What is the Use of Fieldwork? Conceptions of Students and Staff in Geography and Geology

This paper explores conceptions of the purpose of fieldwork held by undergraduates and academic staff in the disciplines of geography and geology. Phenomenographic analysis of written data reveals six qualitatively distinct conceptions broadly classified as ‘fragmented’ and ‘cohesive’. While considerable commonality in conceptions exists across subjects and stages of study, variations appear to reflect underlying diversity in the aims and delivery of undergraduate fieldwork, and in the undergraduate populations themselves. In particular, the identification of apparent ‘mismatches’ between the conceptions held by students and academic staff has important implications for the design and delivery of undergraduate geography and geology fieldwork.[1]

Geographical Concept Recognition With the Octgrid Method for Learning Geography and Geology

Recognizing geographical concepts such as ridges, valleys, and contour lines is an important issue in geography learning. We provide a system for automatic recognition of such concepts based on a data structure, OCTGRIDs for landforms. Furthermore, we apply the systems to a CAI system for geology and geography.[2]

Relationship of Climate, Geography, and Geology to the Incidence of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya during the 2006–2007 Outbreak

We estimated Rift Valley fever (RVF) incidence as a function of geological, geographical, and climatological factors during the 2006–2007 RVF epidemic in Kenya. Location information was obtained for 214 of 340 (63%) confirmed and probable RVF cases that occurred during an outbreak from November 1, 2006 to February 28, 2007. Locations with subtypes of solonetz, calcisols, solonchaks, and planosols soil types were highly associated with RVF occurrence during the outbreak period. Increased rainfall and higher greenness measures before the outbreak were associated with increased risk. RVF was more likely to occur on plains, in densely bushed areas, at lower elevations, and in the Somalia acacia ecological zone. Cases occurred in three spatial temporal clusters that differed by the date of associated rainfall, soil type, and land usage.[3]

The geography and geology of plastics: their environmental distribution and fate

In this chapter, we focus on the occurrence, behavior, and interactions of environmental plastics within a geological framework, considering their transport pathways, behavior as “sedimentary” particles, and longevity and fate in a range of sedimentary settings. We consider the processes that act upon plastics, including chemical, physical, and biological, in their cradle-to-grave journey. We assess how much plastic leaks into the surface environment, where it is concentrated, and in what forms it may occur in the near-, medium-, and long-term future.[4]

Dinaric karst—Geography and geology

The Dinaric karst is geographically and geologically the carbonate part of the Dinaric Mountains on the Balkan Peninsula between the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonian Basin. The Dinaric karst is “classical” karst because of many reasons: the term karst (kras) was derived from its NW part (Kras plateau); from the region originate such international terms as polje, uvala, doline, kamenitza, and ponor and it is also the landscape where karstology and speleology as sciences were born. The most characteristic relief forms are high karst plateaus and numerous poljes elongated in NW-SE direction (“Dinaric” direction), leveled surfaces, dolines, large and deep caves, sinking rivers and abundant springs. According to different geological, hydrological, climate and geomorphic characteristics the Dinaric karst can be divided into three belts parallel to the Adriatic Sea: low coastal Adriatic karst, high mountain karst and low continental inland karst. The Dinaric karst is known also as a limestone desert, a bare rocky landscape that results from climate conditions and especially because of intense land use in past centuries.[5]

Reference

[1] Stokes, A., Magnier, K. and Weaver, R., 2011. What is the use of fieldwork? Conceptions of students and staff in geography and geology. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 35(01), pp.121-141.

[2] Yokoyama, R., Kureha, A., Motohashi, T., Ogasawara, H., Yaku, T. and Yoshino, D., 2007, July. Geographical concept recognition with the octgrid method for learning geography and geology. In 2007 International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (pp. 470-471). IEEE Computer Society.

[3] Hightower, A., Kinkade, C., Nguku, P.M., Anyangu, A., Mutonga, D., Omolo, J., Njenga, M.K., Feikin, D.R., Schnabel, D., Ombok, M. and Breiman, R.F., 2012. Relationship of climate, geography, and geology to the incidence of Rift Valley fever in Kenya during the 2006–2007 outbreak. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 86(2), p.373.

[4] Gabbott, S., Key, S., Russell, C., Yonan, Y. and Zalasiewicz, J., 2020. The geography and geology of plastics: Their environmental distribution and fate. In Plastic Waste and Recycling (pp. 33-63). Academic Press.

[5] Hajna, N.Z., 2019. Dinaric karst—Geography and geology. In Encyclopedia of caves (pp. 353-362). Academic Press.