Archive for November, 2013
Why do the tropics have the highest biodiversity?
A long-standing problem in biogeography is to explain the gradient of biodiversity that decreases as latitude increases. Why do the tropics have the world’s greatest biodiversity while polar, Arctic, and Antarctic biomes have lower species diversity? A recent study of mammalian and avian biodiversity compared with weather and climate data, summarized here, suggests that “the […]
Gustavus Students and Faculty Join National Solidarity Fast for Climate Action
Gustavus Students and Faculty Join National Solidarity Fast for Climate Action What: Solidarity Fast for Climate Action When: THIS FRIDAY, November 22, sun up to sun down Who: YOU, GAC students and faculty, and students at 65 other campuses across the nation! Yeb Saño, the lead delegate from the Philippines at the UN Climate Change […]
Global map of deforestation, 2000-2012
Geographers working with Google cloud computing experts have released a new interactive map of forest losses and gains between 2000 and 2012.The map is created from Landsat satellite imagery. Humans are the main cause of forest lost, followed by fire, especially in temperate boreal forests. Nearly a third of deforestation occurred in the tropics, with […]
As Climate Warms American West, Iconic Trout In Jeopardy
As readers might recall, I suffer from weather-mania, an affliction inherited from my father. However, I also suffer from trout-mania, an affliction equally inherited from my father that was born on the small streams of Franconia, Minnesota, and matured on the blue-ribbon streams of southwestern Montana. Today, the very trout that have brought me so […]
Coneflower Prairie
Under a sky of brilliant blue, students in GEG105 Physical Geography: Earth System Science braved the cold this morning to walk through the lovely Gustavus Coneflower Prairie, a representation of the grassland biome which once stretched like a vast ocean of grasses from Saint Peter west to the Rocky Mountains. When asked if it was […]
How the Los Angeles Aqueduct began
A recent Los Angeles Post feature article provides a history of the L.A. Aqueduct and its visionary, colorful, water chief William Mulholland, celebrated as a hero in Los Angeles but vilified as a thief in California’s Owens Valley, from where the water is diverted.
American Indian Activist to Speak at Gustavus
Clyde Bellecourt, Native American civil rights leader and co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), will speak at Gustavus Adolphus College at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11 in Alumni Hall. Bellecourt’s lecture is titled “The American Indian Movement: Past, Present, and Future,” and is free and open to the public. Bellecourt was born on the […]
Guess the Scale: Macro or Micro?
If you love the concept of scale as much as the next geographer, you should check out this Smithsonian website. It contains images collected at the macro scale by a geographer (using remote sensing) and at the micro scale by a herpetologist (using a microscope). Can you guess which are the macro images and which […]
Geocaching in the Arb: This Saturday
Introduction to Geocaching will be held 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Linnaeus Arboretum, Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. GPS Geocaching is like a fun, technology-based outdoor treasure hunt. If you’ve never tried geocaching before, this is your chance. We’ll have several GPS units on-hand you can borrow and we’ll teach you […]
Faculty Profile: Prof. Ryan Bergstrom
By Gustavus Geography major Brian Zabel (’14). Growing up in St. Paul, MN, Dr. Ryan Bergstrom started his journey to Gustavus after graduating from nearby Mahtomedi High School. He then spent some time at Lakewood Community College/Century College where he pursued a business degree. During his pursuit of a business degree, Ryan spent several years […]