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Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education |
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States in the Deep South traditionally vote Republican in every presidential election. However, a string of "blue" counties curve through Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
Question to ponder: How does the physical geography of a region impact the human geography of a place? Using this example, does the environment completely determine the cultural outcomes of the region? To what extent does one impact the other?
Tags: physical, political, environment, unit 4 political.
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Portions of the High Plains Aquifer are rapidly being depleted by farmers who are pumping too much water to irrigate their crops, particularly in the southern half in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Levels have declined up to 242 feet in some areas, from predevelopment — before substantial groundwater irrigation began — to 2011.
Seth Dixon's insight:
The article connected to this map from the New York Times can be found here. "Two years of extreme drought, during which farmers relied almost completely on groundwater, have brought the seriousness of the problem home. In 2011 and 2012, the Kansas Geological Survey reports, the average water level in the state’s portion of the aquifer dropped 4.25 feet — nearly a third of the total decline since 1996." Tags: water, agriculture, environment, consumption, resources, environment depend. 
Michael Miller's curator insight,
May 20, 1:41 PM
The recent PBS special on the Dust Bowl also addressed this current problem and how some American farmers are not learning from past mistakes. Delete the scoop?
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"Dust blows from what was once the Aral Sea floor. Tragic mismanagement of a natural resource."
Seth Dixon's insight:
The collapse of the Aral Sea ecosystem is (arguably) the worst man-made environmental disaster of the 20th century and 21st century has seen the continuation of the desertification set in motion. Soviet mismanagement, water-intensive cotton production and population growth have all contributed the overtaxing of water resources in the Aral Sea basin, which has resulted in a the shrinking of the Aral Sea--it has lost more of the sea to an expanding desert than the territories of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg combined. The health problems arising from this issues are large for the entire Aral Sea basin, which encompasses 5 Central Asian countries and it has profoundly changed (for the worse) the local climates. Compare the differences with some historical images of the Aral Sea on Google Earth or on ArcGIS Online (also see this article from GeoCurrents) Tags: environment, Central Asia, environment modify. 
Zhanat Shanbatyrova's curator insight,
May 8, 1:46 AM
A wonderful resource to boost the EFL students' skills. 
dilaycock's comment,
May 8, 6:37 AM
This image taken from the International Space Station is just one of hundreds taken by @Cmdr_Hadfield that can be used in the geography classroom. See image gallery http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/default.asp
dilaycock's curator insight,
May 8, 6:37 AM
This image taken from the International Space Station is just one of hundreds taken by @Cmdr_Hadfield that can be used in the geography classroom. See image gallery http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/default.asp Delete the scoop?
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From the food we eat to the energy, transportation, and water we all need, a warmer world will bring big changes for everyone.
B Sinica: This article touches every aspect of geography from culture to climate [considering] how the growing population plays the biggest role in determining the future of life on Earth. People need to recognize the problems and potential future issues with global warming and the rapidly changing environment. Though not many issues can be prevented or even solved, the least we can do is try to lessen the severity of devastation and prolong the current conditions as much as possible before the world becomes too extreme to manage.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Some tangible ways that climate change can impact us in the future:
Tags: climate change, environment, environment adapt, sustainability. National Geographic. 
Peter Siner's comment,
April 29, 10:53 PM
The whole debate on climate change remains a highly debated issue. It’s hard to understand why since there are loads of evidence pointing to a warming earth. However despite the views of many there is an obvious need to help in reducing the pollution and disregard for our planet. Scientist are beginning to predict drastic changes to our surrounding environment. All of these changes are causing vegetable production to decrease which has an impact on the economy as a whole.
As our production becomes limited costs go up. Starvation rates across the globe are increasing our population increases and so this poses a global threat. Soon the rate at which we consume will be limited. Also energy consumption will be limited. This too will causes prices for essentially everything we utilize to increase. The problem with people as a whole is that we look to instant gratification and we generally want to solve issues that are right in front of us while we often pay little attention to much larger, but slower moving threats. 
Brianna Simao's comment,
April 30, 10:22 PM
It is kind of a scary thought that global warming could greatly disrupt the way we live. Everyone is affected by it especially businesses like farms. The production of crops declines because of the excessive heat. Changing climate affect the length of each season which hurts the process of growing and harvesting crops. There would also be a change in the production, storage and transportation. It will cost more money to properly manage these businesses. This change will not only affect companies and how we handle our food but also our way of life and health. We would all have to adapt to such drastic changes in the environment which may be a struggle for some. Health wise, if it is too hot and people are not well adapted then it could lead to hospitalization and increased health risks. I don’t think there is much we can do to lessen the severity because it is a natural cycle of earth. I do think we may have sped up the process a little bit, for example car exhaustion and greenhouse gasses. But we are so dependent on such technology we can’t just make it disappear.
