Newswise — Only the fossil record provides a window into the responses of species and ecosystems to climate change over extended periods of time. Detailed geological records of fossils and climatic data allow us to examine environmental change as it actually happened. A panel of scientists speaking in a special forum at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Cleveland, Ohio, will feature some of the most critical insights from the fossil record for global changes underway today, including warming of the earth's surface, rise in sea level, and changes in seasonality. The forum, "Global Climate Change: Past and Future," occurs on Saturday, October 18, from 12:15-1:45 p.m. at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in downtown Cleveland. It is free and open to the public.
Three distinguished scientists will participate in the climate forum. All three scientists study modern and ancient ecosystems. Dr. Elizabeth Hadly, from Stanford University, studies the influence of climate change on the geographic distribution and population biology of small mammals. Dr. Thure Cerling, from the University of Utah, studies ancient climate as recorded in the chemistry of mammal teeth and soils from modern and fossil ecosystems. Dr. Jack Williams, from the University of Wisconsin, studies the response of forests to climate change during the last 20 thousand years as continental ice sheets melted in response to global warming. Each scientist will present insights from the fossil record that are relevant for understanding how species and ecosystems could respond to current global climate changes. The forum will be moderated by SVP President Dr. Catherine Badgley, from the University of Michigan, and Dr. Jonathan Bloch, from the University of Florida.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) is a scientific organization with 2,300 members from 50 countries. Vertebrate paleontology is the study of the historical record of animals with backbones, which include fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. For further information about the SVP annual meeting, visit http://www.vertpaleo.org/meetings/index.cfm.
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