March 2010 Speaker

Our March speaker will be Dr. Debra Woodall, of Daytona State College and her subject will be Ocean Currents 101--the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! First, we will be led through the basics of ocean currents - where they are and how they develop. We will then explore their 'Good' side - how the dynamic powers of ocean currents sustain life on this planet; the 'Bad' side - an example of a time in our geologic past when it is believed that Earth's main ocean current actually stopped and the resulting impacts (and the question - could this happen again?); and finally, the 'Ugly' side - we visit the central gyres of the ocean and view the unfortunate impacts by humans!

Dr Woodall begins her bio with the statement “I was born and raised in Louisiana so I'm first and foremost an LSU Tiger and New Orleans Saints fan!!!”

Dr. Woodall was awarded an M.S. in Oceanography by LSU in Baton Rouge, then earned a PhD in Oceanography with a minor in Geology at Florida Tech. She has conducted ocean research from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. She has been at Daytona State College for two years and is currently an Associate Professor of Oceanography/Geology there. Research interests include oil and gas environmental impact, pollutants, and ocean water light attenuation.

She and her husband, Paul, maintain feeders in their backyard in New Smyrna Beach. Her favorite visitors are the Painted Buntings that frequent their yard each spring.

Come and bring a friend. This will be an extremely interesting presentation.