If you were unable to attend this event, you may now watch the video recording of Dr. Famiglietti's talk on CWEST's YouTube Channel.
Please join the Center for Water, Earth Science and Technology (CWEST) for a seminar by Professor Jay Famiglietti on 21st Century Global Freshwater Security: Can it Exist and Can Scientist Communicate the Challenges?
Climate models and decades of satellite data are converging on the unfortunate reality that Earth’s water cycle is changing. Paleoclimate indicators remind us that this has always been the case. Freshwater is constantly being exchanged among the atmosphere, ocean, land and ice reservoirs, while on land, patterns of precipitation, evapotranspiration, flooding and drought are shifting. The evolving water cycle of the 21st century will likely be stronger, more variable, and will result in broad swaths of mid-latitude drying, accelerated by the depletion of the world’s major groundwater aquifers. A well-defined geography of freshwater ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is clearly emerging. What does water sustainability mean under such dynamic climate and hydrologic conditions, in particular when coupled with future projections of population growth? How will water managers cope with these new normals, and how will food and energy production be impacted? The responsibility of communicating this changing global water landscape falls squarely on the shoulders of the academic-research community, yet the challenge of doing so is daunting. In this presentation he will review what his latest research tells us, and will share his personal experiences with science communication and water diplomacy.
Dr. Famiglietti is a hydrologist at the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has 25 years of experience in research and communicating about water and climate change, including contributions to the New York Times and as a guest on NPR. All are welcome to this public seminar.
When: Wednesday, April 26th 9-10am
Where: SEEC auditorium, room C-120, located at 4001 Discovery Drive. Visitor pay parking is limited. Bicycles, RTD's Stampede or the Discovery Express shuttle are encouraged.
RSVP: by April 25th to c-west@colorado.edu so we can ensure enough seating.