His presentation, “History of Greenhouse Gases and Climate from Polar Ice Cores: Lessons from the Past, Thoughts for the Future,” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in Beacom Hall Auditorium, Room 133. The talk highlights the USD initiation of new members of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, dedicated to liberal arts education and freedom of thought and expression.

Brook has conducted field research in Antarctica, Greenland, Scandinavia, northern Canada and the western United States and runs one of the few laboratories dedicated to the study of gas bubbles frozen in polar ice. He is a Leopold Leadership Fellow, a Google Science Communication Fellow, and a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Geophysical Union.

Brook’s research has shown that human activities have radically altered the levels and cycles of major greenhouse gases, pushing the atmosphere toward a state it has not seen for at least 50 million years. His work has contributed to the scientific understanding of how quickly climate can change. Ongoing research seeks to understand what causes these shifts, their timing and impact, and the probability of similar climate changes in the future.

His presentation is the 27th in the Lifto Amundson Lecture series, established in 1988 by Majorie Lifto Amundson and her son, Dr. Loren H. Amundson of Sioux Falls. The Lifto Amundson program brings distinguished speakers to USD each year from disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences. Both Mrs. Amundson and her son were members of Phi Beta Kappa at USD. Dr. Amundson received his M.D. degree in 1954 and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2004.

For more information about Dr. Brook’s lecture contact the USD Department of Earth Sciences at 605-677-5649.

Download a photo of Dr. Brook.

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