George Rhee presents "At the Crossroads: The Colorado River in the Age of Climate Change"

George Rhee, professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, will present a physical scientist's perspective on the state of the Colorado River and Colorado Basin on Thursday, August 13 at 6pm at the Bears Ears Education Center.

This presentation will include explaining how the temperature, streamflow, and precipitation have changed in the last century and also present the results from the tree-ring reconstructions of temperature and streamflow. He will introduce a method for predicting annual streamflow based on tree-ring statistics, and will emphasize the need to accept uncertainty and its various manifestations in order to plan for the future.

George was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Physics at Cambridge University (U.K.). He then attended Leiden University where he obtained a Masters and PhD in Astronomy (1989). After working for three years as a researcher at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, he accepted a faculty position at UNLV where he has taught since 1993.

At first, his research centered on astrophysics and observational tests of galaxy formation theories. He carried out this research at astronomical observatories all over the world. In the last few years, his work has centered on the challenges of climate change, the renewable energy transition, and water resources in the west. He has taught classes on these subjects and runs a small research group focusing on these issues.

This event is free and open to the public at the Bears Ears Education Center, 567 W. Main St. (Highway 191) in Bluff, UT 84512.