Compound and Concurrent Climate Extremes & Compound Flooding

August 2018 No Comments

Compound and Concurrent Climate Extremes & Compound Flooding

Speakers: AghaKouchak, A. (University of California, Irvine); Wahl, T. (University of Central Florida)

Date: 14 August 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Amir AghaKouchak (UC Irvine) and Dr. Thomas Wahl (University of Central Florida) as a part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Dr. Wahl began the presentation by discussing the evolution of the definition of “compound events.” He spoke about how scientists can integrate compound events into the risk framework by acknowledging that non-climactic drivers often play a critical role in impacting these compound events. Dr. Wahl also explained which drivers can lead to compound flooding in various geographic regions. He elaborated on the different methods and models climate scientists use to look at non-stationarity and stressed the importance of close collaboration and communication among scientists from various fields, stakeholders, and policymakers. Dr. AghaKouchak then spoke about compound extreme events and the dangers of rising sea levels. He highlighted a few examples, including the 2016 Louisiana flood and the major California drought. Dr. AghaKouchak concluded by discussing regional trends found when examining droughts, heatwaves, and the rate of warming.