Aligning compound extreme events as defined from climate science and sectoral impact perspectives

This talk will contrast how U.S. decision makers’ impacts-focused perspective on compound extreme events differs from climate science-based perspectives. Examples from around the U.S. will be provided, with an emphasis on cascading impacts that have spanned multiple regions and sectors. The talk will also propose a path forward for synthesizing ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches to compound extremes, to facilitate adaptation. Time-permitting, preliminary findings from an analysis of sequential humid heat and extreme precipitation over the U.S. may be shown, as a guiding example. The work described reflects a collaboration of scientists funded by NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program, charged with co-generating ‘useable science’ by working closely with stakeholders.