Justin S. Mankin

Associate Professor

Appointments

Associate Professor, Department of Geography

Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, Ecosystems, & Society (EEES)

Adjunct Associate Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Area of Expertise

Climate variability and dynamics / Climate attribution, prediction, and projection / Drought and ecohydrology / Earth system modeling / Socioeconomic and ecosystem impacts of climate change

Biography

Mankin's research on climate variability and change is motivated by the risks global warming poses to ecosystems and people. Using observations alongside empirical and process-based models, his efforts are prospective—focused constraining uncertainties in future climate impacts—and retrospective—attributing the climate impacts that have already occured. He is committed to ensuring that climate data are a public good and his hope is that his science can help inform climate adaptation and decision-making. In his previous career, Dr. Mankin worked overseas as an intelligence officer.

Education

Ph.D. Stanford University

M.P.A. Columbia University

M.Sc. London School of Economics

B.A. Columbia University

Publications

Mankin, J. S., N. Siegert (R), J. E. Smerdon, B. I. Cook, R. Seager, A. P. Wiliams, C. Lesk, (P), Z. Li (P), H. Singh (R), E. Martinez (U), Nonlinear carbon feedbacks diminish future freshwater availability, Journal of Climate (2025) 10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0028.1

Callahan, C. (G) & J. S. Mankin, Carbon majors and the scientific case for climate liability, Nature (2025) 10.1038/s41586-025-08751-3

Lesk, C. (P), J. Winter, & J. S. Mankin, Projected runoff declines from plant physiological effects on precipitation, Nature Water (2025) 10.1038/s44221-024-00361-z

Future Earth, The Earth League, WCRP, 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2024/2025, One Earth (2025) 10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101285

Li, Z. (P), J. E. Smerdon, R. Seager, N. Siegert (U), & J. S. Mankin (2024) Emergent trends complicate the interpretation of the U.S. Drought Monitor, AGU Advances, 10.1029/2023AV001070.

Gottlieb, A. (G) & J. S. Mankin (2024) Evidence of human influence on Northern Hemisphere snow loss, Nature 10.1038/s41586-023-06794-y.

Callahan, C. (G) & J. S. Mankin (2023) Persistent effect of El Niño on global economic growth, Science 10.1126/science.adf2983.

Gottlieb, A. (G) & J. S. Mankin (2023) Snow drought & its impacts: insights from quantifying and sourcing specific uncertainties, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Callahan, C. (G), N. J. Dominy, J. M. DeSilva, & J. S. Mankin (2023). Global warming, home runs, and the future of America's pastime, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 10.1175/BAMS- D-22-0235.1.

Coffel, E.  (P), C. Lesk (P), & J. S. Mankin (2022) Earth System Model overestimation of cropland temperatures scales with agricultural intensity, Geophysical Research Letters DOI: 10.1029/2021GL097135.

Callahan, C. (G) & J. S. Mankin (2022) National-scale attribution of historical climate damages, Climatic Change 10.1007/s10584-022-03387-y

Cook, B. I., J. E. Smerdon, E. R. Cook, A. P. Williams, K. P. Anchukaitis, J. S.  Mankin, alphabetical thereafter (2022) Megadroughts in the Common Era and the Anthropocene,  Nature Reviews, Earth and Environment 10.1038/s43017-022-00329-1

He, Y.,  (P), J. Chipman, N. Siegert (U), J. S. Mankin (2022) Rapid Indo-Malaysian land use and land cover change over the last 35 years, Annals of the American Association of Geographers 10.1080/24694452.2022.2077168

Gottlieb, A. (G) & J. S. Mankin (2022) Observing, measuring, and assessing the consequences of snow drought, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, BAMS-D-20-0243.1/BAMS-D-20-0243.1

Williams, A.P., B. Livneh, K. A. McKinnon, W. D. Hansen, J. S. Mankin, B. I. Cook, J. E. Smerdon, A. M. Varuolo-Clarke, N. R. Bjarke, C. S. Juang, D. P. Lettenmaier (2022) Growing impact of wildfire on western United States water supply, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 10.1073/pnas.2114069119 

Coffel, E. (P), C. Lesk (P), J. Winter, E. Osterberg, J. S. Mankin (2022) Crop-climate feedbacks boost U.S. maize and soy yields, Environmental Research Letters, 10.1088/1748-9326/ac4aa0

Mankin, J. S.,  I. Simpson, A. Hoell, R. Fu, J. Lisonbee, A. Sheffield, D. Barrie (2021). NOAA Drought Task Force Report on the 2020–2021 Southwestern U.S. Drought. NOAA Drought Task Force, MAPP, and NIDIS.

Scheff, J., J. S. Mankin, S. Coats, & H. Liu, CO2-plant eects do not account for the gap between dryness indices and projected dryness impacts in CMIP5 or CMIP6, Environmental Research Letters, (2021) 10.1088/1748-9326/abd8fd.

