Rgs-ibg Ask The Experts

Declining retail poses fundamental questions to the future of places where we live, work and socialise. In this podcast we're joined by Dr Steve Millington from Manchester Metropolitan University to discuss place-management. How have these places been managed so far - and how can geographers envisage brighter futures for their creative, social, cultural and economic development?

At the end of 2015, over one million people had taken perilous sea journeys across the Mediterranean in search of safety. As part of #RefugeeWeek2019, we speak to Professor Heaven Crawley to discuss her research with over 500 migrants and refugees in 2015, to share their experiences, and to improve support for those in search of security, and those who risked their lives to find it.

In this podcast, we hear from Professor Jason Dittmer at University College London to discuss the role of comic books and their characters is constructing national identity and superpower in the US, Canada and Britain. Find out more about the role of popular culture in geopolitics.

By 2050, it is estimated that the number of people living in urban areas in Africa and Asia will have doubled to 5.2 billion. Most of this urban growth will be from internal migrants. In this podcast we hear from Professor Michael Collyer, Principal Investigator on the Society’s research programme, Migrants on the margins. We discuss why do people move, and how is this movement changing cities.

In this podcast we interview UNESCO Chair of Water Science Professor David Hannah at the University of Birmingham. We explore the hydrological cycle and big challenges related to the sustainable management of challenges associated with water insecurity.

Big data and digital technology are changing cities around the world - but are these new urban futures inclusive, or exclusionary? In this podcast we hear Dr Ayona Datta, Reader in Urban Futures at Kings College London discuss her research on India's smart cities.

Terri Freemantle, Senior Earth Observation Specialist at Satellite Applications Catapult discusses how earth observation data helps us to understand locational change, from tackling rapid urbanisation, food security, to deforestation.

In January and February 2019, a major international scientific expedition explores one of the coldest, harshest and most remote locations in the world, the Weddell Sea. In November 2018, we spoke to one of the leading experts on the expedition, Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Cambridge. We discuss glaciers, ice-caps and this extraordinary journey that draws to a close soon.

Dr Ann Rowan, Research Fellow, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, joins us to discuss how glacier surfaces evolve over time, and specifically how Himalayan glaciers are responding to climate change.

The Arctic is a unique landscape experiencing physical, social, and political change. How is this governed, and how does this impact place identity? We discuss with Dr Ingrid A. Medby, Lecturer in Political Geography at Oxford Brookes University.

What are giant icebergs and how do they breathe life into the Southern Ocean? We discuss the carbon cycle and ice shelves with Professor Grant Bigg at the Department of Geography, University of Sheffield.

When places change how do young people negotiate space to maintain their sense of home and belonging? In this podcast we discuss with Dr Melissa Butcher, Birkbeck, University of London and peer researcher Shekeila Scarlett.

Can smartphone technology help geographers to monitor volcanic gases emissions? We discuss Dr Tom Pering’s innovative research on hazardous landscapes.

What is dust? How does it get into the atmosphere and shape our climate? Rob Bryant from the Department of Geography at the University of Sheffield joined us to discuss.

Geography translates literally as 'earth-writing'. But 70% of the world is water. How have oceans shaped global development? Dr Kimberley Peters from the School of Environmental Scientists, University of Liverpool discusses.

Can Venice be sustained as a living city for its residents? We discuss this UNESCO World Heritage Site and its fascinating lagoon landscape with Jane Da Mosto and Gabriella Gilmore from We Are Here Venice.

How do we predict earthquakes? They’re just like London buses, according to Rebecca Bell from Imperial College. In this podcast we discuss hazards, plate tectonics, and how they’re studied.

How have women shaped the discipline of geography? To celebrate International Women's Day, Dr Sarah L. Evans from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) discusses female explorers, feminist geographers and gendered spaces.

How do Chinese cities challenge and develop geographical understanding of global urban spaces? We discuss place-making, urban life, and city twinning with Professor Mark Jayne, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. The paper discussed in this podcast, is free to access until January 2017: Jayne, M. and Leung H, H. (2014) Embodying Chinese urbanism: towards a research agenda, Area 46 (3) 256 -267: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/area.12108/abstract

How do plants and forest work within the carbon cycle? We discuss exciting new research from the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) with Professor Rob MacKenzie and Professor Jeremy Pritchard.