Department of Geography

Study shows the impact of deforestation and forest burning on biodiversity in the Amazon

Published: September 2, 2021 | 11:15 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Lax regulations on deforestation in the Amazon have fueled the loss of rain forest and threatened the future of many of the region's species. (Courtesy of the University of Arizona.)

A new study authored by researchers from Florida State University and the University of Arizona is offering the first quantitative assessment of how lax deforestation policies, drought and forest fires have impacted biodiversity in the Amazon River basin. FSU Assistant Professor of Geography Xiao Feng worked on the study published today in Nature while at […]

FSU experts available to comment on United States and the Paris Agreement

Published: October 27, 2020 | 4:03 pm | Posted in: Expert Pitches

Jeff Chanton, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and John Widmer Winchester Professor of Oceanography, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. (FSU Photography Services)

Carbon emissions and climate change were key issues in the past presidential election. Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden has said he will sign an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement— an international accord with the goal of limiting global climate change that the United States left on Nov. 4, 2020. Florida State University has […]

FSU researchers find access to mental health facilities in Florida varies

Published: June 16, 2020 | 12:36 pm | Posted in: Health & Medicine

Researchers from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the FSU Department of Geography analyzed how long it takes people across Florida to travel to a mental health facility by car in free-flowing traffic. Clockwise from top left are co-authors Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Eren Erman Ozguven, Professor of Geography Mark Horner, geography doctoral student Kyusik Kim and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering doctoral student Mahyar Ghorbanzadeh.

The demand for mental health services may be growing, but access to these facilities is still a challenge for many Floridians, Florida State University researchers found. In a study published in Transportation Research Part D, researchers from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the FSU Department of Geography analyzed how long it takes people across […]

The makeup of mariculture: FSU researchers examine global trends in seafood farming

Published: October 14, 2019 | 12:03 pm | Posted in: Education & Society, Science & Technology

When Florida families settle down to enjoy a seafood dinner they may not realize the main dish wasn’t freshly caught in the nearby Gulf of Mexico, but rather farmed off the coast of Panama. The process of farming seafood in the ocean, known as mariculture, is a growing trend yet little is known about the […]

New study could improve understanding of how rare species benefit human beings

Published: May 17, 2019 | 10:22 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Conservationists have long been committed to the preservation of rare plant and animal species — from California’s colossal sequoias to Atlantic bluefin tuna to China’s giant pandas — without having a rigorous system for determining these unique species’ tangible contributions to human well-being. A team of ecologists including Florida State University Assistant Professor Stephanie Pau […]

Tropical treetops are warming, putting sensitive species at risk

Published: July 26, 2018 | 11:08 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Perched in towers high above the treetops, Pau and her team had a panoramic view of the forest canopies.

The vaulted canopies that tower above Earth’s rich tropical forests could be especially vulnerable to climate change-related temperature increases, according to a new report from Florida State University researchers. In a study published in the journal Ecosphere, scientists found temperatures in the forest canopies of Panama’s Barro Colorado Island exceeded maximum air temperatures by as […]

Advanced spatial planning models could promise new era of sustainable ocean development

Published: March 5, 2018 | 3:05 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Assistant Professor of Geography Sarah Lester

Earth’s vast oceans brim with potential for commercial activities ranging from tourism to shipping to alternative energy, but planning for the sustainable coexistence of different and competing industries has proved a complicated task. Now, researchers led by Florida State University Assistant Professor of Geography Sarah Lester have introduced an advanced, holistic analytical model that could […]

Climate change linked to more flowery tropical forests, FSU study shows

Published: January 19, 2018 | 1:21 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Pau conducted her research on the remote Barro Colorado Island, located in the middle of the Panama Canal.

New research from a Florida State University scientist has revealed a surprising relationship between surging atmospheric carbon dioxide and flower blooms in a remote tropical forest. FSU researchers studying the rich tropical forests of Panama’s Barro Colorado Island found that climbing rates of carbon dioxide have set the stage for a multidecade increase in overall […]

Heat tweet: Users flock to Twitter when temperatures rise

Published: July 19, 2017 | 11:58 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

For more than a decade, people have used social media to express themselves and inform and engage users across the globe. Now, a new study by Florida State University researchers examines the impact rising temperatures have on Twitter activity, and how government officials use the social media tool to warn the general public of heatwave […]

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