“Maps are more about their makers than the places they describe.
Map who you are. Map where you are. Fill the map with a story, or paint your favorite cup of coffee.
Map the invisible. Map the obvious. Map your memories.”

Source: www.jewishallianceri.org

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island has put together an event that will have some obvious relevance to RIGEA members.  Please consider supporting this activity. 

Geography has one foot firmly lodged in quantifiable sciences, and another that eludes quantification.  A satellite image is loaded with spatial data, and yet this image also has an artistic beauty and I hope every geographer maintains a sense of wonder at the details and beauty of the Earth.

As stated by the folks at Cape Cod weather regarding this image: “Check out the ice and snow in Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound. Look close at the southeast corner of Cape Cod Bay (north side of Yarmouth to Eastham) and eastern side of Buzzards Bay (Bourne and Falmouth shores)…you can see the ice is really packed in thick!”

Source: www.capecodweather.net

The blizzard of 2015 blasted the region with wind-whipped snow that piled nearly 3-feet high in some places.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, Boston set a new record for snowiest seven-day period in the city’s history with 34.2 inches.

Source: www.bostonglobe.com

Weather is one of the most tangible ways in which the physical environment impacts society.  We depend on sunlight and rainfall, we adapt our behaviors to harsh conditions and we are constantly modifying the our environments by heating and cooling our buildings.  This Henry David Thoreau quote reminds us to acknowledge the powerful influence of the environment and to recognize that technological fixes have their limitations.  “Live in each season as it passes…and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” –Henry David Thoreau

Question to Ponder: In what ways does the weather shape and influence culture and spatial patterns in your region?  How can we make our communities more handicap accessible during winter storms and other extreme conditions?

Tags: environment, weather and climate, environment depend, environment adapt, environment modify, disasters.