Department of Geography

NEWS

Axcelle Campana poses with award, with trees in backdrop
December 5th 2022

PSU student wins $100K environmental prize

A Portland State graduate student whose work focuses on the inequities in...
colorful images showing climate model data
October 11th 2022

Climate models accurately simulate Pacific Northwest weather patterns, PSU study finds

Climate models are powerful tools that scientists use to study how the climate...
Figure showing atmospheric ridge
July 5th 2022

PSU, WSU researchers to study atmospheric ridges, a factor in Pacific Northwest's extreme weather events

Last year's record-breaking heatwave, recent droughts and the 2020 Labor...
dead trees in foreground with live trees behind
June 9th 2022

Portland State study shows how ‘green islands’ help forests regenerate after fire

Thanks to climate change, high-elevation forests in the Central Cascade mountains...
Red-legged frog in someone's hands
May 16th 2022

Home on the range: PSU researchers help map where wildlife roam across Oregon

Why did the frog cross the road? To get to the other side to mate and lay...
Image of a bioswale
April 15th 2022

Rain, floods and green infrastructure: are cities mitigating the hazards equitably?

As cities grow, the area of impervious surfaces they cover grows. In...
Satellite view and image rendering of 2020 wildfires in Western Cascades in Oregon.
April 14th 2022

Factors including extreme winds, topography and vegetation influenced the severity of burns from Oregon's devastating 2020 megafires.

In early September 2020, severe winds, high heat, and prolonged drought...
April 13th 2022

Faculty Voices: Hope for the Long Haul

JENNIFER ALLEN | Professor in Environmental and Natural Resources, College of Urban and Public Affairs TAKING MEANINGFUL action—be that choosing lower-carbon transportation, shifting to a lower-carbon diet, or working to support policy...
Columbia River with hills in the background
January 31st 2022

PSU-led team to study microplastics across Columbia River Basin

Microplastics can be found everywhere — from the air to the ocean — but...
Skybridge with Portland State University
January 21st 2022

ReImagine projects address DEI, workforce development

Initiatives ranging from enhancing environmental education and research at...
Side-by-side images of snow-capped Mt. Hood in July 2018 and July 2021
August 30th 2021

How Hood River watershed can become more resilient to climate change

Hood River, long an agricultural center for Oregon, faces an uncertain future...
Person walking on trail surrounded by large trees on either side
May 20th 2021

PSU-The Nature Conservancy partnership taps trees to address regional climate change

For the past two and a half years, Rose Graves has had one foot at Portland...