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Advancing Scientific Knowledge on the Environment’s Impact on Humans and Humans’ Impact on the Environment
Today, more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in critical research to better understand and address the serious environmental challenges facing our world.
DRI’s team of engineers, students, and staff are currently conducting important environmental research aimed at preventing and addressing some of the world’s most complex environmental challenges. No matter the challenge – whether it’s climate change and extreme weather, population health, or drought and water availability – DRI is at the forefront.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors like you, DRI is exploring big environmental questions and developing solutions for tomorrow and beyond. Make a gift today to support this important work.
Latest News
Join DRI’s Conservation Ecology Lab in Protecting Desert Flora & Fauna
The DRI Conservation Ecology Lab, led by Tiffany Pereira and Tsvetelina Stefanova, helps guide the conservation and restoration of the Southwest’s diverse flora and fauna through basic and applied ecology and collaboration with federal agencies, community non-profits, and more. Central to the Conservation Ecology Lab’s mission to protect desert ecosystems is addressing and educating the public on the detrimental effects of invasive species, particularly on rare and threatened species.
Meet Ziming Ke
Ziming Ke is an atmospheric scientist who joined DRI in March 2025. He has extensive expertise in earth system modeling and is producing groundbreaking research that integrates wildfire science into global and regional models, including a recent publication that is the first to successfully replicate wildfire-induced thunderstorms in earth system models. He joined DRI as a postdoctoral researcher working with Hans Moosmuller. Ke completed an undergraduate degree in China, a master’s in oceanography at the University of South Carolina, and a Ph.D. in atmospheric physics and chemistry at Georgia Tech. In the following interview, Ke shares his enthusiasm for wildfire science, spending time in Reno’s wetlands, and watching soccer games.
Accounting for Soil Saturation Enhances Atmospheric River Flood Warnings
Atmospheric rivers carry unfathomable amounts of water across the sky, bringing moisture to drought-stricken regions like the Western U.S. But whether a particular incoming atmospheric river storm will result in disastrous flooding has long been difficult for researchers to determine with confidence. Now, a new DRI-led study demonstrates that accounting for soil saturation levels can substantially improve our early warning of potentially destructive flooding events. The research, published February 12th in Nature Communications, was led by DRI hydrologist Mariana Webb. She and her team examined more than 71,000 atmospheric river storms in the Western U.S. and central Chile to improve flood hazard early warning.
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