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Earth Systems Science
Novel spatial measurements and modeling show that forest transpiration varies with topographic position
Information content of crisp and fuzzy vegetation maps (by Barry Kronnfeld)
Earth Systems Science combines hydrology, geomorphology, terrestrial ecology, and soil science, with foci on watershed processes, biogeochemical cycling, landscape evolution, forest dynamics, and GIS-based tools for land management. Our faculty and students advance theory and application of physical and numerical models, supported by field, laboratory, analytical, and mathematical methods. We are conducting research in forests to understand land-atmosphere water, energy, and carbon cycling, as well as ecosystem organization, and what they tell us about climate change and how they are affected by natural and anthropogenic stressors such as fire and timber harvesting. In watersheds, we study the erosion, transport, and deposition of soil, sediment, nutrients, and pollutants and the processes that shape hillslopes and rivers, and how these processes affect natural and agricultural resources, water quality, and landscape integrity. These research endeavors collectively lend themselves to the development of tools and technology for improved watershed management at a variety of temporal and spatial scales.
Geographic Information Science
Estimated Density surface for deer-vehicle collisions in Amherst, New York
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have applications ranging from transportation to environmental modeling to urban analysis, with strong job potential for BA and MA graduates. Geographic Information Science (GIScience) extends the theoretical foundations for future GIS, and UB Geography anchors one of the nation's leading interdisciplinary Doctoral programs in GIScience. UB is one of the three sites of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA).
Economic Geography and International Business and World Trade
New products create global markets for innovative firms
Supply-chains need efficient infrastructure. Image depicts unloading containers at ports
The International Trade Concentration (ITC) is a graduate and undergraduate instructional cluster that feeds from the research initiatives of individual ITC faculty members. Research areas of particular prominence include international patterns of foreign direct investment (FDI), innovative product development and the emergence of new industries, corporate social and environmental responsibility, regulatory barriers to cross-border commerce, and the shifting competitive advantage of nations or regions.