Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Michael Joseph Puma

(SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST)

Michael Joseph Puma's Contact Card & Information.
Email: michael.j.puma@nasa.gov
Phone: 212.678.5567
Org Code: 611
Address:
NASA/GISS
Mail Code 611
New York, NY 10025
Employer: TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Positions/Employment


Unit Director & Research Scientist

Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University - New York, NY

December 2016 - Present

Global food security, human migration, hydroclimatology, and network science.


Climate & Life Fellow

Center for Climate and Life (http://climateandlife.columbia.edu/) - New York, NY

July 2016 - April 2019


Associate Research Scientist

Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University @ NASA GISS - New York, NY

June 2010 - November 2016

Researching land atmoshpere interactions in the climate system and global food security.

Education


Princeton University
PhD, Civil Engineering, Environmental Eng. and Water Resources, 2006
MA, Civil Engineering, Environmental Eng. and Water Resources, 2003

Columbia University
Master of International Affairs, Environmental Policy Studies, 1999
BS, Civil Engineering, Environmental Eng. and Water Resources, 1998

Research Interests


Global Food Security

Earth Science: Human Dimensions

The research topic that fascinates me most is global food security, especially the exploration of how susceptible the global food system is to disturbances. More generally, I’m interested in understanding the limits to predictability of complex systems, as we need fundamentally different approaches for problems that are sensitive to non-predictable extremes.


Land-Atmosphere Interactions

Solar System: Planetary surfaces

I also work on understanding land-atmosphere interactions in the Earth's climate system (with a focus on agriculture and more generally on vegetation/soil properties) as well as for exoplanets.

Publications


Refereed

2016. "Reserves and trade jointly determine exposure to food supply shocks." Environmental Research Letters 11 (9): 095009 [10.1088/1748-9326/11/9/095009] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "LS3MIP (v1.0) contribution to CMIP6: the Land Surface, Snow and Soil moisture Model Intercomparison Project – aims, setup and expected outcome." Geosci. Model Dev. 9 (8): 2809-2832 [10.5194/gmd-9-2809-2016] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Past and present biophysical redundancy of countries as a buffer to changes in food supply." Environmental Research Letters 11 (5): 055008 [10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/055008] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Assessing the evolving fragility of the global food system." Environ. Res. Lett. 10 (2): 024007 [10.1088/1748-9326/10/2/024007] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Variability of phenology and fluxes of water and carbon with observed and simulated soil moisture in the Ent Terrestrial Biosphere Model (Ent TBM version 1.0.1.0.0)." Geosci. Model Dev. 8 (12): 3837-3865 [10.5194/gmd-8-3837-2015] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Irrigation as an historical climate forcing." Clim. Dyn. 44 (5-6): 1715-1730 [doi:10.1007/s00382-014-2204-7] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Future climate change under RCP emission scenarios with GISS ModelE2." J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst. 7 (1): 244-267 [doi:10.1002/2014MS000403] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "CMIP5 historical simulations (1850-2012) with GISS ModelE2." J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst. 6 (2): 441-477 [10.1002/2013MS000266] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Configuration and assessment of the GISS ModelE2 contributions to the CMIP5 archive." J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst. 6 (1): 141-184 [10.1002/2013MS000265] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "The response of the South Asian Summer Monsoon circulation to intensified irrigation in global climate model simulations." Clim Dyn 42 (1-2): 21-36 [10.1007/s00382-013-1786-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Impacts of soil–aquifer heat and water fluxes on simulated global climate." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 17 (5): 1963-1974 [10.5194/hess-17-1963-2013] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Phenological versus meteorological controls on land-atmosphere water and carbon fluxes." J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci. 118 (1): 14-29 [10.1029/2012JG002088] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "A holistic approach to guide development of future climate scenarios for water resource applications." J Contemp Water Res Educ 147 (1): 41-48 [10.1111/j.1936-704X.2012.03101.x] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Pre-Columbian deforestation as an amplifier of drought in Mesoamerica." Geophys Res Lett 39 (16): L16706 [10.1029/2012GL052565] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Irrigation induced surface cooling in the context of modern and increased greenhouse gas forcing." Clim Dyn 37 (7-8): 1587-1600 [10.1007/s00382-010-0932-x] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Contribution of soil moisture feedback to hydroclimatic variability." Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 14 505-520 [10.5194/hess-14-505-2010] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Effects of irrigation on global climate during the 20th century." J Geophys Res 115 (D16): D16120 [10.1029/2010JD014122] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "On the nature of soil moisture in land surface models." J Climate 22 4322-4335 [Full Text] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2015. "Exploring the potential impacts of historic volcanic eruptions on the contemporary global food system." PAGES 23 (2): 66-67 [Full Text] [Magazine]

Teaching Experience


Columbia University
Hydrology, Adjunct Associate/Assistant Professor (Summers, 2011 to present)
Water Governance, Adjunct Lecturer (Fall semesters, 2013 to present)
Past Columbia Courses: Science of Sustainable Water (Fall semesters 2011 & 2012); Management and Development of Water Systems (Spring 2011); Envtl. Science for Sustainable Development (Guest lecturer, Fall 2010); Water and Sustainability (Fall 2010, Spring 2012); Water, Ecosystems, and Sustainability (Summer 2009)

Princeton University
Assistant Instructor, Hydrology (Spring 2006)
Assistant Instructor, Fundamentals Of Envtl. Science (Fall 2005)
Teaching Transcript Program: Completed a pedagogical training program at Princeton University’s McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning (2005-2007).

Brief Bio


The research topic that fascinates me most is global food security, especially the exploration of how susceptible the global food system is to disturbances. More generally, I’m interested in understanding the limits to predictability of complex systems, as we need fundamentally different approaches for problems that are sensitive to non-predictable extremes.  I also work on understanding land-atmosphere interactions in the Earth's climate system (with a focus on agriculture) as well as for exoplanets.

I am currently a Climate & Life Fellow at the Center for Climate and Life of Columbia University.  Also, I am a research scientist at the Center for Climate Systems Research @ NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.  I also teach Hydrology and Water Governance at Columbia University.

Previously, I have worked with:

  • United Nation Development Programme
  • National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics
  • UNSO Office to Combat Desertification & Drought (now the Integrated Drylands Development Programme)
  • UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
  • URS Corporation
  • Dvirka and Bartilucci Consulting Engineers 
  • Inform, Inc. (an environmental NGO)