In case you hadn't heard, weird weather is here to stay. After years of drought, California is now lighting up with flash flood warnings. This is just one aspect of climate change that has been spurred on by human activity. How do we know that the climate is changing dramatically and that this isn't just part of the planet's natural cycles? Join us at the next Ars Technica Live for a conversation with a local scientist who studies this exact question.

Professor Lynn Ingram studies the history of climate and environmental change in California using sediment cores from lakes and estuaries, including San Francisco Bay. Dr. Ingram is a fellow of the California Academy of Science and is a senior Fulbright recipient and Miller Fellow at UC Berkeley. Ingram is the author of more than sixty published scientific articles on past climate change in California and the other locations around the Pacific Ocean, and she is the author of a book about the climate history and water resources in California: The West without Water: What Past Floods, Droughts, and Other Climatic Clues Tell Us About Tomorrow.

Filmed before a live audience, each episode of Ars Technica Live is a speculative, informal conversation between Ars hosts and an invited guest. The audience is invited to join the conversation and ask questions.

This month, we're in a new location! Join us at Oakland's Awaken Cafe (1429 Broadway, Oakland, Calif.).

Doors are at 7pm, and the live filming is from 7:30 to 8:20-ish pm (be sure to get there early if you want a seat). Stick around afterward for informal discussion and snacks. Can't make it out to Oakland? Never fear! Episodes will be posted to Ars Technica the week after the live events.

The event is free but space is limited, so please RSVP using Eventbrite. You can also keep up with the latest Ars Live doings on Facebook. See you Wednesday night, Bay Area Arsians!