JACKSON HOLE, WYO — Climate changes. We live on planet that is alive and ever-fluctuating.
But the rate of past climate change, as well as the mechanisms that cause climate change, vary. Past, present, and future climate have implications for changes in vegetation, disturbances like fire and drought and issues related to valuable resources such as water—both locally, nationally, and globally.
Ready for a deep dive into one of the most controversial topics of the day? Join Dr. JJ Shinker for a look into a variety of data sources that help us understand the underlying causes and consequences of climate change across a variety of timescales from tens of millions, hundreds of thousands, and hundreds of years.
Slow-moving tectonic processes are an example of forces external to the climate system that impacted climate change throughout the last 70 million years. The gravitational pull of the sun and large outer planets impacts the shape of the Earth’s orbit, tilt and wobble across hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands of years.
These external processes have led to climatic and associated long-term environmental changes.
Dr. Shinker will present evidence for climate change over the last 160-plus years to provide context on how recent rates of change in temperature differ from the past. These recent changes of temperature, in particular, are extremely relevant states in the West as they pertain to one coveted resource: water.
Recent temperature increases have led to early onset of spring, earlier and more rapid snowmelt, increased evaporation, and reduced late-season streamflow. From a societal perspective, future climate change impacts on western water resources are relevant to energy production, agriculture and municipalities to name only a few areas of very significant impact.
Geologists of Jackson Hole event. May 7, 6pm, at the Teton County Library. Geologic to Human Timescales of Climate Change, presented by JJ Shinker, University of Wyoming.