Coffel, E., & J. S. Mankin, Thermal power generation is disadvantaged in a warming world, Environmental Research Letters, (2021) 10.1088/1748-9326/abd4a8.

Mankin, J. S., F. Lehner, S. Coats, K. McKinnon (2020). The value of initial condition large ensembles to robust adaptation decision-making, Earth's Future, 10.1029/2020EF001610

Callahan, C. (G) & J. S. Mankin (2020). The influence of internal climate variability on projections of synoptically-driven Beijing haze, Geophysical Research Letters, 10.1029/2020GL088548

Cook, B. I., J. S. Mankin, K. M. Marvel, A. P. Williams, J. E. Smerdon, K. J. Anchukaitis (2020). Twenty-first century drought projections from the CMIP6 forcing scenarios, Earth's Future, 10.1029/2019EF001461

Qin, Y., J. T. Abatzoglou, S. Siebert, L. S. Huning, A. AghaKouchak, J. S. Mankin, C. Hong, D. Tong, S. J. Davis, N. D. Mueller (2020). Agricultural vulnerability to changing snowmelt, Nature Climate Change, 10.1038/s41558-020-0746-8

He, Y. (P), E. Lee, J. S. Mankin (2020). Seasonal tropospheric cooling over Northeastern China associated with cropland expansion, Environmental Research Letters, 10.1088/1748-9326/ab6616

Lehner, F., A. W. Wood, J. A. Vano, D. M. Lawrence, M. P. Clark, J. S. Mankin (2019). The potential to reduce uncertainty in regional runoff projections from climate models, Nature Climate Change, 10.1038/s41558-019-0639-x

Mankin, J. S., R. Seager, J. E. Smerdon, B. I. Cook, A. P. Williams (2019). Mid-latitude freshwater availability reduced by projected vegetation responses to climate change, Nature Geoscience, DOI 10.1038/s41561-019-0480-x 

Coffel, E., B. Keith, C. Lesk, R. M. Horton, E. Bower, J. Lee, J. S. Mankin (2019). Future Hot and Dry Years Worsen Nile Basin Water Scarcity Despite Projected Precipitation Increases, Earth's Future, 10.1029/2019EF001247.

Coffel, E., R. M. Horton, J. M. Winter, J. S. Mankin (2019). Nonlinear increases in extreme temperatures paradoxically dampen increases in extreme humid-heat, Environmental Research Letters, 10.1088/1748-9326/ab28b7

Schultz, K. & J. S. Mankin (2019). Is Temperature Exogenous? The Impact of Civil Conflict on the Instrumental Climate Record in Sub-Saharan Africa, American Journal of Political Science10.1111/ajps.12425

Mankin, J. S. , R. Seager, J. E. Smerdon, B. I. Cook, A. P. Williams, R. M. Horton (2018). Blue water tradeoffs with CO2-enriched ecosystems, Geophysical Research Letters 10.1002/2018GL07705

Trugman, A. T., D. Medvigy, J. S. Mankin, W. R. L. Anderegg (2018). Soil moisture drought as a major driver of carbon cycle uncertainty, Geophysical Research Letters10.1029/2018GL078131

Cook, B. I., J. S. Mankin, K. Anchukaitis (2018). Climate change and drought: from past to future, Current Climate Change Reports 10.1007/s40641-018-0093-2

Skinner, C. B., C. J. Poulsen, J. S. Mankin (2018). Amplification of heat extremes by plant CO2 physiological forcing, Nature Communications 10.1038/s41467-018-03472-w 

Diffenbaugh, N. S., D. Singh, J. S. Mankin (2018). Probability of unprecedented climate events: comparing historical changes with the UN aspirational targets and NDC commitments, Science Advances 10.1126/sciadv.aao3354

Cook, B. I., A. P. Williams, J. S. Mankin, R. Seager, J. E. Smerdon, D. Singh, (2018). Revisiting the leading drivers of Pacific coastal drought variability in the Contiguous United States, Journal of Climate 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0172.1

Ault, T., S. St. George, J.E. Smerdon, S. Coats, J.S. Mankin, C. Carrillo, B. I. Cook, S. Stevenson, (2018). A robust null hypothesis for the potential causes of megadrought in western North America, Journal of Climate 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0154.1

Swain, D. L., D. Singh, D. Horton, J. S. Mankin, T. Ballard, N. S. Diffenbaugh, (2017). Remote linkages to anomalous winter atmospheric ridging over the northeastern Pacific, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 10.1002/2017JD026575

Mankin, J.S., J.E. Smerdon, B.I. Cook, A. P. Williams, R. Seager (2017). The curious case of projected 21st-century drying but greening in the American West, Journal of Climate, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0213.1.

