Atkinson Invited to Seminar, Conference to Tell CCSLRI Story
Larry Atkinson, the Old Dominion University Slover Professor of Oceanography and director of the university's Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Initiative (CCSLRI), is attending a seminar in Washington, D.C., and a conference in Hoboken, N.J., this week to report on work being done by ODU researchers affiliated with CCSLRI.
On Monday, June 25, Atkinson spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (MARACOOS) on Capitol Hill. The event was designed to update staffers of U.S. representatives and senators about the ways MARACOOS ocean forecasters help protect lives, business interests, property and public health on the East Coast from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras.
MARACOOS is part of the federal government's Integrated Ocean Observing Systems, with which Atkinson has been associated for years. He is currently a member of the board of directors of MARACOOS.
Atkinson's talk in Washington focused on coastal inundation issues that are being considered now by CCSLRI researchers. He also discussed offshore wind in the mid-Atlantic as a potential source of energy. Other speakers at the MARACOOS luncheon represented fisheries and maritime interests, as well as other universities, in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, June 26-27, Atkinson is scheduled to be a presenter at a conference, "Impacts of Extreme Climate Events on Urban Coasts," at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. This conference is bringing together academic scientists, leading engineers, industry researchers and government decision makers to review current thinking of scientists and engineers about extreme events in a changing climate, and to identify the most urgent challenges standing in the way of practical solutions.
Atkinson will be a panelist addressing the topic of "Obstacles and Opportunities" in urban coastal planning.
Jenifer Alonzo, the ODU assistant professor of communication and theatre arts who has been working through CCSLRI to promote the public's understanding of climate change, is also attending the seminar at Stevens.
CCSLRI was established almost two years ago by ODU President John R. Broderick to promote research and education relevant to climate-change issues facing urban coastal regions.