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Articles by Elyse DeFranco
Truckee River microplastics rise nearly tenfold during high spring flows
Microplastics illustration. Credit: Lukasik et al., 2026/DRI The ubiquitous plastics of modern life are degrading into tiny fragments and littering Earth's landscapes and waterways. Scientists are starting to examine and measure this phenomenon to better understand how microplastics move through the environment and ultimately affect human and environmental health.
New Study Introduces a Transferable Framework for Evaluating the Potential for Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations in Watersheds Across the Country
Reno, Nev. (August 10, 2026) – With extreme weather increasing around the world, scientists are working to help critical infrastructure, such as water management systems, adapt. On the U.S. West Coast, where both periods of prolonged drought and intense atmospheric river storms are common, effective water management can be particularly tricky. One strategy that water managers are now pursuing is known as Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO).
Soil saturation data sharpens atmospheric river flood warnings, study of 71,000 storms finds
The study's modified atmospheric river (AR) scale with changes to the x-axis that incorporate soil saturation levels (SSPI). The y-axis represents maximum integrated water vapor magnitude. Credit: Nature Communications (2026).
New Study Offers a Glimpse Into 230,000 Years of Climate and Landscape Shifts in the Southwest
Reno, Nev. (Dec. 2, 2025) – Atmospheric dust plays an important role in the way Earth absorbs and reflects sunlight, impacting the global climate, cloud formation, and precipitation. Much of this dust comes from the continuous reshaping of Earth’s surface through the erosion of rocks and sediments, and understanding how this process has shaped landscapes can help us decipher our planet’s history – and its future.
DRI Recognizes Ashley Cornish as the 2025 Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award Winner for Women in Atmospheric Sciences
Reno, Nev. (Oct. 7, 2025) – DRI is pleased to announce that the 27th annual Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences has been awarded to Ashley Cornish of the University of Georgia. An award ceremony commemorating her achievement was held at the DRI campus in Reno on Oct. 7, 2025. The Peter B.
Wildfire-induced thunderstorms successfully recreated in Earth system models for the first time
On September 5, 2020, California's Creek Fire grew so severe that it began producing its own weather system. The fire's extreme heat produced an explosive thunderhead that spewed lightning strikes and further fanned the roaring flames, making containment elusive and endangering the lives of firefighters on the ground. These wildfire-born storms have become a growing part of fire seasons across the West, with lasting impacts on air quality, weather, and climate.
Wildfire-induced thunderstorms recreated in Earth system models for first time
Wildfire-induced thunderstorms recreated in Earth system models for first time by Elyse DeFranco for DRI News Reno NV (SPX) Sep 30, 2025 On September 5, 2020, California's Creek Fire grew so severe that it began producing it's own weather system. The fire's extreme heat produced an explosive thunderhead that spewed lightning strikes and further fanned the roaring flames, making containment elusive and endangering the lives of firefighters on the ground.
Wet Soils Increase Flooding During Atmospheric River Storms
Reno, Nev. (June 12, 2025) – Atmospheric rivers are responsible for most flooding on the West Coast of the U.S., but also bring much needed moisture to the region. The size of these storms doesn’t always translate to flood risk, however, as other factors on the ground play important roles. Now, a new study helps untangle the other drivers of flooding to help communities and water managers better prepare.
New Study Offers Detailed Look at Winter Flooding in California’s Central Valley
Reno, Nev. (June 10, 2025) – California’s Central Valley — one of the nation’s most critical agricultural regions and home to over 1.3 million people — is prone to flooding. Mapping the extent of winter floods has been challenging for experts, however, because clouds can obscure the view of satellites.
New Study Analyzes Air Quality Impacts of Wildfire Smoke
Reno, Nev. (May 27, 2025) – With wildfires increasing in frequency, severity, and size in the Western U.S., researchers are determined to better understand how smoke impacts air quality, public health, and even the weather. As fires burn, they release enormous amounts of aerosols — the vaporized remains of burning trees and homes that enter the atmosphere and the air we breathe.
