San Diego Magazine featured Mark Merrifield, Director of the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, as having one of the 15 coolest jobs in San Diego. Read the excerpt below:
“After spending 20 years monitoring Hawaiian sea-level rise, Mark Merrifield is riding a new wave of discovery from his alma mater as the inaugural director of the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. Launched in 2015, the center hosts a hotbed of marine and atmospheric scientists with research rooted in climate change and connections to policymakers with the clout to combat it.
‘The impacts will be very severe unless we find ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions,’ Merrifield says. Born in Hawai‘i and raised in Orange County, he joined the center in September following a directorship at the University of Hawai‘i Sea Level Center. ‘I had gotten to a point in my research that proved sea-level rise problems are very apparent. Now as director, I’m seeing to it that my and others’ research is being translated into actionable activities.’
This includes expanding on some of his existing fieldwork and coordinating with government agencies—the Department of Defense, to observe sea-level rise near local military bases, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to build a national seasonal forecast system with insight into how sea levels affect coastal flooding.
Merrifield will teach at UCSD in the 2018–19 academic year in addition to building relationships around the county to fuel public outreach about how climate change affects San Diego.
‘The best part of my job is definitely meeting students and faculty who are excited about getting involved in the center. That constantly motivates me.'”
Congratulations, Director Mark Merrifield (a.k.a. “Climate Crusader”)!
Read the full article here.