Geography Commons^™

Blackstone Communion, Anne-Catherine Schaaf

Office of Sustainability

This short story describes a spiritual connection with nature experienced by the author when walking along a trail in Blackstone Gateway Park. Blackstone Gateway Park is an urban, riverfront park in Worcester, Massachusetts. Features of the park include walking paths and an elevated boardwalk which crosses the Middle River and the surrounding wetlands.

Combating Ecosystem Collapse From The Tropics To The Antarctic, Dana M. Bergstrom, Barbara C. Wienecke, John Van Den Hoff, Lesley Hughes, David B. Lindenmayer, Tracy D. Ainsworth, Christopher M. Baker, Lucie Bland, David M J S Bowman, Shaun T. Brooks, Josep G. Canadell, Andrew J. Constable, Katherine A. Dafforn, Michael H. Depledge, Catherine R. Dickson, Norman C. Duke, Kate J. Helmstedt, Andrés Holz

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globally, collapse of ecosystems-potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function-imperils biodiversity, human health and well-being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km , from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic 'presses' and/or acute 'pulses', drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5-17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles-abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three-step assessment and …

Synoptic Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Associated With Deep Persistent Slab Avalanches In The Western United States, Andrew R. Schauer, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland, Cary J. Mock

Faculty Publications

Deep persistent slab avalanches are capable of destroying infrastructure and are usually unsurvivable for those who are caught. Formation of a snowpack conducive to deep persistent slab avalanches is typically driven by meteorological conditions occurring in the beginning weeks to months of the winter season, and yet the avalanche event may not occur for several weeks to months later. While predicting the exact timing of the release of deep persistent slab avalanches is difficult, onset of avalanche activity is commonly preceded by rapid warming, heavy precipitation, or high winds. This work investigates the synoptic drivers of deep persistent slab avalanches …

Diurnal Cycle Of Passive Microwave Brightness Temperatures Over Land At A Global Scale, Zahra Sharifnezhad, Hamid Norouzi, Satya Prakash, Reginald Blake, Reze Khanbilvard

Publications and Research

Satellite-borne passive microwave radiometers provide brightness temperature (TB) measurements in a large spectral range which includes a number of frequency channels and generally two polarizations: horizontal and vertical. These TBs are widely used to retrieve several atmospheric and surface variables and parameters such as precipitation, soil moisture, water vapor, air temperature profile, and land surface emissivity. Since TBs are measured at different microwave frequencies with various instruments and at various incidence angles, spatial resolutions, and radiometric characteristics, a mere direct integration of them from different microwave sensors would not necessarily provide consistency. However, when appropriately harmonized, they can provide a …

Conference Report: 6th National Congress Of Tourist Information (Cnit), Portugal, Cristina Leal

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Report on the 6th edition of the Portuguese National Congress of Tourist Information (CNIT), December, 2020, Porto, Portugal.

The Tangible And Intangible Heritages Of Iranian Nomads: The Touristic Potential Of Pastoral Nomadism, Hossein Noroozi

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Iranian people have a rich and significant history of nomadism and are still in contact with this ancient practice. The purpose of this research is to investigate and evaluate the Iranian nomads’ culture from a touristic and aesthetic viewpoint. The literature shows that well-known cultural tourist attractions possess particular characteristics to become a successful and sustainable product / destination. In this paper, we argue that Iranian pastoral nomads, from a geographical, social, cultural, and artistic perspective, have numerous peculiar characteristics which are attractive to international tourists. Internationally, while the sociocultural frameworks of nomadic societies are at risk of extinction when …

Portuguese Tourist Guides And The Digital Age, Ilidia Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

The experts of tourist information, namely, the tourist guides, are a highly qualified professional class and in continuous training. Many of these professionals seem to have certain limitations in terms of using new technologies, since many of those, working today, were not born in the digital age. They have been obliged to accept these technologies and sometimes tend to look at these new ways of communicating in a sceptical way, mainly because they do not properly know how to use them. These professionals are constantly facing the need to learn how to use these new tools, which have become essential …

Tourist Guides’ Perspectives Of Demarketing The Taj Mahal, Snigdha Kainthola Ms, Pinaz Tiwari Ms, Nimit R. Chowdhary Dr

