UW News

January 6, 2016

UW climate scientists to give free talks at Mt. Baker Ski Area

UW News

After a day enjoying the powdery snow on the slopes east of Bellingham, skiers can sit down with fondue and hear about the future of our region under climate change.

poster with mountains and speakers' photos

The University of Washington and Mt. Baker Ski Area are collaborating this month to present “The 1.5 Degrees Series, and What We Can Do to Help.” The free 20-minute talks by UW faculty members will take place three consecutive Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. in the ski area’s White Salmon Lodge.

The first presentation on Jan. 9, will be given by Cecilia Bitz, UW professor of atmospheric sciences, who will talk about “The Future of Ice – Far and Near.” Her talk is a fitting kickoff for the series, which is an outreach effort by the UW’s interdisciplinary Future of Ice initiative.

Next will be Daniel Schindler, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, who will speak Jan. 16 on “Climate and the Future of Salmon in the Pacific Northwest.” Schindler’s research looks at how factors such as climate change and urbanization affect salmon populations in Alaska and the Northwest.

The final presentation, on Jan. 23, will be by Nick Bond, researcher with the UW’s Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean and Washington’s state climatologist, who will speak on “El Niño, the Blob and Climate Change: What it Means for Our Neck of the Woods.”

The series gets its title from the recent agreement to try and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, signed in December at a meeting of world leaders in Paris.

###

For more information, contact series coordinator and UW Future of Ice postdoctoral researcher Sarah Myhre at semyhre@uw.edu.

Tag(s):