Jackie Richter-Menge, a researcher from the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, met gasps from a large audience of mostly non-students when she delivered a lecture on the effects of climate change Wednesday. The lecture, which was titled "A Polar Bear's Perspective on Climate Change," took place in the Steele Sciences Center and was the second in a series of lectures on climate issues co-sponsored by the Sierra Club and Dartmouth's earth sciences department.
"The Arctic is part of the global system," Richter-Menge said. "There's no magic curtain that separates it from the rest of the world."
As Richter-Menge demonstrated with Powerpoint slides the vast reduction of Arctic ice cover that has taken place over the past few decades as a result of climate change, members of the audience seemed shocked. Richter-Menge pointed out that 2006 saw a record low amount of ice coverage during the winter season.
"I think of sea ice as a canary in a cage," she said, "and what these graphs go to show is that we've got one sick canary on our hands."
Despite the specificity of its title, Ritcher-Menge's lecture covered a broad range of topics pertaining to Arctic climatology, including sea ice decline, glaciology, paleoclimatology and permafrost recession. Most of the material was confined to scientific observation rather than commentary.
"I want to focus primarily on observations, not models." she explained. "I think observations are more objective."
Richter-Menge described the ice cover in the Arctic as "the most naturally reflective surface on the planet," adding that it functions as "a temperature control to keep the planet cool."
"When things heat up, the ice gets replaced by oceans, and oceans are the most absorbent surfaces on the planet. You've basically got a global radiator," Richter-Menge said.
The lecture also dealt briefly with the positive effects of Arctic climate change, including the creation of northern sea routes and increased tourism. But as Richter-Menge put it, "there's a bit of a longer list on the negative side."
She concluded her lecture by asking, "Is this Arctic warming in recent years part of a natural cycle or anthropogenic change?" adding that in her opinion, "We just don't know at this point. But I think we have a responsibility to take care of the planet as best we can."
Denis Rydjeski, Vice Chair of the Upper Valley chapter of the Sierra Club, said he believed that the series had been very successful so far.
"These discussions have to get partisan, but mainly we're aiming at a better-informed citizenship, and these lectures are a step in the right direction," Rydjeski said.
Rydjeski first conceived of the lecture series after auditing a class with earth sciences professor Xiahong Feng. Rydjeski approached Feng, who is chair of the earth sciences department, about co-sponsoring the series with the Sierra Club.
Feng echoed Rydjeski's enthusiasm about the success of the series, and suggested that it could continue well into the coming Fall term. Though Dartmouth students made up a relatively low percentage of the audience, Feng explained that the department does its best to advertise its lectures but added, "It's also part of our goal to extend education to the general public."
Tom Glazer '08, one of the few Dartmouth students who did attend the lecture, commented that he thought "[Richter-Menge] did a good job talking about the specific aspect of climate change," but added, "I would have liked to see her talk a little more conclusively about the human impact on climate."
"I think she established conclusively that there is a warming trend, but she could have gone a little further to talk about the 'why' behind it. I got the sense that she was personally convinced that there was a strong human component but that she didn't want to state anything so controversial," Glazer said.