Special Events
No upcoming meetings, workshops or other noteworthy events are announced.
+ Past Meetings & Workshops
Other Upcoming Events
Following are upcoming seminars, workshops and other events of interest to GISS staff and to our research partners. Please note that due to security regulations, presentations on the GISS premises are not open to the general public.
- Monday, October 21, 2019
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- GISS Lunch Seminar
- Topic: Internal variability in a changing climate -- a large ensemble perspective on tropical Atlantic rainfall
- Speaker: Sebastian Milinki (Max Planck Institute)
- More info: Abstract
- Contact: Clara Orbe
GISS Lunch Seminar
Speaker: Sebastian Milinki (Max Planck Institute)
Title: Internal variability in a changing climate -- a large ensemble perspective on tropical Atlantic rainfall
Abstract: A widely used assumption in climate science is that internal variability does not change over time, but does this assumption hold in a warming world? In this presentation I will introduce a new analysis framework to detect changes in internal variability using an initial-condition large ensemble. I will then apply this framework to investigate past and future rainfall changes over the tropical Atlantic and Sahel regions and show that rainfall variability does change in response to global warming, leading to changes in the magnitude of anomalous and extreme rainfall events. Finally, I will demonstrate how initial-condition large ensembles offer new possibilities for a robust comparison of simulated and observed internal variability and forced trends.
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- Wednesday, October 23, 2019
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
- GISS Lunch Seminar
- Topic: Antarctic surface hydrology and its impact on ice-sheet mass balance
- Speaker: Jonathan Kingslake (LDEO)
- More info: Abstract
- Contact: Gavin Schmidt
GISS Lunch Seminar
Speaker: Jonathan Kingslake (LDEO)
Title: Antarctic surface hydrology and its impact on ice-sheet mass balance
Abstract: Surface meltwater potentially poses a threat to the floating ice shelves that partially surround the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Brittle fractures in the surface of the ice are thought to be generated and enlarged when surface meltwater ponds in surface depressions, potentially triggering rapid ice-shelf collapse. Where ice shelves slow the flow of the grounded ice sheet, collapse leads to acceleration and thinning of upstream glaciers and increases sea-level rise. A concern is that future increases in melting caused by atmospheric warming could trigger ice-shelf collapse and accelerate sea-level rise. I will introduce these processes and present outcomes of an interdisciplinary workshop held on this topic at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. I will present a simple framework, emerging from the workshop, for focusing efforts to quantify the impact of Antarctic surface melting on sea-level rise. I will then describe results from ongoing projects aimed at quantifying (1) how hydrology controls which parts of the ice shelves receive significant quantities of meltwater, and (2) which regions are vulnerable to collapse triggered by meltwater. These results draw on high-resolution satellite imagery and digital elevation models, models of vertical fracture propagation, and continent-wide strain-rate fields. We highlight locations where vulnerable areas lie downstream of drainage systems that seasonally grow to different lengths in different years. Drainage-system growth depends on seasonal melt volumes and, potentially, on multi-year evolution of the ice-shelf surface. We require a deeper understanding of these systems if we are to improve predictions of where meltwater will be delivered to vulnerable parts of Antarctica's ice shelves in the future. Antarctic surface hydrology is in its infancy and many processes I will discuss have rarely been studied in Antarctica before. My hope with this talk is to expose the audience to these fascinating phenomena and spark discussion of how the important aspects of Antarctic surface hydrology could be incorporated into large-scale climate and ice-sheet models.
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- Wednesday, October 30, 2019
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- GISS Lunch Seminar
- Speaker: Johannes Quaas (GISS/Leipzig University)
- Contact: Clara Orbe
- Wednesday, November 13, 2019
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- GISS Lunch Seminar
- Topic: How Long Does Anthropogenic CO2 Stay in the Atmosphere?
- Speaker: Stephen Schwartz (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
- Contact: Clara Orbe
- Wednesday, November 20, 2019
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- GISS Lunch Seminar
- Topic: On Creating Conditions for Learning: Applying Educational Design Principles to Science Communication
- Speaker: Ofelia Mangen (Columbia Journalism School)
- Contact: Gavin Schmidt
- Wednesday, December 4, 2019
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- GISS Lunch Seminar
- Topic: Software Development and System Modernization for Research Scanning Polarimeter Tools
- Speaker: Natalie Suriel (GISS Intern)
- Contact: Clara Orbe
This event listing was last updated 2019-10-18.
Other Seminars & Colloquia
Other area institutes offering Earth science and related seminars and colloquia include:
+ American Museum of Natural History
+ Columbia University: Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
+ Columbia University: Earth Institute
+ CCNY: Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center
+ New York Academy of Sciences
+ New York University: Center for Atmosphere Ocean Studies
+ Rutgers University: Dept. of Environmental Sciences
+ Stony Brook University: School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Seminars & Colloquia
Most seminars at GISS are held during the academic year, September through May.
Formal seminar presentations by visiting scientists are held many Fridays at 11:00 a.m.
Informal lunchtime presentations by NASA GISS staff take place on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. about twice per month.
Other special seminars occur from time to time as visitors' schedules permit.
Security Note
Regulations require that visitors arrange in advance for a building pass. Persons attending a NASA GISS seminar or colloquium should contact the event host at least two days in advance of the event for assistance. Please include your affiliation in your e-mail.
Due to implementation of the REAL ID Act (2005), a state driver's license or identification card is currently (as of late 2019) required for admittance to the GISS premises, which is considered a federal facility. However, if you have a state-issued license or ID that is not considered REAL-ID compliant, you are urged to obtain one before entrance regulations change, which is expected to occur in 2020.
Persons who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents and who may be planning a visit to GISS require that special arrangements be made. Please co-ordinate with your GISS host on this at least three weeks before your visit.
All visitors can expect to have their bags searched upon entry to GISS. This may include having to answer questions about personal items, including any medication the visitor may be carrying.
