In a recent commentary published in the journal Science, it was reported that the northern edge of the Canadian Arctic archipelago and Greenland is where the world’s oldest and thickest ice is found (Radio Canada International; December 2, 2020). It was also reported that this will be the last refuge for ice-dependent species. The commentary was titled, “Witnessing Ice Habitat Collapse in the Arctic.”

In summer of 2020, the Milne Ice shelf collapsed losing 43 percent of its expanse. The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest land-fast area of ice collapsed into ice islands in the summers of 2011 and 2012. Only small segments remain on the sides of the bay. The ice had been damming a freshwater lake which drained and disappeared when the shelf began to crack in 2002. The Serson Ice Shelf lost 121 square kilometers of its extent. And the 10-story high Markham Ice Shelf which Vincent worked on in 2007, had disappeared when he returned in 2008.

Dr. Warwick F. Vincent leads the Aquatic Ecosystem Studies laboratory at Université Laval in Québec, Canada. Vincent and his research group study lakes, rivers, and coastal oceans, with an emphasis on high-latitude ecosystems. They have a special interest in the diversity of aquatic life at the base of food webs, and how aquatic ecosystems respond to environmental change.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Presentation begins at 6:00 p.m.

Admission is $10 and free for students with a student ID. Refreshments and a no-host bar will be available from 5:30 – 6 p.m. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in the conference room at Granlibakken Tahoe, 725 Granlibakken Rd, Tahoe City (please note our new event location).

For more information call 775-881-7560, or visit http://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/events/.