 |
For further information, contact the MBL Communications Office at (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at comm@mbl.edu
For Immediate Release: June 25, 2009
Contact: Gina Hebert, 508-289-7725, ghebert@mbl.edu
WHOI Director Susan Avery to Speak about Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Resources at MBL Friday Evening Lecture, July 3
MBL, WOODS HOLE, MA - Susan K. Avery, president and director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will discuss the impacts of a changing climate on our coastal resources and environments at the MBL Friday Evening Lecture on July 3 at 8:00 PM in the MBL's Lillie Auditorium, located on MBL Street in Woods Hole. Her lecture, entitled "Coastal Cities, Coastal Impacts: The Tides They Are A-Changin", is free and open to the public.
Fourteen of our country's 20 largest urban areas are located on a coast and more than half of the U.S. population—and also the global population—lives within 50 miles of a coast. In fact, two-thirds of the world’s largest cities are on a coast. Even with a stationary climate, that concentration of population and resources portends trouble in the coastal zone. But we know that current climate is not stationary, and that climate change will lead to rising sea levels that will impinge on high-density coastal populations. What is the current state of prediction, and what are some socioeconomic implications for our nation? What if a 100-year flood in New York City became a 4-year flood? How can science help? Dr. Avery will address these and other questions related to impacts of a changing climate on our coastal resources and environments.
Dr. Avery became WHOI’s president and director in February, 2008 and is the first woman to hold the position. She was previously a faculty member at the University of Colorado. Boulder, and served in interim positions there as vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school, as well as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Dr. Avery studies atmospheric circulation and precipitation, climate variability and water resources, and the development of new radar techniques and instruments for remote sensing. She helped form an integrated science and assessment program that examines the impacts of climate variability on water in the American West. She also worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Climate Change Science Program to help formulate a national strategic science plan for climate research.
The Friday Evening Lecture Series will continue throughout the summer at the MBL. The remaining lectures in the series are below.
July 10: Daniel Rokhsar, University of California, Berkeley
"In the Beginning: Genomics of Animal Origins and Diversity"
July 16: David Julius, UC, San Francisco
“The Molecular Biology of Thermosensation and Pain”
July 17: David Julius, UC, San Francisco
“From Peppers to Peppermints: Understanding Pain Through the Power of Folk Medicine and Natural Products”
July 24: Paul Falkowski, Rutgers University
"The Microbial Engines that Drive Earth's Biogeochemical Cycles"
July 31: Martin Raff, University College London;
"Good News about Autism"
August 7: Eric Davidson, California Institute of Technology
"Gene Regulatory Networks: the Genomic Code for Embryonic Development"
August 14: Martin Chalfie, Columbia University, 2008 Nobel Laureate
"Touching Green Worms"
August 21: Josh Sanes, Harvard University
"The Circuits That Let Us See"
The MBL is a leading international, independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to discovery and to improving the human condition through creative research and education in the biological, biomedical and environmental sciences. Founded in 1888 as the Marine Biological Laboratory, the MBL is the oldest private marine laboratory in the Americas.
|
