Compound Wind and Precipitation Extremes in Global Coastal Regions Under Climate Change. Issue 15 (15th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yaddanapudi, Ramprasad; Mishra, Ashok; Huang, Whitney; Chowdhary, Hemant
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 49:Issue 15(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-08-15
• Subjects: compound extremes -- climate change; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1029/2022GL098974
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: Compound wind and precipitation (CWP) extreme events can cause a significant increase in socio‐economic loss in coastal regions. This study investigated the potential impact of climate change on CWP events using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project model outputs for the coastal areas impacted by tropical cyclones on a global scale. We identified global hotspots of higher dependence between extreme wind and precipitation events. Under climate change, the results show a substantial increase in precipitation extremes compared to individual wind extreme events. The likelihood of CWP events under climate change indicates an increase (about 40%–50%) in most coastal regions in North Atlantic, East, and South Asia. The results of this study can help to identify hotspot regions under climate change and further assist in minimizing the impact of future disasters in vulnerable coastal areas. Plain Language Summary: Coastal regions are more densely populated than the hinterland and continue to focus on economic activity and development. Coastal areas are often exposed to compound wind and precipitation extreme events in hurricane‐prone regions, causing significant socio‐economic losses compared to individual events. Increased compound events will bring higher risks to populated areas along the coast. Our research focused on identifying the critical hotspots that witnessed such compound hazards and how they are impacted by global warming. The results identify the critical areas based on the higher dependence between extreme wind and precipitation events and the increased frequency of occurrences. Robust and proactive measures are needed for these hotspot regions to minimize the risk from compound events under climate change. Key Points: Precipitation extremes showed a significant increase in magnitude compared to wind extremes in coastal regions globally Higher dependence between extreme wind and precipitation was observed on the Southeast USA, Philippines, China, and North Australia coasts A higher percentage of coastal areas in the North Atlantic, East, and South Asia are likely to see more compound events in the future