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.

Aerial view of submerged Chennai airport taken by Indian Air Force helicopters following heavy rains in Tamil Nadu, December 2015 Photo: Indian Air Force, 2015.

Human Geography

The Flooding of Chennai: Urban India and Climate Change

June 22, 2023

A.J. Rohn

In late November and early December, flooding plagued South India and particularly Chennai. AJ Rohn takes a look at the confluence of climate change and urban India.

Geographic distribution of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria prevalence survey locations and values overlaid upon the distance to the nearest protected area for Sub-Saharan Africa within the malaria zone. From Taber and Smitchwick, 2015.

Human Geography

Do Protected Areas Have an Effect on Malaria Prevalence?

April 7, 2023

A.J. Rohn

Recently, a paper by researchers at Penn State was published in Applied Geography that looks for connections between protected areas in Africa and malaria.

Map showing the percentage of population with access to electricity. Source: World Bank, 2011-2015.

Economic Geography

African Hydropower News

May 20, 2021

A.J. Rohn

The construction of hydroelectric dams in Sub-Saharan Africa provides the opportunity to bring more power to the region and prepare for rapidly growing populations and offers benefits to health, agriculture, and more

The surface of Mars: (left) as seen through the Hubble Space Telescope, and (right) as mapped by Percival Lowell in 1905 and showing the locations of ‘canals’. Images: NASA Photojournal image PIA03154 © NASA/Hubble Heritage Team and Lowell, 1908.

Geography Basics

Liquid Water on Mars

July 16, 2023

A.J. Rohn

An article in the Summer 2015 issue of Geography addresses how water and historical climate change have transformed the landscape of Mars.

Climate change in the Sahel has resulted in dried lakes, unemployed fishermen, droughts, flooding, conflict, and food insecurity. Map: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report on Ecosystems and Human Well-Being Desertification Synthesis.

Human Geography

Climate Change and Development

November 21, 2015

A.J. Rohn

Researchers with the London School of Economics and Political Science published a report as part of the Pathways to Resilience in Semi-Arid Economies project that looks into reconciling economic development and poverty alleviation with climate change.