Caitlin Dempsey

Caitlin Dempsey is the editor of Geography Realm and holds a master's degree in Geography from UCLA as well as a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from SJSU.
A eruption of mud.

GIS Data: Shallow Sea Mud Volcanoes

Caitlin Dempsey

A global dataset of 700 mud volcanoes was recently published by geologists from Sapienza University.

Global sea level over the past 540 million years, showing the combined effects of tectonic activity (green), long-term ice changes (red), and both together (dark blue). The light blue shading shows the estimated range of short-term sea level fluctuations caused by changes in Earth’s orbit.

Mapping Short-term Sea Level Changes Over 540 Million Years

Caitlin Dempsey

Researchers mapped 540 million years of sea level change, showing major short-term shifts during ice ages driven by Earth's orbital cycles.

A running stream in a forest.

Water Can Take Years to Seep out of Mountains

Caitlin Dempsey

Groundwater stored over many years is a significant contributor to streamflow in Western United States mountains according to a published study.

A photo of a wave spray against a cliff by the ocean.

Study Models How the Behavior of Waves Affects Blue Carbon Storage

Caitlin Dempsey

Bubbles created by the movement of waves can influence how much carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean.

Regional map of the terrestrial ecosystems of the contiguous United States. Source: NatureServe, 2025.

High Resolution Ecosystem Map of the Contiguous United States and Adjacent Areas

Caitlin Dempsey

NatureServe has developed an updated 30-meter hexagon map of regional ecosystems in the contiguous United States and adjacent areas.

An oblique photo from the International Space Station of Lake Chapala in Mexico.

Lake Chapala: a Tectonic Lake at Mexico’s Triple-graben Intersection

Caitlin Dempsey

Lake Chapala was formed at the intersection of three grabens.

Annotated satellite image of the Wayombo River.

Rivers that Flow Backwards

Caitlin Dempsey

Read about how the Amazon once flowed east to west and how the strength of Hurricane Isaac once change the course of the Mississippi river.

Map of the location of Point Barrow.

Northernmost Point in the United States

Caitlin Dempsey

Above the Arctic Circle, Point Barrow is the northernmost point in the United States.

Mapping Migration to Twin Falls From Other U.S. Citie, 2016-2020. Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Natural Earth. Map: Caitlin Dempsey.

How to Create a Radial Flow Map Using QGIS

Caitlin Dempsey

Learn how to create a radial flow map in QGIS to visualize migration using metro-to-metro data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Bar chart show voting versus non voting cardinals.

Map and Chart of Cardinals and the 2025 Papal Conclave

Caitlin Dempsey

The 2025 papal conclave is underway. Here's which countries the 135 voting cardinals eligible to elect the next pope come from.

Shaded relief map with shades of blue showing the location of an iceberg off the coast of an Antarctic island.

World’s Biggest Iceberg

Caitlin Dempsey

The largest iceberg in the world is A-23A, with an area of about 1,240 square miles.

A soft color map showing the Antarctica ocean region and the path of an iceberg over time.

Geography and GIS Glossary

Caitlin Dempsey

This Geography and GIS glossary provides definitions for terms related to geographic information systems (GIS), cartography, remote sensing, and other ...

A shaded relief map highlighting Alaska and the lower 48 states with the surrounding countries muted with a semitransparent white overlay.

Only State… Geography Facts

Caitlin Dempsey

Here are some interesting geography facts that are unique to individual U.S. states and do not occur in any other state.

A satellite imager of an anvil cloud formation over the ocean.

Satellite Imagery of Clouds

Caitlin Dempsey

Listed here are different clouds formations as seen on satellite imagery.

A view of a wetland with marshes on either side of a body of water.

Water on Earth

Caitlin Dempsey

Earth holds trillions of tons of water, mostly in oceans. Only 2.5% is freshwater, primarily found in glaciers, groundwater, lakes, and rivers.

Dominant institutions in the field in North America include well-known programs at the University of California Santa Barbara, Ohio State University, University at Buffalo, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Figure: GIS faculty working in North American institutions based on whether they earned their doctoral degrees in North America or in other regions, Kang & Chen, 2025.

Where are GIS Professors Hired From?

Caitlin Dempsey

Researchers analyzed GIS faculty hiring data to identify geographic patterns influencing job placement.

Two world maps shaded in green for 10% and 30% forest area.

Defining How Much of the World is Covered by Forests

Caitlin Dempsey

With no universal definition, mapping and comparing forest coverage around the world is challenging.

A satellite image of a peninsula with a turquoise lake.

Glacial Flour Makes Some Lakes Turquoise

Caitlin Dempsey

Glacial flour, the fine dust created as glaciers move over land, turns lakes a turquoise color by reflecting blue and green light.

Geography Printables

Caitlin Dempsey

GeographyFun features maps, crosswords, and word searches for educators, students, and geography enthusiasts who love exploring the world through words.

A massive plume of sand and dust was pushed northward from the Sahara desert by the calima, a warm southeasterly wind prevalent in North Africa in the winter, as seen in a satellite view of Spain and Portugal. Image: February 21, 2016, NASA.

Deep Space Mapping of Saharan Dust Height

Caitlin Dempsey

Researchers used four years of measurements from a deep space satellite to calculate the average monthly heights of Saharan dust clouds.

Map showing the NDVI anomaly in 2024 compared to average levels from 1991 to 2020). After a couple of years of above average precipitation in Southern California, vegetations levels in the summer of 2024 were 30% greener than average. Map: NASA, public domain.

Hydroclimate Whiplash: the Impact on California Wildfires

Caitlin Dempsey

Hydroclimate whiplash - the rapid swing between drought and heavy precipitation - plays a role in the increasing intensity of California wildfires.

A photo taken from space that has been labeled with place names of an open water estuary.

Florida’s Largest Open Water Estuary

Caitlin Dempsey

Covering an area of about 400 square miles, Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open water estuary.

A Tweet from 2020 comparing a map to an animal.

Cartopareidolia: Seeing People and Animals in Maps

Caitlin Dempsey

Cartopareidolia is the phenomenon of seeing people and animals in maps.

A screenshot of an application showing a basemap of the SF bay area with blue lifework on top of it.

Shapefile Viewers

Caitlin Dempsey

Explore viewers for visualizing GIS vector data in shapefile format, available for both desktop and web browsers.

Sado Island: An Example of Tripartite Geography

Caitlin Dempsey

Sado Island is an example of a landmass with tripartite physical geography.

Visualization by NASA showing the retreat of the Smith Glacier grounding line between 1996 and 2011.

Understanding Glacier Grounding Lines

Caitlin Dempsey

Grounding lines are the boundaries where glaciers and ice sheets transition from resting on solid ground to floating on seawater.

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