The following Oregon State University faculty and staff have expertise related to snowpack, snow drought and related impacts. Their specific expertise and contact information is listed below. For help with these or other OSU faculty experts, contact Michelle Klampe, [email protected] or 541-737-0784.
Larry O’Neill, [email protected]
O’Neill is the Oregon state climatologist with the Oregon State Climate Service and an associate professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. He is a member of the Oregon Water Supply Availability Committee and Oregon's Drought Readiness Council and is chair of the state's Drought Monitor Advisory Committee. He can discuss:
- Seasonal outlooks and historical weather patterns.
- Short-term weather forecasts.
- Weather factors influencing wildfire and drought conditions.
- Links between climate change and severity and duration of drought cycles.
- Current weather, fire and drought conditions in Oregon.
Philip (Phil) Mote, [email protected]
Mote is a professor and chair of climate science in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. He can discuss:
- The influence of climate change on western U.S. snowpack.
- Regional climate modeling.
- Extreme weather events and the influences of both natural and human factors on their likelihood.
- Global and Northwest climate change, its impacts and how people are adjusting to the changes.
Erica Fleishman, [email protected]
Fleishman is director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and a professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. Her research focuses on ecological responses to variability and changes in climate and land use in the western United States. She can discuss:
- Connections between climate change and frequency and severity of droughts.
- Changes in precipitation, snowpack and snowpack melt.
Nick Siler, [email protected]
Siler is Oregon’s associate state climatologist and an assistant professor of atmospheric science in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. He has expertise in:
- Mountain precipitation and snowpack.
- Extreme rainfall and flooding.
- Drought.
- Impacts of climate change on all the above.
David Hill, [email protected]
Hill is a professor of civil engineering in Oregon State’s College of Engineering whose research interests include mountain hydrology and climate change impacts on water resources. He can address:
- Distribution of snow across the landscape and how it is changing over time.
- Snowpack modeling.
- Community science techniques to collect snow observations.
John Bailey, [email protected]
Bailey is a professor of silviculture and wildland fire in Oregon State's College of Forestry. His research interests include fire ecology, forest health and silviculture. He can speak to snow drought implications for:
- Fire season timing.
- Fire management.
- Fire behavior when an ignition occurs.
Gordon Jones, [email protected]
Jones, an associate professor of practice, is an OSU Extension agronomist based in Central Oregon. He can address:
- Drought/water conditions, particularly as they relate to irrigation and agriculture.
Todd Montgomery, [email protected]
Montgomery is the Robin and Curt Baney Professor in Hospitality Management and executive-in-residence at OSU-Cascades in Bend. He has 23 years of experience in the travel industry. He can discuss:
- Snow drought impacts, including ski area closures, on tourism in mountain towns and supporting business such as snow retail.
- Impacts on summer tourism if summer fire season is impacted by the lack of snow.