Volume 2, 2002
Whose Lake District? Contested landscapes and changing sense of place
Ian Whyte,
Department of Geography, Lancaster University.
Abstract
The landscape of the Lake District is world famous, highly distinctive and widely cherished but it often tends to be taken for granted. This article develops the idea that landscapes, as cultural constructs, are frequently contested between dominant and more marginalised groups, to consider the wide range of tensions and conflicts which have helped to shape the landscape of the Lake District in the past and are still active at the present day.
Tactile mapping quality: the Manchester experience
Chris Perkins,
School of Geography, University of Manchester.
Abstract
This paper reports on continuing research into the design of tactile maps, focusing on production technologies and methodologies for evaluating map designs. Experiments have been carried out contrasting microcapsule with thermoform-based map production. The campus of the University of Manchester has been mapped by sighted students using these technologies. Meanwhile an evaluation has been carried out of thermoform-based maps of open spaces in the North West of England. The evaluation involved real world use of complex real tactile maps, as well as use indoors. Results suggest that design should be iterative and actively involve users and that video evidence in map user studies in a multi-method framework offers great potential. Well-designed thermoformed tactile maps may have significant advantages over other production technologies but the context and ethnography of map use should be central in any map evaluation.
Review
Ordnance Survey 25 inch Maps of Lancashire
Paul Hindle,
Manchester Geographical Society.
Review
Stockport Green A-Z, Section 1: Brinnington, Reddish and the Heatons
Chris Perkins,
School of Geography, University of Manchester.
Exploring an imperial region: North West England
Richard Phillips,
European Studies Research Institute, Salford University.
Abstract
This paper considers the significance of geographical scale in the analysis of imperialism, making some suggestions for regional geographies of imperialism, and developing these with reference to themes and data sources relevant to the North West of England, and to a series of preliminary case studies undertaken by local geography students. The paper will interest those seeking to understand relationships between imperialism and the region, and to plan specific research projects concerned with imperialism in the English North West.
Soil crusts in the Molopo Basin, Southern Africa
A. D. Thomas,
Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University.
A. J. Dougill,
School of the Environment, University of Leeds.
K. Berry and J. A. Byrne,
School of Environment and Life Science, University of Salford.
Abstract
Biological soil crusts are a common feature of many dryland soils. The cyanobacteria and algae that make up the crusts can fix atmospheric nitrogen and sequester carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Crusts, therefore, have an important role in nutrient cycling as well as erosion control. This paper provides the first evidence of widespread biological soil crusts in the Molopo Basin on the southern margins of the Kalahari. The crusts appear to be more resistant to disturbance than those reported elsewhere and are able to thrive despite a relatively high vascular plant cover.
Remote sensing of upland peat erosion in the southern Pennines
M. E. J. Cutler,
School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle.
J. McMorrow and M. Evans,
School of Geography, University of Manchester.
Acknowledgement
The severe erosion of upland peat bog in the southern Pennines is a major environmental problem that requires mapping and monitoring at regular intervals. This paper presents preliminary results from an investigation of the use of hyperspectral remotely sensed data to provide quick and accurate information on peat extent and type. Both image classification and correlation analysis between reflectance and peat characteristics were investigated; promising images of both peat type and degree of humification were produced. The results from this ongoing study suggest that hyperspectral remote sensing offers an efficient and valuable tool in mapping and monitoring upland habitats.
The North West in Maps
Thomas Donald’s map of Cumberland, 1774
Paul Hindle,
Manchester Geographical Society.
Review
‘Manchester’ by Clare Hartwell
Wilfred H. Theakstone,
Manchester Geographical Society.