Dillon Cartwright's comment,
May 3, 4:04 PM
It's crazy that something like a little climate change can change the affect the entire world. Not just in one way either, it affects the world in many ways, like the 6 mentioned above. I don't think people realize the frailty of the environment they live in. Something as small as someones car exhaust becomes kind of a big deal when there are hundreds of millions of cars in the world.
In addition to that, I think it's great that life expectancy has gone up with cures to diseases and advances in modern medicine. It's a good thing that people are living longer lives, but it's a problem when these people aren't environmentally conscious. If there is going to be a consistent increase in population, there should also be an increase in environmental awareness so everyone can work together in slowing down this destructive process. Delete the scoop?
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An arid region grew even drier between 2003 and 2009 due to human consumption of water for drinking and agriculture.
Seth Dixon's insight:
As drought conditions have hit the Middle East, growing populations are using more water per capita then ever. See this on Google Earth with this KMZ file. Tags: water, environment, consumption, resources, environment depend, Middle East, Iraq. 
Adam Cooke's curator insight,
March 19, 4:34 PM
Great Google Earth resources looking at the shrinking of water storage in the Middle East. Critical reading for our water unit and a superb example of how powerful imaging like Google Earth can be. 
Mary Patrick Schoettinger's curator insight,
March 20, 9:56 AM
What we don't learn from the past is bound to repeat itself-over and over again. Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
De-extinction is a new term for to me but this week a TEDx conference hosted by National Geographic focused completely on this concept on the possibility of reviving formerly extinct species. Just because we think we can bring back a lost species, does that mean we should? What would be the benefits? Disadvantages? I've read enough about passenger pigeons to know that beyond overhunting, the species went extinct as large swaths of North American forests became fragmented and modified. While we may be able to theoretically bring back a species, we cannot rewind the clock and bring all the essential ingredients to their former ecosystem that allowed them to thrive in the first place. De-extinction would NOT be repairing the world so that it was as if the extinction never happened, since other species in the ecosystem have adapted to their absence. Given the length of their absence, could these be considered "invasive species?" Tags: biogeography, environment, National Geographic, environment modify, ecology, historical, TED. Delete the scoop?
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A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites finds that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade. "[This] data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, which currently have the second fastest rate of groundwater storage loss on Earth, after India," said Jay Famiglietti, principal investigator of the study and a hydrologist and professor at UC Irvine. "The rate was especially striking after the 2007 drought. Meanwhile, demand for freshwater continues to rise, and the region does not coordinate its water management because of different interpretations of international laws." Tags: water, environment, consumption, resources, environment depend, Middle East, Iraq.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a perfect example of geospatial technologies can lead to a better understanding of how the Earth's physical systems are changing because of human geography. Teaching geography is about showing how these systems are interconnected. Delete the scoop?
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Detailed satellite images reveal the web of connections that sustain life on Earth.
Seth Dixon's insight:
"Earth From Space is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. Produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, NOVA takes data from earth-observing satellites and transforms it into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate and surprising web of forces that sustains life on earth." This documentary shows something interesting for the physical geographer, human geographers, and geospatial technology specialists. In other words, this touches on just about all things geographic (with cool images!). The overarching theme is that so many things in this world that we wouldn't imagine are actually interconnected with excellent examples. Tags: remote sensing, geospatial, unit 1 Geoprinciples, physical. 
Kenneth Holzman's comment,
February 17, 7:37 PM
Thanks so much for this link! I'd completely missed this on PBS, and it is EXACTLY the kind of video I'm trying to get my AP Human Geography students to watch right now. This is getting shared with ALL my kids ASAP. :-)
dilaycock's comment,
February 18, 4:02 PM
I just love that Scoop.it allows resources to be shared so easily, and in a manner that is so accessible to students everywhere. Thanks Kenneth.
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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-we-get-our-fresh-water-christiana-z-peppard Fresh water accounts for only 2.5% of Earth's...
Seth Dixon's insight:
How much of the Earth's water is fresh water? How much of that is used for industrial, agricultural or domestic uses? Why is groundwater becoming increasingly utilized? Enjoy this TED-ED video for the answers. Tags: water, environment, consumption, resources, environment depend. Delete the scoop?
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"In this fantastic sighting by photographer Horst Kiechle, we see the roots of a tree in Bangkok, Thailand (Lat Yao, Chatuchak to be exact) growing into the grooves and cracks of an interlocking sidewalk. Even the colour of the roots gradually fade into the pavement."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This startling image is a powerful testament to the adaptive nature of many species to the urban environment. Some species will adapt in beautiful ways such as this tree, while other will adapt in ways that go against our plan for that urban space (think rats, pigeons and cockroaches). We adapt to our environment and the environment adapts to us as well; but that relationship is not always peaceful and symbiotic. We can also destroy ecosystems that are fragile and not as resilient to change as this tree is. See this same tree's root network one year later.
