RICRI Research Seminar: Developing Earth system science for climate prediction and infrastructure resilience
Conference / Lecture
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Date
22 Aug 2025
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Organiser
Otto Poon Research Institute for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure (RICRI)
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Time
15:00 - 16:00
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Venue
Z414, 4/F, Block Z, PolyU and Online via Zoom
Speaker
Prof. ZENG Zhenzhong
Enquiry
RICRI ricri@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Since 2023, global temperatures have unexpectedly surged, exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and reaching 1.6°C in 2024, driven by unprecedented heatwaves on land and sea. This rapid warming, defying earlier predictions, raises urgent questions: What triggered this acceleration? Which feedback mechanisms and interactions are amplifying climate change? Has the Earth’s climate system entered a new, potentially irreversible state? This talk emphasises the critical need to advance Earth system science to improve climate prediction. By refining Earth system models to better capture key forcings, feedbacks, and interactions, we can enhance our understanding of these complex dynamics. Improved predictions are essential for developing robust climate-resilient infrastructure, enabling sustainable urban adaptation strategies to address the escalating challenges of global climate change effectively.
Keynote Speaker
Prof. ZENG Zhenzhong
Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology
Prof. ZENG Zhenzhong earned his PhD from Peking University in 2016 and pursued postdoctoral research at Princeton University from 2016 to 2019. Since then, he has been a faculty member at Southern University of Science and Technology, advancing Earth system science. He currently serves as a visiting fellow at the Otto Poon Research Institute for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure. Prof. ZENG’s research and teaching focus on Earth system processes and global climate change. Employing surface observation networks, satellite remote sensing, and cutting-edge Earth system models, he explores climate forcings, feedbacks, and interactions to devise innovative solutions for global climate mitigation. His work contributes to sustainable strategies for addressing climate challenges, deepening our understanding of Earth’s complex systems.