New Study Finds Rocky Mountain Snow Contamination
Reno, Nev. (April 1, 2025) – Mountain snowpacks accumulate snow throughout the winter, building up stores of water that will supply communities across the American West throughout the long dry season. Now, a new study shows that as storms carry snow to the Rocky Mountains, they are also bringing mercury and other contaminants from mines in the region.
Blurring the Line Between Rain and Snow: The Limits of Meteorological Classification
Weather Whiplash is Amplifying Wildfire Risk Feb 18, 2025 While fires engulfed large swaths of southern California in early January, destroying more than 16,000 structures, taking at least 29 lives, and choking the air with smoke, a new study about weather whiplash was released. Co-authored by DRI’s Christine Albano, the research examined how a warming climate is creating an atmosphere more prone to extreme weather.
When STPF is All in the Family | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
For many fellows, their time in Washington is an enlightening experience that informs the rest of their career. For some, the opportunity becomes a family affair where they can share insights, immerse in the same social and professional networks and support each other throughout their fellowships and beyond. For Alison Wallace (2023-25 fellow at Department of State), the experience is being shared not only with her husband, Steve Lindaas, but also with their son, Jakob Lindaas.
FARMing with Data: OpenET Launches New Tool for Farmers and Ranchers
By Milan Loiacano, NASA Ames Research Center A NASA, DRI, and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-supported research and development team is making it easier for farmers and ranchers to manage their water resources. The team, called OpenET, created the Farm and Ranch Management Support (FARMS) tool, which puts timely, high-resolution water data directly in the hands of individuals and small farm operators.
New Study Traces Indigenous Population Shifts in North America Before Europeans
New Climate Projections Released for Tribal Lands Jan 29, 2025 Earth’s climate future is often discussed in terms of degrees of warming, but for farmers and ranchers, temperature is not the only metric that matters. Other variables such as the number of frost-free days, timing of first snowfall, or changes in spring and summer precipitation are critical to planning future planting, growing, irrigating, and harvesting activities.
Floods, Droughts, Then Fires: Hydroclimate Whiplash is Speeding up Globally
New Climate Projections Released for Tribal Lands Jan 29, 2025 Earth’s climate future is often discussed in terms of degrees of warming, but for farmers and ranchers, temperature is not the only metric that matters. Other variables such as the number of frost-free days, timing of first snowfall, or changes in spring and summer precipitation are critical to planning future planting, growing, irrigating, and harvesting activities.
Alumni from STPF and the Mass Media Fellowship Team Win $5 Million Global Rainforest Competition
“That’s when I found the AAAS fellowship,” he said. As a fellow in the NSF’s Division of Graduate Education, Bixenmann helped develop and launch the Graduate Research Internship Program (now the INTERN program), which provides graduate students the opportunity to experience non-academic careers.
Ice Patches on Beartooth Plateau Reveal How Ancient Landscape Differed From Today’s
Reno, Nev. (January 15, 2025) – DRI scientists Joe McConnell and Nathan Chellman co-authored a new study that examines a 6,000-year-old forest preserved in a Rocky Mountain ice patch. The research, which was led by the USGS and Montana State University, used the fossil wood to develop tree-ring based temperature estimates of the mid-Holocene period.
Lead Pollution Likely Caused Widespread IQ Declines in Ancient Rome, New Study Finds
Reno, Nev. (Jan. 6th, 2025) – Lead exposure is responsible for a range of human health impacts, with even relatively low levels impacting the cognitive development of children. DRI scientists have previously used atmospheric pollution records preserved in Arctic ice cores to identify periods of lead pollution throughout the Roman Empire, and now new research expands on this finding to identify how this pollution may have affected the European population. The study, published Jan.
Regional, Racial, and Economic Disparities in Cancer Risk from Air Pollution Exposure Persist, But Improving, New Research Suggests
Reno,Nev.(December3,2024)– New research builds on scientific understanding of how air pollution and cancer risk are distributed throughout the U.S. Air pollution, often resulting from industrial or vehicle emissions, can travel for hundreds of miles and impact the health of communities through higher rates of asthma, respiratory infections, stroke, and lung cancer.
