Pryor Center Presents 'Far-Field Effects of Sea-Level Rise: We Are All Coastal'

University Relations

Stephen K. Boss

Join us for an evening of provocative thought and discussion with Stephen K. Boss, professor of environmental dynamics and sustainability in the Department of Geosciences, when he presents 'Far-Field Effects of Sea-Level Rise: We Are All Coastal,' at 6 p.m. today, Wednesday, Feb. 10. This lecture outlining the important potential impacts of sea-level rise on the United States Heartland is a continuation of the Pryor Center Presents lecture series hosted by the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. 

The lecture will be held virtually via Zoom and registration is required.  

Earth's climate is warming and sea level worldwide is rising. As the Earth warms, so too does the ocean, causing the ocean volume to expand and raise sea level. A warming Earth melts mountain glaciers and polar ice caps, raising sea level. Rising sea level has immediate and obvious impacts to the coastal United States; however, sea level and its impacts reach deep into the United States Heartland remote from the coasts. 

Rising global temperatures and rising sea level alter the water budget of the continental interior. Altered continental water cycles impact heartland agriculture, the hydrodynamics of continental river systems, U.S. river commerce, and the millions of Americans residing in major river corridors. Rising sea level induces population displacement and migration from coastal areas to the continental interior. Broad relocations from the coastal zone impact those who must migrate and the continental heartland communities that receive them. Resource flows of material and capital from the U.S. Heartland to coastal regions will accelerate as sea level rises and the nation fortifies coastal infrastructure to hold back the sea. Capital flows from the continental interior to the coastal zone represent a large transfer of public wealth from largely impoverished counties of interior states to generally more affluent counties of the coasts. The societal impacts of that wealth transfer on continental interior communities are not well-studied or understood.

Boss holds a B.S. magna cum laude in geology from Bemidji State University, an M.S. in geology from Utah State University, and a Ph.D. in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. From 2002-2015, he served as director of the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Environmental Dynamics at the University of Arkansas. Boss was the architect of sustainability curricula at the University of Arkansas and from 2010-2015 also served as director of Sustainability Academic Programs. He considers himself an interdisciplinary scientist and has ongoing research interests in natural resource dynamics, global agriculture, global fisheries, and equity and inclusion in the geosciences.

Pryor Center Presents Lecture Series Calendar

• March 3 — Randy Dixon and Kyle Kellams - 'Arkansas News History: Exploring the KATV Collection' — To register
• Apr. 1 — Kevin M. Fitzpatrick and Matthew L. Spialek - 'Hurricane Harvey's Aftermath' — To register
• Apr. 21 — Caree A. Banton - 'Elections and Identity Politics: Interrogating Group Belonging in Black and White Republics' — To register

About the The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History: The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History is an oral history program with the mission to document the history of Arkansas through the collection of spoken memories and visual records, preserve the collection in perpetuity, and connect Arkansans and the world to the collection through the Internet, TV broadcasts, educational programs, and other means. The Pryor Center records audio and video interviews about Arkansas history and culture, collects other organizations' recordings, organizes these recordings into an archive, and provides public access to the archive, primarily through the website at https://pryorcenter@uark.edu. The Pryor Center is the state's only oral and visual history program with a statewide, seventy-five county mission to collect, preserve, and share audio and moving image recordings of Arkansas history.

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students.

About the University of Arkansas:The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 3 percent of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.