The Geological Sciences Colloquium Series presents Dr. Ian Howat on “Are the Ice Sheets Collapsing?” on Oct. 14 at 4:10 p.m. in Clippinger 205.
Dr. Ian Howat
Howat is an associate professor in The Ohio State University School of Earth Sciences.
Abstract: Human civilization has developed during a period of relatively stable sea level, preceded by rapid pulses of rising oceans during deglaciation. Will our warming atmosphere and oceans bring a return to the catastrophic conditions of the early Holocene, or worse? The concept that ice sheets can change substantially on timescales of centuries or less is new, and the past decade has brought radical changes in our understanding of their dynamics and how they react to changes at their air and ocean boundaries. Yet, our understanding is far from complete, and predictions are still highly uncertain: Current estimates of sea level rise for this century range from decimeters to over a meter. Starting from a basic global energy and mass balance perspective, we will review the mechanisms driving ice sheet response to climate and assess the potential for rapid, near-future sea level rise.
Upcoming Colloquia
Andrew Czaja of the University of Cincinnati on Oct. 28 at 4:10 p.m. in Clippinger 205.
Dorothy Sack of the Ohio University Department of Geography on “No Cursing, Crying, No Cookies: Women Trailblazers in Geomorphology” on Nov. 4 at 4:10 p.m. in Clippinger 205.
Davey Wright of The Ohio State University on “Unifying fossils and phylogenetic biology to study evolution in “deep time” on Nov. 18 at 4:10 p.m. in Clippinger 205.
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