One hundred and fifty thousand years ago, there were no thermometers. There were no weather balloons and there were no meteorologists. There was, however, a small single-celled organism called foraminifera that existed in the surface waters of glacial oceans. To scientists like Dr. Howard Spero, it’s all the same.

Placer Nature Center continues its First Friday Lecture Series with UC Davis professor, Dr. Howard J. Spero discussing “Oceans of History—Our Changing Seas” on October 1st at 7:30 pm at the State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA.

Dr. Spero will explain how paleoclimatologists predict climate change by studying of one of the ocean’s most fascinating ancient inhabitants, fossil foraminifera. Foraminifera lived in the surface waters of glacial oceans 10,000-150,000 years ago. The chemical compositions of the fossil shells are windows into climatic conditions during these ancient glacial times. They provide the scientific community with information about ocean conditions during the life of the organism. Foraminifera research provides a critical component to modelers trying to tune global climate models for future climate prediction.

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