By Dan Nonte,University Relations
The UNCG Department of Biology has organized a symposium about global climate change, possibly the most pressing environmental issue in human history.
The symposium will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, April 7, in Auditorium 101 of the Science Building, and provide the Triad community with a forum to learn about and discuss the issue.
Presentations will address anticipated future greenhouse effects of increasing methane and nitrous oxide emissions, possible abrupt climate change in the North Atlantic, uncertainty in projections of future carbon dioxide emissions, and changes in hurricane patterns. Following the talks, there will be a panel discussion including questions from the audience.
The symposium is organized by the Department of Biology, with help from the Department of Geography and financial support from the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of the Provost, and Syngenta.
For more information, call 336-334-5391 or visit www.uncg.edu/bio/symposium. For driving directions to UNCG, visit http://web.uncg.edu/adm/visit/directions.htm. For a campus map, visit http://www.uncg.edu/online_map/index.html.
SCHEDULE
• 1 p.m. Welcome
• 1:10-2 p.m. “The Future of Global Warming: Increasing Importance of Methane and Nitrous Oxide,” Dr. Steve Whalen, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 2 p.m. “Abrupt Climate Change: Will Global Warming Cause Cooling in the North Atlantic Region?” – Dr. Bruce Peterson, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole
• 2:50-3 p.m. Break – Light refreshments will be served
• 3:10-4 p.m. “Can We Reduce the Uncertainty in Long-Term Carbon Dioxide Emission Forecasts?” – Dr. Dr. Ross McKitrick, University of Guelph
• 4-4:50 p.m. “Hurricanes in a Changing Climate” – Dr. Barry Keim, Louisiana State University
• 4:55-5:15 p.m. Panel Discussion
PRESENTERS
• Dr. Steve Whelen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include nutrient cycling dynamics in fresh water and terrestrial ecosystems as well as exchange of greenhouse (methane, nitrous oxide) and chemically (carbon monoxide) important trace gases between soils and the atmosphere in wetlands, forests and agroecosystems. Ongoing local research projects include an assessment of rates and controls of nitrous oxide emission from spray fields associated with swine production and an analysis of the influence of elevated CO2 on methane consumption in forest soils. He has published scholarly articles on these subjects in a wide range of journals.
• Dr. Bruce Peterson is a senior scientist at the Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. His research expertise lies in the area of aquatic productivity, which he approaches through the study of the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur at the process, ecosystem, and global levels. His research group conducts aquatic productivity studies in arctic regions in the U.S. and Russia, in estuaries of the northeastern U.S., and in streams throughout the U.S. He has more than 100 scholarly publications, including several in the prestigious journal Science. A major article in Science on climate change is forthcoming.
• Dr. Ross McKitrick is an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Guelph. He has published numerous scholarly articles in both economics and science journals on topics such as the linkages between economic growth and pollution; the measurement of climate change; and environmental policy design. In early 2006 he was invited to present his research on statistical methods in paleoclimatology to a US National Academy of Science Panel on historical climate variability. In 2003 his coauthored book, “Taken By Storm: The Troubled Science, Policy and Politics of Global Warming,” was runner up for the Donner Prize for the Best Book on Canadian Public Policy.
• Dr. Barry Keim is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Anthropology at LSU and is the Louisiana State Climatologist. His research interests are in the areas of climate change, extreme weather events, heavy rainfall, hurricanes, and applied climatology, and he has published numerous scholarly articles on these topics. His recent research includes the environmental impacts of Hurricane Katrina to Louisiana including the devastation of his hometown of Chalmette, La. A discussion of these studies will be featured in his presentation.
