Geography is the study of the Earth and its features and of the distribution of life on the earth, including human life and the effects of human activity. Geography research addresses both the questions of where, as well as why phenomena occur in particular places. The word comes from the Greek words Ge (γη) or Gaea (γαια), both meaning "Earth", and graphein (γραφειν) meaning "to describe" or "to write".

"Mere place names are not geography. To know by heart a whole gazeteer full of them would not, in itself, constitute anyone a geographer. Geography has higher aims than this... to trace out the great laws of nature and to mark their influence upon man. In a word, geography is a science, a thing not of mere names, but of argument and reason, of cause and effect." -- William Hughes (King's College, 1863)

Since place matters for everything from economics and health, to climate, plants and animals, geography is highly interdisciplinary. Geography draws upon and contributes to numerous other knowledge disciplines. Geography is broadly divided into human geography and physical geography, with subfields of geography including economic geography, political geography, urban geography, biogeography, geomorphology, coastal geography, and others.

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UC Davis News: General Interest

UC Davis Experts: Wildfires
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A dry spring, warm temperatures and high winds have officials preparing for an early start to the 2008 California wildfire season. The following UC Davis faculty members have expertise regarding wildfire chemistry, monitoring, suppression and recovery. Also listed are University of California wildfire-prevention resources for property owners. DURING AND AFTER FIRES Fire and forest ecology Malcolm North, a UC Davis associate professor of forest ecology, specializes in the study of ecosystem response to wildfire and thinning, particularly in the extensive mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada. Following a burn or thinning, he analyzes changes in ecosystem function, structure and composition, particularly changes in vegetation and forest structure, microclimates, soil moisture, nutrient cycling and biodiversity. North has also conducted research on the role of Sierra forests in global climate change. Forests are a potential source or sink for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Scientists and foresters are trying to understand how to best manage the forests' carbon stock in fire-prone forests such as the Sierra Nevada. Recent research suggests global warming may already be associated with earlier starts of the annual fire season. (North's primary employer is the U.S. Forest Service, where he is a research scientist in plant ecology.) Contact: Malcolm North, Plant Sciences, (530) 754-7398, mnorth@ucdavis.edu. Wildfires, air pollution and health effects Michael Kleeman, UC Davis professor of civil and environmental engineering, studies urban and regional air-quality problems in the Los Angeles area and in the Central Valley. He has studied emissions from wood-burning fireplaces, which produce emissions similar to those from forest fires. He is especially interested in the size and composition of atmospheric particles and in gas-to-particle conversion processes. These issues are important because research has found that airborne particles with diameters less than 2.5 microns cause adverse health effects, and the size and composition of particles found in the atmosphere determines much of the haze in large cities. Contact: Michael Kleeman, Civil and Environmental Engineering, (530) 752-8386, mjkleeman@ucdavis.edu. Nanoparticles, combustion and air pollution Ian Kennedy, a UC Davis professor of mechanical engineering, studies how very small particles of metal and carbon (soot) -- measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter -- are formed within flames. These nanoparticles, which contribute to air pollution and may be hazardous to human health, come from burning wood, oil and coal in processes such as welding and from diesel engines. In wildfires, minerals in soil can become processed into nanoparticles as well as comparatively large ash particles. Contact: Ian Kennedy, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, (530) 752-2796, imkennedy@ucdavis.edu. BEFORE FIRES Wildfires and organizational behavior Organizational sociologist Tom Beamish studies how organizations and institutions deal with disasters. Beamish, an associate professor of sociology, can talk about how formal organizations -- governmental, commercial and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) -- respond to human-induced disasters. He says that many of what appear to be naturally occurring disasters are, in reality, the result of long-term problems actively ignored or simply not seen by the organizations charged with protecting the public. These organizations are generally reactive by nature. Being proactive requires making difficult choices over funding and priorities, choosing among the risks, and overcoming a basic inertia that is inherent in formal, bureaucratic organizations. Beamish wrote "Silent Spill: The Organization of an Industrial Crisis" (2002). He received a 2003 Hazards Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Contact: Tom Beamish, Sociology, (530) 754-6897, tdbeamish@ucdavis.edu. Predicting fires from models The frequency of major forest fires can be predicted using relatively simple mathematical models based on the frequency of much smaller fires, according to Donald Turcotte, a professor of geology at UC Davis. Earthquakes, floods, landslides and fires all depend on "self-organized criticality" -- an accumulation of small changes that cause an abrupt change in the state of a system. For example, patches of new growth in a forest gradually form larger and larger areas of fuel that can cause a major wildfire. One implication of the model is that large fires are more likely to occur when fuel is allowed to build up because small fires are suppressed. Contact: Donald Turcotte, Geology, (530) 752-6808, turcotte@geology.ucdavis.edu. Thinning wildlands Bruce Hartsough, professor and chair of biological and agricultural engineering at UC Davis, has worked with the U.S. Forest Service and private industry on projects to manage wildlands for both fire management and better wood utilization. When people encroach on forested land, vegetation should be thinned near houses, especially smaller trees and shrubs and vegetation close to the ground. Thinning and/or prescribed burns (purposely set fires) are also needed in less-developed forests. Reducing the amount of fuel reduces the intensity and rate of spread of wildfires, he says. Contact: Bruce Hartsough, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, (530) 752-0103, brhartsough@ucdavis.edu. Fire to heal wildlands The large-scale suppression of wildfires during the past century has led to a massive buildup of fuel in the nation's wildlands in the form of shrubs, small trees and natural debris. Fires now tend to burn hot and high into the trees, rather than just along the forest floor. They not only burn branches and scar trunks but also kill most of the trees. Michael Barbour, an ecologist with the UC Davis Tahoe Research Group, recommends that purposely set fires known as prescribed burns be used as one of a suite of management tools in the forests surrounding California's renowned Lake Tahoe. Set on calm days when the moisture content is high enough to slow the spread of flames, such fires will burn smaller trees, brush and forest litter, and prevent catastrophic fires. Prescribed burns, coupled with thinning to remove some otherwise burnable biomass, should help foster the survival of the most mature trees and eventually restore the forests to old-growth status. Contact: Michael Barbour, (530) 752-2956, mgbarbour@ucdavis.edu. Rescuing horses from the fire Advance preparation could mean the difference between life and death for horses caught in the path of a fire. Veterinarian John Madigan, a UC Davis authority on equine and emergency veterinary medicine, urges horse owners to first clear brush at least 30 feet from barns and corrals. Trucks and trailers should be kept nearby and operational in case animals need to be evacuated, and an alternate exit by foot should be mapped out in case roads are blocked by fire. Stalls and doors should be closed after evacuation to prevent fire-panicked horses from running back inside. A community-based emergency evacuation plan for horses is essential. Horse owner groups should work with local animal control and fire departments to develop a plan and a list of horse hauling resources and sites to take ho
Distemper Identified as Cause of Skunk Deaths in Shasta County
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Canine distemper, one of the most serious viral diseases affecting dogs, appears to have caused the deaths in recent months of a large number of skunks, foxes and raccoons in Northern California, report veterinary scientists at the University of California, Davis. Since mid-February, 83 skunks, 13 foxes and 12 raccoons were reported to have died of unexplained causes in Shasta County. "Early molecular tests were negative for canine distemper and rabies, which are both contagious viruses that can infect many species of domestic and wild carnivorous animals," said Mourad Gabriel, a comparative pathology graduate student in the laboratory of veterinary professor Janet Foley. "Postmortem exams, however, revealed typical changes associated with canine distemper infection." Canine distemper is a potentially fatal disease primarily causing inflammation in the nervous and respiratory systems. While the virus does not pose a threat to human health, dog owners are urged to protect the health of their animals by having them vaccinated against distemper and keeping them away from wild animals, which might be carrying the disease. Unfortunately, the outbreak is continuing with ongoing reports of deaths, including animals from more distant locations. Gabriel, Foley and veterinary pathology professor Linda Munson, have been investigating the unexplained wildlife deaths in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Game. Munson performed the postmortem exams that identified canine distemper as the cause. "The animals we examined had tissue damage that is characteristic of canine distemper viral infection," Munson said. "We confirmed the presence of the distemper virus in the tissues and now plan to isolate it in laboratory cultures." She added that more of the animals that died during the recent outbreak will also be examined. "The Fish and Game office in Redding has been diligent in collecting fresh samples for us in order to more thoroughly investigate this die-off," said Gabriel, noting that anyone who finds dead or dying wildlife should refrain from touching the carcasses and, instead, report the finding to the local animal control agency or California Department of Fish and Game.