Two STPF Alumni Whose Fellowships Launched Careers in Environmental Stewardship | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
A rapidly changing climate and growing human population are posing challenges for water resources and biodiversity across the globe. Two STPF alumni are using their scientific expertise and passion for crafting informed policy to address these issues in novel ways, from Arizona to Colombia. Federico Prado (2010-12 fellow at NSF; 2012-14 fellow at USAID) is a freelance consultant working on issues related to biodiversity, conservation biology, invasive species and climate change.
Groundwater use can be accurately monitored with satellites using remote sensing platform, new study finds
Drought is a widespread concern in the Western U.S., and water managers across the region are developing groundwater management plans to conserve the essential resource. Groundwater is often pumped to the surface to irrigate crops, and meters that measure the flow of pumped water have historically offered the best information on groundwater use.
Scientists create guidance to help emergency managers prepare for weather hazards of the future
Climate change is fueling more severe storms and floods, droughts and fires, and communities around the world are grappling with how to prepare. Emergency managers regularly meet to examine possible disasters and discuss preparations and responses for protecting the public, but often default to using past disasters as examples. This fails to capture the extent of potential damage from future weather extremes.
Meet Alexandra Phillips, STPF’s First Legislative Branch Fellow in Climate Science
After an aquarium internship, she went to UCSB to study marine chemistry before going on to a PhD and postdoc in chemical oceanography. When she found herself working on ocean policy during the fellowship, she thought it was a “really fun full circle development as a scientist – and I still get to take pictures sometimes.” Phillips had her eye on the STPF fellowship for years before applying. “I really loved the science I was doing,” Phillips says.
Groundwater is Key to Protecting Global Ecosystems
Reno, Nev. (July 17, 2024) – Where hidden water tables meet the Earth’s surface, life can thrive even in the driest locations. Offering refuge during times of drought, shallow groundwater aquifers act like water savings accounts that can support ecosystems with the moisture required to survive, even as precipitation dwindles.
Mars Likely Had Cold and Icy Past, New Study Finds
Reno, Nev. (July 10, 2024) – The question of whether Mars ever supported life has captivated the imagination of scientists and the public for decades. Central to the discovery is gaining insight into the past climate of Earth’s neighbor: was the planet warm and wet, with seas and rivers much like those found on our own planet? Or was it frigid and icy, and therefore potentially less prone to supporting life as we know it?
Western Agricultural Communities Need Water Conservation Strategies to Adapt to Future Shortages
By Elyse Defranco The Western U.S. is heavily reliant on mountain snowpacks and their gradual melt for water storage and supply, and climate change is expected to upend the reliability of this natural process. Many agricultural communities in this part of the country are examining ways to adapt to a future with less water, and new research shows that a focus on supplementing water supply by expanding reservoir capacity won't be enough to avert future water crises.
Western agricultural communities need water conservation strategies to adapt to future shortages
The Western U.S. is heavily reliant on mountain snowpacks and their gradual melt for water storage and supply, and climate change is expected to upend the reliability of this natural process. Many agricultural communities in this part of the country are examining ways to adapt to a future with less water, and new research shows that a focus on supplementing water supply by expanding reservoir capacity won't be enough to avert future water crises.
New Study Estimates Lithium in Groundwater That Can Be Used for Drinking Water
DRI researchers Monica Arienzo and Daniel Saftner are coauthors on a new study led by the USGS that examines lithium levels in groundwater aquifers used to supply drinking water across the U.S. Lithium is a naturally occurring metal found in rocks, soil, and water. Although lithium has been linked to both positive and negative human health impacts when consumed, there is limited data on lithium levels and resulting health outcomes.
