Department of Geography and Planning

About Me

I am Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning, working in the areas of cartography and GIS, climatology, and human perceptions of environmental change. My research bridges these areas in two directions: (1) by using maps and geovisualizations to uncover physical patterns in atmospheric circulation and precipitation, and (2) employing user studies and UI/UX design principles to understand the human interpretation and responses to climate variability and change. I maintain a broad interest in the social-scientific knowledge of climate and environmental information that I use in applied mapping work to improve the communication process and more deeply understand the values and needs for decision-making with different user groups. Prior to joining the faculty at Appalachian, I worked on the design, development, and support of interactive web map applications for natural resource managers.

Education

Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A., B.S., Appalachian State University

Recent Courses

• GHY 2310: Cartographic Design & Analysis
• GHY 3000: Communicating Geographic Information
• GHY 3535: Climate Responses and Responsibilities
• GHY/PLN 4830: Professional Development in Geography and Planning
• GHY 4530/5530: Cartography of Climate Change
• GHY 4818/5818: Web Mapping
• GHY 5530: Nature and Culture of Climate Change

Publications

Merritt, E., Retchless, D., Thapa, B., & Sugg, J. (2025). Using Interactive Maps to Reveal the Content of Second-Order Climate Change Beliefs. Cartographic Perspectives, (107). https://doi.org/10.14714/CP107.1913

Sugg, J, and C. Weir. "Geographical Insights on the Partisan Polarization of the Acceptance of Human-Caused Climate Change in the US." Southeastern Geographer 63.2 (2023): 135-154.

Moreno, C., J. W. Sugg, J. Runkle, R. D. Leeper, L. B. Perry, and M. M. Sugg, 2022: Examining spatiotemporal trends of drought in the conterminous United States using self-organizing maps. Physical Geography, DOI:10.1080/02723646.2022.2035891

Sugg, J. W., 2020: Exploratory geovisualization of the character and distribution of American climate change beliefs. Weather, Climate, and Society, 13, 1, 67-82, DOI: 10.1175/WCAS-D-20-0071.1

Kinlaw, T. K., Sugg, J. W., and L. B. Perry, 2019: Warm season hydroclimatic variability and change in the Appalachian region of the southeastern U.S. from 1950 to 2018. Atmosphere, 10, 289, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10050289 (pdf)

Sugg, J. W., and C. E. Konrad II, 2019: Defining hydroclimatic regions using daily rainfall characteristics in the southern Appalachian Mountains. International Journal of Digital Earth, https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2019.1576785 (pdf)

Eck, M. A., Perry, L. B., Soule, P. T., Sugg, J. W., and D. K. Miller, 2018: Winter climate variability in the southern Appalachian Mountains, 1910-2017. International Journal of Climatology, 1-12, DOI: 10.1002/joc.5795 (pdf)

Sugg, J. W., and C. E. Konrad II, 2017: Relating warm season hydroclimatic variability in the southern Appalachians to synoptic weather patterns using self-organizing maps. Climate Research, 74 (2), 145-160, DOI: 10.3354/cr01493b

Sugg, J. W., C. M. Fuhrmann, L. B. Perry, D. K. Hall, and C. E. Konrad II, 2016: Sub-regional snow cover distribution across the southern Appalachian Mountains. Physical Geography, 38 (2), 105-123, DOI: 10.1080/02723646.2016.1162020 (pdf)

Sugg, J. W., L. B. Perry, D. K. Hall, G. A. Riggs, and C. A. Badurek, 2014: Satellite perspectives on the spatial patterns of new snowfall in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Hydrological Processes, 28 (16), 4602-4613, DOI: 10.1002/hyp.10196 (pdf)