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The Role of Polar Regions in Earth’s Changing Climate System
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Presenters
Dr. Todd Hinkley
Todd Hinkley is Manager of the National Ice Core Laboratory in Denver, where samples
of ice from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are kept frozen for investigations
of the Earth’s past climate and of the composition of the atmosphere in the past.
He is a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey. He served as federal coordinator
for the Southwest component of the National Assessment of Potential Effects of Climate
Variability and Climate Change.
Hinkley has a Ph.D. in geology from Caltech. Research interests are natural and
polluted amounts of trace elements (such at lead and cadmium) deposited by the atmosphere,
and in the environment; and the roles of volcano emissions, dust, sea salts, and
pollutants in the atmosphere. He has sampled ice from Greenland and from mountain
glaciers, as well as the emissions from active volcanoes. He has published his work
in scientific journals such as Nature, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of
Geophysical Research, and Earth and Planetary Science Letters. His most recent publication
is on evidence from glacial ice indicating that types of active volcanoes changed,
halfway between the present time and the end of the last ice age.
Dr. Taneil Uttal
Taneil Uttal is an Arctic climate researcher with the NOAA Earth Systems Research
Laboratory and Team leader of the Polar Processes Research Group. Current research
involves investigation of Arctic clouds and aerosol characteristics using radar,
radiometers, and lidar. The cloud properties of interest include water contents,
phase, vertical distribution and optical properties which are considered to be important
in determining how clouds will impact atmospheric radiation budgets, and how energy
will be exchanged between the surface and the atmosphere. A primary objective of
her research is to collect long-time records of clouds to directly measure how they
change over different seasons, and from year to year. These data sets will be important
in determining the processes and mechanisms that force climate change so we can
answer not only "how" but "why" our environment is changing. An important component
of this activity is to compare these surface data sets to satellite observations
of cloud properties and to develop improved representation of Arctic clouds in climate
models. For the last several years, Taneil has been the managing the NOAA program
to coordinate and install atmospheric measurements around the Arctic. She leads
the International Polar Year project "International Arctic Systems for Observing
the Atmosphere" which is coordinating Arctic atmosphere measurements internationally.
Her research activities include developing observatory partnerships in the Canadian
and Russian Arctic.
Taneil received a degree in Physics from the Colorado College and an M.S. in Atmospheric
Science from Colorado State University. She has been working for NOAA for 28 years
in the area of remote sensing of the atmosphere and cloud research.
Jane Beitler
Jane Beitler is Science Communications Manager at the National Snow and Ice Data
Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado at Boulder. At NSIDC, Jane and her team help
scientists talk to a variety of audiences about how snow, ice, glaciers, and frozen
ground interact with the Earth's climate system, and what these interactions are
currently telling us about climate change. In particular, NSIDC responds to many
queries about the status of sea ice in the Arctic, and during summer melt season,
the team maintains a popular blog featuring running commentary from scientists about
the season's sea ice decline and its significance for global climate. The NSIDC
communications team also designs and writes several "All About" Web resources for
educators and the public, such as "All About Glaciers," "All About Sea Ice," and
the forthcoming "All About Frozen Ground." The team also responds to thousands of
questions from educators, students, and the public on snow and ice topics, from
basic facts to tougher questions such as "Why does snow crunch when you step on
it?" Jane also edits and writes for a NASA publication featuring stories about intriguing
research using remote sensing data.
Jane received her M.A. degree in English from University of Texas at Arlington.
Prior to joining NSIDC, she taught college-level writing and enjoyed 20 years working
in business.
Dr. Doug Williams
Douglas F. Williams, aka "Dr Doug", Carolina Trustee Professor of Marine and Geological
Sciences and former Associate Dean of the South Carolina Honors College at the University
of South Carolina, has been active in the research, teaching and administrative
affairs of the University since 1977. At the Honors College Dr Doug was instrumental
in developing Research-Based Learning (RBL) and Learning Through Experiential Outreach
(LEO), two approaches to enhancing the undergraduate learning experience by engaging
both major and non-science majors in authentic research and scholarship. In May
2006, Dr Doug joined the staff of the EdVenture Children's Museum as its first Scientist-in-Residence
where he is involved in professional development programming for teachers, and museum
staff training.
Dr Doug is an oceanographer who received his bachelor's degree in geology-biology
from Brown University and his PhD in oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography
of the University of Rhode Island. Dr Doug's research involves using marine and
lake sediments to reconstruct the history of the earth's climate. In 1989 he organized
the Baikal Drilling Project (BDP), a decade-long Russian-American-Japanese project
to study the history of the world's deepest and oldest lake, Lake Baikal. As part
of his professional research, Dr Doug has taken over 50 undergraduates on experiential
learning trips around the world and the nation. In the summer of 2003, Dr Doug took
eight USC students to the Laptev Sea of the Russian Arctic via a 3,700 km journey
through the heart of Siberia on the Lena River, one of the world's longest and mightiest
rivers. In 2004 Dr Doug received a U.S. National Science Foundation grant to create
Go Polar! Cool Science in the Arctic at EdVenture, an informal science education
program about Arctic and Global Change research for children and families.
Dr Doug has published nearly 200 scientific papers, received numerous research grants
from the U.S. National Science Foundation, and won awards at USC for outstanding
teaching and mentoring of undergraduates.
For more information contact symposia@nsta.org
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Underwritten in part by NSF, NASA, and NOAA.
