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study is an exploration of the people and the landscape of the well-known Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Although there are many routes that make up the entirety of the pilgrimage, this research is specifically focused on the landscape of the Camino Francés, or French Route, in northern Spain. The path has been written about in many ways and for a myriad of reasons since it became affiliated with the Christian tradition in the early ninth century. This research, however, is different. By way of an environmental history and hermeneutic approach, an investigation of the interrelated and overlapping human …

Mapping Selective Logging In Mixed Deciduous Forest: A Comparison Of Machine Learning Algorithms, Christopher D. Lippitt, John Rogan, Zhe Li, J. Ronald Eastman, Trevor G. Jones

Geography

This study assesses the performance of five Machine Learning Algorithms (MLAS) in a chronically modified mixed deciduous forest in Massachusetts (USA) in terms of their ability to detect selective timber logging and to cope with deficient reference datasets. Multitemporal Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper-plus (ETM+) imagery is used to assess the performance of three Anificial Neural Networks - Multi-Layer Perceptron, ARTMAP, Self-Organizing Map, and two Classification Tree splitting algorithms: gini and entropy rules, MLA performance evaluations are based on susceptibility to reduced training set size, noise, and variations in the training set, as well as the operability/transparency of the classification process. …

Response Of Carbon Fluxes To Water Relations In A Savanna Ecosystem In South Africa, W. L. Kutsch, N. Hanan, B. Scholes, I. Mchugh, W. Kubheka, H. Eckhardt, Christopher A. Williams

Geography

The principal mechanisms that connect carbon fluxes with water relations in savanna ecosystems were studied by using eddy covariance method in a savanna ecosystem at Kruger National Park, South Africa. Since the annual drought and rewetting cycle is a major factor influencing the function of savanna ecosystems, this work focused on the close inter-connection between water relations and carbon fluxes. Data from a nine-month measuring campaign lasting from the early wet season to the late dry season were used.

Total ecosystem respiration showed highest values at the onset of the growing season, a slightly lower plateau during the main part …

Geographic Information Science And Public Participation, Laxmi Ramasubramanian

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Geo-Ontology Tools – The Missing Link, Jochen Albrecht, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Brandon Derman

Publications and Research

Numerous authors have presented ontology building tools that have all been developed as part of academic projects and that are usually adaptations of more generic tools for geo-spatial applications. While we trust that these tools do their job for the special purpose they have been built, the GIScience user community is still a long way away from off-the-shelf ontology builders that can be used by GIS project managers. In this article, we present a comparative study of ontology building tools described in some twenty peer-reviewed GIScience journal articles. We analyze them from the perspective of two application domains, crime analysis …

The Ecology Of Paradox: Disturbance And Restoration In Land And Soul, Rowland S. Russell

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This heuristic study explores environmental disturbance and ecological restoration in several North American settings in order to uncover epistemological, philosophical, aesthetic and ethical considerations revolving around those place-based processes. With fire as one of the central metaphors of this work, the initial place-based chapter examines Northern New Mexico's Pajarito Plateau to explore the region's fire ecology. The study then moves to the Pacific Northwest to draw restoration practice that attempt to restore wild salmon to urban Seattle habitat. The third place-based chapter focuses on the Midwest grass and farmlands in order to investigate the seeming contradictions between commodity and diversity …

A Changing Cultural Landscape: Yanchep National Park, Western Australia, Darren P. Venn

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study depicts the changing landscape of Western Australia's Yanchep National Park as it has evolved in response to natural processes and human activities. The study also serves to evaluate the level of input Indigenous people have in the management of Australian natural and cultural heritage. The Park was examined by utilising a methodology that combined a cultural geography approach with Structuration Theory. Yanchep National Park is highly suited to this type of investigation because of its close proximity to a major urban centre ( Perth ) and because of the importance of the area to Indigenous people, resulting in …

Surface Temperature Mapping Of The University Of Northern Iowa Campus Using High Resolution Thermal Infrared Aerial Imageries, Alexander Savelyev, Ramanathan Sugumaran

Faculty Work

The goal of this project was to map the surface temperature of the University of Northern Iowa campus using high-resolution thermal infrared aerial imageries. A thermal camera with a spectral bandwidth of 3.0-5.0 µm was flown at the average altitude of 600 m, achieving ground resolution of 29 cm. Ground control data was used to construct the pixelto-temperature conversion model, which was later used to produce temperature maps of the entire campus and also for validation of the model. The temperature map then was used to assess the building rooftop conditions and steam line faults in the study area. Assessment …

The Human Activity-Travel Rescheduling Decision Process, Andrew F. Clark

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Over the past few decades the activity scheduling decision process has become an important topic for transportation researchers, including how people reschedule their daily activities and travel in reaction to change. Rescheduling decisions include modifications/updates to timing, location/route, involved persons, event/mode type, and other attributes of activities/trips, as well as addition and deletion of completely new events. Such decisions occur as part of an ongoing process over time, space and across individuals. This thesis developed and applied a new data collection methodology for exploring the rescheduling decision process. The methodology had four main stages: capturing preplanned schedules; Global Positioning System …