Tags: urban ecology, environment adapt, sustainability, biogeography. Delete the scoop?
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A promotional video shows planned development of a state-level development zone by government of Lanzhou, a provincial capital in China's arid northwest... The Lanzhou province is lightly populated mainly due to it's semi-arid climate and rugged topography. The goal is make a 500 square mile area (currently with 100,000 people) into a city with over 1 million people by 2030. To make this new metropolis, developers are planning to literally remove mountains to create a more 'ideal' urban environment. This makes some of the most ambitious environmental modification projects seem tame. For more read, the accompanying article from the Guardian. Questions to Ponder: What potential environmental impacts come from this scale of modification? How will this massive influx of the population impact the region? Could this type of project happen in other part of the world? Tags: environment, urban ecology, planning, environment modify, China. 
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
December 11, 2012 11:51 PM
The developer is claiming this will be "protective development." I am not sure if I buy that. They are moving mountains- which means everything that comes with that, wildlife, trees, etc... And they are building an airport and an oil refinery (amongst other things).. Urbanizing can be great for the economy- but at what cost.
Elizabeth Allen's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:51 PM
The developer is claiming this will be "protective development." I am not sure if I buy that. They are moving mountains- which means everything that comes with that, wildlife, trees, etc... And they are building an airport and an oil refinery (amongst other things).. Urbanizing can be great for the economy- but at what cost. Elizabeth Allen Delete the scoop?
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An in-depth, multimedia look at climate change, its global impact, and efforts to combat it. This guide on climate change from the Council on Foreign Relations (independent think tank) covers many of the geopolitical, economic and environmental issues that confront the Earth as global temperatures rise. Rather than produce a full length feature film, they have organized the this as an interactive video, allowing the user to get short (a couple of minutes) answer to specific questions about the science, foreign policy or economic ramifications of adapting to climate change. Tags: climate change, environmental adaption, economic, industry. Delete the scoop?
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The hunger crisis in the Sahel region of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad has been deepening since the start of this year. The Sahel is a classic transition zone--a border that is not a sharp division, but a gradual shift from one region to the next. This area has environmentally marginal lands, but is as population pressures continue, marginal lands need to sustain more people.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
November 24, 2012 11:17 PM
There have been major differences between Americans food consumption compared to Africa's consumption for as long as I can remember. Here we are many years later and the devastation continues.... Comparing articles http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/interactive/2012/jul/19/sahel-food-crisis-guardian-interactive and http://ecocycle.org/holidayguide/10ways(Today, 11:16 PM) (Today, 11:16 PM)
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TED Talks As Vicki Arroyo says, it's time to prepare our homes and cities for our changing climate, with its increased risk of flooding, drought and uncertainty. Our major cities are suceptible to environmental catastrophes for a whole host of reasons. Cities depend on a smooth of goods, money and services provided by infrastructure that we take for granted and assume will always work 24/7. Presented in the video are some ideas about how we should rethink our cities with a different ecological paradigm to protect our cities more in the future. Tags: planning, urban ecology, environment adapt, sustainability. Delete the scoop?
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Exclusive timelapse: See climate change, deforestation and urban sprawl unfold as Earth evolves over 30 years.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This interactive feature includes various places that have experienced rapid environmental change in the last few decades. This is a simple way to show the power of remotely sensed data as well as massive environmental impact of rapid urbanization and globalization.
Tags: remote sensing, land use, environment, geospatial, environment modify, urban ecology. 
Lauren Jacquez's curator insight,
May 11, 7:15 PM
I suggest you watch to see the spatial patterns emerge!
Tracy Young's curator insight,
May 12, 6:12 PM
Very useful visual tool for exploring patterns of change Delete the scoop?
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The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race pushes participants to the brink on an unforgiving trek to the end of the world. And, as one writer who tracked the race by air discovers, that is exactly the point.
Seth Dixon's insight:
The Iditarod is as much about conquering the physical environment and harsh climates as any sporting event in the world. This article about this famous Alaskan race also has a unique geo-visualization component to it that is worth exploring--it has a map showing where the action takes place in the article and as the reader scrolls through the article, the map changes and it highlights the progression along the trail. Tags: physical, weather and climate, sport, Arctic, visualization. 
chris tobin's comment,
April 26, 6:18 PM
very good story describing the long and dangerous trek. Its pretty amazing. I appreciated the video commentary and pictures of scenery and animals of the areas.
