Hynes Award for New Investigators
2024 Winner: Ayan Fleischmann
Image courtesy of Miguel Montero, Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development
Ayan Fleischmann is an interdisciplinary hydrologist working with tropical hydrology and sustainable development of wetlands, especially in the Amazon region. He holds an Environmental Engineering degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in Brazil, and a PhD in Water Resources and Environmental Sanitation from UFRGS and Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (France). He is currently a full researcher and leader of the Research Group on Geosciences and Environmental Dynamics in the Amazon, at the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development in the Central Amazon. His research focuses on understanding the hydrology and climate of tropical wetlands and the impacts of past, current, and future climate and environmental changes on social-ecological systems associated with riverscapes. He also coordinates the “Conexões Amazônicas” network for science outreach related to the Amazon.
The research detailed in the Hynes Award-winning publication, "Increased floodplain inundation in the Amazon since 1980" (Environmental Research Letters, 2023), presents a broad assessment of recent inundation trends and its impacts in the Amazon Basin. A 26% increase in annual maximum inundation extent along the Amazon River floodplains was estimated to have occurred since 1980. This has major implications to the region's social-ecological systems and stresses the needs of improving our knowledge of the ongoing environmental changes that threaten the largest fluvial system on Earth.
The SFS Hynes Award selection subcommittee had this to say about Fleischmann’s award-winning submission: “The committee was impressed by your synthesis of diverse data sources on Amazon hydrodynamics and floodplain extent, and the important connections that you drew to both climate change and regional human populations. We applaud your integration of such a broad range of topics within a well-written and concise paper, and look forward to hearing about your insightful research for decades to come.” Congratulations, Dr. Fleischmann!
About the Award
The Hynes Award is awarded to a freshwater scientist who was senior author of an outstanding primary publication that appeared in the final print or online format in the last 3 years. The recipient must have received a terminal post-graduate degree within the last five years and cannot currently be enrolled in a degree program. Read about past Hynes Award recipients and find the nomination form here.