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.
This image provided by the USGS compares impervious surfaces in Boise, Idaho in 2001, 2008, and 2019.

USGS Releases Two Decades of Land Cover Change for the Contiguous United States

Caitlin Dempsey

The USGS has updated land cover maps for the conterminous United States, which show how the country's landscapes have changed over the last 18 years.

Side by side satellite images showing the water level in Lake Oroville between June 2019 (left) and June 2021 (right).

California’s Drought is Driving Reservoirs to Near Historic Lows in 2021

Caitlin Dempsey

The second year of California's drought is driving down water levels in the state's reservoirs in 2021.

Screenshot showing the Esri 2020 Land Cover.

2020 Global Land Use Data

Caitlin Dempsey

A GIS dataset of land cover for the entire world was recently released.

Ocotillo (left) and saguaro (right) are two plants found in the Sonoran Desert. Photo: National Park Service/Alice Wondrak Biel, Saguaro National Park, Public domain.

The Sonoran Desert is Losing Plants Due to Climate Change

Caitlin Dempsey

Between 1984 and 2017, a team of researchers utilized Landsat imagery to examine changes in vegetation in the Colorado Desert in Southern California.

A map of the world with the ocean in blue and the land masses shaded to replicated vegetation for the area. The world is covered in white graticule lines.

Robinson Map Projection

Caitlin Dempsey

The Robinson map projection is a compromise project that minimizes distortion across the map.

This photo from the International Space Station shows the location of Salton Sea between Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Image; NASA, June 12, 2002

California’s Largest Lake

Caitlin Dempsey

Floodwater from a broken irrigation canal gate in 1905 created California's largest lake.

Cropped Equal Earth map showing the location of the state of Alaska. Source: Equal Earth Political Map, public domain.

Alaska’s Coastline is Longer Than All the Other 49 States Combined

Caitlin Dempsey

Here are some geography facts about Alaska's coastlines.

Night sky view of the Milky Way rising above the snow-capped peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Geography Facts About the Rocky Mountains

Caitlin Dempsey

The Rocky Mountains form the longest mountain range in North America. Here are some geography facts about this mountain range.

The magnetosphere, or magnetic field encircling Earth, is seen in this image.

True North, Magnetic North, and Grid North

Caitlin Dempsey

There are a few definitions of north.

Map showing the predicted trajectory of post-tropical storm Ana. Source: NOAA

Storms of the 2021 Hurricane Season

Caitlin Dempsey

While the official 2021 hurricane season officially lasts from June 1 to November 30, 2021, the first storm of the season has already happened.

Screenshot showing a faded laptop in the background with an hourglass with blue sand and a pie chart with blue sections. Text says "requisite experiences for GIS jobs".

Preparing for a GIS Job Interview

Caitlin Dempsey

Navigating the interview process for a GIS position can be challenging due to the field's wide skillset requirements - here are some tips.

Satellite view of cumulonimbus cloud over Africa. These dramatic cloud formations are caused by rising air currents containing water vapor and varying layers of differing-temperature air in the upper atmosphere. Image: NASA

Coldest Temperature of Clouds Recorded by a Satellite

Caitlin Dempsey

Researchers measured the coldest temperature ever recorded by a satellite of a cloud.

Screenshot showing the interactive ecoregions map.

Terrestrial Ecoregions GIS Data

Caitlin Dempsey

The terrestrial ecoregions dataset is available both in shapefile format and as a Google Engine dataset.

World map showing the number of heavy metal bands per 100,000 people by country.

Geography of Heavy Metal Bands

Caitlin Dempsey

Which countries have the most heavy metal bands?

Plastic trash bag on the ocean floor.

80% of Plastic in the Ocean Comes From 1,656 Rivers

Caitlin Dempsey

A team of researchers analyzed where geographically rivers are the biggest sources of plastic pollution entering the ocean.

Geographers study how humans have altered the landscape. In Chesapeake Bay: L-R: A waterfront residential community; row crops bordered by forest; Baltimore Harbor; piers and crab pots in a waterfront fishing community. Photo: ason Burton, USGS. Public domain.

Introduction to Geography: Exploring The World Around Us

Caitlin Dempsey

Geography is the science that studies the Earth and the physical and human influences that shape it.

How the 2020 U.S. Census Shifted Congressional Seats

Caitlin Dempsey

With the 2020 Census, seven states lost seats and six states gained seats in the House of Representatives.

Photograph of the Earth captured by astronauts onboard Apollo 17 as they traveled to the moon on Dec. 7, 1972. Image: NASA

Views of Earth from Space

Caitlin Dempsey

Over the decades, Earth has been captured from near and far by astronauts and spacecraft from space.

View of Lake Tahoe from Emerald Bay. Photo: NASA/JPL.

Largest Alpine Lake in North America

Caitlin Dempsey

Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake that straddles the border between California and Nevada.

Photo showing golf ball and baseball sized hail.

Geography of Hailstorms in the United States

Caitlin Dempsey

While hail can form anywhere in the United States experiencing a thunderstorm, geography influences where hailstorms are more likely to occur.

Fujiwhara effect in 2017 showing Hurricanes Irwin and Hillary colliding in the Pacific Ocean.

Fujiwhara Effect: When One Storm Absorbs Another

Caitlin Dempsey

When two storms move towards another, an uncommon phenomenon called the Fujiwhara Effect can happen.

Colorado Plateau. Photo: USGS. Public domain.

Plateaus in Geography

Caitlin Dempsey

A plateau is a flat section of land that is sharply raised in contrast to the surrounding landscape on at least one side.

Image of central Melbourne in 2016. Photo: the International Space Station.

These Cities are the Most Unaffordable Places to Buy a House in the World

Caitlin Dempsey

Urban Reform Institute and Frontier Centre for Public Policy evaluated housing markets for 92 metropolitan areas in eight countries to see how affordable they area.

Map of drought conditions in the United States on March 23, 2021.

Half of the United States Will Continue to be Affected by Drought for Spring 2021

Caitlin Dempsey

Drought conditions in much of the United States are forecasted to continue for spring 2021.

Construction of the New Suez Canal. Satellite images of before and after: August 6, 2014 and April 5, 2016. Images: Landsat 8.

View From Space: Stuck in the Suez Canal

Caitlin Dempsey

Satellites have captured imagery of the Ever Given which is currently stuck in the Suez Canal.

A look at the detail on the 1801 Kent Map from the Ordnance Survey.

What Was the First Map Issued by the Ordnance Survey?

Caitlin Dempsey

The first Ordnance Survey map was issued in 1801.

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