Geographers in Charted and Uncharted Waters

2006 Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
March 7-11, 2006, Chicago, IL

AAG President's Plenary

Chair and Organizer: Dick Marston, Kansas State and AAG President
Invited Speakers:
Jean-Paul Bravard, l'Universite Lumiere-Lyon, France
Carol Harden, U. Tennessee
B.L. Turner, Clark
Steve Walsh, UNC-Chapel Hill
Dawn Wright, OrSt

DJ Wright

Dept of Geosciences, Oregon State Univ

Corvallis, OR 97331-5506

dawn@dusk.geo.orst.edu

This presentation will have a focus on coastal and marine spaces as fascinating settings to explore the integration of the physical with the human, and more specifically how theories, concepts, and techniques of physical geography may be used to shed light on resource management issues or public policy. This also brings to mind the continuing discourse on how GIS and other geospatial technologies may increase their relevance to human geography, and find an accepted place in social research, one that is no longer contested or resisted. With regard to coastal and marine, the 1990s witnessed a significant increase in popular interest and research focus by geographers. We can see this in the present via the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and of discussions and debates concerning global warming and sea level rise, of the crises associated with the "rainforests of the oceans", coral reefs, of depleting fish stocks, and even of the insecurity of our ports and harbors should terrorists strike. Physical geographers stand in the gap here to understand and address the effects of natural forces. But they need the perspectives of human and resource geography in order to inform a holistic framework for understanding the interconnectivity of processes, as well as the demands and responsibilities associated with protection, management, and stewardship. Examples from the author's projects and experiences in the SW Pacific, the Oregon coast, and on a recent National Academy of Sciences committee will be shared.

Keywords: marine, coastal, resource management, integration

Download PowerPoint file (18 Mb) (sorry mpg movie not included as it is copyrighted)

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