UH Hosts Leading Scientists for Discussion on the Threats of Rising Sea Levels on Coastal Communities
The University of Houston hosted some of the nation’s leading earth scientists for a timely and important panel discussion on the impacts of rising sea levels on coastal communities.
The event was part of a four-day workshop, “From Ice Sheets to the Coast: Sea Level Rise Impacts,” featuring glacial and coastal scientists, sea-level experts and policy and resiliency experts. The expected rise in sea level will create a profound shift in coastal flooding through high tides, storm surge and related flooding, making coastal communities more vulnerable to widespread damage.
“Hosting this discussion on rising sea levels was not just an academic exercise, it was a crucial conversation that impacts our present and future,” said Julia Wellner, associate professor of geology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science at the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “By addressing this issue head-on, we can inspire meaningful action and cultivate a more sustainable and resilient world for generations to come.”
In addition to Wellner, who moderated the Understanding Sea Level Rise discussion, the panel included:
- A.R. Siders, assistant professor at the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware.
- Tor Törnqvist, Vokes Geology Professor at Tulane University’s School of Science and Engineering.
- Ashley Ross, associate professor at the Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science at Texas A&M University at Galveston.
- Ryan Venturelli, assistant professor of geology and geological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.
Event sponsors included UH Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School, U.S. National Science Foundation, U.K. Natural Environment Research Council, and International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration.