Friends of Merrymeeting Bay

2010-2011 Speaker Series

Climate Change: Perspective and Realities, Surprises and Opportunities.
Paul Mayewski PhD.
Director and Professor, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine -

7:00 p.m.
October 13, 2010

Dr. Mayweski is a world-renowned glaciologist and climatologist. He will discuss his research findings from around the globe including Greenland, Antarctica, the Himalayas, Tibet and Tierra Del Fuego.
His research has documented abrupt changes in the world's atmosphere, produced naturally and by human activity. This includes his early discovery of ice loss in the Himalayas and Antarctica. Thanks to Prof. Mayewski's research, the University of Maine has become celebrated for its important ice core data, demonstrating atmospheric conditions dating back hundreds of years.
Dr. Mayewski is the co-author of the popular book The Ice Chronicles, and has been featured on such media outlets as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Popular Science, 60 minutes, and NOVA. He has also been honored with numerous international scientific awards.
Research Highlight Examples (>300 pubs):
• Documented changes in atmospheric chemistry produced naturally and by humans.
• Early discovery of recent Antarctic and Himalayan ice loss.
• Discovered behavior of abrupt climate change events in the atmosphere.
• Developed integrated understanding of multiple controls on climate and unique role of human impact.
• Pioneered use of instrumentally calibrated ice core records back hundreds of years and first global reconstruction of past atmospheric conditions.
• Demonstrated associations between climate and disruptions to civilization.
Exploration Highlights (selected):
• Leader of more than 50 expeditions to remote regions such as: Antarctica, the Arctic, Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Tierra del Fuego.
• Leader of the first expedition into Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica and first glaciological expedition to Nun Kun Massif, Ladakh, Indian Himalayas.
• Leader of the first multi-disciplinary oversnow scientific expedition to the South Pole.
• Record for traversing unexplored Antarctic territory.
Major Scientific Projects Organized and Led (examples):
GISP2 (Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2, 25 American institutions); ITASE (International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition, 21 nations);  CADIP (Central Asian Deep Ice Coring, 7 nations).
Honors (selected): First Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research; International Glaciology Society Seligman Crystal; Mayewski Peak, Antarctica; Honorary Doctorate, Stockholm University; Fellow, Honoree, Lowell Thomas Medal from Explorers Club; Fellow, American Geophysical Union; Fellow, American Society for the Advancement of Science; Academic Member, Joint Key Laboratory of Cryosphere and Environment (Chinese Academy of Sciences); Honorary Research Associate Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand, Maine Environmental Hero.
http://www.climatechange.umaine.edu/people/directory/profile/paul_andrew_mayewski