“Estuary Circulation and Its Link to Water Quality In Coos Bay”, Dec. 2

The geology lecture series continues with Dr. David Sutherland (University of Oregon) on Friday, December 2, 2016 at 7:00 pm presenting “Estuary Circulation and Its Link to Water Quality In Coos Bay”.  Dr. Sutherland is an expert in oceanography and the ocean’s role in climate change, specifically how the ocean affects ice-covered areas such as Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic Ocean. At the University of Oregon, he is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and also teaches courses for the Environmental Studies Program. He works closely with the Environmental Science Institute and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. Dave’s research focuses on coastal oceanography–in the Arctic this means how melting glaciers impact the ocean (and vice versa), while on the Oregon coast, this means how coastal waters affect ecosystem functioning. While he spends his summers in Greenland studying ocean temperatures and glacier behavior, he can also speak to the melting polar ice caps in the Arctic Ocean or other high-latitude ocean processes in places like Patagonian Chile or SE Alaska. Join us in the lobby before and after Dr. Sutherland’s talk to discuss our local Coos Bay estuary with representatives from the following groups starting at 6:30 pm: the Coquille Tribe; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve; Coos Watershed Association and Surfrider Foundation.  All geology talks are free and are held in the Hales Center for the Performing Arts on Southwestern’s Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.  For those not able to attend in person, all lectures are Livestreamed and archived, with access from the College’s web site at www.socc.edu. Additional talks scheduled in the series this year include:  Dr. John Vidale (Director Pacific Northwest Seismic Network) giving the 12th annual Cascadia anniversary lecture on Friday, January 27, 2017, Dr. Scott Burns (Portland State) “Terroir of the Wine Country of Southern Oregon – Relationship Between Soils, Geology, Climate and Wine” on Friday, March 10, 2017, Dr. Mark Tveskov (Southern Oregon University) discussing “The Archaeology of the Rogue River War” on Saturday, April 15, 2017 and concluding with Dr. Carolyn Porco (UC Berkley) with “Cassini to Saturn:  The Journey and the Legacy”.  Continuing sponsors of the lecture series include the Southwestern Foundation and the College. For additional information please contact Ron Metzger at 541-888-7216.