By james art 
In July, the Nevada State Climate Office, based in the Department of Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno, hired a new state climatologist, Baker Perry. Perry came to the university from Appalachian State University, where he worked for more than a decade. Perry is in the field of climatology and is also a National Geographic researcher. The former interim state climatologist, Tom Albright, is now the office’s deputy state climatologist.
Some of Reno’s main draws for Perry were the mountains and snow of the Sierra Nevada range, the opportunity to work with faculty in the geography department, across campus and at the Desert Research Institute, and the opportunity to work with a Ph.D. students as a professor of climatology. Of course, the main scheme was the position itself.
“I’m very excited to be the state climatologist,” Perry said.
A childhood spent at altitude inspired a life spent in the mountains
Perry’s work on Everest and the Himalayas began with an opportunity that came from his work in the Andes. While growing up, Perry lived in Bolivia and Peru for several years. Perry remembers going on family hikes that started at 13,000 feet where they lived and went up to 17,000 feet. Life and recreation at high elevations made an impression on Perry, and in college he became an accomplished mountaineer, allowing him to explore high elevations while climbing peaks in Bolivia.
“I was drawn to the physical challenge and the beauty of these places,” Perry said.
Another part of Perry’s childhood was spent in New England, where there were severe winter storms that made Perry curious about the weather.
“I had one of those NOAA weather radios and sometimes I would bring it to school if there was a storm coming,” Perry said.
Perry, perhaps predictably, decided to study geography in his master’s and Ph.D. After completing his Ph.D. Perry combined his passion for mountaineering with his interest in climatology by studying weather at high altitudes. To facilitate this research, Perry began working with local communities and government agencies to install high-altitude weather stations. He had completed several projects in the Andes when he was approached by National Geographic to participate in the largest and most comprehensive scientific expedition to Everest.
“I didn’t have to think too long or hard about it,” Perry said.
Perry agreed and became a National Geographic Explorer, which gave him more opportunities to study and work in extreme environments and work closely with local communities.
“Being able to work with the Sherpa people and all kinds of colleagues from all over Nepal and international scientists was a real highlight,” Perry said.
Perry co-led a weather station installation team on Everest and continues to serve as a leader in station maintenance and operation, which includes annual visits to Everest. One of the main differences between working in the Andes and working in the Himalayas is the added risk of working above 21,000 feet above sea level, which requires the use of oxygen tanks and is called the “death zone.”
Despite having “perhaps more Everest clearances than anyone else,” Perry has yet to climb the mountain. The priorities for science missions in such extreme scenarios are safety and science.
“Maybe one of these years I’ll have a chance to get it all lined up to make a quick ascent to the very top,” Perry said.
Mountains are poorly understood water towers
Perry’s work focuses on high mountain regions and the function they serve as water towers for downstream locations. By highlands, he means the highest mountain ranges on earth, including the Himalayas and the Andes, which rise twice as high as the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada.
“People are just strongly connected to places, and that’s especially true in mountainous areas.”
Essentially, however, the research is relevant to Mount Zapad.
“My work is aimed at improving our understanding of the atmospheric processes that affect the availability of water resources downstream,” Perry said.
As Nevada once again enters drought, the issue of water availability is back at the forefront of Nevadan’s minds. Perry hopes to work closely with communities affected by climate events such as drought.
“People are just strongly connected to places, and that’s especially true in mountainous regions,” Perry said. “And they are heavily influenced by the changes that are happening.”
Before the installation of the planet’s highest weather station on Everest, which Perry co-directed, there was only one weather station in the world above 19,000 feet, which meant there was a huge gap in understanding the processes at high elevations.
As a climatologist who installs weather stations, Perry is used to explaining the difference between weather and climate. By tracking weather data over long periods of time, scientists are able to compare it to data sets from the past, using samples such as ice cores to establish relationships and patterns.
“Our goal is to operate these stations as long as we can,” Perry said. “The longer we can do it, the more we can really talk about climate and what trends we’re seeing and how the processes are changing, how the climate is changing in these areas.”
Perry pointed out that while understanding larger climate patterns is important, there are still local social implications of the research.
“One of the reasons National Geographic wanted to go to Everest in the first place is that it’s an iconic mountain, but it’s also in the Himalayas, and of course the Himalayas are such important water towers for all of Asia.”
Perry recalled hearing from a horseman he worked with who grew up just below the north face of the highest mountain in southern Peru. When the man was younger, the north face of the mountain was white with snow and ice all year round. Now nearing his 80s, the man broke down in tears as he said the mountain’s black rock was visible all the time.
“He can directly relate the loss of water coming from that part of the mountain where his family’s animals graze and depend on the water resources,” Perry said.
Meeting the needs of Nevada
Perry added that similar changes are happening in Nevada. He hopes to apply many of his life experiences to his role and use them to interact closely with the community. For example, Perry’s family runs a farm in North Carolina, and while he admits there are differences in the way ranching is done in the West, he hopes to use some of that experience to connect with ranchers in the Silver State on important issues like water.
“I have a tremendous appreciation for agriculture and livestock and the role they play throughout the state, the economy, but also the culture,” Perry said.
Perry is also a volunteer firefighter and is working to transfer his credentials to the state so he can support firefighting efforts, a critical need for the West. According to the National Interagency Fire Prevention Center, annual U.S. burned acres since the start of the year have been 125 percent above the 10-year average, largely due to significant burning in the northern Great Basin this year.
Perry has also developed rich connections with local communities in Nepal and the Andes, and has already begun interacting with the Office of Indigenous Affairs on campus to learn more about how the Nevada State Climate Office can better serve local communities in the state.
According to the American Community Survey, Spanish is spoken in 20% of Nevada households. Perry is fluent in Spanish and plans to translate many of the climate service’s reports into Spanish, allowing Spanish-speaking households better access to Nevada climate information.
“I’m really excited to develop new relationships,” Perry said. “I have a lot of listening and learning to do across the state.”
Two upcoming public events featuring Perry
Two free public events in November give the public a chance to hear directly from Perry.
The Discover Science Lecture Series hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno College of Science welcomes Perry for his lecture “Insights from the World’s Highest Weather Stations” on November 7th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in Redfield Auditorium . Registration is available through Eventbrite.
The second event is on November 20 from 16:00 to 18:00 on the occasion of Geography Week. The event includes a screening of the new National Geographic documentary, Amazon Expedition featuring Perry and other National Geographic explorers. The screening of the film will be followed by a conversation with Perry about his research.