Landscape & Environmental Change
Earth's environments are changing rapidly in response to a variety of human activities and natural processes. Miami Geographers are active in the study of these phenomena, with a particular focus on human dominated systems. The Department has strong expertise in the application of GIS and remote sensing in geographic research. We have collaborative links to other environmental scientists at Miami involved in teaching and research in these areas.
Among our particular areas of expertise are:
Remote sensing techniques in the study of forest disturbances (Henry, Maingi)
Riparian forests; forest ecology (Maingi, Medley)
Carbon sequestrian on the landscape (Medley, Renwick)
Water and watershed management (Green, Maingi, Renwick)
Sediment transport and hydrology (Renwick)
Land use and land use change (Maingi, Medley, Renwick)
Fire effects on landscape pattern and post-fire vegetation recovery (Henry)
Urban sprawl and ecological sustainability (Klak)
Recent thesis
Amy Gillespie (2008) Sediment Sources Associated with the Delaware and O'Shaughnessy Reservoirs, Ohio (William Renwick, advisor)
Neil Winn (2008) Modeling Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Subalpine and Alpine Lakes with GIS and Remote Sensing (Robbyn Abbitt, advisor)
Kristy Zhinin (2008) Local Participation in Managing Water Quality Problems from Artisanal Gold Mining: In the Rio Gala Watershed, Ecuador (William Renwick, advisor)
Zachary Andereck (2007) Mapping Vulnerability of Infrastructure to Destruction by Slope Failures on the Island of Dominica, WI: A Case Study of Grand Fond, Petite Soufriere, and Mourne Jaune (William Renwick, advisor)
Peter Maluki (2007) Mapping Land Cover Change in Mbeere District, Kenya (Mary Henry, advisor)
Kelli Vogt (2007) Geographic Information Systems at the ohio Department of Natural Resources (David Prytherch, advisor)