Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Kristen Marie Whitney

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Kristen Marie Whitney's Contact Card & Information.
Email: kristen.m.whitney@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.6569
Org Code: 617
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 617
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

Brief Bio

Dr. Kristen Whitney is an Assistant Research Scientist at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), working in the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She is passionate about leveraging environmental informatics to create accessible tools for researchers and policymakers. Her research focuses on advancing land data assimilation within NASA’s Land Information System (LIS), optimizing the integration of remote sensing data with land surface models. She is co-developing phase three of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-3) and applies LIS and machine learning analyses to address drought monitoring, forecasting, and water and food security challenges.


Kristen also co-leads stakeholder engagement efforts with entities such as the United Nations, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, NOAA NIDIS, and water management agencies, ensuring LIS products meet decision-makers' needs. Additionally, she collaborates on the Upper Missouri River Basin Data Value Study, integrating in-situ and satellite data to enhance predictions of hydrometeorological hazards, with findings shared with the U.S. Congress. Kristen is also co-developing a hydrology climate dashboard for water management in the Rio Grande Basin in partnership with NASA GSFC and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.


Kristen serves as an officer for NGAPS+ and as a member of NASA's code 610 Early and Mid Career Council (EMC2). Previously, she was a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow at NASA GSFC working with Dr. John Bolten and Dr. Sujay Kumar. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Geological Sciences from ASU and a B.S. in Environmental Geology, cum laude, from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her dissertation (NASA-funded) as selected for the 2022 Central Arizona Project Award for Water Research. She also developed the CRB-Scenario-Explorer, a web-based tool to expand research accessibility, and worked closely with water managers to transition findings into operational use.


Kristen has presented her work at numerous international scientific conferences and served as an invited panelist on topics related to water resource management at multiple conferences. She served as the graduate student representative on ASU’s high-performance Research Computing governance board and contributed to GIS engineering during her internship at the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).

Research Interests

Numerical modeling of atmosphere, land surface, and watershed processes

Remote sensing and land data assimilation applied to food and water security issues

Hydroclimate sensitivity, uncertainty, and extreme event analyses

Hydrosystem interactions of natural and human driven processes

Seasonal-to-subseasonal forecasting for improved drought monitoring

Decision-centric research and web-based scientific software tools

Positions/Employment

Assistant Research Scientist

NASA/University of Maryland ESSIC - Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

October 2024 - Present

NASA Postdoctoral Fellow

ORAU - Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

March 2023 - September 2024

Postdoctoral Research Scholar (Temporary)

Arizona State University, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment - Tempe, AZ

December 2022 - March 2023

Graduate Research Associate

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration - Tempe, AZ

August 2016 - December 2022

Student Intern (paid summer internship)

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), Software Products division - Redlands, CA

May 2018 - August 2018

Graduate Research Associate

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration - Tempe, AZ

May 2013 - August 2015

Soil Conservation Intern

Natural Resource Conservation Service - Capitola, CA

January 2012 - April 2012

Hydrology and GIS Analyst Intern

Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency - Watsonville, CA

November 2011 - April 2012

Teaching Experience

  • Fall 2018, ASU, SES 502 - Exploring SES Research (Teaching Assistant)
  • Fall 2017, ASU, CEE 440/CEE 545/GLG 471 - Hydrology (Teaching Assistant)
  • Fall 2016, ASU, CEE 440/CEE 545/GLG 471 - Hydrology (Teaching Assistant)

Professional Service

  • October 2024 - Present, Early and Mid Career Council (EMC2), NASA GFSC code 610
  • January 2024 - Present, AGU Technical Committee on Remote Sensing, American Geophysical Union.
  • December 2023 - Present, Officer of DEI & Advocacy: NASA Goddard Association of Postdoctoral and Early Career Scientists (NGAPS+). 
  • 2024, Co-chair: Session H006 Advancements in Remote Sensing, Hydrologic Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Machine Learning for Terrestrial Water Cycle. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. Washington, D.C. 9–11 December 2024.
  • February - March 2024, Scientific content reviewer and voice actor, NASA ARSET Applications Course, NASA Earth Science Applied Remote Sensing Training Program.
  • 2023, Peer reviewer: NASA’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), Water Resources Research, Scientific Data Nature.
  • June 2023, Invited presenter for "Future Career Day" for girls, St. Bernard's High School, UK.
  • July 2021 - December 2022, Appointed Student Representative, Research Computing Governance Board of Arizona State University.
  • September 2021, Invited panelist on session, "Assessing the current state of research on integrated land and water policy and management", American Water Resources Association 2021 Specialty Conference.
  • November 2017, Lead exhibitor, "21st Annual Earth & Space Exploration Day", School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University.
  • September 2011 - December 2012, Educational outreach volunteer, Livestock and Land Program, Ecology Action, Santa Cruz, CA.

Awards

Grants

Terrestrial Hydrology Climate Information Dashboard for Water Management Decision Support in the Rio Grande Basin

Applying NASA Capabilities to Address Water Management Needs in the Rio Grande Basin Water Resource Management (GEC-2680-02012023) - NASA's Western Water Applications Office (WWAO) - Awarded: 2024-03-26


Dates:  - 

Improving NASA SMAP soil moisture using UMRB data for improved wildfire risk

Upper Missouri River Basin Data Value Study - NOAA NIDIS - Awarded: 2023-08-01


Dates:  - 

Amount $100,000

Understanding Wildfire Risks and Hydrologic Impacts using Satellite-Based Remote Sensing and Land Surface Modeling

NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellowship - Goddard Space Flight Center - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Awarded: 2022-10-04


Dates:  - 

Amount $194,962

Simulating Hydrologic Responses in the Colorado River to Climate and Land Use Change Using a Data-Infused Land Surface Model

Babbitt Dissertation Fellowship - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy - Awarded: 2020-05-15


Dates:  - 

Amount $10,000

Exploring the response of the Colorado River Basin to future climate

Summer Exploration Graduate Fellowship - School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University - Awarded: 2019-05-20


Dates:  - 

Amount $8,000

Special Experience

Publications

Refereed

2024. "On the Use of SMAP Soil Moisture for Forecasting NDVI Over CONUS Cropland Regions." Geophysical Research Letters 51 (20): [10.1029/2024gl111187] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "On the Sensitivity of Future Hydrology in the Colorado River to the Selection of the Precipitation Partitioning Method." Water Resources Research 60 (6): [10.1029/2023wr035801] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Enhancing the accessibility and interactions of regional hydrologic projections for water managers." Environmental Modelling & Software 167 105763 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2023.105763] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "A stakeholder-engaged approach to anticipating forest disturbance impacts in the Colorado River Basin under climate change." Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 149 (7): 04023020 [https://doi.org/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-5905] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Spatial attribution of declining Colorado River streamflow under future warming." Journal of Hydrology 617 129125 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129125] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "On the value of satellite remote sensing to reduce uncertainties of regional simulations of the Colorado River." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 26 (21): 5627-5646 [https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5627-2022] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "A Deterministic Approach for Approximating the Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation for Use in Large-Scale Hydrological Modeling." Journal of Hydrometeorology 20 (2): 297-317 [https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-18-0203.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Ecohydrological role of biological soil crusts across a gradient in levels of development." Ecohydrology 10 (7): [https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1875] [Journal Article/Letter]

Talks, Presentations and Posters

Invited

Phase three of the North American Land Data Assimilation System in support of water and agricultural management efforts

December 2023

On behalf of NASA’S Earth Information System team.

NASA Acres Kick-off Event. St. Louis, MO.

A Stakeholder Engaged Approach to Anticipating Forest Disturbance Impacts in the Colorado River Basin under Climate Change

October 16, 2022

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, Wang Z, Quay R, White DD, Mahmoud MI, Templeton N.

Arizona Hydrological Society 34th Annual Symposium. Tuscon, AZ.

Improving and Employing a Hydrologic Model to Enable Water Resource Planning Under Future Climate and Land Cover Uncertainties

June 31, 2022

Early Career Scientist Webinar, Climate Hazards Center, University of California, Santa Barbara. (virtual)

Colorado River Hydrology Under Future Climate and Land Cover Changes

June 13, 2022

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, Bohn TJ, Mascaro G, Wang Z, Xiao M, Mahmoud M, Cullom C, White D, Quay R.

ASU AND UCLA Hydrology Research Day. Tempe, AZ.

Differential climate-change response across the Colorado River due to seasonal precipitation gradients

June 26, 2021

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER, Wang Z.

Nexus Exploration of Opportunities in Uruguay and Argentina (NEXO-UA), Speaker Series. (virtual)

Increased Temperatures Overwhelm Precipitation Changes Leading to Streamflow Declines in the Colorado River Basin

April 24, 2021

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER, Wang Z., Xiao M, Mascaro G.

Hydrosystems Engineering Seminar, Arizona State University. (virtual)

Other

Quantifying drought propagation typology through remote sensing and data assimilation

August 10, 2024

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Kumar SV, Bolten JD, Konapala G, Brunner MI, Le M-H, Lahmers TM, Ahmad SK, Nie W

9th Global Energy and Water Exchanges Open Science Conference, Sapporo, Japan.

Quantifying the impact of dynamic lapse regimes on snow simulations

May 16, 2024

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Kumar SV, Bolten JD, Pflug J, Main FZ, Hain CR, Mocko DM, Wrzesien M

European Geophysical Union General Assembly 2024. Vienna, Austria.

Enhancing the accessibility, applicability, and interactions of satellite-informed hydrologic projections under climate and forest changes for water managers

March 1, 2024

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, White DD, Wang Z, Quay R, Mahmoud MI, Templeton NP

American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Quantifying the impact of dynamic lapse regimes on snow simulations

March 1, 2024

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Kumar SV, Bolten JD, Pflug J, Main FZ, Hain CR, Mocko DM

American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Assessing the feasibility of SMAP-enhanced vegetation dynamics as an indicator of wildfire danger: A case study of the 2017 Lodgepole Complex Fire in Montana

2023

Co-authors: Le MH, Bolten JD, Holmes TR, Whitney KM, Ahmad SK, Lahmers TM, Liu PW, Bindlish R, Tabor K, Kumar SV.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Enhancing the accessibility and interactions of satellite-informed hydrologic projections under climate and forest changes for water managers

2023

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, White DD, Wang Z, Quay R, Mahmoud MI, Templeton NP.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

On the sensitivity of future snowpack and streamflow in the Colorado River Basin to the selection of precipitation partition method

2023

Co-authors: Wang Z, Vivoni ER, Whitney KM, Xiao M, Mascaro G.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Improving and Employing a Hydrologic Model to Enable Water Resource Planning Under Future Climate and Land Cover Uncertainties

July 2022

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, Wang Z, Mascaro G.

American Geophysical Union Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting. San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Assessing Future Climate and Land Use Impacts to the Colorado River using a Bottom-up Modelling Approach Informed by Water Managers

June 2022

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni E, Wang Z, Mascaro G.

European Geosciences Union General Assembly. (virtual). https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5757

Assessing Future Climate and Land Use Impacts to the Colorado River using a Bottom-up Modelling Approach Informed by Water Managers

2021

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, Wang Z, Mascaro G.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm21/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/866673

Warming-driven Snowfall Declines and Evaporative Increases Overwhelm Precipitation Increases Leading to Colorado River Streamflow Declines

2021

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER, Wang Z, Xiao M, Mascaro G, Mahmoud MI, Cullom C, White DD. 2021.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm21/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/866003

Increased Temperatures Overwhelm Precipitation Changes Leading to Streamflow Declines in the Colorado River Basin

May 2021

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER, Wang Z., Xiao M, Masacro G.

European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2021. (virtual) https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-3151

Application of Satellite Products in Surface Hydrological Modeling of the Colorado River Basin

2020

Co-authors: Xiao M, Wang Z, Mascaro G, Whitney KM, Vivoni ER.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. (virtual)

Increased Temperatures Overwhelm Precipitation Changes Leading to Streamflow Declines in the Colorado River Basin*

2020

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER, Wang Z.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. (virtual) https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/672643

*Awarded: Remote Sensing Technical Committee Student Award

Simulating Hydrologic Responses in the Colorado River to Climate Change

2019

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER, Wang Z.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA

Long-range scenario modeling of the Colorado River Basin

November 8, 2019

Co-authors: Vivoni ER, Mascaro GM, White D, Whitney KM, Wang Z.

ASU-CAP, NASA Applied Sciences Program Kickoff-Meeting. Scottsdale, AZ

Simulating Hydrologic Responses in the Colorado River to Climate Change

October 2019

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER.

Geological Society of America 2019 Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ.

Exploring the Response of the Colorado River Basin to Future Climate

October 2019

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER.

32nd Annual Symposium of the Arizona Hydrological Society. Tuscon, AZ.

Modeling hydrologic extremes in the Colorado River Basin at various watershed scales*

February 2019

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER.

American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ.

*Awarded: First Place Student Poster Award

Modeling land surface hydrology sensitivity in the Colorado River Basin to historical climate variability

2017

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

MEGADAPT: Upland Hydrology Model

June 2017

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ET.

MEGADAPT All Hands Meeting. Mexico City, MX.

Spatial and temporal vulnerability to urban heat in Hermosillo, Sonora

June 2017

Co-authors: Robles-Morua A, Diaz-Caravantes R, Navarro J, Vivoni ER, Whitney KM, Montoya-Laos J.

School of Transborder Studies, ASU, Tempe, AZ.

Modeling land surface hydrology sensitivity in the Colorado River Basin and its urban areas to historical meteorological data

April 2017

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Bohn TJ, Vivoni ER.

Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network Annual All-Hands Meeting. New York, New York.

Role of biological soil crusts in hydrologic modeling of western high-desert ecosystems*

May 2015

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, Duniway M, Bradford J, Reed SC, Belnap J.

3rd Annual Arizona Geological Society Doug Shakel Memorial Student Poster Event. Tempe, AZ.

*Awarded: Honorable mention

Role of biological soil crusts in hydrologic modeling of western high-desert ecosystems

February 2015

Co-authors: Whitney KM, Vivoni ER, Duniway M, Bradford J, Reed SC, Belnap J.

American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ.

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