PUBLIC EVENT: Extreme Weather Events Subject of Climate Change Workshop at Scripps

WHAT: "Vulnerability and Adaptation to Extreme Events in California in the Context of a Changing Climate: New Scientific Findings"

Scripps Institution of Oceanography is hosting a gathering of leading national climate experts to discuss California's vulnerability in coming decades to extreme weather events. Speakers will assess the risks that the state faces from sea-level rise, heatwaves, floods, drought and diminished snowfall among other climate-related changes.

This one-day workshop open to the public will feature discussions extreme weather-related events in different sectors of the economy such as energy, public health, agriculture, coastal resources and ecosystems. The presentations will characterize extreme events in an historical context and explore how they might be altered under scenarios of climate change.

WHO:Twelve speakers, including:
Alexander Gershunov, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Gary Griggs, UC Santa Cruz
Terry Root, Stanford University
Marty Ralph, NOAA
Tony Westerling, UC Merced
Michael Hanemann, UC Berkeley

WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011

TIME: 8:30 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. formal remarks from the collaboration team
Opportunities for Q&A and one-on-one interviews will immediately follow formal remarks.

WHERE: Scripps Seaside Forum Auditorium, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
8610 Kennel Way (formerly Discovery Way), La Jolla, Calif.
Directions: I-5 north, exit La Jolla Parkway west, right/north onto La Jolla Shores Drive, left/west onto El Paso Grande; immediate right/north into Scripps parking lot. Look for media parking signs.

BACKGROUND:
The workshop is one of several events supporting a Dec. 15 conference in San Francisco convened by Gov. Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown. The Governor's event will bring together state lawmakers to focus on the risks of extreme climate and weather events and how California communities can prepare and adapt in response.

REGISTRATION AND CONTACTS:
The workshop is open to the public and presentations will be tailored for a general audience. There is a $25 registration fee and includes breakfast and lunch. To register, and for more information about the workshop, please visit: http://sio.ucsd.edu/extreme_climate/