The world water crisis is exemplified by the changes at Lake Tahoe over the past three decades, and is directly linked to climatic change, world-renowned limnologist Charles Goldman said. He will present a free public lecture on the topic, “Lake Tahoe: Five Decades of Change and the World Water Crisis,” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2 as part of the College of Science’s Discover Science Lecture Series.

Goldman, an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Reno in the Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences, has been the leading researcher at Lake Tahoe since 1958 as a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis and the inaugural president of the World Water and Climate Network established in Kyoto, Japan in 2003. He has received dozens of national and international awards and accolades for his research that spans such climate and environmental extremes as Antarctica and Africa.

“Freshwater and marine ecosystems are now threatened on a global scale,” Goldman said. “The decline in water quality is rapidly becoming one of the most important global problems to be faced this century.”

Goldman is one of five renowned scientists from around the country who are bringing their knowledge to the Reno community in a series of lectures at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Davidson Mathematics and Science Center.

“Science encompasses a wonderfully diverse collection of explorations into the unknown,” Jeff Thompson, dean of the College of Science, said. “Join us and experience the extent of the science universe as the best scientists on the planet visit Nevada for our Discover Science Lecture Series.”

The next speaker in the series is Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of the world's most popular lecturers on astronomy. His talk on Feb. 3, “The World as Seen Through the Lens of a Scientist,” will diverge from astronomy and explain how knowledge of math, biology, chemistry and physics can transform how people live, work and play.

All lectures will be held at 7 p.m. in the Redfield Auditorium, Davidson Mathematics and Science Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. Admission is free. For more information, call (775) 784-4591 or visit the College of Science website.