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See a photo of an aerial view of a terraced rice field in China and download free wallpaper from National Geographic.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This image shows is one of the more beautiful cultural landscapes that shows the great extent of agricultural modifications of the environment. National Geographic's photo of the day is a great source for images that start class discussions and can enliven class content. You may download a high resolution version of the image here.
Tags: National Geographic, agriculture, landscape, China. Delete the scoop?
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Mariela Guzmán's curator insight,
April 17, 2:07 PM
What do you think about these images?Do you you agree?or not? Delete the scoop?
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A TV program about firewood, mostly showing a fireplace in use, has aroused passions in Norway.
Seth Dixon's insight:
In so many countries this would be one of the worst rated TV shows of all time, and yet in Norway, where a rustic, outdoorsman connection to the forest is ingrained in the culture, it's a hit and one that sparks debates and discussion. Isn't it good, Norwegian Wood?
chris tobin's comment,
February 28, 1:46 PM
So many cultures depend upon using wood and their connection with nature for every day life
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Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide pop out over certain shipping lanes in observations made by the Aura satellite between 2005-2012. The signal was the strongest over the northeastern Indian Ocean.
Seth Dixon's insight:
David Collet's curator insight,
February 19, 10:37 PM
The Straits of Malacca show up as a highly affected band - and this from traffic that is not even bound for, or related to, Malaysia. Delete the scoop?
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PULL a spring, let it go, and it will snap back into shape. Pull it further and yet further and it will go on springing back until, quite suddenly, it won't.... Via Joel Barker
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is an interesting article discussing the limits that the Earth's physical systems have and the importance not exceeding any tipping point that could destabilize the planet if we "overstrech the springs." 
Angus Henderson's curator insight,
February 11, 11:49 AM
An interesting counter-balance to the work of the Planetary Boundaries group. Delete the scoop?
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If you are up in space looking down on America west of the Mississippi, one of the brightest patches of light at night is on the Great Plains in North Dakota. It's not a city, not a town, not a military installation.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This patch of light is baffled me since clusters of light on this image almost always are connected to high levels of urbanization and North Dakota has no major population center of that magnitude. This is the Bakken formation, a new oil and gas field that is producing over 600,000 barrels a day. The lights are oil rigs that are lit up at night, but even more because many gas flares are burning leading locals to call the area "Kuwait on the Prairie." Oil men from far and wide are flocking to the rural, lightly populated area raising rents sky-high. This has caused a huge localized gender imbalance, changing the demographic and cultural character of the region because of the drastic the economic and environmental shifts in the area (see the national gender balance here). This is a great reminder that the physical and human geographies of a region are fully intermeshed one with another. Tags: resources, gender, environment, economic, migration. 
Heidi Zumbrun Bjerke's comment,
February 12, 9:52 PM
Use google earth and you can compare the two images.
Mary Patrick Schoettinger's comment,
February 12, 11:55 PM
that's an excellent idea, especially to have students suggest what the light might be in the photo. The question is , is the bright light a one time occurrence or does it continue?J
Mary Rack's comment,
February 13, 6:08 AM
I'm having trouble installing GoogleEarth on my iMac. Looking forward to the comparison. Big adjustment after years in the PC world.
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There will soon be 7 billion people on the planet. Find out why you shouldn’t panic—at least, not yet. This whole year, National Geographic has been producing materials on the impacts of a growing global population (including this popular and powerful video). Now that the year has (almost) concluded, all of these resources are archived in here. These resources are designed to answers some of our Earth's most critical questions: Are there too many people on the planet? What influences women to have fewer children? How will we cope with our changing climate? Are we in 'the Age of Man?' Can we feed the 7 billion of us? Are cities the cure for our growing pains? What happens when our oceans become acidic? Is there enough for everyone? Tags: population, National Geographic, sustainability, density. Delete the scoop?
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10 ways to go green this holiday season. Zero Waste holiday tips from Eco-Cycle. This infographic combined with these recommendations are some simple reminders that mass consumption and waste does not contribute to global joy or cheer.
Mary Rack's comment,
November 25, 2012 8:10 PM
I shared this on Facebook and Google+. Hope for lots of readers and followers!
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In a world where photoshop has made the unreal seem ordinary, these unearthly seemingly landscapes might seem likely fakes. The world can be that extraordinary. Pictured above is the "Door to Hell" in Turkmenistan. Rich with natural gas, Soviets were drilling in 1971 when the drilling rig collapsed and left a huge (230 feet wide) hole. In an attempt to stop gas leaks they hoped a fire would burn off any discharge, but it is still burning today. Enjoy this gallery of 25 'unnatural' images. 
Sam Capron's curator insight,
March 27, 9:48 PM
These landscape at really breathtaking! I hope to one day be able to visit some of them myself and take pictures of my very own! By the way the photo of the Gullfoss in Iceland is now my computers background image. :) Delete the scoop?
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