Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture

Lecture

26th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Oceanography in the Age of Intelligent Robots and a Changing Climate

May 1, 2025

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM (ET)

Past

Discussion

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Materials

Lecture Program

About

This year’s lecture will explore how oceanography has changed in the age of intelligent robots and climate change. The featured lecturer, Dr. Chris Scholin (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), will discuss how the advent of robotic and advanced sensing and computing technologies has transformed ocean exploration. He will also highlight a number of technological innovations that reveal surprising insights into the inner workings of the ocean against the backdrop of a rapidly changing climate.

Watch the lecture recording below.

Contact

Stacee Karras

CKarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

25th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Equitable Science and Solutions for a Warming World

June 13, 2024

5:30 PM - 6:45 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

25th Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture Program

About

The 25th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture will explore the topic of equitable science and solutions in the context of our warming world. An increasing number of communities on the frontlines of climate change have voiced the importance of addressing climate injustices at the city, state, federal, and international levels. Dr. Kim Cobb (Brown University) will highlight the unique position geoscientists are in to advance climate justice through transdisciplinary research agendas, along with the benefits and challenges of conducting such research.

This year's lecture was held on June 13th from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm PDT at the Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla, California.

Watch the recording below.

Contact

Safah Wyne

swyne@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

24th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Making Waves and Charting New Paths

May 19, 2023

2:30 PM - 6:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

Revelle Commemorative Lecture Program

About

The Ocean Studies Board is excited to announce this year's Roger Revelle Lecture, Making Waves and Charting New Paths. To mark the 24th year of this commemorative lecture series, former astronaut and NOAA administrator, Kathy Sullivan, along with Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Margaret Leinen, will be holding a fireside chat to discuss their notable careers in exploration. This discussion, moderated by Taylor Goelz, Senior Program Manager, Ocean and Climate at The Aspen Institute, will dive into the speakers' career paths, challenges they have faced, and how important discovery is for our future.

This year's lecture will be held on May 19th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm EDT in a hybrid format and the public is encouraged to register to attend either in-person or virtually. Please check back frequently for the most recent information about this event. We hope you can join us.

View the Revelle Commemorative Lecture Program (PDF 1.5 MB)

You can watch it live here.

Contact

Safah Wyne

Swyne@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

23rd Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Bioinspired Ocean Exploration

April 28, 2022

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

This year’s lecture, Bio-inspired Ocean Exploration, will consider how the fluid mechanics of efficient locomotion by jellyfish can be leveraged to develop bioinspired systems with the potential to enable exploration of the entire ocean. Dr. Dabiri will describe how high-resolution interrogation of ocean properties is constrained by the requirements of surface and submarine observing technologies. His research demonstrates the surprising benefits that can emerge from reaching across traditional disciplines to address complex challenges in science and engineering.

Access the event's digital program to read more about the speaker and lecture here.

The lecture recording will be posted to this page when available.

Contact

Stacee Karras

ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

22nd Annual Roger Revelle Lecture - The Next Wave: A Generational Shift in Ocean Sustainability

May 26, 2021

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM (ET)

Past

About

Join the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) for the 22nd Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture on Wednesday, May 26, at 5:30 pm ET. This year, the virtual Lecture will feature Early Career Ocean Professionals leading the way on the UN Ocean Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.

The speakers will consider the ways in which we can transform how ocean science is generated and used, designing and delivering ocean knowledge to inform sustainable solutions and strengthening research capacity for applied decision making in our ocean. A moderated panel discussion will follow the presentations.

Order of Events

Introduction (Annie Brett)
Lecture (Harriet Harden-Davies and Alfredo Giron-Nava)
Panel (Anjali Boyd, Harriet Harden-Davies, and Alfredo Giron-Nava; Moderated by Ruth Perry)

Participant Biographies

Annie Brett isan Assistant Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she teaches and writes in ocean and coastal law and the intersection of law and science. Professor Brett has published in leading scientific outlets, including Nature, and presented in national and international policy forums. She previously worked on international ocean policy for Stanford University and the World Economic Forum. She is recognized as the youngest female vessel captain to operate in the Pacific Ocean.

Harriet Harden-Davies is a Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus postdoctoral research fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong. She is also Guest Investigator at the Marine Policy Centre of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, co-lead of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, and member of the UNESCO-IOC Group of Experts on Capacity Development and UNESCO-IOC Informal Working Group of Early Career Ocean Professionals. Her research interests span ocean science, stewardship, policy and sustainability. Harriet previously served as Visiting Science Diplomacy Fellow at Tufts University, Consultant to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and Manager of Policy and Projects at the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Alfredo Giron-Nava is an André Hoffmann Fellow at the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. His research focuses on the use of technology to support sustainable fisheries management and the reduction of illegal, unregulated, and unreported catch. In 2014, he co-founded dataMares, a platform for enhancing science communication and data visualization. Alfredo is the first recipient of the Walter Munk Scholar Award by the Marine Technology Society and the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans in recognition of his work on using science and technology to improve the state of the ocean. Alfredo is an active advocate for, and participant in, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, working to empower Early Career Ocean Professionals to lead conversations around the Ocean Decade.

Anjali Boyd is a Duke University PhD student and Dean’s Graduate Fellow in the Nicholas School of the Environment. Her research examines how species interactions and physical forces interact to regulate the recovery of foundation species to environmental stressors. As the Director of iNviTECH, a network of STEM field educators and professionals, Anjali works to combat the underrepresentation of women and ethnic minorities in STEM fields through educational entrepreneurial programs. She also serves as an elected official in Durham, NC, as Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor.

Ruth M. Perry is Marine Scientist and Regulatory Policy Specialist responsible for offshore marine environmental regulations and policy for Shell Exploration and Production Company. Prior to joining Shell, Ruth was a research scientist with NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System and the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group at Texas A&M University. She has over 10 years of national and international experience in oceanographic project management, research, and fieldwork in the areas of ocean observing technology, physical oceanography, ocean policy analysis, and marine mammal observational studies.

Contact

Vanessa Constant

vconstant@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

21st Annual Revelle Lecture - The Story of Plastic Pollution: From the Distant Ocean Gyres to the Global Policy Stage

March 10, 2020

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2020 Revelle Lecture 8-Pager

About

As early as the 1970s, scientists began to notice that plastic waste was turning up in the ocean thousands of miles from land. Since that time, the problem has grown exponentially. News images of floating islands of debris, plastic-choked animals, and trashed beaches have spurred a flurry of research, and to a lesser degree, policy efforts to address the problem.

What are the sources of ocean plastic? What happens to plastic once it reaches the ocean, and what does it mean for marine life? Dr. Chelsea Rochman has been researching those questions for more than a decade. Join us as she describes the science behind plastic debris and explores some of the policies attempting to limit plastic pollution in our global oceans.

2020 Featured Speaker: Dr. Chelsea Rochman - Assistant Professor in Ecology, University of Toronto

Introduction: Senator Tom Udall

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

20th Annual Revelle Lecture - Sustainability in Deep Water: The Challenges of Climate Change, Human Pressures, and Biodiversity Conservation

April 24, 2019

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

About

The deep ocean (below 200 m) covers nearly half the planet but remains a final frontier on earth. It is full of mineral, energy and genetic resources and serves as a living library of biodiversity. Special features of these deep-ocean ecosystems make them especially vulnerable to the confluence of climate stress and direct human disturbance. The coming decade promises new initiatives, networks, and policy instruments to address the challenge of sustainability in the deep half of the planet.

