Descriptions:
Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson, from the School of Earth Sciences and Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio State University, presented this public lecture as a Distinguished Speaker for Rutgers’ Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.
Description: Glaciers serve both as recorders and early indicators of climate change. The ongoing widespread melting of high-elevation glaciers and ice caps, particularly in low to middle latitudes, provide strong evidence that a large-scale, pervasive and, in some cases, rapid change in Earth’s climate system is underway.
Glacier shrinkage during the 20th and 21st centuries has been observed all over the world, including the South American Andes, the Himalayas, equatorial Africa (e.g. Kilimanjaro) and near Puncak Jaya, Indonesia (New Guinea). The history and fate of these glaciers, as well as new geo-hazards created by their recent retreat, provide a global perspective for contemporary climate changes and aid in our understanding of such changes in the future.
The lecture took place on March 2, 2017 at the Cook Student Center at the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus. Learn more at: https://eoas.rutgers.edu/