About the Talk
Paul Loubere will present a lecture titled Rising Sea-Level: Causes, Predictions, and Coastal Impact. This topic should be of great interest to those that live at or near sea level.
The basic message is that “Sea-level is rising and will continue to do so well into the future as global warming proceeds, which leads to a series of basic science questions:
- What exactly defines sea-level?
- It turns out that sea-level isn’t very level, why not?
- How has sea-level varied in the past, and why?
- What mechanisms control sea-level, and on what scales and time-spans?
- What are predictions for sea-level rise in the near future?
- What impacts does rising sea-level have on coastlines, such as ours?
- How might coast-lines change as sea-levels rise?
Paul Loubere’s talk will examine these questions in a non-technical way to provide perspective on the issues created by rising sea-level for our NW Pacific environment.
About the Speaker
Paul holds a Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences/Marine Geology from the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. He was a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences at Northern Illinois University and is a Professor Emeritus in that Department and the Department of Anthropology. He has over 30 years experience researching global ocean and climate systems. He has participated on scientific expeditions in much of the world’s oceans from the Arctic to the tropical Pacific. Paul retired from teaching in 2009, moved to Port Townsend, and is on the Geology Group’s Board of Advisors.