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

A UNESCO world heritage site since 1983, the Taj Mahal, located in the city of Agra in India is an important contributor to tourism in India. In the year 2018 alone, approximately 280 million tourists visited the monument. However, the popularity of the site has several negative impacts such as yellowing of the structure, pollution and overcrowding which endangers this built cultural heritage. Due to this, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is the national authority entrusted with managing heritage sites, has initiated steps to check overcrowding in the Taj Mahal. One of the widely adopted strategies is demarketing. …

Reflections On How The Covid-19 Pandemic Can Change Tour Guiding, Luis Miguel Brito, Cristina Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

This short editorial paper reflects on the Tour Guiding industry in 2020 and the impact of COVID-19. The paper suggests that while the pandemic and its associated lockdowns has devastated the tourism industry, it has also encouraged those working in the industry to be more innovative and imaginative in their business practices. While the impact of the virus is acknowledged, it is proposed that 2020 may be a turning point in redefining tourism in general and Tour Guiding in particular.

International Journal Of Tour Guiding Research Volume 2(I) Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Luis Miguel Brito, Glen Farrugia

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

No abstract provided.

Metaphoric Recursiveness And Ternary Ontology: Another Look At The Language And Worldview Of The Yaminahua, Carlos A. Segovia

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

My purpose in this paper is, first, to explore metaphorical recursiveness in Yaminahua, i.e. the latter’s folding of the common binary structure: {(x) things + (y) words} into the threefold scheme: (A) things + (B) external analogies + (C) internal metaphors, as displaying a multi-iconic semiotic system of the type: A ≈ [B] ≈ C, which is finally reduced to a twofold indexical system: A ← [B], contra Graham Townsley’s dismissal of semiotic theory as being of no relevance in contrast to cognitive construction. And, secondly, to show that within the traditional Yaminahua worldview "animism," "totemism," …

An Assessment Of The Filling Process Of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam And Its Impact On The Downstream Countries, Prakrut Kansara, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary, Venkat Lakshmi, Thomas Piechota, Daniele Struppa, Mohamed Abdelaty Sayed

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), formerly known as the Millennium Dam, has been filling at a fast rate. This project has created issues for the Nile Basin countries of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The filling of GERD has an impact on the Nile Basin hydrology and specifically the water storages (lakes/reservoirs) and flow downstream. In this study, through the analysis of multi-source satellite imagery, we study the filling of the GERD reservoir. The time-series generated using Sentinel-1 SAR imagery displays the number of classified water pixels in the dam from early June 2017 to September 2020, indicating a contrasting …

Multi-Source Eo For Dynamic Wetland Mapping And Monitoring In The Great Lakes Basin, Michael Battaglia, Sarah Banks, Amir Behnamian, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Wetland managers, citizens and government leaders are observing rapid changes in coastal wetlands and associated habitats around the Great Lakes Basin due to human activity and climate variability. SAR and optical satellite sensors offer cost effective management tools that can be used to monitor wetlands over time, covering large areas like the Great Lakes and providing information to those making management and policy decisions. In this paper we describe ongoing efforts to monitor dynamic changes in wetland vegetation, surface water extent, and water level change. Included are assessments of simulated Radarsat Constellation Mission data to determine feasibility of continued monitoring …

Urban-Rural Differences In Covid-19 Exposures And Outcomes In The South: A Preliminary Analysis Of South Carolina, Qian Huang, Sarah Jackson, Sahar Derakhshan, Logan Lee, Erika Pham, Amber Jackson, Susan L. Cutter

Faculty Publications

As the COVID-19 pandemic moved beyond the initial heavily impacted and urbanized Northeast region of the United States, hotspots of cases in other urban areas ensued across the country in early 2020. In South Carolina, the spatial and temporal patterns were different, initially concentrating in small towns within metro counties, then diffusing to centralized urban areas and rural areas. When mitigation restrictions were relaxed, hotspots reappeared in the major cities. This paper examines the county-scale spatial and temporal patterns of confirmed cases of COVID-19 for South Carolina from March 1st—September 5th, 2020. We first describe the initial diffusion of the …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, February 2021, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Volume 2. Issue 2

Contents:

[Page] 1 Dean's Message
[Page] 2 Awards and Recognition
[Page] 3 Geography Convention
[Page] 4 Open PRAIRIE Data
[Page] 5 Where did your interest in science begin?
[Page] 6 Research Spotlight: Dr. Lopez-Mosqueda
[Page] 7-8 Fall 2020 Dean's List

