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Senior Scientist
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Michael H. Glantz is a Senior Scientist in the Environmental and Societal Impacts Group, a program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He is interested in how climate affects society and how society affects climate, especially how the interaction between climate anomalies and human activities affect quality of life issues. His research relates to African drought and desertification and food production problems and prospects; societal impacts of climate anomalies related to El NiÒo events, and the use of El NiÒo-related teleconnections to forecast these impacts; to developing methods of forecasting possible societal responses to the regional impacts of climate change; and the use of climate-related information for economic development. He has also coordinated joint research in the Central Asian Republics of the ex-USSR.
He received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering (1961) and an M.A. in Political Science (1963) from the University of Pennsylvania. After some years in industry (Westinghouse, Ford), he returned to the University of Pennsylvania and received a Ph.D. in Political Science in 1970. He has taught at the University of Colorado, University of Pennsylvania, Lafayette College, and Swarthmore College. In 1974 he joined NCAR as a postdoctoral fellow, and in 1983 he was the first social scientist to become a Senior Scientist at that institution. He was the Program Director of the Environmental and Societal Impacts Group at NCAR from 1979 to 1997. He is a member of numerous national and international committees and advisory bodies related to environmental issues. In 1987 his Scientific American article on drought in Africa was given an award by World Hunger Year. In March 1990 he received the prestigious “Global 500” award from the United Nations Environment Programme.
He has authored or edited several books and is the author of numerous articles on issues related to climate, environment, and society.