Events

Please join us on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 4 pm in Room 1-190 for the C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series with Prof. Gabriel Katul (Duke University). 

Talk title:  Revisiting Peak Water, Peak Grain, And Analogies To Peak Oil Using Boom–Bust Dynamics In Groundwater Sourced Grain Production For The U.S. High Plains

Abstract:

Rapid groundwater depletion represents a significant threat to food and water security because groundwater supplies more than 20% of global water use, especially for crop irrigation. A large swath of the US High Plains, which produces more than 50 million tons of grain yearly, depends on the Ogallala aquifer for more than 90% of its irrigation needs.  A dynamical systems model is developed as a coarse-grained theory for explaining boom-bust patterns in groundwater use and crop production dynamics. The model explains and predicts peak groundwater withdrawals and subsequent reductions on three High Plains states.  It also predicts peaks and declines in irrigated annual crop production that follow peak groundwater withdrawal occurences. The model shows how recharge rates and the adoption of irrigation technologies control these trends. It also provides a general framework for assessing groundwater-based irrigation sustainability and how remote sensing products may be used to infer early warning signals about over-exploitation of grain-sourced groundwater withdrawals.

Bio:

Gabriel G. Katul received his B.E. degree in 1988 at the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon), his M.S. degree in 1990 at Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR) and his Ph.D degree in 1993 at the University of California in Davis (Davis, CA).  He currently holds a distinguished Professorship in Hydrology and Micrometeorology at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University (Durham, NC). He received several honorary awards, including the inspirational teaching award by the students of the School of the Environment at Duke University (in 1994 and 1996), the Macelwane medal and became thereafter a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (in 2002), the John Dalton medal from the European Geosciences Union (in 2018), the Outstanding Achievements in Biometeorology Award from the American Meteorological Society (in 2021) and later became an elected fellow of the American Meteorological Society (in 2024), and the recipient of the American Meteorological Society hydrologic science medal (in 2025).  Katul was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (in 2023) for his contributions in eco-hydrology and environmental fluid mechanics.  He served as the Secretary General for the Hydrologic Science Section at the American Geophysical Union (2006-2008).  His research focuses on micro-meteorology and near-surface hydrology with emphasis on heat, momentum, carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, particulate matter (including aerosols, pollen, and seeds) and water transport in the soil-plant-atmosphere system as well as their implications to a plethora of hydrological, ecological, atmospheric and climate change related problems.

The C.C. Mei Distinguished Speaker Series was founded and has been organized in honor of Prof. Chiang C. Mei. It aims to provide a vibrant forum for highly distinguished speakers, from around the world, to share their research with the CEE, MIT, and local Boston community.