John D. Lenters
Hi, I’m John D. Lenters, and I'm a climatologist with the School of Natural Resources and the Department of Geosciences.
My main interests are in regional climate and hydrology, particularly in the Great Lakes and upper Midwest regions; lake-climate interactions; physical limnology (lake studies); and the impacts of climate variability and change on water resources.
My current projects include working on the effects of climate variability on lake evaporation; the long-term trends in Great Lakes hydrology; and regional climate and hydrology modeling over the central United States.
My work relates to and helps solve various real-world problems. Climate variability, global warming, and associated climate change are ongoing issues that are affecting and will continue to affect all life on this planet. One of the ways that climate change impacts the biosphere (humans included) is through alterations of surface hydrology. Understanding how climate variability and change affect lakes and other aspects of surface hydrology, therefore, is important for proper planning and management of water resources. Previous, specific projects I have worked on in this area include lake evaporation, central U.S. surface hydrology, and Great Lakes water levels.
In the past, I've worked on the following projects: South American climate dynamics and modeling; paleolimnology (ancient lake studies) of South American lakes; field study of lake evaporation in northern Wisconsin; land surface hydro-climatology of the central United States; changes in seasonality of Great Lakes water levels; long-term trends in the water budget of Lake Superior. I've also taught classes in meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and physics.
I received my bachelor's in physics and mathematics from Hope College and my master's and doctorate in atmospheric science from Cornell University. I've been at UNL since July 1, 2006.
Personnel Information
| Name | John D Lenters |
| University Title | Associate Professor |
| Address | 723 Hardin Hall, Lincoln NE 68583-0987 |
| Affiliation (index) | ACS | Geosci |
| Phone | 402-472-9044 |
| Fax | 402-472-2946 |
| jlenters2@unl.edu | |
| Related Websites | http://www.geosciences.unl.edu/ http://wrri.unl.edu/ |
Go to John's Full Profile
Key Publications
- Lenters, J. D., T. K. Kratz, and C. J. Bowser, 2005: Effects of climate variability on lake evaporation: Results from a long-term energy budget study of Sparkling Lake, northern Wisconsin (USA). J. Hydrology, 308, 168-195. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.10.028.
- Lenters, J. D., 2004: Trends in the Lake Superior water budget since 1948: A weakening seasonal cycle. J. Great Lakes Res., 30 (Supplement 1), 20-40.
- Lenters, J. D., 2001: Long-term trends in the seasonal cycle of Great Lakes water levels. J. Great Lakes Res., 27(3), 342-353.
- Lenters, J. D., M. T. Coe, and J. A. Foley, 2000: Surface water balance of the continental United States, 1963-1995: Regional evaluation of a terrestrial biosphere model and the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. J. Geophys. Res., 105, 22,393-22,425.
- Lenters, J. D., and K. H. Cook, 1997: On the origin of the Bolivian high and related circulation features of the South American climate. J. Atmos. Sci., 54, 656-677.
