GC027: Dynamics of Arid and Mountain Landscapes: Evaluating Change in Vulnerable, Variable Environments
More than a quarter of the planet’s inhabitants live in drylands or above 2100 meters. Yet, anthropogenic land dynamics in both mountain and arid landscapes are understudied, despite the UN’s 2003 designation of each December 11 as International Mountain Day, and the UN’s designation of 2010-2020 as the Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification. It is critical to understand recent and ongoing land dynamics in these vulnerable and variable environments in the light of pervasive global change. We invite disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary presentations whether they be case studies, technical/methodological advances, or syntheses on the topic of evaluating changing arid or mountain landscapes.
Confirmed invited presenters: Greg Okin (UCLA, Department of Geography) and George Malanson (University of Iowa, Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences)
Conveners:
Kirsten de Beurs, University of Oklahoma, Department of Geography & Environmental Sustainability
Geoffrey Henebry, South Dakota State University, Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence