Science Pub: El Niño Facts, Myths & Mysteries

At Dargan's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 18 E. Ortega Street

What is El Niño—and what makes this year’s super? Many people associate El Niño events in California with unusual animal sightings, heavy rains and flooding, and disruptions to coastal agriculture and fisheries. Join marine scientist Erica M. Ferrer, Ph.D., to gain a deeper understanding as she explores the known facts, myths, and mysteries of El Niño within the broader climate phenomenon of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Using case studies from her own research on fisheries ecology and biological oceanography with data from other earth science fields, Dr. Ferrer will build your knowledge of core ENSO concepts, and advance some predictions regarding the kinds of changes we might expect going forward.

Ferrer works at the intersection of ecology, oceanography, and social-ecological systems science to understand how we can better protect marine biodiversity and fisheries on a changing planet. Currently, she is a postdoctoral scholar at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UCSB. Previously, she completed a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Santa Cruz, and earned her Ph.D. in marine biology and M.S. in oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

No tickets or reservations needed, but note that Science Pub is a popular program. Early birds get good seats, order food and drink at leisure, and enjoy a raffle to support science education and win Museum swag. Arriving close to 6:30 may land you in an overflow room or without a seat.

This event is part of the Museum’s ongoing Science Pub series of free science talks held on the second Monday of every month. Contact kzsembik@sbnature2.org for more information.

Top photo by TraceRouda for Getty Images, speaker photo courtesy Erica Ferrer