Arctic
Meltdown
with
Louis Fortier
Québec-Océan, Université Laval
Climate models predict that the earliest indisputable evidence
of climate change will come from the melting of Arctic sea
ice. Is the current thinning and disappearance of sea ice
proof that the models are right? The jury is still out. But,
given the impressive match between observations and simulations,
Canada would be wise to prepare for the ecological, geo-political
and socio-economic consequences of an Arctic meltdown. In
his talk, Dr. Fortier will examine the potential impacts of
a sea-ice meltdown – from the extinction of Canada’s
unique arctic fauna to a potential cooling of Northern Europe
– and he will describe the newest international efforts,
led by Canada, to decipher the enigmas posed by the transformation
of the Arctic.
Louis Fortier is a professor of Oceanography at Université
Laval and Director of Québec-Océan. For the
past decade he has been at the forefront of efforts to rebuild
Canadian leadership in the study of the Arctic Ocean.
Simultaneous translation will be provided.
Co-Sponsors:
--the Speaker of the Senate, the Hon. Daniel Hays
--the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Hon. Peter Milliken
--Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE)
--NSERC
DATE: Tuesday, May 6, 2003 from 7:30 am - 9:00 am
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