SIMS @ 7 Public Lecture Series Expansion of the Tropics – Climate Windows for Polynesian Colonisation of the Pacific & the evolution of the East Australian coastline 29th April 2015, 7pm A signature of modern climate change is the poleward expansion of the tropics, but has it happened in the recent millennia. A/Prof Ian Goodwin will describe how his group at Macquarie University have reconstructed the Pacific climate, decade by decade for the past millennium. He will describe how climate change opened windows of opportunity for Polynesian seafarers to use changing windfields to voyage and colonise the Pacific, in particular, Easter Island and New Zealand, during the Medieval Period. At the same time these ocean winds and waves were shaping our modern East Australian coast, and Ian will provide an insight into waves and coastal evolution. Ian is Associate Professor in Climate and Coastal Risk at Macquarie University, and a researcher at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. Ian leads the Marine Climate Risk Group at Climate Futures@MQ. Ian has 30 years research experience in the fields of climatology, paleoclimatology and climate change science, coastal and marine geoscience, coastal oceanography, and polar glaciology. SIMS Conference, 19 Chowder Bay Rd Mosman. Adults $10, glass of wine included Bookings essential. RSVP to sims@sims.org.au by 24th April 2015 Sydney Institute of Marine Science Excellence in marine research, education & community engagement