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.
Map of the United Kingdom showing the voting areas for the European Union membership referendum, 2016. Map authors: Mirrorme22, Nilfanion, TUBS, and Sting, Wikipedia.

The Complex Geography of the Brexit Vote

A.J. Rohn

A.J. Rohn takes a look at the geographical factors behind the recent vote in the United Kingdom in favor of leaving the European Union in its controversial Brexit referendum.

A map showing marina protected areas with labels in Northern California.

Negotiations Underway at United Nations for Marine Protected Areas

A.J. Rohn

The United Nations is currently developing regulations for ocean waters beyond national boundaries and exclusive economic zones, extending beyond 200 miles.

Fighting Drought with Man-made Mountains

A.J. Rohn

As a major drought continues in Africa and the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates is considering a project to create a “man made mountain” and seed the resulting clouds in order to produce rainfall.

Screenshot of the mapping application from Disappearing West.

New Project Maps the Loss of Natural Spaces in American West

A.J. Rohn

At DisappearingWest.org, you can actively monitor the loss of natural land as the American West continues to be developed with maps, statistics, and explanations for this trend.

Map and summary table of Urban stream deserts (UrbSDs) within the Great Lakes Megaregion. The inset table summarizes the ten largest UrbSD Urban Areas (UAs). From: Napieralski and Carvalhaes, 2016.

Mapping the Consequences of American Urbanization and Stream Burial

A.J. Rohn

A study has found that much of the area of urban America ­ particularly in the Great Lakes region (8.3% of urban area), the Arizona Sun Corridor (7.1%), and Northern California (10.9%) but elsewhere all over the United States (6.2% total) ­ are “urban stream deserts” in which a city is “riverless... due to the effects of human development and population growth”.