Left to right: Dr. Bert Drake (Credit: Smithsonian); Jaxine Wolfe (Credit: Smithsonian) and Dr. Pat Megonigal (Credit: Tom Mozdzer)

In 1987, the Smithsonian launched a futuristic experiment that would transform how we think about climate. Inside small experimental chambers, a few scientists doubled the amount of carbon dioxide to see how wetland plants would cope. Today, that project is the world’s longest-running experiment on plants and rising carbon dioxide. And its home, the Global Change Research Wetland, now has six long-term experiments simulating different future climate scenarios, from higher carbon dioxide and hotter temps to sea level rise.

On Feb. 18, join us for a special panel with three generations of scientists at the Smithsonian. Meet Bert Drake, creator of the 1980s experiment that began it all; Pat Megonigal, the current director of the Global Change Research Wetland; and Jaxine Wolfe, a technician studying wetland “blue carbon” around the globe. Find out what we know for certain, what mysteries remain, and why wetlands may be one of Earth’s greatest hopes for a resilient future. Part of SERC’s 60th anniversary webinar series.

This event will be hosted entirely online, and it will be recorded! Closed captions will be available at the live event and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you'll be able to watch live and receive a link to the recording a few days after the event.

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