William “Ryan” Currier (he/him) joined PSL's Hydrometeorology Modeling and Applications Team in October 2020. Ryan’s current research includes modeling subgrid snow variability, streamflow forecasting, and end of century hydrometeorological projections. This work includes evaluating how forecasts from NOAA’s High Resolution Rapid Refresh model translate into streamflow forecast uncertainty within NOAA’s National Water Model. In addition, Ryan is investigating how vegetation decisions within hydrologic models affect end-of-century streamflow projections in areas where evapotranspiration dominate the water balance. Furthermore, he is comparing differences between statistically and dynamically downscaled global climate models and their effect on hydrology.

Prior to joining PSL, Ryan did a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder after graduating with his Ph.D. at the University of Washington in Seattle. Ryan’s master’s thesis focused on evaluating snowfall estimates from the Weather Research and Forecasting model and the PRISM climatology against independent snow depth observations that he collected as a part of the NASA’s OLYMPEX campaign in Olympic National Park. Ryan’s Ph.D. research focused on implementing a subgrid scale modeling parametrization into a hydrologic model to evaluate the effect of forest-snow variability on late-season streamflow in multiple climates throughout the western United States.

In his free time, Ryan enjoys snowboarding, splitboarding, photography, trail running, and playing various team sports.

Learn more about Ryan on his staff profle page.

Posted: July 21, 2021