Climate change experts to meet Nov. 14-15 at UF

November 7, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Scientific experts focusing their research on Florida’s changing climate will gather next week at the University of Florida for a two-day event that features panel discussions, poster sessions, and keynote speakers.

Events will begin Nov. 14 at UF’s Emerson Alumni Hall with a poster session that marks the opening of the Florida Climate Institute, or FCI, annual meeting. The meeting will then roll into the Florida Climate Change Task Force, or FCCTF, workshop beginning at 5 p.m. and last through the following day. Interested parties must register online to attend. Seating is limited.

At the FCCTF workshop, researchers will reveal findings of four climate studies that began early in 2011. The reports describe how climate change could affect biodiversity, current climate patterns and Florida’s freshwater resources. The studies are the culmination of yearlong projects and include an outreach plan for making climate science education more accessible to the public.

Andrea Dutton, a UF assistant professor of geology will open a series of talks for FCI’s annual meeting by discussing her work using geochemical analysis techniques to answer questions about the Earth’s past climate. Other speakers will present on topics ranging from a pine forest carbon sequestration project, to sea level changes that threaten Florida’s coast, to a session on economic policy issues related to climate change.

FCI is offering a training workshop for scientists as part of its annual meeting agenda. The purpose of the training is to help researchers learn to explain their work more effectively to the media and lay audiences. FCI coordinator Carolyn Cox said that she felt this type of training is critical to ensuring that government officials and industry leaders understand the latest scientific data available as they plan for Florida’s future.

For more information, visit http://www.floridaclimateinstitute.org.