2019 Featured Speaker: Dr. Lisa A. Levin - Distinguished Professor of Biological Oceanography and Marine Ecology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

19th Annual Revelle Lecture - Distress Signals: Historical Waypoints in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Since 1850

April 25, 2018

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2018 Revelle Lecture Program

About

How many fish should there be in the sea? Many fish stocks have been reduced to a fraction of their former abundance, the result of overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and other human impacts. However, fisheries managers often set baselines for rebuilding to a time when fish stocks may already have been depleted. With the perspective of an historian, Jeffrey Bolster uncovers the deep roots of the depletion of our coastal ecosystems. Reconstructing the catch histories of commercial fisheries in the northwest Atlantic in the 19th century, Bolster concludes that we may be profoundly underestimating the capacity of the ocean to produce fish. How might such historical data influence contemporary marine science and fisheries management?

2018 Featured Speaker: Dr. W. Jeffrey Bolster, Historian

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

18th Annual Revelle Lecture - Swells, Soundings, and Sustainability, But... "Here Be Monsters"

April 28, 2017

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2017 Revelle Lecture Program

About

From the stick charts of the ancient Marshall Islanders to the SONAR of World War II, humankind continues to devise ways to map the ocean. The newest maps, which are global, 3D, and increasingly intelligent, hold great promise for improving science and decision-making related to our oceans, but “here be monsters” to conquer data challenges. Join Dr. Dawn Wright, chief scientist at the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and professor of geography and oceanography at Oregon State University, to learn about the past and present of ocean mapping and what must be done to overcome the challenges of “big data,” “dark data,” and the need to make data more resilient and more accessible to users.

2017 Featured Speaker: Dr. Dawn Wright - Cheif Scientist, Esri

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

17th Annual Revelle Lecture - Managing Leviathan: Conservation Challenges for the Great Whales in a Post-Whaling World

April 27, 2016

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2016 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Tonight’s lecture, Managing Leviathan: Conservation Challenges for the Great Whales in a Post- Whaling World, will take you on a historical journey of whaling and its decline. How have certain whale populations responded? What are the continuing challenges of managing whale populations, especially in light of anthropogenic threats, including fishing gear, shipping noise, and climate change?

The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Douglas Wartzok, Provost Emeritus and Professor at Florida International University; Dr. Rebecca Lent, Executive Director of the Marine Mammal Commission; and Dr. James Mead, Curator Emeritus for the Smithsonian.

2016 Featured Speaker: Dr. Phillip Clapham - NOAA, Marine Mammal Laboratory

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

16th Annual Revelle Lecture - Overturning Assumptions: Past, Present, and Future Concerns About the Ocean's Circulation

March 4, 2015

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2015 Revelle Lecture Program

About

In 1800 Count Rumford ascertained the ocean’s meridional overturning circulation from a single profile of ocean temperature constructed with the use of a rope, a wooden bucket, and a rudimentary thermometer. Over two centuries later, arrays of gliders, floats, and moorings are deployed across the span of the North Atlantic to measure the overturning circulation and its spatial and temporal variability. While Rumford appreciated the role of the ocean’s overturning in redistributing heat, today we understand the crucial role that this circulation plays in sequestering anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. What we don’t understand, however, are the mechanisms that control the overturning strength and how and why the overturning will change in the decades ahead. This information is crucial to our understanding of the climate system, because the extent to which the ocean will continue to be a heat and carbon reservoir depends on the strength of the overturning. While we have reasons to reject the popularized ocean conveyor belt as a paradigm for the overturning, oceanographers are just now piecing together the complex flow patterns that bring warm waters poleward and cold water equatorward. As the pieces are coming together, some long-held assumptions have been overturned, and some new paradigms are surfacing.

2015 Featured Speaker: Dr. Susan Lozier - Ronie-Richelle Garcia-Johnson Professor of Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

15th Annual Revelle Lecture - The Contemporary Challenge of the Sea: Science, Society & Sustainability

March 13, 2014

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2014 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Life on Earth arose as singlecelled microorganisms nearly four billion years ago in an ancient ocean. Microorganisms still dominate our planetary environment despite the subsequent evolution of a diverse spectrum of plants and animals. Microbes produce nearly half of the oxygen in the air that we breathe, and perform other functions critical to sustaining the habitability of the Earth. A more holistic understanding of our microbial ocean will be needed to meet the contemporary “challenge of the sea” in a world that is beginning to show the strain of human activities.

