G M MacDonald

Quoted in Los Angeles Daily News Story on California Fires

Here is a story from the Los Angeles Daily News with some thoughts on the California wildfires this year and the resources needed to fight them. Give it a read – http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160725/as-the-sand-fire-rages-on-heres-why-la-county-still-doesnt-have-superscoopers

KQED Article on Lake Mead and California’s Water

I was recently interviewed for a Water Deeply article on what the falling levels of Lake Mead might mean to California in terms of water. Clearly not a good situation in store for us here in Southern California if present trends continue. Here is the KQED Public Broadcasting Link – http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/06/21/what-lake-meads-record-low-means-for-california/

AAG Presidential Column – The End(s) of Geography?

July 1, 2016 AAG Presidential Column – The End(s) of Geography? news.aag.org/2016/07/the-ends-of-geography/ SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TWITTER #PresidentAAG Serving as your President is a singular honor, but also one that is more than a little daunting. My trepidation arises from three sources. First, with the honor of being elected President comes the responsibility to ablyContinue reading “AAG Presidential Column – The End(s) of Geography?”

Glen MacDonald Quoted on Marketplace Regarding Climate Change and Wild Fires

I was quoted on Marketplace today regarding climate change and wild fires. You can read (and listen) to the story here – http://www.marketplace.org/2016/05/16/world/fire-season-arrives-could-be-hottest-year-ever

Glen MacDonald to Speak on Drought at UC Irvine

Some Wider Perspectives on the Current California Drought Presented by Glen M. MacDonald, Ph.D. John Muir Memorial Chair of Geography, Director of the White Mountain Research Center and Distinguished Professor, UCLA Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2016 Time: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Lecture Light lunch served at 11:30 a.m. Location: UCI University Club Library (directions). The event is free and openContinue reading “Glen MacDonald to Speak on Drought at UC Irvine”

Drowning World – Photographic Arts and Climate Change Science at UCLA

Join us at UCLA on Thurs. May 12th for a blending of arts and sciences regarding climate change – Drowning World – Thursday, May 12, 2016 • 1-3 PM • UCLA Glorya Kaufman Hall 200 D r o w n i n g W o r l d Presentation by Award-Winning Photojournalist Gideon Mendel FollowedContinue reading “Drowning World – Photographic Arts and Climate Change Science at UCLA”

Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

I was surprised and elated to receive word that I was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This organization was established in 1790 and has had a stellar membership ranging from Washington and Franklin and many other majors American figures. It has also included foreign figures such as Gladstone andContinue reading “Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences”

The Postclassic Period and the Mayan-Toltec Cities of the Yucatán

During the Postclassic Mayan Period, between approximately 800 and 1000 A.D., the center of Mayan urban development shifted to the northern Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Here a series of notable cities such as Uxmal, located in the Puuc Hills near modern-day Mérida, arose. The Yucatán cities of the Postclassic period had large central cores containingContinue reading “The Postclassic Period and the Mayan-Toltec Cities of the Yucatán”

Triumph and Tragedy During the Mayan Classic Period

Driving northeast from the city of Flores in Guatemala it is hard to believe that dense and seemingly uninhabited rainforest once supported a largely agricultural landscape and innumerable human habitations. It is harder yet to imagine that some 1200 years ago the ruins of Tikal, empty and isolated today in the midst of a deepContinue reading “Triumph and Tragedy During the Mayan Classic Period”

Egypt and the Nile 5 – Climate Change and an Uncertain Future

With drought in Ethiopia and East Africa comes famine in Egypt. Rainfall is sparse and cannot replace the water of river. The failure of the Nile can have profound impacts on a land with so many people dependent on one source of water. The Old Kingdom of Egypt ended at around 2200 BC – aContinue reading “Egypt and the Nile 5 – Climate Change and an Uncertain Future”