Kevin Johnson: New Law School Dean
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Kevin R. Johnson, associate dean for academic affairs and a noted international expert on immigration, race, and civil rights law, was confirmed today as dean of the UC Davis School of Law by the UC Board of Regents. Johnson, 49, will be the first Latino to lead a law school in the University of California system. He will assume his new responsibilities at King Hall on July 1, replacing Rex Perschbacher, who has led the school since 1998 and will return to the faculty. "Kevin's academic credibility is the essence of his popularity among our faculty and students, but those of us who know him well recognize much more," said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "Most notably, he cares deeply about those who need, but have no access to, legal assistance. He pays special attention to the first-hand experience our students receive in their free clinics." Vanderhoef added, "The law school is certain to flourish under Kevin's guiding hand." Established in 1965, the UC Davis School of Law currently enrolls approximately 600 students, has 36 faculty members and more than 6,000 alumni. The school, housed in Martin Luther King Jr. Hall, is noted for its emphasis on social justice and human rights, environmental and natural resources law, international law, intellectual property, and business law. It maintains one of the highest bar-passage rates in the state. "UC Davis School of Law has an excellent faculty, staff, and student body. Dean Perschbacher has done a truly outstanding job in overseeing an intellectual renaissance at the law school, hiring an extraordinary group of the most diverse faculty in the United States," Johnson said. "My modest hope is to build on his achievements while maintaining the King Hall community that we all know and love," Johnson added. "Specifically, we must do all within our power to remain a top public law school in times of tight budgets and increasing fees. I am committed to doing what it takes to keep the best and brightest faculty and students from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. In my mind, this is what a public law school should strive for." Johnson, who also is the Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies, joined the UC Davis law faculty in 1989 and was named associate dean for academic affairs in 1998. He has taught a wide array of classes, including civil procedure, immigration law, refugee law, and critical race theory. In 1993, Johnson was honored with the law school's Distinguished Teaching Award. Johnson currently serves as president of the board of directors of Legal Services of Northern California, the largest legal services provider in Northern California. He also is on the board of directors of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the nation's leading Latino civil rights organization. He is serving on the Immigration Policy Group of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Along with Professor Bill Hing, Johnson co-manages the ImmigrationProf blog, which analyzes issues of immigration law and policy. With more than 300,000 visits, it is among the most popular legal blogs at http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/. Johnson's book "How Did You Get to Be Mexican? A White/Brown Man's Search for Identity," was published in 1999 and was nominated for the 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He also has published "Race, Civil Rights, and American Law: A Multiracial Approach," "Mixed Race America and the Law: A Reader" and "The 'Huddled Masses' Myth Immigration and Civil Rights." Johnson's latest book, "Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink Its Borders and Immigration Laws," was published by NYU Press in 2007. He is co-author of two amicus curiae briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in immigration cases. A 1983 graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Johnson earned his undergraduate degree in economics from UC Berkeley. After graduation from law school, he clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and worked as an attorney with the international law firm of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe in San Francisco. Johnson has held leadership positions in the Association of American Law Schools. He also has been honored with many awards, including the 2008 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Scholar of the Year and the 2006 Professor of the Year from the Hispanic National Bar Association. In 2003, Johnson was elected to the American Law Institute. As dean, Johnson will be paid an annual base salary of $307,200. Additional details about his compensation are available at: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/compensation/salaryactions.html.

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