Seminars

Dr. Lynch-Stieglitz will discuss climate tipping points and her research on oceanic and climatic systems. Her research focuses on the ocean's role in controlling atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, the relationship between Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and climate, and the Tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere system.

Monday, October 21, 4:00 PM

MSC W502

Dr. Jane Willenbring, Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Stanford University, will explore the evolution of the Earth’s surface, primarily how landscapes are affected by tectonics, climate change, and life. She has organized citizen science campaigns to address human health, focusing on urban cleanups and agricultural impacts.

Monday, September 30th, 4:00 PM, MSC W502

Please join us for a lecture by Zealan Hoover, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, followed by a career-focused Q&A and networking event on September 17! As greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures continue to rise, the impacts of a hotter world are becoming more immediate and apparent. Climate anxiety is also becoming increasingly prevalent. Zealan Hoover is a senior leader at the U.S. EPA where he leads efforts to fight climate change by deploying billions of dollars in new federal investments to accelerate decarbonization. He will share the case for climate optimism grounded in progress the world has made since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, outline the work that still needs to be done, and share how today’s students can be part of the solution.

2:30-3:45pm: Lecture in White Hall 205

4-6pm: Career-Focused Networking and Q&A in Math and Science Center W502

Emory Climate Talks and the Department of Environmental Sciences will host a special event, “Championing Change: International Climate Diplomacy and Social Justice,” featuring former U.N. Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, from 5:30-7 p.m., Thursday, April 25 in Convocation Hall. Attendees must register for the event and space is limited.

Through this panel discussion, attendees will gain valuable insights into the complexities of climate diplomacy and the challenges and opportunities presented at the UN climate negotiations last year in Dubai (COP28). Young, a renowned leader in civil rights activism and international diplomacy, will provide valuable perspectives on the role of diplomacy in addressing climate change.

Additionally, student delegates who attended COP28 will share their experiences, shedding light on what it means to witness climate negotiations firsthand. Students will also learn how they can contribute to the United Nations Climate Conference in Azerbaijan later this year. Since 2015, Emory students have attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP).

Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering

Location: Math & Science Center (MSC), W201

The global record of greenhouse gas measurements is growing rapidly with the launch of several new satellites and an expansion of ground-based monitoring. This new era of big data is set to transform scientific understanding of greenhouse gas emissions, but the volume of new data creates numerous computational challenges for inverse or emissions models that were originally designed for a small number of ground-based observing stations. The beginning of the talk will focus on new, transformative statistical and mathematical approaches to understand emissions using massive satellite datasets. Then, we will apply these techniques to three different case studies in greenhouse gas emissions. The first case study will focus on carbon dioxide sources and sinks estimated using NASA's OCO-2 satellite. Using this data, we find that most existing biogeochemical models underestimate the seasonal amplitude of the global carbon cycle, and we argue that the impacts of climate change on this aspect of the carbon cycle may be larger than previously believed. The second part of the talk focuses on methane emissions from China, the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. We specifically use satellite observations to evaluate the success of China's methane emissions policies. Lastly, we will discuss an often-overlooked greenhouse gas called sulfuryl fluoride, which has surprising and unexpected implications for greenhouse gas emissions targets within the US.