2014 Featured Speaker: Dr. David M. Karl - Professor of Oceanography and Director of the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) at the University of Hawaii

Introduction: Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone - President of the National Academy of Sciences and Chair of the National Reserarch Council

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

14th Annual Revelle Lecture - Melting Ice: What Is Happening to Arctic Sean Ice and What Does it Mean For Us?

March 20, 2013

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2013 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Sea ice has emerged as the canary in the coal mine of climate change. Its summer extent in the Arctic has decreased by about 50% over the past decade, and the Arctic Ocean has undergone a regime shift from a cover of thick multiyear ice to a largely seasonal and much thinner ice cover. The recent loss is unprecedented in the periods of satellite and historical records of sea ice, and it also appears to be unique in paleo reconstructions spanning more than a thousand years. The change was driven by a “perfect storm” of warmer atmospheric and oceanic forcing, together with a boost from natural variability of wind-forcing in some years. However, the loss of sea ice is not apparent in some subarctic regions during the winter, nor has it occurred in the Antarctic region.

2013 Featured Speaker: Dr. John E. Walsh - Chief Scientist, International Arctic Research Center, Univeristy of Alaska Fairbanks

Introduction: Senator Mark Begich

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

13th Annual Revelle Lecture - Tsunamis: Are We Underestimating the Risk?

March 20, 2012

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2012 Revelle Lecture Program

About

The horrific December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed over 230,000 people and displaced 1.7 million across 14 countries, was a wake-up call for nations around the world, stimulating governments to address tsunami hazards. In the United States, Congress passed legislation to improve tsunami warning systems, preparedness, and education both internationally and locally. Then, the 2011 Japanese tsunami killed about 20,000 people in the most tsunami prepared nation in the world. Major questions remain: are we still underestimating the threat to the United States and how best can we prepare our coastal communities in case of a devastating tsunami?

2012 Featured Speaker: Dr. Eddie Bernard - Scientist Emeritus, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

12th Annual Revelle Lecture - Troubled Waters of the Gulf of Mexico

March 29, 2011

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2011 Revel Lecture Program

About

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill brought the world’s attention to the Gulf of Mexico and raised awareness of the region’s chronic loss of wetlands and the massive dead zone caused by excess nutrients from the Mississippi River. Now the challenge is to develop and implement large-scale restoration plans for the Gulf Coast ecosystem. Are we up for the challenge?

2011 Featured Speaker: Nancy Rabalais - Executive Director and Professor, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

11th Annual Revelle Lecture - The Interconnected Biosphere: Science at the Ocean's Tipping Point

March 2, 2010

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2010 Revelle Lecture Program

About

A confluence of changes is rapidly transforming and threatening once bountiful and resilient coastal and ocean ecosystems. Through advances in social and natural sciences, new approaches can be developed to ensure a sustainable future for the oceans and therefore the planet. Now is the time to Seas the Day.

2010 Featured Speaker: Dr. Jane Lubchenco - Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator

Introduction: Senator John Kerry

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

10th Annual Revelle Lecture - The Once & Future Ocean

March 17, 2009

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2009 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Microbial life in the ocean transformed our home planet’s environment and made possible the evolution of higher life forms, including humans. We have to begin viewing the ocean as a key component of the Earth system – one that we cannot live without.

