Published: April 21, 2017

Professor Jay Famiglietti

Professor Jay Famiglietti

Please join the Center for Water, Earth Science and Technology (CWEST) for a public seminar by Jay Famiglietti,Ìýprofessor and hydrologist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Ìýon Wednesday, April 26, at the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex (SEEC).

Famiglietti's lecture "21st Century Global Freshwater Security: Can it Exist and Can Scientists Communicate the Challenges?" will discuss the convergence of climate models and decades of satellite data that suggest an unfortunate reality: Earth's water cycle is changing.

However, paleoclimate indicators remind us this has always been the case. Freshwater is constantly being exchanged among the atmosphere, ocean, land and ice reservoirs; while, on land, patterns of precipitation, evapotranspiration, flooding and drought are shifting.

The evolving water cycle of the 21st century will likely be stronger, more variableÌý²¹²Ô»å result in broad swaths of mid-latitude drying, accelerated by the depletion of the world’s major groundwater aquifers.

So what does water sustainability mean under such dynamic climate and hydrologic conditions, particularly when coupled with future projections of population growth? How will water managers cope with these new normals, and how will food and energy production be impacted?

If you go

Who: Open to the public
°Â³ó²¹³Ù:Ìý"21st Century Global Freshwater Security: Can it Exist and Can Scientists Communicate the Challenges?"
When: Wednesday, April 26, 9 to 10 a.m.
Where: East Campus, SEEC, room C120

The responsibility of communicating this changing global water landscape falls squarely on the shoulders of the academic research community, yet the challenge of doing so is daunting. Famiglietti will review the latest research and share hisÌýpersonal experiences with science communication and water diplomacy.

The presentation will take place at the SEEC Auditorium located on Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Boulder's East Campus at 4001 Discovery Dr. Visitor pay parking is limited, so alternate transportation such as bicycling or riding RTD's Stampede or Discovery Express shuttle is encouraged.

In Famiglietti's 25 yearsÌýof experience researching and communicating about water and climate change, the professorÌýhas contributed to news outlets such asÌýThe New York Times and appeared as a guest expert on NPR, 60 MinutesÌý²¹²Ô»å Real Time with Bill Maher.