Talk about Climate Change at the Science Café

Dartmouth’s Science Cafés, providing a chance to learn about a serious issue relevant in today’s world, premiere on Thursday, November 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Join friends and neighbors to consider “Stormy Weather: Is Climate Change Here?” in the company of experts on the topic. The first Science Café discussion takes place at Salt Hill Pub in Lebanon, N.H. Science Cafés are free and open to all.

Experts at the event will include climatologist Erich Osterberg, research assistant professor of earth sciences, and river expert Frank Magilligan, professor of geography, both from Dartmouth, and Lori Hirshfield, planning and development director for Hartford, Vt.

For decades, scientists have been predicting that climate change would usher in an era of more intense and frequent storms and droughts. Was tropical storm Irene part of the big picture or just a particularly bad rainstorm? How are land use and settlement patterns in a community affected by flood events?  What do climate models predict for the next 25, 50, or 100 years? How well can we really predict future weather patterns from these models? These questions and more are on the agenda for the first gathering of the Science Café series.

Dartmouth Science Cafés are directed by Dartmouth’s Office of Outreach, part of the College’s Provost’s Office, with assistance from the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL) and the After Hours program of Dartmouth’s Office of Human Resources.