2009 Featured Speaker: Paul G. Falkowski - Rutgers University, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Science

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

9th Annual Revelle Lecture - Looking Down on the Seas: How Satellites Are Revolutionizing Our Understanding of the Ocean

February 25, 2008

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2008 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Satellites have fundamentally transformed the way we observe the ocean and its properties. Global measurements of sea-surface temperature, sea level, wind forcing, ocean color, and sea ice cover are obtained by satellite-borne instruments on an almost routine basis. Satellite observations have helped illuminate the ways in which ocean currents and biology respond to changes in winds and solar energy. Michael Freilich will discuss some of the satellite measurement techniques and recent scientific findings that have advanced our knowledge of the role of the oceans in the Earth’s climate system. He will explore the future of satellite oceanography and the potential to forecast ocean conditions in much the same way as we forecast weather today.

2008 Featured Speaker: Michael H. Frielich - Director, Earth Science Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

8th Annual Revelle Lecture - What Corals Are Dying To Tell Us About CO2 and Ocean Acidification

March 5, 2007

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2007 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Most of the carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal, oil, and gas are ultimately absorbed by the ocean. Carbon dioxide reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid; this acid can dissolve the shells and skeletons of marine organisms. The current trend of increasing carbon dioxide emissions threatens the extinction of many types of marine organisms, including corals, with unknown consequences for marine ecosystems globally. Dr. Caldeira will discuss what is known about ocean acidification, the environmental consequences, and actions that could be taken to avoid the risk of environmental catastrophe in our oceans.

2007 Featured Speaker: Ken Caldeira, Ph.D. - Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

7th Annual Revelle Lecture - Disasters, Death, and Destruction: Accounting for Recent Calamities

March 15, 2006

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2006 Revelle Lecture Program

About

The recent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and South Asian earthquake has kept natural disasters at the focus of our attention. The past decades have seen a spectacular series of catastrophes around the world with ever increasing economic losses and horrific losses of life. This recent spate of disasters has created the perception that economic impacts associated with extreme events have increased in recent years and that the recent increase in weatherrelated disasters is in some way related to climate change, a component of which is attributable to human activities.

These perceptions beg two questions: Have loss of life and damages associated with extreme weather events actually increased in recent years? And, what factors account for observed trends in the impacts of weather on society? The answers to these questions underlie policy decisions with important social, economic and political ramifications, such as disaster preparations, insurance, international climate change negotiations, and policies for scientific research. This lecture will discuss trends in loss of life and damages associated with extreme weather events. It will also discuss factors that account for the observed trends and state of our knowledge in this area, concluding with a discussion of implications for policy and research related to natural hazards and global climate change.

2006 Featured Speaker: Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. - Director, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research and Professor, University of Colorado

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

6th Annual Revelle Lecture - Abrupt Climate Change, Oceans and Us

November 10, 2004

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2004 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Are we “rocking the boat” when it comes to climate? Explorations of the Earth's history show that when the climate system has been forced across a threshold, it can abruptly shift to a new climate, much like a tipping canoe that suddenly capsizes. These shifts have occurred within human lifetimes, taking as little as a decade to move from a cooler to warmer climate or vice versa. The ocean acts as a major driver of our planet’s climate machinery, in part through its capacity to store and transport heat in major ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream. Past abrupt climate changes have disrupted ocean circulation, collapsed ice sheets, and produced major shifts in regional weather patterns (e.g., droughts, floods, severe storms) that have had widespread impacts on the environment and human communities. Because human activities affect the air, water, ice, and ecosystems that drive the earth’s climate machinery, humans could increase the chance of an abrupt climate change in the foreseeable future.

2004 Featured Speaker: Richard B. Alley - Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

5th Annual Revelle Lecture - Sustaining Our Oceans: A Public Resource, A Public Trust

November 5, 2003

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2003 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Good science and good policy are inextricably intertwined. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of ocean policy. Decisions are made every day with important economic and environmental consequences: How many fish should we catch? Where and how should we extract critical resources from the sea? How can we promote coastal tourism without damaging the very resources people come to enjoy? What kinds of climate change fluctuations can we expect in the short and long term? None of these questions can be answered without a strong understanding of ocean and coastal processes and a robust observing system to monitor the ocean realm. Based on his lifetime of public service, his well-known passion for science and the sea, and his current role as Chair of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Admiral Watkins will discuss ways to strengthen the links between scientists, regulators, and policymakers for the good of the nation.

