Michael E. Mann Honored With Stroud Award for Freshwater Excellence

Stroud Water Research Center has bestowed the 2022 Stroud Award for Freshwater Excellence upon Michael E. Mann, one of the world’s leading voices on climate change. The award was presented at the 20th annual The Water’s Edge gala at the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science.

Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media, also holds a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. His research interests include the study of Earth’s climate system and the science, impacts, and policy implications of human-caused climate change. Mann was lead author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001, and was organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003. He has received numerous honors and awards including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outstanding publication award in 2002 and selection by Scientific American as one of the 50 leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002. In all, Mann has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries, and five books.

“Water is the primary medium through which we feel the impacts of climate change, and Michael Mann is a leading voice on climate change. His groundbreaking research and masterful science communication have given weight and shape to the conversations needed to initiate climate action,” says David Arscott, Executive Director of Stroud. “We look forward to working with him to increase awareness of how climate action can support healthy streams and rivers and the clean fresh water they provide.”

Approximately 200 guests attended the gala, where Mann presented on his research on climate variability and extremes, including 1,000 years of temperature data that produced the hockey stick graph, so named because of its pronounced upward curve. The data, which combined decades of work by paleoclimate scientists, served as a smoking gun in the case proving human-induced climate change.

“It means a lot to me to receive this award from Stroud, not just because they’ve been such an important voice in the water and sustainability space, but because they are a key partner in the environmental education community here in eastern Pennsylvania,” says Mann. “I look forward to working closely with Stroud in the years ahead as we collectively seek to inform the sustainability conversation in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Stroud Water Research Center advances knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and restoration. It helps businesses, landowners, policymakers, and individuals make informed decisions that affect water quality and availability around the world.

Since its inception in 2003, The Water’s Edge has featured noteworthy contributors to the world of science, fresh water, and conservation. Previous speakers and Stroud Award for Freshwater Excellence recipients have included luminaries such as Jane Goodall; Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling; American Rivers and its president, Bob Irvin; His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco; The Redford Center; Alexandra Cousteau; Melissa D. Ho of World Wildlife Fund; and others.