ESSIC-UMD

09/29/2025

Severe storm events often result in flooding, erosion and water quality degradation. Geology's Karen Prestegaard is researching the links between precipitation, stream baseflow, stormwater runoff and evapotranspiration in the mid-Atlantic region.

In today's Reddit Ask-Me-Anything, Karen will be taking questions about hydrology, stormwater management, drinking water issues and more. She’ll answer questions live on Reddit from 12 to 2 p.m. ET—submit your questions now: redd.it/1ntaqz0

07/08/2025

Wetlands are major players in the global methane cycle—but tracking their emissions isn't easy.

ESSIC researchers are using a new model to map where and how wetlands release methane, with more detail than ever before. Better data ➡️ better climate decisions.

📰 Read the full story:

When people think about methane, a potent greenhouse gas highly efficient at trapping heat in our atmosphere, they often picture industrial smokestacks, oil rigs, or livestock. But one of the primary and least understood sources of methane isn’t industrial — it’s natural. Wetlands, some of the...

02/11/2025

Last week, Li Li from Penn State University kicked off our seminar series with "The Invisible River Water Quality: Challenges and Opportunities at the Confluence of “Big” Data and “Deep” Models", a discussion on the importance of water quality, the challenges and opportunities in water quality data analysis, and the potential of remote sensing data to improve understanding of subsurface structures and river water quality.

FULL TITLE: The Invisible River Water Quality: Challenges and Opportunities at the Confluence of “Big” Data and “Deep” ModelsEvent site: https://go.umd.edu/l...

12/23/2024

Last month, the CISESS Lightning and Virtual Reality (VR) research group participated in the annual Spooky Mad Science Expo in Alexandria, VA.

On October 19, 2024, the CISESS Lightning and Virtual Reality (VR) research group, led by Guangyang Fang, participated in the annual Spooky Mad Science Expo in Alexandria, VA. The team included CISESS intern students Damian Figueroa and Samuel Wiggins, along with visiting scholar Wenjuan Zhang. Toge...

12/20/2024

A new paper in JSTARS by ESSIC researchers analyzes Total Precipitable Water trends from reprocessed MiRS SNPP ATMS data (2012-2021) and compares it with ERA5 reanalysis, providing insights into moisture trends in the atmosphere.

12/19/2024

Congrats to ESSIC scientist Andrew Feldman, the newest recipient of the NASA Special Act Award! His outstanding support for early career researchers through NGAPS+ at NASA Goddard highlights his dedication to mentorship, networking, and inclusivity.

ESSIC Scientist Andrew Feldman is the newest recipient of the NASA Special Act Award for outstanding support to the Center's early career personnel as an officer of the NASA Goddard Association of Postdoctoral and Early Career Scientists (NGAPS+). NGAPS+ supports early career researchers at GSFC thr...

12/18/2024

ESSIC scientist Lauren Zamora spent her summer in Pituffik, Greenland working on NASA’s Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface-Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX) aircraft campaign, studying the role of clouds and radiation over the Arctic.

The Arctic plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate. It influences ocean circulation, releases greenhouse gases from thawing permafrost, and is instrumental in Earth’s overall reflectivity and warming. Yet, as global temperatures rise, the Arctic has been warming even faster. Since...

12/17/2024

UMD researchers find rapidly declining sea ice in North Pacific Bering Sea, bringing intense storms to Alaskan coastline.

UMD researchers find rapidly declining sea ice in North Pacific Bering Sea, bringing intense storms to Alaskan coastline As Maryland creeps towards winter weather, some residents mourn the loss of a reliable snow season. While many remember a time where the region was blanketed in snow by the holida...

12/16/2024

ESSIC/CISESS Scientist Ron Vogel convened with environmental stakeholders at the Restore America’s Estuaries Coastal and Estuarine Summit, presenting on applying long-term satellite temperature data to 84 estuaries across the United States.

ESSIC/CISESS Scientist Ron Vogel convened with environmental stakeholders at the Restore America's Estuaries Coastal and Estuarine Summit, which took place from 7–9 October 2024 in Arlington, VA. Vogel presented at the conference on collaborative work between UMD, NOAA, and the Environmental Prote...

12/13/2024

Early this month, held a Promotion & Tenure Toast to recognize those who received promotions and tenure this past June. Congratulations to the 5 recognized ESSIC scientists!

ESSIC Director Ralph Ferraro, ESSIC Associate Research Scientist Lisa Milani, and CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney at the event. Credit: Mark Sherwood Early this month, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) held a Promotion & Tenure Toast to recognize those who received promot...

12/10/2024

Lars Peter Riishojgaard will join UMD to become the new Director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center.

Lars Peter Riishojgaard will join the University of Maryland on January 1, 2025, as director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) following an international search. Currently a consultant, Riishojgaard most recently held leadership roles at the World Meteorological Organizati...

12/10/2024

FEWSNET finds that severe flooding combined with conflict puts South Sudan at risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) through January. ESSIC scientist Abheera Hazra provided some datasets used in this work.

This Food Security Outlook report provides FEWS NET's forward-looking analysis of likely acute food insecurity outcomes in South Sudan for the October 2024 to May 2025 projection period.