Protocol For Monitoring Aquatic Invertebrates Of Small Streams In The Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network, Version 2.1, David E. Bowles, Michael H. Williams, Hope R. Dodd, Lloyd W. Morrison, Janice A. Hinsey, J. Tyler Cribbs, Gareth A. Rowell, Michael D. Debecker, Jennifer L. Haack-Gaynor, Jeffrey M. Williams

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (HTLN) is a component of the National Park Service’s (NPS) strategy to improve park management through greater reliance on scientific information. The purposes of this program are to design and implement long-term ecological monitoring and provide information for park managers to evaluate the integrity of park ecosystems and better understand ecosystem processes. Concerns over declining surface water quality have led to the development of various monitoring approaches to assess stream water quality. Freshwater streams in network parks are threatened by numerous stressors, most of which originate outside park boundaries. Stream condition and …

Applying Spatial Video Geonarratives And Physiological Measurements To Explore Perceived Safety In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Alina Ristea, Michael Leitner, Bernd Resch, Judith Stratmann

Faculty Publications

Spatial crime analysis, together with perceived (crime) safety analysis have tremendously benefitted from Geographic Information Science (GISc) and the application of geospatial technology. This research study discusses a novel methodological approach to document the use of emerg-ing geospatial technologies to explore perceived urban safety from the lenses of fear of crime or crime perception in the city of Baton Rouge, USA. The mixed techniques include a survey, spatial video geonarrative (SVG) in the field with study participants, and the extraction of moments of stress (MOS) from biosensing wristbands. This study enrolled 46 participants who completed geonarratives and MOS detection. A …

Voting Changes Between The 2016 And 2020 Presidential Elections In Counties Across The United States With Large Latino-Origin Populations, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This report examines trends in votes cast between the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections in 1) the 101 counties in the United States in which Latinos comprised 50% or more of total populations; and 2) in the 35 counties in the U.S. which had the largest Latino populations.These latter counties were home to 50% of all Latinos living in the United States according to 2019 census data.

Methods:

Exit polling data from 2016 and 2020, American Community Survey (2019)

Discussion:

Of the 101 counties in which Latino populations were more than half of all residents, the Republican candidate won …

An Evaluation Of The Performance Of The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Version 3, L. C. Slivinski, G. P. Compo, P. D. Sardeshmukh, J. S. Whitaker, C. Mccoll, R. J. Allan, P. Brohan, X. Yin, C. A. Smith, L. J. Spencer, R. S. Vose, M. Rohrer, R. P. Conroy, D. C. Schuster, J. J. Kennedy, L. Ashcroft, S. Brönnimann, M. Brunet, D. Camuffo, R. Cornes, T. A. Cram, F. Domínguez-Castro, J. E. Freeman, J. Gergis, E. Hawkins, P. D. Jones, H. Kubota, T. C. Lee, A, M. Lorrey, J. Luterbacher, Cary J. Mock, R. K. Przybylak, C. Pudmenzky, V. C. Slonosky, B. Tinz, B. Trewin, X. L. Wang, C. Wilkinson, K. Wood, P. Wyszyński

Faculty Publications

The performance of a new historical reanalysis, the NOAA–CIRES–DOE Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 3 (20CRv3), is evaluated via comparisons with other reanalyses and independent observations. This dataset provides global, 3-hourly estimates of the atmosphere from 1806 to 2015 by assimilating only surface pressure observations and prescribing sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, and radiative forcings. Comparisons with independent observations, other reanalyses, and satellite products suggest that 20CRv3 can reliably produce atmospheric estimates on scales ranging from weather events to long-term climatic trends. Not only does 20CRv3 recreate a ‘‘best estimate’’ of the weather, including extreme events, it also provides an …

Mexico’S Northern Border Migrant Attention Plan: A Case Study In Neoliberal Human Rights And Non-Punitive Extraterritorial Spaces Of Containment, Anita Michele Cannon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPPs), also known as “Remain in Mexico”, and Mexico’s response program, the Northern Border Migrant Attention Plan, embody how human rights have developed under neoliberal capitalism. Historically and presently, US asylum policy serves as a type of extraterritorial mobility control which manipulates non-domestic space to detain and contain asylum seekers. Despite an international legal framework, widely held popular ideals of human rights as wellbeing for all are challenged by the breakdown of human rights in practice, as in the case of the MPPs and the response of the Mexican state. Contradictions in human rights can be …