The U Water Center is happy to welcome Seth Arens as an affiliated scientist.

Arens’ arrival fosters a partnership between the Center and Western Water Assessment, with whom Arens has worked as a research scientist since 2015.

Western Water Assessment (WWA) is a University of Colorado Boulder-based, applied research program that addresses societal vulnerabilities to climate variability and climate change--particularly those related to water resources across the Intermountain West.

In his role with the U Water Center, Seth will work to combine his experience with WWA and networks of Utah water professionals with the expertise of U water researchers to advance local-impact collaborations.

Arens brings a diverse background in ecosystem and plant physiological ecology, snow hydrology, atmospheric science and climate science. From 2010-2015, Seth worked as an environmental scientist for the Utah Division of Air Quality, where he developed a research program to assess the extent and causes of ozone pollution in Utah and maintained Utah’s air quality monitoring network. 

Prior to working in Utah, Seth studied impacts of climate change on ecosystem structure and carbon balance of Arctic ecosystems in Alaska and Greenland. Seth earned a BA in Biology and Environmental Policy from Colby College in Waterville, ME, an MS in Biological Science from the University of Alaska-Anchorage and an MS in Biology from the University of Utah. 

In his free time, Seth enjoys backcountry skiing, whitewater rafting and mountain biking with his wife and twin children.