Experts from the University of California, Davis, are available to media to discuss water-supply issues affecting California, from droughts and floods to atmospheric rivers. These include faculty and staff from the , , , and others.
Drought issues often intersect with those of wildfire. The ÍêÃÀÌåÓý Wildfire, Smoke and Air Quality experts list is also available.
Water management and planning
, (he/him) a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, can discuss the short-term and prolonged impacts of drought and atmospheric rivers on California’s water supply. He has particular expertise in water management and policy, urban water conservation, and the relationship between Northern California’s water supply and water deliveries statewide. Contact: 530-752-5671, jrlund@ucdavis.edu.
Flood risk
(he/him), a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, is a nationally recognized expert in flooding, flood risk and management. His research is focused on rivers, floodplains, flood hydrology and watersheds, which he’s applied to help provide a scientific basis for sound natural-hazards public policy at national and local levels. He holds the Roy J. Shlemon Chair in Applied Geosciences. Contact: 530-754-1041, npinter@ucdavis.edu.
Groundwater sustainability
, (she/her), associate professor in integrated hydrologic science at the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, can discuss the impact of climate change on the snowpack, surface water quantity and quality, and long-term trends in water resources availability and sustainability. Her work includes research on using farmlands for large-scale winter groundwater recharge. Contact: 530-400-2439, hdahlke@ucdavis.edu.
, (he/him), professor emeritus of hydrogeology in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, is an expert on groundwater quality and sustainability, paleovalleys, groundwater modeling, the response of water systems to climate change, and the transport of groundwater contaminants. Contact: 530-752-6810, gefogg@ucdavis.edu.
, (he/him), is an expert on groundwater occurrence, groundwater flow, recharge dynamics, the role of rivers, precipitation and irrigation in maintaining our aquifers, and on how human activities and agriculture affect groundwater quality. He is a professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources and a UC Cooperative Extension groundwater hydrologist. He also worked extensively on implementing California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Bilingual in German and English. Contact: 530-400-1784, thharter@ucdavis.edu.
Agriculture
Irrigation, hydrology and management
, (he/him) an associate professor and UC Cooperative Extension specialist, is an expert in water resources management, environmental flows, irrigation and pesticide management. He works with scientists, engineers, environmentalists, farm workers and decision-makers to integrate ideas into policies and develop strategies to cope better with drought. He is the co-host of the . Bilingual in Spanish and English. Contact: Samuel Sandoval, samsandoval@ucdavis.edu.
, (she/hers), is the soil-plant-water relations and irrigation management specialist in UC Cooperative Extension in the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources. Her expertise includes irrigation scheduling, crop water-use physiology, soil hydrologic health, and crop water stress. She works with growers, policymakers, and water districts to develop irrigation management strategies that balance farm livelihoods and water conservation. She is co-host of the and director of the . Contact: manocco@ucdavis.edu, @mallika_nocco on Twitter.
, (he/him), is an associate professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and associate director of initiatives for the John Muir Institute of the Environment. He can discuss water management and sustainability, including how water, contaminants and nutrients flow through agricultural soils. Contact: mabounajm@ucdavis.edu.
, (he/him), is an associate professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. He is an expert on water demand and water quality issues. These include irrigation, groundwater sustainability in intensively irrigated basins, water reuse in agriculture, and soil salinity management. impacts of climate change and cropping systems on evapotranspiration. He works with the agricultural community, government agencies and private industry to address water issues in agriculture. Contact: 530-379-9549, ikisekka@ucdavis.edu
Economic impact on agriculture and consumers
, (he/him), is the Frank H. Buck Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics and leader of the California Agricultural Issues Lab. He can discuss the impact of drought on the economy, commodity and food markets, food availability, and consumer food prices. He can explain how farmers are likely to adjust the crops they grow, as well as how food prices will be affected in California and around the nation. Contact: dasumner@ucdavis.edu.
Water and wine
, (she/her), assistant professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology, uses modeling and experimental approaches to address questions about drought and heat tolerance in grapevines. Her work examines how grapevines mitigate stress and the consequences for growth, yield and water use. Contact: mkbartlett@ucdavis.edu.
, (she/her), is an assistant professor of plant biology in the . She can discuss how heatwaves and drought impact grapevine health, as well as impacts on berry and wine chemistry. She also studies how diversifying the genetic resources used for grapevine breeding and cultivar selection can mitigate impacts of heat and water stress. Contact: ejforrestel@ucdavis.edu
Crops and drought
. (he/him), is a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences. He can discuss drought and salinity issues related to permanent crops and nut trees. His research focus is the function and transport of nutrients in plants in agricultural systems. Contact: phbrown@ucdavis.edu.
, (he/him), is a Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences. He can discuss drought impacts on alfalfa, the largest acreage crop in California. He is a global expert on forage quality and water-use efficiency, with a focus on salinity. Contact: dhputname@ucdavis.edu.
. (he/him), is a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and director of the Center for Plant Breeding. He can discuss the necessity, difficulties, and opportunities of breeding plants in a changing climate and under drought conditions. Contact: ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu.
Drought impacts for ranchers
, (he/him), is a professor and UC Cooperative Extension rangeland watershed specialist, as well as the Russell L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Rangeland Watershed Sciences. He works closely with ranchers to help them cope with drought, which has severely impacted California’s 41 million acres of rangeland. Contact: 530-754-8988, kwtate@ucdavis.edu.
(she/her), is the rangeland management specialist in UC Cooperative Extension in the Department of Plant Sciences. She works with ranchers and rangeland managers to deve