Puzzles from the Earth's Past: Ice Ages, Abrupt Warmings, and Other Climate Curiosities

A talk and public discussion by Dr. Amy Clement
Friday, March 7th at 8:00 p.m. in the Museum Space Gallery

What caused the ice ages? How quickly can the climate change? How much will the climate change if greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere change? These are just some of the questions that arise from looking into the climate of the Earth's past. The past climate record gives us an idea of the dramatic range of climate behavior that is "natural." It is essential to understand the mechanisms behind these changes in order to put our present climate into the proper context, and to understand and predict how the climate may change in the future as anthropogenic greenhouse gases increase. This MiaSci FYI lecture will discuss the evidence for past changes in climate, and will provide a synopsis of the current understanding of the causes of those changes.

About Dr. Amy Clement

Dr. Amy Clement is an Associate Professor of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Her research focuses on tropical climate changes that occur on timescales of years to millennia, including El Niño, global warming and abrupt climate change. Dr. Clement recently received awards from both the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union recognizing her contributions to this field of research. Dr. Clement has a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Columbia College, and a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from Columbia University. She teaches courses on meteorology and climate change to both undergraduates and graduate students at the University of Miami.

Future Events

April 4th:

Effects of Human Activity on Global Climate Change: What Do We Know, and How Do We Know It?
by Dr. Benjamin Santer, Research Scientist, Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

To see the first lecture in this three-art series on global warming, Global Warming and South Florida: What does the Future Hold?, visit the Museum's YouTube channel

For more information about the MiaSci FYI Lecture Series Click Here