Climate extremes in the United States: recent research by physical geographers

Abstract

This paper reports our review of research on domestic climate extremes conducted by US physical geographers over the past 15 years. Sections cover extremes in wind, precipitation, lightning, and temperature, as well as derivative climate extremes (droughts, floods, and storm surges). Themes considered include: the spatial and temporal distribution of the climate extreme; its implications for our understanding of the physical processes that produce it; the spatial and temporal distributions of the extreme's economic and human costs; lessons for assessment, policy, and management; and scale. We conclude that most of the works reviewed inadequately address the human basis of vulnerability to climate extremes, and encourage physical geographers to work with colleagues from the other subfields of geography and the social sciences to develop the holistic understanding of vulnerability needed to effectively adapt to the more extreme climate projected under climate change.

Recent Changes in the Occurrences and Damages of Floods and Droughts in the United States

“…As for droughts, the largest number of occurrences and damages occurred both in the year 2012, consistent with previously reported extreme dry conditions [12,16]. It is possible that many of the 8000 drought records for 2012 would be part of one drought but such information is not available in the database.…”

“…Many studies have investigated the changing characteristics and the impacts of floods in terms of economic losses [18][19][20][21] and human casualties [22,23]. The changing patterns and impacts of droughts have also received lots of attention during the past decades [9,12,16,[24][25][26]. While previous studies have provided valuable insights on the changes in these hydrological extremes, the drivers behind the risk and cost of US floods and droughts remain unclear.…”

“…The United States is one of the most affected countries by floods and droughts [15][16][17]. Many studies have investigated the changing characteristics and the impacts of floods in terms of economic losses [18][19][20][21] and human casualties [22,23].…”

Frequency Analysis of Extreme Water Levels Affected by Sea-Level Rise in East and Southeast Coasts of China

“…The upward trend has been attributed to several factors, including an increase in the number and intensity of typhoons, population growth, demographic changes, and climate change (Retchless, 2014). The upward trend has been attributed to several factors, including an increase in the number and intensity of typhoons, population growth, demographic changes, and climate change (Retchless, 2014).…”

The spatial extent and coverage of tornado sirens in San Marcos, Texas

“…One of the oldest methods of warning notification is the tornado siren (TS), previously termed civil defense siren (Coleman, Knupp, Spann, Elliott, & Peters, 2011). The city of San Marcos, Texas, located south of the geographic hotspot 'Tornado Alley' (Retchless, Frey, Wang, Hung, & Yarnal, 2014), is not often frequented by tornadoes; however, this natural phenomena has been observed and documented. Located within the city limits of San Marcos (CSM) are 14 TSs (CSM, 2012).…”