NASA's Halpern to Lecture on Problematic Changes in Ocean Environment

David Halpern, senior advisor for NASA Earth Science Research and senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will deliver a lecture assessing historic changes occurring in the oceans as part of Old Dominion University's Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography Fall Seminar Series at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3.

The lecture, titled "The New Ocean Environment," will examine changes in long-term mean conditions in the oceans. Examples are increases in heat and carbon dioxide, a rise in global sea level, expanding dead zones, more harmful algae blooms and decrease in Arctic Ocean summertime sea ice extent.

Halpern, who is based at NASA Headquarters in Washington and is a former senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will discuss how biological, chemical and physical oceanography must adapt to the complex challenges brought about by the new ocean environment.

The talk in CCPO's Room 3200 in the Innovation Research Park@ODU Building 1 will be preceded by a reception with refreshments beginning at 3 p.m. The seminars in the series are free and open to the public.

Halpern is the recipient of three major NASA awards, the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal and Public Service Award.