In the article "Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Physical Geography," published in Eos, Jacob Bendix, professor emeritus of geography and the environment, and his co-authors argue that the current lack of diversity in physical geography reflects both the lack of awareness of the field among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students and the challenges these students face upon entering it. 

"We recommend publicizing to students the relevance of climatology, biogeography, and geomorphology to tackling problems like climate change and environmental degradation so they see that they can pursue societally productive careers within the natural science realm," say the authors.

"Further, eliminating the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations), which has been shown to be a barrier to entry for students from historically marginalized groups, as an application requirement could facilitate more diverse enrollment in graduate programs," they say.