Visiting Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Research Professor, Desert Research Institute
Michael Dettinger Climate Science, LLC
ABOUT ME
I am a research hydrologist and climatologist, as a Visiting Researcher for Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a Visiting Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute, retired from the U.S. Geological Survey. I research the hydrology, climate, and water resources of the West, focusing on hydroclimatic variability and climate-change impacts. For contracting purposes, I have recently established a one-person LLC, called Michael Dettinger Climate Science, LLC.
Over the years, I've been:
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physical-sciences team leader for DOI-DOD ecosystem planning in the Mojave Desert (way back in the 1990s),
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a member of executive committee for initial USA National Phenological Network implementation,
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a founding organizer of the CIRMONT Western Mountain Climate Sciences Consortium,
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co-editor of the 2008 and 2016 State of Bay-Delta Science reports,
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research advisor for USGS Surface-Water Discipline,
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a lead author of the Water Resources chapter of the 2013 National Climate Assessment,
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convening lead author of California 4th Climate Assessment Sierra Nevada Region Report,
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Chair of AMS Water Resources Committee 2015-2019,
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member of steering committee of the Russian River Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations viability assessments, and
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a member of the Standing Review Board for NASA's Surface-Water/Oceanographic Topography (SWOT) mission.
I've authored and co-authored 150+ scientific articles and chapters in scholarly journals and books, 30+ government reports, and 90+ other reports in less formal outlets. My work has been cited in the scientific literature more than 31,000 times (>12,000 since 2017).
Photo: Lamoille Cyn, Ruby Mtns, Nevada
PROFESSIONAL HONORS
VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S NATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW AWARD
for "physical-science leadership [as phys-sci team leader] in multiagency DOD/DOI Mojave ecosystem planning," 1996
CLIMATE SERVICE AWARDS,
California Department of Water Resources
for "helping DWR to incorporate climate-change adaptation into water planning and management"
2007, 2014
Hydrology FELLOW,
American Geophysical Union
for "insightful, societally relevant research in understanding how climate and weather affect the variability of hydrologic systems," 2014
Atmospheric & Hydrospheric FELLOW, American Association for the Advancement of Science
for "seminal contributions to the understanding of the hydroclimatology of the Western US,” 2018
SENIOR SCIENTIST, US Geological Survey
2015-2019
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD, California Extreme Precipitation Symposium
for "scientific contributions [that] have informed public decisionmaking resulting in increased public safety from floods and droughts," 2020
EDUCATION
1973-1977
University of California, San Diego
BA Physics, Summa cum Laude
1977-1979
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MS Civil Engineering (Water Resources)
1990-1997
University of California, Los Angeles
MS & PhD Atmospheric Sciences
AGU TYNDALL LECTURER on History of Global Environmental Change, speaking about the history of water resources & climate change studies in the Western US, 2021
US NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERS, for "hydroclimate research that significantly enhanced the understanding and management of water resources in the western United States," 2022
