A.J. Rohn

A.J. is a recent graduate of the Geography and Environmental Studies programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a passion for writing and interests in areas ranging from ecology to geosophy to geopolitics. He enjoys the geography of Wisconsin, be it the north woods or city life in Madison. He loves to read research papers in geography, books by scholars like Yi-Fu Tuan and Bill Cronon (both at UW-Madison), as well as classic fiction writers like Thomas Pynchon and Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is very much inspired by the work of all the people he encountered in Madison’s geography department, so expect a wide range of topics when reading his articles here.

Satellite image of Phoenix, Arizona, 2009. Image: NASA, public domain.

Urban Geography and Big Data

May 9, 2021November 8, 2016 by A.J. Rohn

The blossoming field of urban technologies will shape how the future looks, as spaces around the world become increasingly urbanized.

Lateral view of the head of Günther snake (Microcephalophis cantoris). Source: Rezaie-Atagholipour et al., 2016).

Adapting to Live in a Hypersaline Environment

November 7, 2016 by A.J. Rohn

In their field work, the Iranian and French researchers encountered a Günther’s sea snake in the Persian Gulf, beyond what was thought to be its geographical range.

Deforestation near the Medellín River and Caldas, Antioquia, Colombia. Photo: medea_material, January 2008.

A Conservation-Based Future in Colombia

August 12, 2020October 22, 2016 by A.J. Rohn

By properly including indigenous and impoverished peoples in the new economy and securing communal land rights in the forests, as well as fostering soil recovery in areas of coca cultivation and managing resource extraction, Colombia can move into a more equitable and environmentally sustainable future.

$The introduction of fracking fluids very drastically changes the underground microbial ecosystems which become dominated by bacteria that thrive in highly saline environments including those of a new genus named Frackibacter. Figure from Daly et al. (2016).$

Microbial Life in Fracking Fluids

July 14, 2023October 15, 2016 by A.J. Rohn

The introduction of fracking fluids very drastically changes the underground microbial ecosystems which become dominated by bacteria that thrive in highly saline environments including those of a new genus named Frackibacter.

$A simple map of the continental United States overlayed with areas of fracking in blue.$

EPA Issues Report on Fracking and Earthquakes

July 14, 2023September 24, 2016 by A.J. Rohn

According to EPA scientists in North Texas, earthquakes there are likely related to fracking and drilling. Although it is not a new discovery that this link is possible or even likely, an acknowledgement from the EPA is significant.