Caitlin Dempsey
Understanding Fast Ice in Polar Ecosystems and Climate Dynamics
Fast ice, found in both polar regions, is sea ice that attaches to coasts, icebergs, ice shelves, or the ocean floor.
A Guide to the Geography of U.S. National Parks
Find out the answers to geography trivia questions and more in this article about the geography of U.S. National Parks.
Explore U.S. National Parks: Fun Map and Geography Trivia
This interactive map lets you browse interesting geographical facts and trivia about the 61 U.S. national parks.
What’s in a Map? Exploring the Elements of Cartography
Maps visualize geographic data, and contain elements like data frames, legends, titles, north arrows, scale bars, citations, borders, and inset maps.
Nunataks: Glacial Islands
Nunataks are isolated mountain peaks visible above ice sheets in polar and high-altitude regions.
Study Models How Well Marine Protected Areas Overlap Fish Habitat
A study found that most marine protected areas (MPAs) don't adequately cover key habitats of diadromous fish with only 50% of core habitats protected.
Understanding the Earth’s Structure: A Guide to Tectonic Plates
The Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates, which are in constant motion. Learn where to find GIS data on tectonic plates.
What is an Ice Arch?
An ice arch forms when sea ice buckles under pressure, creating a natural arch-shaped structure in polar regions, often blocking the movement of ice.
Polynyas: Natural Openings in Polar Ice
Explore the geography of polynyas, unique open water areas in polar ice, and learn about their formation, ecological impact, and role in climate dynamics.
What is at Zero Degrees Latitude and Zero Degrees Longitude?
What can be found at zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude?
Types of GIS Data Explored: Vector and Raster
Explore the key differences between GIS vector and raster data, and how each type supports diverse spatial analysis tasks.
Building a GIS Career
Geospatial technology is widely used across industries, with evolving GIS skills. Here are tips to prepare for a GIS career.
Acequias in the Southwest U.S.
In New Mexico and other Southwestern states, acequias are channels that are dug to divert water from snow runoff and rivers in order to irrigate fields.
Latitude and Longitude Explained: How to Read Geographic Coordinates
Learn more about lines you see on a map running east-west and north-south called latitude and longitude.
When Rivers Become Ice Roads
During the cold winter months, parts of Canada's Mackenzie River become a ice road that trucks up to 22,000 pounds can navigate.
Will Cool Air Pooling Protect Some Forests from Climate Change?
Researchers looked at the link between cool air pooling and cold-adapted forest composition.
5 Ways GIS Users Can Expand Their Geospatial Skills
Listed here are five practical strategies that GIS users can adopt to further develop their geospatial capabilities.
The World’s Smallest Mountain Range
Located about 55 miles north of Sacramento in Northern California, this small volcanic formation is known as "the world's smallest mountain range."
Learning GIS Programming
Having some competence in programming has become a critical requirement for many geospatial positions. So which languages should you learn for GIS programming?
This Bird is Not the Only Crested Jay West of the Rocky Mountains
Since the 1960s, blue jays have gradually extended their range past the Rocky Mountains into the western United States and Canada.
This Tools Helps You Figure Out Which Satellite Bands to Use for Remote Sensing
The USGS developed the Spectral Characteristics Viewer to let users view how different Earth observation satellite instruments can be used for their remote sensing needs.
Adapting Time Series Data for Earth Observation
UniTS is a tool designed to simplify the process of using multiple time series datasets created over different time periods and for different geographic resolutions.
Relief Inversion
Telling the difference between a canyon and a mountain on aerial or satellite imagery can sometimes be tricky due to an optical illusion known as relief inversion.
Measuring Tree Height With a Two-Satellite Constellation
Researchers used synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from colocated satellites to estimate tree canopy height.
Using Animals to Collect Weather Data
Attaching sensors to wildlife could give scientists fine-scale weather data from the habitats animals move through.
Surge Flows: A Rare River Phenomenon
Surge flows are a rare phenomenon where shallow waters, sand or sediment, and steep topography combine to create waves in rivers.