Webinar: 2015-2016 El Niño
Channel: Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox
Date: 10/12/2015

Date:
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 1 PM Pacific 

Presenter: 
Paul Miller, Senior Hydrologist, Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, NOAA

Abstract:
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) describes warming sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that typically correspond with cool and wet precipitation events in California and the Lower Colorado River Basin during an El Niño event.  The latest El Niño episode is projected to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest on record, garnering significant attention from the public, media, and water resource managers throughout the U.S.  As the impacts of a historic drought are being realized throughout the American West, resource managers are interested in what the impacts due to El Niño are expected to be, and whether any potential hydrologic benefits will be substantial enough to provide relief to drought-stricken areas.  In this webinar, the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC) will give an overview of what ENSO is and what it means to water supply over the Colorado River Basin with an emphasis on areas within the Desert LCC.   The CBRFC will also discuss how ENSO is accounted for in their forecasts of water supply, and provide other useful ENSO related references.
 
About the presenter:
Paul Miller currently works for the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center as a Senior Hydrologist in Salt Lake City, Utah.  As the climate focal point for the office, Paul has the opportunity to work with climate scientists throughout NOAA and the National Weather Service investigating the impacts of ENSO to the Colorado River Basin and Eastern Great Basin, among other climate-related topics.  Prior to joining the CBRFC in November 2012, Paul worked for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region for about 7 years in the Boulder Canyon Operations Office.  Paul received his B.S. in Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources from the University of Arizona in 2003, his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2005, and his Ph. D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2010.  His dissertation was titled, "Assessment of Impacts to Hydroclimatology and River Operations due to Climate Change over the Colorado River Basin."