JUNE 27, 2013
News for geographers
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Geographer recognized for his work in mediating water disputes
Aaron Wolf, an Oregon State University geography professor, has received the Monito del Giardino
prize for his work mediating international water disputes. "I started off in the sciences doing
groundwater modeling and quickly realized people were at the heart of both the problems and the
solutions," he said. Wolf has consulted with organizations such as the World Bank and the State
Department, and, since the 1990s, he has been active in mediating international conflicts over the
Jordan River Basin. Corvallis Gazette-Times (Ore.) (6/24)
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Researchers study how trees interact with rain
Researchers at Thompson Rivers University are investigating the capacity that trees have to intercept
rainwater. The research team, which includes master's degree student Julie Taylor and Darryl CarlyleMoses, an assistant professor of geography, have discovered that narrow trees with smooth bark tend
to funnel water to the soil quickly. Trees covered in rough bark, however, are able to hold much larger
quantities of water before depositing it into the ground. Their research was presented at the AAG
meeting in Los Angeles. Kamloops Daily News (British Columbia) (6/22)
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An Incredibly Detailed Map Shows The Potential Of Global Water
Risks
New mapping tool shows indicators for global water stress.
Fast Company | Ariel Schwartz
Research, Education and Global Change
How geography complicates Democrats' efforts to win House seats
The Democratic Party's quest to pick up seats in the House of Representatives is made more difficult by
the existence of certain congressional districts with overwhelmingly liberal populations, Nate Silver
writes in this blog post. "These hyper-partisan districts are far past the point where a Democratic
candidate for Congress could lose under almost any circumstance, so they create wasted votes for
Democrats," Silver explains. But the existence of these liberal enclaves, many of which include
"majority-minority" populations, is more the result of geography than gerrymandering, he writes. The
New York Times (tiered subscription model)/FiveThirtyEight blog (6/25)
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Report: New child HIV infections are down 50% in multiple sub-Saharan countries
Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia have halved the number of
children being infected by HIV just since 2009, according to a report by the U.N. AIDS program.
Reuters (6/25), The Guardian (London) (6/25)
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Study shows possible link between air pollution, storm activity
A new study indicates that air pollution may have reduced storm activity in the North Atlantic during the
20th century. The idea is that sulfur dioxide particles may have caused clouds to reflect more light,
which could have lowered the surface temperature of the ocean. "Our results show changes in pollution
may have had a much larger role than previously thought," researcher Nick J. Dunstone said. The study
suggests that efforts to reduce pollution in the area are at least partially responsible for an uptick in
storm activity in recent years. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (6/24)
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Other News
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Mapping the economic geography of Paris
The Atlantic Cities (6/21)
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Technology and Applications
Esri looks to give mapping a social flavor
California-based Esri is building a sort of "Facebook for maps" that allows the public and application
developers to access enormous troves of geographical data and create their own maps that are in turn
searchable by other users. The cloud-based maps created on ArcGIS.com are also shareable on social
media, and other users can be invited to collaborate on the maps. "This is kind of like Facebook for
geography, where our users are sharing their maps, or connecting their maps, into a cloud
environment," Esri's Jack Dangermond says. The Futurist (7/2013)
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Other News
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Lidar technology shows ancient Cambodian city was larger than previously thought
The Christian Science Monitor (6/19)
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New site lets users put literature on the map
CNET/Crave blog (6/21)
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Association News
Registration for AAG Annual Meeting in Fla. opens Monday
Online registration opens July 1 for the AAG Annual Meeting to be held in Tampa, Fla., April 8-12,
2014. Presenters and speakers may submit their abstracts after registering to attend the meeting. The
AAG Annual Meeting is an interdisciplinary forum open to anyone with an interest in geography and
related disciplines. All scholars, researchers and students are welcome to share their papers and
presentations. Read the Call for Papers and Abstract Guidelines.
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Eric Sheppard: "Doing No Harm"
A "disconnect" exists between the many forms of violence around the world and the attention and
critical reflection on violence by geographers, according to AAG President Eric Sheppard. In his last
presidential column, he writes, "Geography needs to transcend this disconnect: not just to study
geographies of violence, but more importantly to examine the role of Geography in shaping violence."
Read more.
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Editor's Note
AAG SmartBrief will not be published on July 4
In observance of Independence Day in the U.S., AAG SmartBrief will not be published on Thursday,
July 4. Publication will resume on Thursday, July 11.
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SmartQuote
One does not become a guru by accident."
-- James Fenton,
British poet and journalist
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