A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts

Climate and weather variables such as rainfall, temperature, and pressure are indicators for hazards such as tropical cyclones, floods, and fires. The impact of these events can be due to a single variable being in an extreme state, but more often it is the result of a combination of variables not a...

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Main Authors: Leonard, M., Westra, S., Phatak, Aloke, Lambert, M., van den Hurk, B., Mcinnes, K., Risbey, J., Schuster, S., Jakob, D., Stafford-Smith, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32713
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author Leonard, M.
Westra, S.
Phatak, Aloke
Lambert, M.
van den Hurk, B.
Mcinnes, K.
Risbey, J.
Schuster, S.
Jakob, D.
Stafford-Smith, M.
author_facet Leonard, M.
Westra, S.
Phatak, Aloke
Lambert, M.
van den Hurk, B.
Mcinnes, K.
Risbey, J.
Schuster, S.
Jakob, D.
Stafford-Smith, M.
author_sort Leonard, M.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Climate and weather variables such as rainfall, temperature, and pressure are indicators for hazards such as tropical cyclones, floods, and fires. The impact of these events can be due to a single variable being in an extreme state, but more often it is the result of a combination of variables not all of which are necessarily extreme. Here, the combination of variables or events that lead to an extreme impact is referred to as a compound event. Any given compound event will depend upon the nature and number of physical variables, the range of spatial and temporal scales, the strength of dependence between processes, and the perspective of the stakeholder who defines the impact. Modeling compound events is a large, complex, and interdisciplinary undertaking. To facilitate this task we propose the use of influence diagrams for defining, mapping, analyzing, modeling, and communicating the risk of the compound event. Ultimately, a greater appreciation of compound events will lead to further insight and a changed perspective on how impact risks are associated with climate-related hazards.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-327132017-09-13T15:26:24Z A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts Leonard, M. Westra, S. Phatak, Aloke Lambert, M. van den Hurk, B. Mcinnes, K. Risbey, J. Schuster, S. Jakob, D. Stafford-Smith, M. Climate and weather variables such as rainfall, temperature, and pressure are indicators for hazards such as tropical cyclones, floods, and fires. The impact of these events can be due to a single variable being in an extreme state, but more often it is the result of a combination of variables not all of which are necessarily extreme. Here, the combination of variables or events that lead to an extreme impact is referred to as a compound event. Any given compound event will depend upon the nature and number of physical variables, the range of spatial and temporal scales, the strength of dependence between processes, and the perspective of the stakeholder who defines the impact. Modeling compound events is a large, complex, and interdisciplinary undertaking. To facilitate this task we propose the use of influence diagrams for defining, mapping, analyzing, modeling, and communicating the risk of the compound event. Ultimately, a greater appreciation of compound events will lead to further insight and a changed perspective on how impact risks are associated with climate-related hazards. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32713 10.1002/wcc.252 restricted
spellingShingle Leonard, M.
Westra, S.
Phatak, Aloke
Lambert, M.
van den Hurk, B.
Mcinnes, K.
Risbey, J.
Schuster, S.
Jakob, D.
Stafford-Smith, M.
A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
title A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
title_full A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
title_fullStr A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
title_full_unstemmed A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
title_short A compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
title_sort compound event framework for understanding extreme impacts
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32713