2003 Featured Speaker: Admiral James D. Watkins - Chair, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

4th Annual Revelle Lecture - Beyond the Freedom of the Seas: Ocean Policy for the Third Millennium

November 13, 2002

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2002 Revelle Lecture Program

About

Up until the end of the first millennium anno Domini, humans used the oceans primarily at their margins, lacking the desire or the ability to venture further out to sea. In the second millennium, humans exploded in their exploration of the seas, crossing, charting and beginning to exploit the spaces and resources of most of the world’s oceans, at least to the depth of a few hundred fathoms. In the last half of the second millennium, the formal doctrine of mare liberum, “freedom of the seas”, emerged under which most uses of the world’s oceans remained unregulated, except for the constraints of individual nation states upon their own citizens. Today, most of the world’s oceans still remain in a state of “freedom” as an unregulated commons.

This “freedom” has had tragic consequences for many living marine resources and for water quality and habitat in the world’s oceans. It has also promoted unnecessary competition and conflict over ocean space and resources. We now have the technological capability to monitor and, if we wish, control human activities virtually anywhere on the world’s oceans. Dr. Orbach will present alternative futures for governance of the world’s oceans and their resources, moving beyond “the freedom of the seas” and into the third millennium.

2002 Featured Speaker: Michael K. Orbach, Ph.D. - Director, Duke University Marine Laboratory

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

3rd Annual Revelle Lecture - Exploring the Oceans

November 1, 2001

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2001 Revelle Lecture Program

About

The ocean is essential to life on Earth: it is Earth’s largest living space and contains most of its biomass. The ocean moderates climate to keep Earth habitable, recycles our wastes, and provides an inexpensive source of protein to feed the global population. Yet 95% of the ocean remains unknown and unexplored. Now, thanks to a number of technological innovations, we have the tools necessary to undertake a systematic exploration of the ocean. Autonomous vehicles can be programmed to execute precise underwater surveys lasting up to weeks without pause. Remotely operated vehicles equipped with physical, chemical, and biological sensors function as our eyes, ears, noses, and hands in the deep sea. New data management systems permit the systematic archiving of information, allowing subsequent generations of researchers around the world to answer questions not contemplated at the time the data were collected.

Much has been learned about the oceans through traditional research programs. But research is different from exploration. While research attempts to find answers, exploration inevitably uncovers new questions. Ocean exploration brings great, but often unpredictable, rewards: cures for diseases from novel biological compounds, untapped mineral, energy, and biological resources, new insight into how the ocean functions, geological and biological vistas of unsurpassed beauty, and renewed appreciation for mankind’s maritime past. Enthusiasm is mounting to launch a major program of ocean exploration involving government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector.

2001 Featured Speaker: Marcia K. McNutt, Ph.D. - President and CEO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2nd Annual Revelle Lecture - The Oceans and Human Health: the Discovery and Development of Marine-Derived Drugs

November 9, 2000

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

2000 Revelle Lecture Program

About

During the past two decades of ocean research, thousands of fascinating, marine-derived biochemicals have been discovered. Many have the potential for development as new pharmaceuticals to treat diseases such as cancer and drug-resistant infections. However, there remain many technical and political challenges to successful development of marine-derived pharmaceuticals. Can we isolate the organisms that produce the “bioactive” compounds, and understand why they do? Can we link this knowledge with our new understanding of the human genome and human disease processes to suggest new treatments? How can we achieve sustainable use of marine natural resources for drug development? And finally, how can any revenues from commercialization of marine resources be shared fairly, as mandated by the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity? Addressing these questions will require close cooperation among marine and biomedical scientists, industry, and government.