Every Drop Counts: New Algorithm Tracks Texas's Daily Reservoir Evaporation Rates
DRI scientists Justin Huntington, Christopher Pearson, and Thomas Ott co-authored a new study in the journal Water Resources Research that details the effort to develop an online portal that allows stakeholders to visualize and download data on reservoir evaporation rates in Texas in near-real time. Due to the success of the algorithm’s estimation on Texas reservoirs, the research team is currently working on evaporation data for all major reservoirs in the western United States.
Celebrating the First Ten Years of the Judicial Branch Fellowship
In 2020, Aaron Wolf (2020-21 fellow) joined the Judicial Branch Fellowship. As an expert in population genetics, Wolf created a learning module for judges about novel DNA technologies and ways they may appear in the courts.
Rising Temperatures Will Significantly Reduce Streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin As Groundwater Levels Fall, New Research Shows
Reno, Nev. (May 23, 2024) – The Colorado River makes life possible in many Western cities and supports agriculture that sustains people throughout the country. Most of the river’s water begins as snowmelt from the mountainous watersheds of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and a warming climate will drastically reduce these streamflows, new research finds.
New Method Reveals Hidden Activity of Life Below Ground
DRI’s Duane Moser, Ali Saidi-Mehrabad, and Molly Devlin co-authored a new study that examines the genetics and life strategies of microbes living deep below Earth’s surface. Dr. Moser and his lab conducted the fieldwork for the research as part of their work studying deep wells located in the Death Valley regional flow system.
In the Rocky Mountain West: STPF Alum Combine Academia and Scipol
STPF fellows complete their fellowships to find that their expertise opens numerous doors. Academia is one path of many, and one that has allowed three alumni based in Colorado and Utah to combine their scientific expertise with their interest in policymaking. All three have forged careers that include research with impact on policy at the local, national, or international level, drawing a direct line from their fellowship experience to their career trajectories.
Ancient Pollen Trapped in Greenland Ice Uncovers Changes in Canadian Forests Over 800 Years
Reno, Nev. (February 8, 2024) – The Greenland ice sheet lies thousands of miles from North America yet holds clues to the distant continent’s environmental history. Nearly two miles thick in places, the ice sheet grows as snow drifts from the sky and builds up over time. But snow isn’t the only thing carried in by air currents that swirl around the atmosphere, with microscopic pollen grains and pieces of ash mixing with snowfall and preserving records of the past in the ice.
Four STPF Alumni Improving Public Health from Chicago
Joshua Wolff, Jenifer Buckley, Alexandra Graham, and Vince Tedjasaputra are part of an active Chicago STPF alumni community. Every year since 1973, growing numbers of AAAS STPF fellows have completed their fellowships and joined other alumni working in government agencies, nonprofits and businesses around the country. With new expertise and insight from their time in Washington, they form an integral part of the nation’s ability to address the most pressing policy questions of our time.
A new, rigorous assessment of OpenET accuracy for supporting satellite-based water management
A new, rigorous assessment of OpenET accuracy for supporting satellite-based water management by Elyse DeFranco for DRI News Reno NV (SPX) Jan 17, 2024 Sustainable water management is an increasing concern in arid regions around the world, and scientists and regulators are turning to remote sensing tools like OpenET to help track and manage water resources.
The First Assessment of Toxic Heavy Metal Pollution in the Southern Hemisphere Over the Last 2,000 Years
Reno, Nev. (Jan. 11, 2024) – Human activity, from burning fossil fuels and fireplaces to the contaminated dust produced by mining, alters Earth’s atmosphere in countless ways. Records of these impacts over time are preserved in everlasting polar ice that serves as a sort of time capsule, allowing scientists and historians to link Earth’s history with that of human societies.
A new, rigorous assessment of OpenET accuracy for supporting satellite-based water management
A new, rigorous assessment of OpenET accuracy for supporting satellite-based water management by Elyse DeFranco for DRI News Reno NV (SPX) Jan 17, 2024 Sustainable water management is an increasing concern in arid regions around the world, and scientists and regulators are turning to remote sensing tools like OpenET to help track and manage water resources.
