AOSC Seminar by Dr. Ken Kunkel, 3/3/2022

AOSC Seminar

Dr. Ken Kunkel

NOAA

Title: Extreme Precipitation: Trends, Meteorology, and Climatological Relationships

Abstract:

Reports of record rains and flooding seem incessant: Hurricane Harvey (2017), Ellicott City (2016, 2018), Hurricane Florence (2018), Missouri River Basin (2019), Hurricane Ida (2021), Washington State flooding (2021), to name just a few. Is the heavy rainfall climate changing? I will present analyses of heavy rainfall trends in the United States extending back to the early 20th Century. There is an overall upward trend in extreme precipitation occurrences by several metrics but with substantial regional variability. I will discuss the possible meteorological causes of the trends and climatological relationships we have found in the historical record. These inform estimates of future changes in response to global warming.

Bio:

Dr. Kenneth E. Kunkel is Research Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University and Lead Scientist for Assessments with the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies. He holds a B.S. degree in Physics from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research has focused on climate variability and change, particularly related to extreme weather and climate events. He is an author on several chapters of the Third and Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessments. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

Contact: Xin-Zhong Liang

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AOSC Seminar

Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Room: ATL 2400(only when in-person)
Meet-the-Speaker: 4:30-5:00pm, Room: ATL 3400(only when in-person) [For AOSC Students only]

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