Pristine and extreme: UD professor to talk about Antarctica May 23

The University of Delaware’s annual Ocean Currents Lecture Series will lead off this year with professor Dana Veron, who will take listeners to one of the coldest, most desolate reaches of this planet, the Eastern Antarctic Plateau. The talk Thursday, May 23, will focus on one of Veron’s previous research opportunities where she spent weeks living in Antarctica on a research base trying to improve climate modeling for the region, which is crucial for researcher safety.

Veron said that because the Eastern Antarctic Plateau is inhospitable, research bases rely on the constant shipment of goods. Mercurial weather patterns can potentially hinder resupply efforts to remote research facilities, which means weather reports and climate models must be accurate to ensure the safety of the base.

Climate modeling in the region also helps people better understand the impacts of climate change elsewhere in the world, revealing a great deal about how global warming is impacting glaciers at both the North and South poles, for instance. Veron said that as the climate of a polar region begins to warm, glaciers in those areas melt and increase the rate that sea level rises. Delaware is vulnerable to sea level rise due to the state’s flat topography. Veron stressed that gaining a deeper understanding of climate and giving people a glimpse of the condition of the Antarctic can help protect Delawareans.

Veron’s upcoming talk will be accompanied by captivating images and videos of the Antarctic landscape, giving a glimpse into one of the most pristine and extreme places on Earth.

As in previous years, the talk will start at 7 p.m. in Cannon Laboratory Room 104, Hugh R. Sharp Campus, 1044 College Drive, Lewes. The lecture series is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. This lecture is appropriate for all age groups.

Dana Veron is a researcher in UD’s Geography Department, a professor for many graduate and undergraduate classes, and an expert on climate modeling. One of Veron’s specialties is in regional climate modeling in the Arctic/Antarctic. However, her climate modeling expertise extends beyond the poles, ranging from daily processes all the way up to lengthy climate scales, such as the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

This climate model can be used for weather forecasting and climate research, and Veron used a modified version of it while conducting research in the Antarctic. She conducted research at a joint French-Italian polar research station for five weeks. She is also a member of the CALVA Project, a French-led international collective of environmental researchers working to improve calibration and validation of observations in modeling in Antarctica.

More upcoming Ocean Currents talks:

June 13 - Jonathan Cohen, “Light in the Dark: Marine Biology in the Arctic Polar Night”

July 18 - Mark Moline, “Finding the Missing”

Aug. 15 - Aaron Russell, “Offshore Wind on the horizon: How community engagement makes a difference”