No! People who study natural phenomena like drought, hurricanes, and floods come from many different backgrounds in atmospheric and environmental sciences. From these backgrounds, the career possibilities are endless. The National Drought Mitigation Center's researchers have degrees from different fields of study, and they have different research interests. Here's a look at how and why they do what they do.

Don Wilhite, Drought Specialist
Mike Hayes, Climate Specialist
Mark Svoboda, Climatologist

Don Wilhite

I am the director of the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and a professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. My work involves drought monitoring, planning, and policy issues. I founded the NDMC in 1995 after conducting research for more than 15 years on drought and its effects on people and society.

I became interested in drought when I was a graduate student in Arizona. Although Arizona is a desert to semidesert climate, droughts do occur there frequently. This is one of the interesting features of drought: it can occur in any climate–arid or humid. Droughts are a common feature of climate in California, Colorado, Georgia, and New York, as well as in Brazil, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, and Australia. Drought is one of the most serious natural hazards because it affects so many people throughout the world. In the United States, drought can have major impacts on agriculture, recreation and tourism, water supply, forest and wildland fires, energy production, and transportation. In developing countries, drought may affect people’s access to food and water. As population increases, the demand for water and other natural resources also increases. What this means for many areas of the world is that their ability to cope with drought is becoming more difficult. Therefore, the impacts associated with droughts are increasing. The NDMC is helping people throughout the world improve their drought coping capacity.

I have a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree in geography with an emphasis in climatology. When I studied for my Ph.D. degree, my areas of study were agricultural climatology, climate change, and water resources. Because of my training in both the physical sciences (like meteorology) and social sciences (like geography), my research interests have always concentrated on how climatic extremes such as drought affect people, how people have responded to these events in the past, and how they might improve their responses in the future. I have spent my career studying the impacts of drought and how to improve the level of preparedness. This work has focused not only on drought in the United States but in many countries throughout the world. One of the most rewarding outcomes of my research is transferring this knowledge to people and governments all over the world through my books and papers and through training courses and workshops that I have organized in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and North America.

Mike Hayes, Climate Impacts Specialist

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in atmospheric science. Most meteorologists and atmospheric scientists focus on the issue of forecasting weather conditions around the world. In general, the people who give weather forecasts on television news programs are meteorologists.For my career, I decided that I wanted to do something other than forecast the weather. I wanted to investigate how the weather affected the society around me. I noticed that weather has very complex interactions with society (good and bad), and I wanted to be involved in these types of applications. The NDMC has provided a wonderful place for me to work because drought is an issue that has a huge impact on societies around the world.

Drought is an interesting phenomenon; it is so complex that it has been really tough to fully understand all the complexities associated with its impacts. But this has been fascinating as well, and I learn more about drought and its impact on society and the environment each day. I've met people from all walks of life who have been affected by drought, and they have important stories to tell. On a trip to South Carolina, one of my colleagues and I talked to farmers and businessmen about the impacts of an ongoing drought. One farmer had so many experiences that he wanted to share with us about drought and his farming operation that we missed our next appointment! Another farmer in northern South Carolina talked about the inconsistencies of government programs that would allow him to put in a new well for water for his livestock, but wouldn’t allow him to put in a new well for drinking water for his family. I also remember the desperation felt by businessmen and women in the tourism industry around Lake Moultrie as the water levels kept going down, and there seemed to be nowhere for them to turn for assistance. Being in a position to find ways to solve these problems makes my work very rewarding.

Mark Svoboda, Climatologist

Growing up in Nebraska and being involved in many outdoor activities led me to an early appreciation for the weather. I was close to (and saw the aftermath of) the multiple tornado event in Grand Island, Nebraska, in 1980, and at that point I was hooked! At the University of Nebraska, I studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in geography, with a specialization in climatology and a minor in meteorology. I also have a Master of Science degree in geography, and my specializations for this degree were remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). With these degrees, I could have chosen to become a forecaster. Climatologists, by contrast, study longer-term patterns and concentrate on more than day-to-day forecasting. Monitoring drought is one example of an activity that a climatologist might undertake, and the U.S. Drought Monitor map is an example of a drought monitoring product.

The NDMC is one of several partners responsible for creating and producing the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map, which shows where drought is occurring in the United States. Scientists at the various agencies take turns being the “author” of this map. I’m one of the authors, and it can be very challenging to meet deadlines and be as objective as possible while looking at many weather/climate indicators and also incorporating feedback from as many as 150 scientists around the country! But it’s also very rewarding to be part of such a successful product; it’s used nationwide by all of the major newspapers, national TV networks, the Weather Channel, and many other news sources.

My work allows me to travel and work with scientists and people from all over the world. Climate and water issues are of global concern, and it is very satisfying to help people better understand and respect drought as a natural hazard. I have also had the opportunity to meet and make many friends from more than 50 countries during my travels, which have taken me to South America, Mexico, Europe, and Africa. Working with the NDMC team and being part of a place that makes a difference to so many people around the world makes what I do a dream job.

Interested in finding out more about careers like these? Check out these links from the University of Nebraska’s School of Natural Resources:

Bio-Atmospheric Interactions
http://snr.unl.edu/degrees/grad_Bio-Atmospheric_Interactions.asp
Climate & Bio-Atmospheric Sciences
http://snr.unl.edu/programs/climate.asp
Climate Assessment and Impacts
http://snr.unl.edu/degrees/grad_Climate_Assessment.asp