First dive survey of Lake Tahoe's lakebed finds high amounts of plastic and other litter
Plastic litter is a growing problem around the world, and new research shows that the bottom of Lake Tahoe is no exception. In one of the first studies to utilize scuba divers to collect litter from a lakebed, 673 plastic items were counted from just a small fraction of the lake.
Q&A: Can scientific ingenuity turn the clock back on climate change? Original
The summer of 2023 was the hottest on record. Climate change fueled destructive hurricanes in Florida, more intense monsoons in India, and melted sea ice to historically low levels in the Arctic and Antarctic. Communities worldwide struggled with blistering heat waves, and vast swathes of Canada and the Eastern U.S. lived with smoke-filled skies as forests succumbed to wildfires.
Community Scientists Needed: Help Improve Winter Weather Predictions
Community members across Utah, the Great Basin, and around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are invited to join people across the country in contributing winter weather observations. The data is collected by scientists for a NASA-funded project that seeks to improve the accuracy of winter weather predictions.
STPF Alumni Impact Series: In the Pacific Northwest, three alumni help build a better world
On the opposite coast from Washington, amidst the verdant forests and striking coastal cliffs of the Pacific Northwest, three STPF alumni are influencing environmental policy across sectors, from nonprofit work for protecting the ocean, to a regional water resource management utility, to a private consulting practice focused on supporting the clean energy transition worldwide.
3000 years of carbon monoxide records show positive impact of global intervention in the 1980s
An international team of scientists has reconstructed a historic record of the atmospheric trace gas carbon monoxide by measuring air in polar ice and air collected at an Antarctic research station. The team, led by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, assembled the first complete record of carbon monoxide concentrations in the southern hemisphere, based on measurements of air. The record spans the last three millennia.
STPF 51: Welcoming the new class of fellows
“I have to tell you, we’re living in a golden age of science. We know more about the universe, our planet, and ourselves than we’ve ever known before.” Sudip Parikh, CEO of AAAS, shared these words at a recent ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) program. Standing in an auditorium at the U.S State Department, he spoke to a room filled with current and former fellows.
Looking for Answers in a Warming World
DRI researchers are examining the potential for climate intervention techniques to help cool communities – and the Disastrous wildfires and prolonged droughts; stronger hurricanes and cyclones; severe flooding and sea level rise: these are just some of the impacts of a warming climate already occurring all around us.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Awarded to Microplastics Researcher Rachel Kozloski
DRI: What was the journey like getting to this point and what inspired you to pursue your research? Kozloski: After three years of undergrad studying aviation, I took a break from school. When I went back to finish my degree, I ended up studying soils and agricultural ecology, which was a big shift. By the time I’d finished I’d spent six years in undergrad. I was tired, and I was just really overwhelmed by the debt. All I could think about was getting out and getting to work.
Field Notes From DRI's Ice Core Team in Greenland: A Story Map
The DRI ice core team is back in Greenland! This summer, the team is stationed at the top of the Greenland ice sheet at a permanent base named Summit Station. In May and June 2023, the team is drilling a 150 meter-long, large-diameter ice core to measure methane and carbon monoxide trapped in bubbles in the ice. They are setting up a fully-operational ice core melter and analysis system in the field to try to better understand what processes impact these ice core gas records.
A Community-Centered Approach to Air Quality Assessment
DRI: Tell us about your results. Chen: Well, the data we published was from 2019, which was before COVID-19 happened. This ended up changing a lot of things, and when I go back to the site now, I actually see that the conditions improved dramatically. In our paper, we conclude that there is no exceedance to EPA air quality standards. But you can also see that there are significant contributions from the asphalt plant, 10 to 15% or so on average, depending on which metrics you look at.
With a Historic Dam Removal Imminent, Tribes Prepare for a Klamath River Rebirth
Popular Stories How to Tell a Raven From a Crow How to Make Hummingbird Nectar What Should Be Done About Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl Loose in New York? 13 Fun Facts About Owls Get to Know These 20 Common Birds As salmon returned to the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean in 2002 to lay eggs, they found it choked and trickling. Water they needed had been held behind upstream dams and diverted for agriculture.
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