Sean Turner

Water Resources & Hydropower Engineer

Contact

turnersw@ornl.gov | 865.576.3894

Bio

Dr. Sean Turner is a Hydropower Engineer in the Water Resources Science and Engineering Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Before joining ORNL in 2023, Sean worked as water resources modeler in the Earth Systems Reliability and Predictability group at Pacific Northwest National Lab. He led the 2022 DOE Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) assessment into impacts of drought on Western hydropower, and was task lead on a range of water-power and US-scale water management modeling activities sponsored by WTPO, Office of Science, and Office of Electricity. Between lab positions, Sean worked briefly for McKinsey and Company, where he led the development of the firm’s global water stress analytics capability while also serving in a data scientist capacity in mining sector client studies.

Turner began his career in industry, where he developed risk assessment tools to support water resources planning activities at major utilities in the United Kingdom and Australia. He then completed a postdoctoral appointment at the Singapore University of Technology and Design before coming to the United States to begin his national lab career at the Joint Global Change Research Institute in Maryland. Turner’s research interests include reservoir simulation and optimization, applications of seasonal streamflow forecasts, large-scale water resources modeling, and analysis of drought impacts on water-dependent sectors. His current research activities include the study of climate impacts on electricity supply systems, analysis of drought impacts on hydropower generation, and development of new ways to represent of water infrastructure and management in global and regional hydrology models. Turner is an open source software enthusiast, and he maintains the R packages “reservoir,” “scenario,” “hydrofixr,” “capratTX,” and “starfit.”

Professional Experience

Hydropower Engineer | Oak Ridge National Lab | 2023 - present
Research Science Specialist | McKinsey and Company | Oct 2022 - Jun 2023
Earth Systems Scientist (Water Resources) | Pacific Northwest National Lab | Jul 2018 - Sep 2022
Postdoctoral Research Associate | PNNL (Joint Global Change Research Institute) | Oct 2016 - Jul 2018
Postdoctoral Research Associate | Singapore University of Technology and Design | Sep 2014 - Sep 2016
Research Engineer | United Utilities PLC | Jan 2011 - Sep 2014

Awards

Editor’s Highlight, Nature Communications (2022)
Top 25 Most Read Article, Nature Communications (2022)
Research Paper of the Year, PNNL Earth Systems Science Division (2021)
Best Reviewer, Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management (2018)
Editors' Highlight, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (2017)
Top Performing Research Engineer, STREAM Industrial Doctorate Centre (2011)
Pavel Novak Prize for Best Overall Performance (water), Newcastle University (2010)
Best Project in Civil Engineering Hydraulics, University of Glasgow (2008)
Dean's List, University of Glasgow (2008)

Education

EngD in Water Resources Planning, Cranfield University
MSc in Hydrology and Climate Change, Newcastle University
BSc in Engineering Environmental Design, University of Glasgow

Other Publications

Journal publications

[39] Abeshu, G.W., Tian, F., Wild, T., Zhao, M., Turner, S.W., Chowdhury, A.K., Vernon, C.R., Hu, H., Zhuang, Y., Hejazi, M. and Li, H.Y., 2023. Enhancing the representation of water management in global hydrological models. Geoscientific Model Development, 16(18), pp.5449-5472.

[38] Kanyako, F., Lamontagne, J., Baker, E., Turner, S.W. and Wild, T., 2023. Seasonality and trade in hydro-heavy electricity markets: A case study with the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP). Applied Energy, 329, p.120214.

[37] Turner, S.W., Voisin, N. and Nelson, K., 2022. Revised monthly energy generation estimates for 1,500 hydroelectric power plants in the United States. Scientific Data, 9(1), p.675.

[36] Magee, T.M., Turner, S.W., Clement, M.A., Oikonomou, K., Zagona, E.A. and Voisin, N., 2022. Evaluating power grid model hydropower feasibility with a river operations model. Environmental Research Letters, 17(8), p.084035.

[35] Cohen, S.M., Dyreson, A., Turner, S.W., Tidwell, V., Voisin, N. and Miara, A., 2022. A multi-model framework for assessing long-and short-term climate influences on the
electric grid. Applied Energy, 317, p.119193.

[34] Dyreson, A., Devineni, N., Turner, S.W., De Silva M, T., Miara, A., Voisin, N., Cohen, S. and Macknick, J., 2022. The role of regional connections in planning for future power system operations under climate extremes. Earth's Future, 10(6), p.e2021EF002554.

[33] Turner, S.W. and Voisin, N., 2022. Simulation of hydropower at subcontinental to global scales: a state-of-the-art review. Environmental Research Letters.

[32] Steyaert, J.C., Condon, L.E., Turner, S.,W. and Voisin, N., 2022. ResOpsUS, a dataset of historical reservoir operations in the contiguous United States. Scientific Data, 9(1), p.34.

