Editor's note: The scheduled talk by Emily Bernhardt, ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist at Duke University, as part of the Penn State Department of Geography's Coffee Hour lecture series has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. The event was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Emily Bernhardt, ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist at Duke University, will present "Resist, adapt or retreat? The consequences of rapid climate change for coastal landscapes and communities," at the Department of Geography's Coffee Hour lecture series. The event is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 5, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus and will also be accessible via Zoom.

In her talk, Bernhardt will explore the significant challenges coastal systems face due to climate change, including warming oceans, rising sea levels and more intense storms. She will discuss the implications of these changes for rural coastal landscapes and communities in the North American Coastal Plain, highlighting the broader impacts that extend far inland from the coast. The talk will focus on the future of these coastal areas and the possible responses to the rapid environmental changes occurring.

Bernhardt earned her doctorate from Cornell University in 2001. Her research interests center on how land use change, global change and chemical pollution are altering aquatic ecosystems. Recent work by Bernhardt has focused on the threats of saltwater intrusion and sea level rise to rural coastal landscapes and communities in the United States.

Bernhardt’s talk is part of the spring 2024 "Coffee Hour" seminar series hosted by Penn State’s Department of Geography. To learn more and access the Zoom information, visit the Coffee Hour event webpage.