2000 Featured Speaker: Shirley A. Pomponi, Ph.D. - Director, Division of Biomedical Marine Research, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

1st Annual Revelle Lecture - Contemplating Action: Storing Carbon Dioxide in the Ocean

November 9, 1999

4:30 PM - 7:30 PM (ET)

Past

Materials

1999 Revelle Lecture Program

About

In the 1950s, Roger Revelle established that carbon dioxide was increasing in the atmosphere, due to the burning of fossil fuels. Concerns about the effect of this increase on global climate suggest that we should level off, or even decrease, atmospheric carbon dioxide. Recent advances in ocean science hint at the possibility of taking active steps to achieve this. Recent experiments have shown that it is possible to inject carbon dioxide directly into the deep ocean, where it forms a solid gas hydrate. Other options have also been explored, such as fertilizing seawater to speed up the growth of microscopic plants, which then consume carbon from the atmosphere.

Experiments so far have been small in scale. But if we want to hold carbon dioxide levels steady, much larger interventions will be necessary. Is this even possible? And would there be unforeseen environmental consequences? Forty two years after Roger Revelle's analysis of "the greenhouse" problem, society may be ready to take action through more active use of the enormous buffering capacity of the ocean.

1999 Featured Speaker: Dr. Peter Brewer - Senior Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Contact

Constance Karras

(202) 334-2364
ckarras@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

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Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture

Dropdown items

26th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Oceanography in the Age of Intelligent Robots and a Changing Climate

25th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Equitable Science and Solutions for a Warming World

24th Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Making Waves and Charting New Paths

23rd Annual Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture - Bioinspired Ocean Exploration

22nd Annual Roger Revelle Lecture - The Next Wave: A Generational Shift in Ocean Sustainability

21st Annual Revelle Lecture - The Story of Plastic Pollution: From the Distant Ocean Gyres to the Global Policy Stage

20th Annual Revelle Lecture - Sustainability in Deep Water: The Challenges of Climate Change, Human Pressures, and Biodiversity Conservation

19th Annual Revelle Lecture - Distress Signals: Historical Waypoints in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Since 1850

18th Annual Revelle Lecture - Swells, Soundings, and Sustainability, But... "Here Be Monsters"

17th Annual Revelle Lecture - Managing Leviathan: Conservation Challenges for the Great Whales in a Post-Whaling World

16th Annual Revelle Lecture - Overturning Assumptions: Past, Present, and Future Concerns About the Ocean's Circulation

15th Annual Revelle Lecture - The Contemporary Challenge of the Sea: Science, Society & Sustainability

14th Annual Revelle Lecture - Melting Ice: What Is Happening to Arctic Sean Ice and What Does it Mean For Us?

13th Annual Revelle Lecture - Tsunamis: Are We Underestimating the Risk?

12th Annual Revelle Lecture - Troubled Waters of the Gulf of Mexico

11th Annual Revelle Lecture - The Interconnected Biosphere: Science at the Ocean's Tipping Point

10th Annual Revelle Lecture - The Once & Future Ocean

9th Annual Revelle Lecture - Looking Down on the Seas: How Satellites Are Revolutionizing Our Understanding of the Ocean

8th Annual Revelle Lecture - What Corals Are Dying To Tell Us About CO2 and Ocean Acidification

7th Annual Revelle Lecture - Disasters, Death, and Destruction: Accounting for Recent Calamities

6th Annual Revelle Lecture - Abrupt Climate Change, Oceans and Us

5th Annual Revelle Lecture - Sustaining Our Oceans: A Public Resource, A Public Trust

4th Annual Revelle Lecture - Beyond the Freedom of the Seas: Ocean Policy for the Third Millennium

3rd Annual Revelle Lecture - Exploring the Oceans

2nd Annual Revelle Lecture - The Oceans and Human Health: the Discovery and Development of Marine-Derived Drugs

1st Annual Revelle Lecture - Contemplating Action: Storing Carbon Dioxide in the Ocean