Rivers are a bellwether for climate change demonstrated by increases in flood events, drought, and spikes in temperature. But there are also rivers of flowing water in the oceans that are also undergoing change. These changes in ocean currents have the potential to markedly alter the climate of the UK and therefore the streamflow of the Ribble under different climate change scenarios. In this talk, Dr David Thornalley will explain the science of climate change and explore how inconsistent the circulation of the modern North Atlantic has become, with specific references to changes in the NE Atlantic which are affecting fish species.

About the speaker

Dr David Thornalley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at University College London (UCL). He holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and is known for his work studying North Atlantic circulation and climate change during the last Ice Age and up to present day. Before working at UCL, he undertook postdoctoral research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Cardiff University. He is a recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize “recognizing the achievement of outstanding researchers” and is on the editorial board for the international peer-review journals Climate of the Past and Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology.