SECWAC Hosts Talk on ‘Climate Change in Connecticut, and Some Impacts,’ Jan. 21

OLD LYME, CT – On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) will host James O’Donnell, Ph.D., for a talk titled “Climate Change in Connecticut, and Some Impacts.”

The 6 p.m. presentation will be held at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, 5 Ferry Road. The talk will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. reception. 

SECWAC in a press release said O’Donnell, a professor of marine sciences at the University of Connecticut and executive director of the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), will summarize observed changes in climate and the latest projections of what is likely. He will also outline the consequences of these changes on infrastructure and people.

The talk will address how Connecticut’s location in the northwest Atlantic, along with New England’s geologic history, influences the character and magnitude of climate change effects.

O’Donnell earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in applied physics from the University of Strathclyde, followed by a master’s degree and doctorate in oceanography from the University of Delaware. He joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut in 1987 and has since studied coastal ocean circulation and the transport of materials using observational data and mathematical modeling, with much of his research focused on Long Island Sound.

In 2014, O’Donnell was appointed to lead the development of CIRCA, an interdisciplinary institute focused on helping Connecticut’s towns and agencies anticipate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

Registration for SECWAC members is free. The cost for non-members is $20. Non-members may visit this link to register. A post-presentation dinner will follow at The Hideaway Restaurant in Old Lyme for members only.

For more information on SECWAC, visit its website.