Acclaimed Climate Scientist, Author to Speak at Birch Aquarium at Scripps

Jessica Z. Crawford | November 8, 2008

UCSD researcher Richard Somerville will speak Monday night at the Birch Aquarium .

Monday, Dec. 8
6 p.m. book signing, 7 p.m. lecture

The Forgiving Air:
Understanding Environmental Change
Richard Somerville,
Scripps Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Public: $8; Students/Educators: $
RSVP: 858-534-5771

The earth’s nearly seven billion people are such a potent force that their influence on the global environment has begun to rival that of Mother Nature. Join Richard Somerville, distinguished professor emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, as he simplifies the often-complicated science behind climate change during a Dec. 8 presentation at Birch Aquarium at Scripps. His talk is part of the aquarium’s ongoing Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series.

At 6 p.m., Somerville will sign copies of his award-winning book, The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change, which will be available for purchase. The book, published in 2000 and thoroughly updated in 2008, is an authoritative handbook on global change written for non-scientists. Somerville unravels today’s most pressing global environmental issues—including the greenhouse effect, acid rain, air pollution and the ozone hole—and stresses the importance of an educated public in a world where the role of science is increasingly crucial.

Somerville is a theoretical meteorologist and a specialist in computer modeling of the climate system. His interests include all aspects of climate, including outreach and the interface between science and public policy. He comments frequently on climate and environmental issues for the news media.

Somerville was a Coordinating Lead Author for the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in 2007. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. Somerville was also an organizer of the Bali Climate Declaration by Scientists, an effort by climate scientists to inject quantitative scientific substance into United Nations climate negotiations that took place in Indonesia in December 2007.

The Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series provides concise, comprehensive presentations on climate change and other research conducted worldwide by scientists from Scripps Oceanography.

The lecture is intended for a lay audience. Birch Aquarium admission and parking are included. Light refreshments will be served. The lecture begins promptly at 7 p.m.