landscapes

Following devastating floods in 2020, five successive failed rainy seasons caused drought which exposed millions of people to acute food shortages in East Africa. The field project, MASIKA, is the first of its kind and aims to understand the atmospheric processes operating at the start the rainy season. 

Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment has appointed Dr David Moreno-Mateos as Associate Professor in Physical Geography who will take up post on 1st September 2023. Dr Moreno-Mateos will replace Rob Whittaker (Professor of Biogeography), who retires from the School later this year. The new appointment is in association with Oxford's St Edmund Hall where Dr Moreno-Mateos will hold the position of Tutorial Fellow in Physical Geography.

The 6th Interdisciplinary Desert Conference was held in SoGE from 16-17 March 2023. The conference brought together academics and non-academics who research, work and live across the world's desert and semi-desert regions for two days of vibrant talks, presentations, panels and networking opportunities. Conference organiser, Ariell Ahearn, reviews the interdisciplinary event which allowed social and physical scientists to exchange views, develop lasting collaborations and make a positive global impact.

Each year, the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) Honors and Recognition programme recognises individuals for meritorious work or service toward the advancement and promotion of discovery and solution science. These individuals, in various career stages, represent some of the most innovative minds in their disciplines. The 2022 awards, announced this week, honour Louise Slater for her outstanding contribution to hydrology.

A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, the University of Leeds, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Common Seas, found that the annual flow of plastic into the ocean could nearly triple by 2040. The release of this report coincides with the publication of 'Evaluating Scenarios Toward Zero Plastic Pollution', in the journal Science and co-authored by Richard Bailey (Professor of Environmental Systems).

Dr Louise Slater has been awarded the European Geosciences Union's 2021 Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award in the field of Geomorphology.

A new study involving Dr Julie Durcan challenges the long-held view that the destruction of Central Asia's medieval river civilizations was a direct result of the Mongol invasion in the early 13th century CE.

"EvoFlood: The evolution of global flood hazard and risk" is a new £3.7m project that aims to revolutionise our understanding of flood risk. The project, involving the University of Oxford and led by the University of Hull and the University of Southampton, represents a collaborative endeavour of 9 UK universities, as well as multiple national and international end-user organisations.

Dr Louise Slater has been awarded the Gill Memorial Award for outstanding early career research in physical geography in the 2021 Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) honours.

Pastoralists from Asia and Africa led a unique international discussion on April 19, 2021. This inspiring event brought together pastoralists from Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Mongolia and Tanzania to talk about their lives, herding and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 'Covid-19 and Pastoralists - International Virtual Forum' was the first effort to foster pastoral debate and engagement across continents, and was organised by Drs Troy Sternberg and Ariell Ahearn.