Draft:Pedro N. DiNezio

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Pedro N. DiNezio
Born (1977-11-23) November 23, 1977 (age 47)
Tres Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Alma materInstituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires; University of Miami
Known forEl Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) dynamics and prediction; Drought forecasting; Large-ensemble climate modelling
Scientific career
FieldsMeteorology; Physical oceanography; Climate dynamics; Climate prediction
InstitutionsUniversity of Colorado Boulder (ATLAS Institute and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences); University of Texas at Austin; University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Doctoral advisorAmy Clement

Pedro N. DiNezio (born 23 November 1977) is an Argentine atmospheric and ocean scientist and Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder’s ATLAS Institute and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. He is known for research on the dynamics and predictability of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), multi-year droughts and climate extremes. His work connects fundamental theory with operational meteorology and seasonal-to-decadal climate prediction.[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

DiNezio was born in Tres Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), graduating with highest academic distinction. Early in his career he worked as a technician at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he operated in-situ oceanographic instruments, participated in trans-Atlantic cruises, and developed satellite-based monitoring products.

He later completed a Ph.D. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science at the University of Miami under Professor Amy Clement. His dissertation, Mechanisms of Tropical Pacific Change: Beyond the Bjerknes Feedback, examined ocean–atmosphere coupling in the tropical Pacific and its global teleconnections.

Career and meteorological research

[edit]

DiNezio’s research bridges climate dynamics and forecasting, linking physical oceanography to operational meteorology. His group develops numerical experiments and large-ensemble simulations to understand ENSO evolution, drought mechanisms and decadal predictability. From 2013 to 2023 he held academic appointments at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of Texas at Austin before joining CU Boulder.

He collaborates with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to translate ENSO research into forecasting operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.[2]

His 2017 paper in Geophysical Research Letters was among the first to demonstrate successful two-year forecasting of La Niña conditions (2016–2018), expanding the range of seasonal-to-interannual ENSO prediction.[3] In a 2024 article for The Conversation, he explained how the La Niña phase of ENSO can intensify Atlantic hurricane activity and affect weather risk worldwide.[4]

His recent work links ocean circulation changes to tropical rainfall and drought risk.[5] Coverage in New Scientist and Live Science highlighted his findings on Atlantic cooling and climate impacts.[6][7] The New York Times also featured his research on megadrought risk in the Southwestern United States.[8]

Scientific contributions

[edit]

DiNezio has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals including Nature and Science. His 2024 study in Nature showed that extreme El Niño events could become twice as common in a warming climate, with coverage in New Scientist and other outlets.[9][10] He has commented on unusual Pacific conditions and the need for enhanced monitoring to improve ENSO forecasts.[11]

His research has broader implications for long-term hydroclimate risk assessment. A 2025 feature in The Conversation described how climate-model ensembles indicate that human activity may be locking the Southwest United States into persistent megadrought conditions, a topic he has also addressed in The New York Times and Washington Post analyses of climate change and extremes.[12][13]

He has also advocated for greater engagement between scientists and the public in addressing climate risk and forecast communication.[14]

Outreach and service

[edit]

An active science communicator, DiNezio frequently appears in international media including PBS NewsHour, The Washington Post, and New Scientist to explain ENSO mechanisms and forecast uncertainties.[15] He has served as an advisor to NOAA, re-insurance companies and urban-planning initiatives on climate-prediction systems and risk management and advocates for integrating global forecast research with regional early-warning capabilities.[16]

Selected publications

[edit]
  • DiNezio, P.N., & Deser, C. (2014). ‘‘Nonlinear Controls on the Persistence of La Niña.’’ *Journal of Climate*, 27(19), 7335–7355. doi:[10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00033.1](https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00033.1)
  • DiNezio, P.N., et al. (2017). ‘‘A Two-Year Forecast for a 60–80% Chance of La Niña in 2017–2018.’’ *Geophysical Research Letters*, 44(18), 9255–9262. doi:[10.1002/2017GL074904](https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074904)
  • Thirumalai, K., DiNezio, P.N., et al. (2024). ‘‘Future Increase in Extreme El Niño Supported by Past Glacial Changes.’’ *Nature*, 631, 771–777. doi:[10.1038/s41586-024-07984-y](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07984-y)
  • DiNezio, P.N., et al. (2025). ‘‘Tropical Response to Ocean Circulation Slowdown Raises Future Drought Risk.’’ *Nature*, 644, 676–683. doi:[10.1038/s41586-025-09319-x](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09319-x)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pedro N. DiNezio – ATLAS Institute Faculty Profile". University of Colorado Boulder ATLAS Institute. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  2. ^ "Translating advances in ENSO research to operations in Latin America and the Caribbean". World Meteorological Organization. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  3. ^ DiNezio, Pedro N. (2017). "A Two-Year Forecast for a 60–80% Chance of La Niña in 2017–2018". Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (18): 9255–9262. doi:10.1002/2017GL074904.
  4. ^ "La Niña is coming, raising the chances of a dangerous Atlantic hurricane season – an atmospheric scientist explains this climate phenomenon". The Conversation. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  5. ^ DiNezio, Pedro N. (2025). "Tropical response to ocean circulation slowdown raises future drought risk". Nature. 644: 676–683. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09319-x.
  6. ^ "Part of the Atlantic is cooling at record speed and nobody knows why". New Scientist. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Even a slight slowdown of key Atlantic currents poses a "stunning risk" to rainforests". Live Science. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  8. ^ "The West's megadrought may not let up for decades, study suggests". The New York Times. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Ancient plankton suggests extreme El Niños will become twice as common". New Scientist. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Fears of record-breaking El Niño event raise climate alarms". New Scientist. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Something strange is happening in the Pacific – and we must find out why". New Scientist. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Climate models reveal how human activity may be locking the Southwest into permanent drought". The Conversation. 18 July 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Scientists just linked another record-breaking weather event to climate change". The Washington Post. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Climate change is transforming how scientists think about their roles". CU Boulder Today. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  15. ^ "La Niña is on its way back – what to expect from the Pacific Ocean's next mood swing". PBS NewsHour. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  16. ^ "La Niña may be coming back, again – here's what that means". The Washington Post. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.

Category:Argentine scientists Category:Atmospheric scientists Category:Meteorologists Category:Oceanographers Category:Climatologists Category:University of Colorado Boulder faculty Category:1977 births