[31] Turner, S.W., Rice, J.S., Nelson, K.D., Vernon, C.R., McManamay, R., Dickson, K. and Marston, L., 2021. Comparison of potential drinking water source contamination across one hundred US cities. Nature Communications, 12(1), p.7254.

[30] Turner, S.W., Steyaert, J.C., Condon, L. and Voisin, N., 2021. Water storage and release policies for all large reservoirs of conterminous United States. Journal of Hydrology, 603, p.126843.

[29] Turner, S.W., Nelson, K., Voisin, N., Tidwell, V., Miara, A., Dyreson, A., Cohen, S., Mantena, D., Jin, J., Warnken, P. and Kao, S.C., 2021. A multi-reservoir model for projecting drought impacts on thermoelectric disruption risk across the Texas power grid. Energy, 231, p.120892.

[28] Galelli, S., Nguyen, H.T., Turner, S.W. and Buckley, B.M., 2021. Time to use dendrohydrological data in water resources management?. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 147(8), p.01821001.

[27] Turner, S.W. and Jeffrey, P.J., 2021. A simple drought risk analysis procedure to supplement water resources management planning in England and Wales. Water and Environment Journal, 35(1), pp.417-424.

[26] Nelson, K.D., Turner, S.W., Vernon, C.R. and Rice, J.S., 2021. gamut: A geospatial R package to analyze multisectoral urban teleconnections. Journal of Open Source Software, 6(66), p.3383.

[25] Thurber, T., Vernon, C., Sun, N., Turner, S.W., Yoon, J. and Voisin, N., 2021. mosartwmpy: A Python implementation of the MOSART-WM coupled hydrologic routing and water management model. Journal of Open Source Software, 6(PNNL-SA-161232).

[24] Nguyen, H.T., Turner, S.W., Buckley, B.M. and Galelli, S., 2020. Coherent streamflow variability in monsoon Asia over the past eight centuries—Links to oceanic drivers. Water Resources Research, 56(12), p.e2020WR027883.

[23] Voisin, N., Dyreson, A., Fu, T., O'Connell, M., Turner, S.W., Zhou, T. and Macknick, J., 2020. Impact of climate change on water availability and its propagation through the Western US power grid. Applied Energy, 276, p.115467.

[22] Turner, S.W., Doering, K. and Voisin, N., 2020. Data‐driven reservoir simulation in a large‐scale hydrological and water resource model. Water Resources Research, 56(10),
p.e2020WR027902.

[21] Turner, S.W., Xu, W. and Voisin, N., 2020. Inferred inflow forecast horizons guiding reservoir release decisions across the United States. Hydrology and Earth System
Sciences, 24(3), pp.1275-1291.

[20] Graham, N.T., Hejazi, M.I., Chen, M., Davies, E.G., Edmonds, J.A., Kim, S.H., Turner, S.W., Li, X., Vernon, C.R., Calvin, K. and Miralles-Wilhelm, F., 2020. Humans drive future water scarcity changes across all Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. Environmental Research Letters, 15(1), p.014007.

[19] Turner, S.W., Hejazi, M., Calvin, K., Kyle, P. and Kim, S., 2019. A pathway of global food supply adaptation in a world with increasingly constrained groundwater. Science of the total environment, 673, pp.165-176.

[18] Arango-Aramburo, S., Turner, S.W., Daenzer, K., Ríos-Ocampo, J.P., Hejazi, M.I., Kober, T., Álvarez-Espinosa, A.C., Romero-Otalora, G.D. and van der Zwaan, B., 2019. Climate impacts on hydropower in Colombia: A multi-model assessment of power sector adaptation pathways. Energy Policy, 128, pp.179-188.

[17] Santos Da Silva, S.R., Miralles-Wilhelm, F., Muñoz-Castillo, R., Clarke, L.E., Braun, C.J., Delgado, A., Edmonds, J.A., Hejazi, M., Horing, J., Horowitz, R., Turner, S.W., Kyle,
P., et al., 2019. The Paris pledges and the energy-water-land nexus in Latin America: Exploring implications of greenhouse gas emission reductions. PloS one, 14(4), p.e0215013.

[16] Turner, S.W., Hejazi, M., Yonkofski, C., Kim, S.H. and Kyle, P., 2019. Influence of groundwater extraction costs and resource depletion limits on simulated global nonrenewable water withdrawals over the twenty‐first century. Earth's Future, 7(2), pp.123-135.

[15] Turner, S.W., Voisin, N., Fazio, J., Hua, D. and Jourabchi, M., 2019. Compound climate events transform electrical power shortfall risk in the Pacific Northwest. Nature Communications, 10(1), p.8.

[14] Bond-Lamberty, B., Dorheim, K., Cui, R., Horowitz, R., Snyder, A., Calvin, K., Feng, L., Hoesly, R., Horing, J., Kyle, G.P., Link, R., Turner, S.W., et al., 2019. gcamdata: An R
package for preparation, synthesis, and tracking of input data for the GCAM integrated human-earth systems model. Journal of Open Research Software, 7(1).

[13] Vernon, C.R., Hejazi, M.I., Turner, S.W., Liu, Y., Braun, C.J., Li, X. and Link, R.P., 2019. A global hydrologic framework to accelerate scientific discovery. Journal of Open Research Software, 7(1).

[12] Lucena, A.F., Hejazi, M., Vasquez-Arroyo, E., Turner, S.W., Köberle, A.C., Daenzer, K., Rochedo, P.R., Kober, T., Cai, Y., Beach, R.H. and Gernaat, D., 2018. Interactions between climate change mitigation and adaptation: the case of hydropower in Brazil. Energy, 164, pp.1161-1177.

[11] Cui, R.Y., Calvin, K., Clarke, L., Hejazi, M., Kim, S., Kyle, P., Patel, P., Turner, S.W., and Wise, M., 2018. Regional responses to future, demand-driven water scarcity. Environmental Research Letters, 13(9), p.094006.

[10] Turner, S.W., Hejazi, M., Kim, S.H., Clarke, L. and Edmonds, J., 2017. Climate impacts on hydropower and consequences for global electricity supply investment needs. Energy, 141, pp.2081-2090.

[9] Turner, S.W., Bennett, J.C., Robertson, D.E. and Galelli, S., 2017. Complex relationship between seasonal streamflow forecast skill and value in reservoir operations. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 21(9), pp.4841-4859.

[8] Turner, S.W., Ng, J.Y. and Galelli, S., 2017. Examining global electricity supply vulnerability to climate change using a high-fidelity hydropower dam model. Science of the Total Environment, 590, pp.663-675.

[7] Ng, J.Y., Turner, S.W. and Galelli, S., 2017. Influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation on global hydropower production. Environmental Research Letters, 12(3), p.034010.

[6] Ekström, M., Grose, M., Heady, C., Turner, S.W. and Teng, J., 2016. The method of producing climate change datasets impacts the resulting policy guidance and chance of mal-adaptation. Climate Services, 4, pp.13-29.

[5] Turner, S.W. and Galelli, S., 2016. Regime‐shifting streamflow processes: Implications for water supply reservoir operations. Water Resources Research, 52(5), pp.3984-4002.

[4] Turner, S.W. and Galelli, S., 2016. Water supply sensitivity to climate change: An R package for implementing reservoir storage analysis in global and regional impact studies. Environmental Modelling & Software, 76, pp.13-19.

[3] Turner, S.W., Blackwell, R.J., Smith, M.A. and Jeffrey, P.J., 2016. Risk-based water resources planning in England and Wales: challenges in execution and implementation. Urban Water Journal, 13(2), pp.182-197.

[2] Turner, S.W. and Jeffrey, P.J., 2015. Industry views on water resources planning methods–prospects for change in England and Wales. Water and Environment Journal, 29(2), pp.161-168.

[1] Turner, S.W., Marlow, D., Ekström, M., Rhodes, B.G., Kularathna, U. and Jeffrey, P.J., 2014. Linking climate projections to performance: A yield‐based decision scaling assessment of a large urban water resources system. Water Resources Research, 50(4), pp.3553-3567.

Technical Reports

[4] Turner, S.W., Voisin, N., Nelson, K.D. and Tidwell, V.C., 2022. Drought impacts on hydroelectric power generation in the Western United States (No. PNNL-33212). Pacific Northwest National Lab.(PNNL), Richland, WA (United States).

[3] Cohen, S., Miara, A., Tidwell, V., Turner, S.W., Voisin, N. and Dyreson, A., 2022. Water and Climate Impacts on ERCOT Long-Term Systems Assessment (No. NREL/TP-6A20-79581). National Renewable Energy Lab.(NREL), Golden, CO (United States).

[2[ Somani, A., Voisin, N., Tipireddy, R., Turner, S.W., Veselka, T.D., Ploussard, Q., Koritarov, V., Mosier, T., Mohanpurkar, M., Ingram, M. and Signore, S., 2021. Hydropower value study: Current status and future opportunities (p. 47). Technical Report PNNL-29226. Hydrowires. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Lab.

[1] Santos Da Silva, S.R., McJeon, H.C., Miralles-Wilhelm, F., Muñoz Castillo, R., Clarke, L., Delgado, A., Edmonds, J.A., Hejazi, M., Horing, J., Horowitz, R., Kyle, P., Turner, S.W., et al., 2018. Energy-water-land nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean: A perspective from the Paris agreement climate mitigation pledges (No. IDB-WP-901). IDB Working Paper Series.