Dr. Marston is an outstanding early-career scientist at the forefront of efforts aimed at understanding how society shapes hydrologic systems across different spatial scales, from local farmer decision-making to global commodity markets. Dr. Marston’s work has discovered important and previously poorly understood ways in which water use and infrastructure support our economy and, in turn, how economic activity can degrade and deplete rivers and aquifers. He was the first to evaluate how the global food trade links consumers around the world to aquifer depletion. By tracking virtual groundwater transfers, he highlighted the role of distant demands on local groundwater sustainability. He examined how droughts propagate through agrifood supply chains, to the extent that more water intensive crops were planted during a record-setting drought, demonstrating the tight coupling between aquifers and global supply chains. Dr. Marston’s work on surface water overexploitation included putting together the most comprehensive and spatially detailed database of human water use ever produced and using it to evaluate the connection of human water uses to water scarcity and ecological damage. Using this database, he assessed opportunities for alleviating water scarcity by reducing cattle feed production, showing that temporary, rotational fallowing of irrigated feed crops can markedly reduce water shortage risks and improve ecological sustainability. Landon is currently leading several projects investigating the dynamic feedbacks between water and society. One aims to understand how rural agricultural communities can collectively slow, or reverse, groundwater depletion, showing that doubling a farm’s irrigated cropland decreases groundwater extractions by 2%–5%, whereas a shift by larger farms to different irrigation technologies offsets this reduction and leads to a slight increase in groundwater use. Dr. Marston’s research is unique in bridging traditional disciplines of hydrology and economics to understand the water footprint of society, with a particular focus on the dynamics of coupled human-water systems. Landon is also an award-winning teacher and mentor and an active member of his scientific community. For example, he created and shared an online learning module on flood frequency analysis that is available to hydrology instructors worldwide through HydroLearn. All of these make Dr. Landon Marston an exemplary scientist who is strongly deserving of the AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award. I join with you in congratulating him on winning this prestigious award. —Murugesu Sivapalan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

I am deeply honored to receive the AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award. This award is particularly significant to me, as it is a recognition from my peers in the field, for whom I have immense respect. It serves as a testament to the work I have been fortunate enough to be involved in, and the collaborations that have enriched my career. While the citation wonderfully encapsulates my journey so far, I would like to emphasize that the endeavors it mentions were not embarked on alone. I have been privileged to work alongside a small number of supportive mentors, dozens of amazing students, and dozens upon dozens of brilliant collaborators throughout my career. Each one of them has brought their unique perspective, knowledge, and energy to our joint work, and I owe a great deal of my success to their collective efforts and support. One of the most rewarding aspects of my profession is mentoring young people. The satisfaction that comes from nurturing talent and witnessing their growth is unparalleled. I am immensely thankful for my own mentors who have shaped my journey. They not only instilled in me the principles of research and inquiry but also continue to be pillars of support and guidance even today. I would like to extend special gratitude to Dr. Murugesu Sivapalan for leading my nomination, and to Dr. James Butler, Dr. Patrick Reed, and Dr. Paolo D’Odorico for their unwavering belief in my work and their heartwarming letters of support. My former Ph.D. advisers, Dr. Megan Konar and Dr. Ximing Cai, have been my guiding stars, constantly pushing me to explore new horizons. My deepest gratitude also goes out to my wife, Hannah, and my three wonderful children. Their patience and support, especially during those detours to admire water features or inspect engineering marvels, have been my anchor. Their love and understanding have been the bedrock upon which I’ve built my career. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the countless challenges and questions that the field of hydrology and its intersection with society poses. It has been both my privilege and my passion to delve into these problems of societal and scientific importance. As I continue my journey, I am ever grateful for the opportunities I have had and the individuals who have been a part of this incredible adventure. —Landon Marston, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg