Decoding the Climate from Ancient Lakes & Caves

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NOVA Science Café

It’s easy to look up how much rain fell in Boston in 2018, 2000, or even 1920.  But how do we figure out how rainfall was different 1,000 or more years ago — and what does that have to do with modern climate change?
In this talk, Christine Y. Chen and Gabi Serrato Marks, two geoscientists at MIT, will discuss their research studying ancient lakes and caves in exciting, far-flung places like the high-altitude central Andes and northeast Mexico. Join us as they describe their search for ancient stalagmites, relict shorelines, and fossilized algae that serve as natural archives of Earth's changing climate and rainfall, and take the opportunity to hold specimens of these geologic “log books” of past rainfall yourself! Take a trip back in time to explore the dramatic changes in water availability around the world and what it may mean for our future.
This event will take place at WGBH's Boston Public Library Studio. Overflow seating will be located in the Newsfeed Café and is not guaranteed.
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Speaker Biographies: 
<A HREF="http://www.mit.edu/~ccy/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Christine Y. Chen</A> is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. As a geologist fascinated by the incredible history of Earth’s changing climate, Christine aims to reconstruct past changes in Earth’s water cycle. These interests have led her to conduct field research in the desert drylands of the western United States and the central Andes, places where relict shorelines of ancient lakes are remarkably well-preserved. For her research, Christine was named a National Geographic Young Explorer in 2016. You can follow her on Twitter as <A HREF="https://twitter.com/earth2christine" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@earth2christine</A>.<A HREF="https://histsci.fas.harvard.edu/people/udodiri-r-okwandu" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> </A>
<A HREF="https://gabrielaserratomarks.com/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Gabi Serrato Marks</A> is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. She studies past climate change in southern and northeastern Mexico using stalagmites (cave deposits). She got her start in geochemistry while earning her B.A. in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College. Outside of lab, she writes science articles for a public audience, advocates for disabled people in STEM, and grows a lot of plants. You can find her on Twitter as <A HREF="https://twitter.com/gserratomarks?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@gserratomarks</A>.
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Directions to WGBH's Boston Public Library Studio, <A HREF="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Boston+Public+Library/@42.3493943,-71.0805559,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e37a0c429bf853:0xb9d45dfe5bc1ac73!8m2!3d42.3493943!4d-71.0783672" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">700 Boylston Street</A>
Public Transit: Green line to Copley, head west on Boylston St. toward Exeter St. Destination will be on the left. WGBH's Boston Public Library Studio is located inside the <A HREF="http://www.thecateredaffair.com/bpl/newsfeed-cafe/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Newsfeed Café</A> in the Central Library's newly renovated Johnson building. 
Parking: Valet parking is available across the street at The Lenox Hotel (61 Exeter St.) accessible by Exeter St. Metered street parking is limited, but available in the area. Parking garages are also located further down Exeter St.
The Newsfeed Café is operated and managed by The Catered Affair and offers a selection of Chef-Inspired Grab & Go fare featuring gourmet salads, pastries, and family friendly snacks. You can find Newsfeed Café's menu <A HREF="http://www.thecateredaffair.com/bpl/newsfeed-cafe/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</A>.

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Decoding the Climate from Ancient Lakes & Caves

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