Williams, A. P., B. I. Cook, J. E. Smerdon, D. A. Bishop, R. Seager, J. S. Mankin (2017). The 2016 southeastern US drought: an extreme departure from centennial wetting and cooling, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 10.1002/2017JD027523

Diffenbaugh, N.S., D. Singh, J.S. Mankin, A. Charland, M. Haugen, D.E. Horton, D.L. Swain, D.E. Touma, M. Tsiang, B. Rajaratnam (2017). Quantifying the influence of historical global warming on the probability of unprecedented extreme climate events, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 10.1073/pnas.1618082114.

Hydro2K Consortium:J. E. Smerdon, J. Luterbacher, S. Phipps, K.J. Anchukaitis, T.R. Ault, S. Coats, K.M. Cobb, B.I. Cook, C. Colose, T. Felis, A. Gallant, J.H. Jungclaus, B. Konecky, A. LeGrande, S. Lewis, A. S. Lopatka, W. Man, J.S. Mankin, J.T. Maxwell, B.L. Otto-Bliesner, J.W. Partin, D. Singh, N.J. Steiger, S. Stevenson, J.E. Tierney, D. Zanchettin, H. Zhang, A. Atwood, L. Andreu-Hayles, S.H. Baek, B. Buckley, E.R. Cook, R. D'Arrigo, S.G. Dee, M. Griffiths, C. Kulkarni, Y. Kushnir, F. Lehner, C. Leland, H.W. Linderholm, A. Okazaki, J. Palmer, E. Piovano, C.C. Raible, M. P. Rao, J. Scheff, G.A. Schmidt, R. Seager, M. Widmann, A.P. Williams, E. Xoplaki, (2017). Comparing data and model estimates of hydroclimate variability and change over the Common Era, Climate of the Past 10.5194/cp-2017-37 

Mankin, J.S., D. Viviroli, M.M. Mekonnen, A.Y. Hoekstra, R. Horton, J.E. Smerdon, and N. S. Diffenbaugh (2017). Influence of internal variability on population exposure to hydroclimatic changes, Environmental Research Letters, 10.1088/1748-9326.

Ault, T., J.S. Mankin, B.I. Cook, J.E. Smerdon (2016). Relative impacts of mitigation, temperature, and precipitation on 21st Century megadrought risk in the American Southwest, Science Advances, 10.1126/sciadv.1600873.

Horton, R., J. S. Mankin, C. Lesk, E. Coffel, C. Raymond (2016). A review of recent advances in re- search on extreme heat events, Current Climate Change Reports, 10.1007/s40641-016-0042-x.

Coats, S. & J. S. Mankin (2016). The challenge of accurately quantifying future megadrought risk in the American Southwest, Geophysical Research Letters, 10.1002/2016GL070445.

Singh, D, D.L. Swain, J. S. Mankin, D.E. Horton, L. Thomas, N.S. Diffenbaugh (2016). Recent amplification of the North American winter temperature dipole, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 10.1002/2016JD025116.

Moore, F., J. S. Mankin, A.H. Becker (2015). Disciplines: Integrating Climate and Social Sciences, Chapter 4 in Climate Cultures: Anthropological Perspectives on Climate Change. Jessica Barnes and Michael Dove (eds). New Haven: Yale University Press.

Mankin, J. S., D. Viviroli, D. Singh, A.Y. Hoekstra, and N.S. Diffenbaugh (2015). The potential for snow to supply human water demand in the present and future, Environmental Research Letters, DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/10/11/114016.

Mankin, J. S. and N.S. Diffenbaugh (2015). Influence of temperature and precipitation variability on near-term snow trends, Climate Dynamics, 45 1099-1116, DOI 10.1007/s00382-014-2357-4.

Siegfried, T., T. Bernauer, R. Guiennet, S. Sellars, A.W. Robertson, J. S. Mankin, P. Bauer-Gottwein (2012). Will Climate Change Exacerbate or Mitigate Water Stress in Central Asia?, Climatic Change, 112 (3-4), 881, DOI 10.1007/s10584-011-0253-z.

Mankin, J. S. (2009). Gaming the system: how Afghan opium underpins local power, Journal of International Affairs, 63 (1), 195.

Lesk, C. (P), J. Winter, & J. S. Mankin, Projected runoff declines from plant physiological effects on precipitation, Nature Water (2025) 10.1038/s44221-024-00361-z.

Selected Works & Activities

Editor, Earth's Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union

Associate Editor, Journal of Climate, a journal of the American Meteorological Society

Member Representative, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Member, American Meteorological Society Climate Variability & Change Commmittee

Co-chair, 37th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, American Meteorological Society

Contact

Justin.S.Mankin@dartmouth.edu
Fairchild, Room 113A
HB 6017

Departments

Geography

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