Two of the nation’s most respected climate scientists – leaders of The Ohio State University’s renowned Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center – will describe their pioneering studies of the world’s great ice fields in Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon, October 14.
Lonnie Thompson, PhD, and Ellen Mosley-Thompson, PhD, each with the title of Distinguished University Professor, will be visiting relatives in Irvington and will make a presentation on their research over the years in far-flung ice fields ranging from the tropical South American Andes, the Himalayas, and Kilimanjaro to Antarctica and Greenland. In part through drilling and returning to the U.S. deep ice cores revealing long-past data – and showing likely future directions – the Thompsons have vastly improved scientific understanding of these critical iced environments.
The widely published scientists, highly coveted speakers at national and international scientific conferences and the focus of numerous major media features, are scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. on October 14 at Indian Creek Yacht & Country Club in Kilmarnock.
“Together, the Thompsons have virtually revolutionized global understanding of Earth’s critically important and at-risk ice sheets and of the role of human activities in shaping their future,” said Bud Ward of White Stone, Editor of Yale Climate Connections, published by the Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental studies. “To have them here in the Northern Neck to personally describe their work is a rare opportunity in a region which itself is understood to be facing challenges from a warming climate.”
The Thompsons are expected to speak and present dazzling visuals from their research around the globe for roughly 50 minutes, to be followed by an informal Q&A session with audience members. There is no fee for the session, but those planning to attend must register in advance by contacting Ward at wardbud@gmail.com or at 703-307-0150. Audience members are invited to mingle informally with the Thompsons and their local hosts, Jane and Page Henley, at a cash-bar reception immediately following the presentation and Q&A.