Published: Aug. 20, 2014

Join your colleagues for the 2014听Distinguished Research Lecture with Professor Peter Molnar of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Peter MolnarSciences and the Department of Geological Science.

Mark your calendars for Friday, Sept. 5, 2014, from 4 - 5 p.m., in听Muenzinger E030, followed by a reception in the听CIRES Atrium. RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP, please go to听.

Few scientists consistently have tackled as many broad and challenging problems in the physics of the Earth at such a fundamental level as Professor Molnar. He brings a remarkable range of tools to his work and his extensive theoretical abilities allow for an understanding about the related heat and mass transfer mechanisms in solid earth, the oceans and the atmosphere. Professor Molnar's exemplary scholarship and service reflect the best the university has to offer.
The title of his lecture this fall is "Did the emergence of Indonesian islands (the 'Maritime Continent') transform a warm world to one with recurring Ice Ages?" Professor Molnar will argue that when the Maritime Continent arose from the sea 3 million years ago, it transformed tropical climates with its prevailing atmospheric circulation patterns which led to the high latitude cooling over Canada resulting in the ice ages.