Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This study analyzes the spatiotemporal dynamics of COVID-19 mortality in Mexico between March 2020 and December 2022, by calculating the time series of monthly deaths and estimating the crude COVID-19 mortality rates of 2020, 2021 and 2022 at the municipality level. In addition, spatio-temporal scanning statistics are employed to identify clusters of high mortality. Five waves of COVID-19 mortality were identified. The second wave, occurring between November 2020 and June 2021, was the most severe, peaking in January 2021 with 39 151 deaths. The spatial distribution of rates in 2020 and 2021 proved heterogeneous, while in 2022 87.05% of municipalities (2 139) recorded the lowest rates (≤ 33 per 100 000 population). Exploratory statistics detected 19 spatiotemporal clusters of COVID-19 deaths, the most likely clustered north of Mexico City, with 9,400 more deaths than expected and the highest relative risk (RR=3.61). The findings reveal the location of populations at risk during the critical period of the pandemic in Mexico, providing useful information for prioritizing resource allocation. In addition, they provide for the development of databases and analysis tools to improve prevention and interventions for the control and surveillance of future infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics.

Coffee agroforestry systems in Mexico are undergoing a multidimensional crisis marked by the loss of productive land, socio-ecological transformations, and pressures from global changes in agricultural markets and climate. This study aimed to quantify land-use change in agroforestry systems in the Mazatec region, combining remote sensing tools with socio-ecological interpretive frameworks. Retrospective analyses using Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery for the period 1994–2024 were complemented with interviews conducted with 103 coffee producers and five local technicians, allowing the triangulation of spatial evidence with social perceptions. Results reveal a profound transformation of agroforestry systems: of the 43,756 hectares recorded in 1994, only 5,864 ha (13.4 %) retained their original cover. The most significant transition was toward natural vegetation (26,557 ha; 60.7 %), followed by conversion to annual crops (8,338 ha; 19.1 %) and urban-bare land (2,639 ha; 6.0 %). The period 2001–2015 was the most critical, with a 62.1 % loss of agroforestry area. From the local perspective, migration, declining coffee prices, the dismantling of institutional support, the ineffectiveness of recent programs, pest outbreaks, and climate variability are recognized as the main drivers of coffee plot abandonment. The findings highlight a complex landscape metamorphosis in which agroforestry systems do not disappear but rather undergo territorial reconfiguration, underscoring both their vulnerability and the potential for ecological regeneration.

Temperature, relative humidity, and absolute humidity trends were evaluated on Rasa Island, Baja California, located in the center of the Sea of Cortez. The trends in hygric variables were obtained from: a) the automatic weather station in Bahía de los Ángeles (28.94°N, 113.55°W and 4 m above sea level; EMAA), period 2001-2019; b) estimates based on the minimum temperature of the weather stations in El Barril (28.30°N, 112.88°W, 20 m above sea level), Bahía de Kino (28.82°N, 111.93°W, 2 m above sea level) and Bahía de los Ángeles (28.94°N, 113.55°W, 4 m above sea level), period 1953-2018; c) estimates under the hypothesis of relative humidity invariant to local and global warming (or cooling); d) reanalysis data for temperature and dew point temperature at 2 m above sea level for the island's coordinates. Absolute humidity trends were very low and inverse between the different methods of obtaining the variable, and their estimated regional trend is positive but insignificant. The relative humidity trend based on reanalysis data was 0.18 percentage points per decade and for absolute humidity 0.25 gm-3/decade. In conclusion, in the center of the Sea of Cortez, humidity trends are uncertain and insignificant compared to the climate averages for the area. The temperature trend was 0.36 °C/decade for the EMAA, the regional trend was 0.21 °C/decade, and the trend obtained from reanalysis data was 0.29 °C/decade, all similar to the global trend reported by the IPCC.

The processes driving the direction and speed of tree line migration, particularly in mountain ecosystems at high altitudes, remain poorly understood. On Iztaccíhuatl Volcano, part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, the tree line occurs around 4,000 m a.s.l. Although upward shifts have been documented, advancement has been heterogeneous, likely due to the topographic complexity of mountain systems. This study evaluates how temperature, radiation, and soil moisture variations—mediated by topographic features (elevation, slope, aspect, and orographic shading)—influence tree line dynamics. This research has specific objectives: (i) comparing the tree line position on Iztaccíhuatl between 1995 and 2017, and (ii) analyzing the impact of topographic and environmental conditions on tree line movements. Using Landsat satellite imagery, we applied a supervised classification model to delineate the tree line as the forest-grassland boundary. To assess driving factors, we classified environments based on topographic (elevation, slope, aspect, orographic shade) and environmental variables (temperature, downward/upward radiation, and Soil Moisture Index [SMI]). Seven distinct environmental groups were identified. Results reveal an overall upward tree line shift (average: +32 m by 2014), with localized retreats on steep northwest slopes (cold temperatures: 10.18°C; low moisture: SMI 0.62). In contrast, advances predominated on gentle northeast slopes, linked to moderate temperatures (16-18°C) and higher moisture (SMI: 1.26). Tree line dynamics on Iztaccíhuatl volcano reflect a trade-off between thermal and moisture conditions, modulated by topography. Steep slopes and aspects with low solar radiation likely promote mortality through freezing or desiccation, while warmer and wetter microclimates enhance tree establishment and growth. This suggests that not only warming, but multiple factors, determine the direction and speed of the tree line in the mountains.

Urban public space (UPS) is fundamental to the functionality of cities, regardless of their scale and location. Given the growing rates of urbanization, physical and functional integration processes (conurbation, metropolization) require efforts to study the territorial-urban articulation promoted by UPS. This research provides a methodological framework based on the spatial distribution of the UPS for the segmentation of urban territory, incorporating indicators of environmental quality, socio-environmental articulation, and morphological-spatial efficiency, as well as criteria for identifying geospatial trends associated with the quality of the UPS. Its application in the Colima-Villa de Álvarez conurbation resulted in the identification of a monocentric hierarchy, as well as urban centers with high levels of EPU complementarity, divided into 10 urban typologies. Institutional and commercial connectivity were identified as the main predictors of overall EPU quality in the study area.

Samaniego López, Marco A. (2023). Cuencas internacionales y construcción del espacio fronterizo. Paradojas y significados futuros en una relación. Colección NortEstudios Núm. 14, Centro de Estudios Humanísticos, UANL. 166 pp. ISBN 978-607-27-2246-0

Dans cet article on présente un panorama génèral de l'emigration de la Zone Métropolitaine de Mexico (ZMCM). L' objectif explicite est de connaître la relation entre restructuration urbano-regionale et l'emigration de cette ville, Pour atteindre cet objectif, on a recours au modèle d'Urbanisation Différenciée. Les résultats de cet exercice indiquent qu' il y a une relation entre restructuration urbano-régionale et l'emmigration de la ZMCM.

Bosque, campo y barbecho. Selecciones de William Denevan (2024). Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental. 644 pp., ISBN impreso 978-607-30-9227-2. ISBN digital 978-607-30-9228-9

Klinenberg, E. (2021). Palacios del pueblo. Políticas para una sociedad más igualitaria. Madrid: Capitán Swing. 290 pp. ISBN 978-84-123902-7-8

The objective of this study was to identify the rejection factors by areas of knowledge in the arbitration process of scientific articles received from 2008 to 2018 by a multidisciplinary journal. We analyzed 494 review assessments issued on 225 articles from different disciplines submitted to the multidisciplinary journal Tecnociencia Chihuahua. The journal’s overall rejection was 24.9 %. The lowest rejection rates were found in the areas of Engineering and Technology and Health and Sports, with 13.9 % and 15.2 %, respectively, while the highest rejection rates were noted in Education and Humanities and Economics and Administration, with 31.3 %, each. The most frequent factor for rejection was the lack of a valid methodological support in the study, followed by deficiencies in statistical analysis and discussion of results. When analyzing only the rejected articles, the study’s design, execution, and analysis features were the three aspects that most influenced the assessment final results. Knowing the most relevant factors in arbitration according to the area of knowledge can help improve consistency and transparency in manuscript review.