It’s no exaggeration to say my understanding of climate and desert ecosystems would be much the poorer without the many hours Julio Betancourt has generously shared, the many times my questions have been met with “Have you read this paper yet?” followed by an emailed pdf.
Just saw Julio’s been awarded this year’s Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research.
And of course, if you or some bright young person you know wants to learn more about Julio’s work, there’s a chapter about him in my book, The Tree Rings’ Tale
Did I ever tell you that when we were in Boston, Krissa worked for Farouk? Funny to come across his name here – I somehow never made the connection. (I think of him more as a “guy who does things with satellite imagery” than “guy who does things with satellite imagery of water.”)
Luis – How interesting. I’ve never met him, only seen his name on research results. But I was amazed to see how many of the previous winners of the award I know. Small worlds and all…