MEADVILLE, Pa. – Nov. 4, 2009 – S. Jeffress Williams, a senior coastal marine geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Science Center, will present “Climate Change, Sea-level Rise and the Future of Coasts and Low-lying Regions” on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the Tippie Alumni Center on the Allegheny College campus. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Williams, a 1967 graduate of Allegheny, will address the impact of sea-level rise on coastal and wetland systems, natural resources and habitats, and societies worldwide. He will discuss how some coastal management and engineering practices will become more difficult and may not be economically or environmentally sustainable. Williams also will present other options that may be more appropriate for adapting to coming coastal change—such as relocating infrastructures to higher elevations and converting low-lying developed areas to parks.
The author of more than 300 research papers, Williams has worked at the U.S. Geological Survey since 1983. He has led or participated in more than 80 field studies on shorelines around the world. In June, Williams received the 2009 Coastal Zone Foundation Award for career achievement.
The presentation is sponsored by the Allegheny College geology department. For more information, call (814) 332-2350.
