SERC Lecture Series

Join us for our next evening lecture Tuesday, Sept. 16, and learn how large ships can unwittingly take on invasive stowaways in the ballast water of their hulls. There's no price for attending—a curious mind is all you need to bring! More details Time: Lectures start at 7, with light refreshments at 6:30. Place: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Schmidt Conference Center (directions) Evening Lecture: Tuesday, Sept. 16 "Coal Crazy and Panamax Ready: How Shipping Brought New Invaders to Chesapeake Bay" Speaker: Dr. Jenny Carney The Chesapeake Bay is one of the largest bays in the United States. It is also home to two of the country’s busiest ports: Norfolk, Va., and Baltimore, Md., plus 179 recorded aquatic nonnative species. This talk will explore how shipping, in particular ballast water, played a role in moving these organisms to the Chesapeake, and how the widening of the Panama Canal could open more doors to invasion. Upcoming Lectures Full calendar of events

Tuesday, Oct. 21 "Predicting the Future: How Fish in Cheapeake Bay May Respond to Climate Change" Speaker: Dr. Seth Miller Earth's climate is changing. One of the great challenges for scientists is predicting how different species will respond to those changes. By using laboratory experiments that simulate future climate scenarios, we’re starting to understand what this could mean for important organisms such as forage fishes in Chesapeake Bay, and how the Bay as a whole might look in the future. (Photo: Brian Gratwicke) Tuesday, Nov. 18 "Tracking Carbon in Coastal Wetlands: Sources and Sinks from the Muck and the Mire" Speaker: Dr. Lisa Schile Coastal wetlands both store and release significant amounts of carbon. These ecosystems also provide storm surge protection, nurseries for key fisheries and other vital services. But climate change, especially accelerated sea-level rise, threatens their survival. This lecture will explore the global significance of coastal wetlands, and international research to understand carbon dynamics under a changing climate. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Schile)

Copyright © 2014 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive information about SERC. If you wish to remove your name, we'll be sad to see you go, but we wouldn't want to clutter your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time. Our mailing address is: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 647 Contees Wharf Rd P.O. Box 28 Edgewater, MD 21037