Exploring the interconnectedness of human societies and their environments through the lens of ecological geography
Have you ever wondered why cities feel so different from one another, or how your childhood neighborhood shaped who you are today? Why do some communities bounce back after natural disasters while others struggle? These questions lie at the heart of human geography's ecological approach, a perspective that reveals the profound interconnections between human societies and their environments.
The ecological approach represents a paradigm shift from viewing humans as separate from nature to understanding them as integral components of ecological systems. It's a rich, multifaceted framework that geographers have developed to study how people adapt to, interact with, and transform their surroundings. By borrowing concepts from ecology, sociology, and anthropology, this approach provides powerful tools for tackling complex environmental challenges from local to global scales.
The ecological approach in human geography isn't a single theory but rather a family of related perspectives that share a common focus on human-environment relationships.
In the 1920s, sociologists at the University of Chicago developed human ecology, applying concepts from plant and animal ecology to human communities1 7 . These pioneering researchers viewed cities as ecosystems characterized by processes like invasion, succession, and competition7 .
Anthropologists like Julian Steward proposed cultural ecology, which examines how cultures adapt to their environments through subsistence activities1 . This perspective evolved into ecological anthropology, drawing on ecosystem theory and Darwinian principles1 .
Psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner developed a highly influential ecological framework that identifies multiple layers of environmental influence on human development2 . His model includes five interconnected systems from micro to macro levels.
Contemporary ecological approaches strive to comprehend nature and society integratively, recognizing that human systems cannot be understood in isolation from their biophysical contexts1 . This perspective is holistic, examining systems as integrated wholes.
Development of human ecology applying ecological concepts to urban environments1 7 .
Julian Steward's work on how cultures adapt to their environments1 .
Bronfenbrenner's model of layered environmental influences2 .
Combining ecological approaches with GIS, remote sensing, and big data.
NASA's Earth Science Division consistently produces research that exemplifies the ecological approach in action. One 2024 study using data from the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions revealed that despite exceptional snow years, the Great Basin watershed continues to experience significant long-term water loss.
Contemporary research extends ecological principles to urban contexts. Studies of neighborhood social capital examine how community characteristics can constrain or facilitate social connections and support systems7 .
A NASA-funded study documented how reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions from international shipping have created a "termination shock" that abruptly reduced the cooling effect of aerosols and potentially doubled the warming rate in the 2020s.
The ecological approach also helps us understand how technology shapes human-environment interactions. Researchers have proposed adding virtual microsystems to Bronfenbrenner's model to account for the impact of online environments like social media on development2 .
A team of scientists led by Hall et al. (2024) investigated why the Great Basin watershed—spanning most of Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California—continues to lose water despite periodic years of abundant snowfall. Their research used a sophisticated ecological approach that integrated multiple data sources and technologies.
The researchers relied on data from the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions, which measure changes in Earth's gravity field to estimate monthly terrestrial water storage (TWS). TWS represents the sum of all above- and below-ground water, including soil moisture, groundwater, snow, ice, and surface water bodies.
The study revealed several critical findings. First, the researchers identified that the Great Basin has lost approximately 68.7 cubic kilometers of water between 2002 and 2023—an amount equivalent to two-thirds of California's annual water usage.
Second, they discovered that while peaks in the TWS record corresponded with above-normal snowfall years (2010-2011, 2016-2017, 2018-2019, and the record snowfall of 2022-2023), these temporary replenishments could not offset the long-term downward trend.
| Component | Contribution to Water Loss | Primary Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Groundwater | Major contribution | Agricultural extraction, urban use |
| Snowpack | Highly variable | Climate patterns, temperature |
| Soil Moisture | Significant role | Evapotranspiration, precipitation changes |
| Surface Waters | Minor contribution | Diversions, evaporation |
This research exemplifies the ecological approach by demonstrating how natural and human systems interact across multiple scales. It shows how climate change (a macrosystem influence) combines with local water management decisions (exosystem) to create a regional water crisis.
Methodologically, the research demonstrates how modern geography integrates advanced technologies like satellite remote sensing with traditional ecological approaches to address complex environmental challenges.
"The Great Basin's water crisis cannot be understood by studying climate, snowpack, or human water use alone—it emerges from their interactions across spatial and temporal scales."
Ecological approaches in human geography rely on a diverse set of research tools and methodologies that enable geographers to study human-environment systems across multiple scales and contexts.
| Method Category | Specific Tools | Primary Applications | Ecological System Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Sensing | Satellite imagery (Landsat, MODIS), GRACE, InSAR | Land use change, water resources, urbanization | All levels, especially macrosystem |
| Geospatial Analysis | GIS, spatial statistics, network analysis | Pattern analysis, connectivity, spatial relationships | Mesosystem, exosystem |
| Social Survey Methods | Interviews, questionnaires, participatory mapping | Perception, values, lived experience | Microsystem, mesosystem |
| Ecological Modeling | Ecosystem services valuation, habitat suitability | Forecasting, scenario planning, impact assessment | Macrosystem, chronosystem |
| Field Observation | Ethnography, behavioral mapping, ecological psychology | Immediate person-environment transactions | Microsystem |
The greatest power of the ecological approach emerges when researchers combine multiple methods to develop rich, multi-layered understandings of human-environment relationships. This methodological triangulation mirrors the complex, interconnected systems that ecological geographers seek to understand.
The ecological toolkit also includes various experimental approaches adapted from psychology and other social sciences8 . These include laboratory experiments (with high control but lower real-world applicability), field experiments (balancing control and ecological validity), and natural experiments (exploiting naturally occurring variations in real-world settings)8 .
The ecological approach in human geography continues to evolve, offering critical insights into our relationship with the planet. From the early work of the Chicago School to contemporary NASA satellite research, this perspective helps us see the invisible connections that bind human societies to their environments.
This approach reminds us that solutions to environmental problems must be as interconnected as the systems they seek to address. We cannot fix water crises by focusing only on climate or only on human consumption—we must understand their interactions. We cannot build healthy communities by designing physical spaces without considering the social networks that bring them to life.
As we face an increasingly complex future, the ecological approach provides both a diagnostic tool for understanding our problems and a creative framework for imagining better futures. It teaches us to look for connections, to appreciate context, and to remember that we are simultaneously shaping and being shaped by the webs of life in which we are embedded. In doing so, it offers not just a way of understanding the world, but a pathway toward building more resilient, adaptive, and sustainable human-environment relationships.