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Member Since 2002
Ben I. Cook
Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
I am an interdisciplinary earth system scientist, using observations, paleoclimate, and earth system models to understand how anthropogenic and natural processes affect extreme events, the hydrologic cycle and the terrestrial biosphere. I am well known for my research investigating how climate change affects drought severity and risk, including what this means for the occurrence of “megadroughts”, droughts of exceptional persistence and severity.
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Professional Experience
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Research Scientist
2009 - Present
Education
Doctorate
Ben's AGU Research
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Assessing the Role of Tropical Cyclones on Drought Characteristics in the Hurricane Region of the Americas Between 1983 and 2024
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: ATMOSPHERES
06 may 2026
Estimating terrestrial carbon and vegetation variability using tree-ring based soil moisture reconstructions
THE GLOBAL WATER CYCLE: COUPLING AND EXCHANGES OF MASS AND ENERGY BETWEEN THE OCEAN, LAND, CRYOSPHERE, AND ATMOSPHERE I ORAL
global environmental change | 18 december 2025
Preceding Wet Years Historically Buffered La Niña Droughts in the U.S. Southwest, but Will Not in the Future
HYDROCLIMATE AND EXTREMES IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES UNDER A CHANGING CLIMATE I POSTER
global environmental change | 18 december 2025
Can terrestrial water storage improve S2S hydrologic forecast skill in data-sparse regions to support early warning systems?
ADVANCES IN REMOTE SENSING, AI, AND MODELING FOR HYDROLOGY AND THE TERRESTRIAL WATER CYCLE II ORAL
hydrology | 18 december 2025
Dry versus Humid Heat Seasonality and Drivers in the North American Monsoon Region
COMPOUND, CONSECUTIVE, AND CASCADING EVENTS: CHALLENGES FOR RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT I ORAL
natural hazards | 18 december 2025
Opposing contributions of the tropical Pacific to recent burned forest area trends in Eastern Australia and the Southwestern United States
EL NIÑO–SOUTHERN OSCILLATION AND PANTROPICAL CLIMATE INTERACTIONS: MECHANISMS, PREDICTABILITY, IMPACTS, AND PROJECTIONS II POSTER
ocean sciences | 17 december 2025
Diverse Precipitation Responses to Irrigation Across the Asian and African Tropics
ADVANCES IN ECOHYDROLOGY: QUANTIFYING THE INFLUENCE OF LAND USE/LAND COVER CHANGE ON HYDROLOGY AND CLIMATE II ORAL
hydrology | 17 december 2025
Quantifying the Uncertainty in Terrestrial Carbon Storage Response to Historical Land Use Land Cover Changes
ADVANCES IN ECOSYSTEM STUDIES FOR NATURAL AND MANAGED LANDSCAPES I POSTER
hydrology | 17 december 2025
Honors & Awards
Piers J. Sellers Global Environmental Change Mid-Career Award
Received December 2025
Outstanding Reviewer Award - Geophysical Research Letters
Received December 2009