October 2007

Posted October 19, 2007

Ice is Key to Learning About Climate Change

Kansas City, Missouri, October 12, 2007 — What does ice tell us about climate change? A lot! Ice is one of the most important records of past climate—and it can help us learn about what changes we might expect in the future. Dr. Robert Jacobel, Professor of Physics, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, will explain what scientists are learning from ice in the high latitude environments and prospects for the future when he presents “Ice and Global Climate Change,” Thursday, October 25, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Reading Room of the at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology.

Dr. Jacobel says, “In the earth’s high latitude regions ice and snow play a central role in the global climate system driving deep ocean circulation and controlling the amount of solar radiation reflected back to space. Conversely, ice in the temperate latitudes and elsewhere is a sensitive indicator of change.” Ice tells us about the past. The very thick polar ice sheets contain an environmental record going back thousands of years.

Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate that if we continue to use fossil fuels at the current rate, the average temperature increase will be between 1.5 and 5.8 degrees Centigrade by the end of the century based on models that use a steady increase in temperature. Jacobel says, “However, recent results from ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica show that, in addition to changes from the slowly-varying ice ages, the climate system also undergoes large and rapid jumps – mode-like behavior that switches quickly from one state to another. So-called, rapid or abrupt climate change is now at the forefront of interdisciplinary climate research.”

Be sure to attend this fascinating talk to learn the latest information about what recent research is telling us about the changes in our climate. Mark your calendar for this talk at the Linda Hall Library, 5109 Cherry Street, on Thursday, October 25, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Reading Room.

The library is the world’s largest privately funded library of science, engineering and technology open to the public. Library hours are Monday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

For more information about the library or the Linda Hall Lecture Series see the library's web page at www.lindahall.org or contact Kathy Alshouse at 816-926-8727.