Introduction

Cody Knutson is a research assistant professor, water resources scientist and leader of the National Drought Mitigation Center’s (NDMC) Planning and Social Science Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. NDMC is part of UNL’s School of Natural Resources within the University of Nebraska’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Knutson has been an NDMC faculty member since 2004 and was previously part of the center as a professional staff member since 1997. His primary research interests include drought planning, water and natural resources policy, rural water development, American Indians, environmental perceptions, public participation, collaborative planning, capacity building, environmental justice, and international development

Education:

  • Ph.D., Geography, applied human/environmental emphasis, UNL, 2004.
  • M.A., Anthropology, applied cultural/development emphasis; minor, Geography, UNL, 1997.
  • M.S., Geological Engineering, water resources and environmental quality emphases, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 1996.
  • B.S., Geological Engineering, ground water emphasis,

Examples of Current Research / Scholarly Service:

As leader of the Planning and Social Science Program Area at NDMC, Knutson’s research and scholarly service focuses on better understanding stakeholder perceptions of water, climate, and drought-related issues and working to develop planning tools to help them better prepare for and respond to drought. Examples of current activities include:

  • Developing a web-based drought planning guide for livestock and forage producers
  • Creating a web-based water and drought information portal for the Republican River Basin of Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas
  • Helping to establish a near-real time ground water monitoring network across Nebraska
  • Establishing a national Drought-Ready Communities program to help communities prepare for times of drought
  • Studies to better understand stakeholder perceptions of long-term (i.e., decadal) climate fluctuations in the Missouri River Basin
  • Working with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to develop international planning guides and provide training for drought mitigation and preparedness
  • Understanding the perceptions of farmers and ranchers about drought in Nebraska
  • Developing a low flow early warning system for the nation’s streams with the NWS
  • Drought planning with American Indian tribes in the western United States
  • Collaborative rural water development between American Indian tribes and non-tribal water districts in South Dakota.

Selected Publications:

  • Knutson, C.L. and D.A. Wilhite (2008) New Developments and Opportunities for Drought Risk Reduction in Asia, In Global Change and Sustainable Development: Asia-Pacific Perspectives, ed. P.K. Low, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, England (in press)
  • Knutson, C.L., (2008) Adaptation to Water Stress in the Great Plains. Water Resources IMPACT, Vol. 10(4), pp18-21
  • Knutson, C.L., (2008) The role of water conservation in drought planning. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 63(5)
  • FOA/NDMC (2008) The Near East Drought Planning Manual: Guidelines for Drought Mitigation and Preparedness Planning, C. L. Knutson (Author), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Near East Regional Office and the National Drought Mitigation Center, USA: Cairo, Egypt, 50 pp.
  • Knutson, C.L., S. Jones, M.E. Sittler, M. Higgins, M.D. Svoboda, D.R. Kluck, and D.A. Wilhite (2008) Development of a Low Flow Early Warning System for the NOAA National Weather Service, USA, International Journal of Ecological Economics and Statistics, Vol. 12 (F08), pp. 44-57.
  • Wilhite, D.A., and C.L. Knutson (2008) Drought management planning: Conditions for success, Options Mediterraneennes, Series A., No. 80, pp. 141-148.
  • UN/ISDR (2007) Drought Risk Reduction Framework and Practices: Contributing to the Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, C.L. Knutson (Lead Author), United Nations secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), Geneva, Switzerland, 144+vi pp
  • Knutson, C.L., M.J. Hayes, and M.D. Svoboda (2007) A Case Study of Tribal Drought Planning: The Hualapai Tribe. Natural Hazards Review, Vol. 8(4), pp. 125-131

Web/e-mail addresses:

Cody Knutson

Cody Knutson

Source

The article on the left is from Water Current, Winter 2010, Vol. 42, No. 1.

Water Current is the quarterly newsletter of the UNL Nebraska Water Center. In each issue, we feature at least two faculty or staff who work on water-related issues.