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Sea Secrets Welcomes Former Chief Scientist of NOAA’s National Ocean Service
Dr. Bruce Parker shares insight from his book, The Power of the Sea
March 01, 2012
MIAMI — The oceans and their power have long held mysteries we have struggled to understand. In his book The Power of the Sea: Tsunamis, Storm Surges, Rogue Waves and Our Quest to Predict Disasters, Dr. Bruce Parker interweaves dramatic tales of natural marine disasters with fascinating stories of how scientists and mariners very slowly learned how to predict them.
From ancient humankind’s strange notions about the sea, working up to modern innovations that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, Parker offers amazing insight into marine disasters. He also answers intriguing questions about the sea. Were tide predictions crucial to D-Day landings in World War II? Can elephants ‘hear’ a tsunami coming? Did a perigean spring tide almost ruin the Boston Tea Party? How did the 2011 Japan tsunami kill so many?
Parker, the former chief scientist for NOAA’s National Ocean Service, is a visiting professor at the Center for Maritime Systems at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and the Ocean Research and Education Foundation host the popular Sea Secrets lecture series. The events are free and open to the public, and are designed to provide insight and information about the oceans that cover two-thirds of our planet, and much of which, are still an enigma. Lectures are preceded by a reception at 5:30p.m. Sea Secrets is sponsored by the Rosenstiel School of Atmospheric Science, The Shepard Broad Foundation, The Charles N. and Eleanor Knight Leigh Foundation, Southern Wine & Spirits and is organized by Robert N. Ginsburg.
About the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel
School
The University of Miami is the largest private research
institution in the southeastern United States. The
University’s mission is to provide quality education,
attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty
and their research, and build an endowment for University
initiatives. Founded in the 1940s, the Rosenstiel School of
Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the
world’s premier marine and atmospheric research
institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the
Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better
understand the planet, participating in the establishment of
environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of
society and quality of life. For more information, please
visit www.rsmas.miami.edu.
