Lawrence University Lecture Series Examines Issues Facing the Great Lakes Basin

APPLETON, WIS. -- Linda Mortsch, an impacts and adaptation researcher with the Meteorological Service of Canada, will discuss societal vulnerabilities as a result of fluctuations in Great Lakes water levels in the first of a two-part Lawrence University environmental studies lecture series that looks at issues affecting the future of the five fresh-water lakes.

Mortsch opens the series -- "The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes" -- Thursday, Feb. 7 with the address "Effects of Climate Change on the Great Lakes," at 8 p.m. in Youngchild Hall, Room 161 on the Lawrence campus. The event is free and open to the public.

In light of climate-change models suggesting a drop in the water levels in the Great Lakes by one-meter or more by the middle of the next century due to global warming, Mortsch will discuss historic water-level fluctuations during the past century. She also will examine the impact the current lower levels are having on recreational boaters, marina operators and commercial navigation and discuss what steps need to be taken to adapt to future changes in water levels.

Mortsch has served as a principal scientific advisor to the International Joint Commission, a bilateral organization established in 1909 by the United States and Canada to manage fresh water resources shared by both countries.

"The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes" series is sponsored by the Spoerl Lectureship in Science in Society. Established in 1999 by Milwaukee-Downer College graduate Barbara Gray Spoerl, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on topics that broaden the understanding of the role of science and technology in societies worldwide.