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12/29/2019 2 Comments A new paper in Scientific Reports In a new paper, we assessed the socio-economic vulnerability to flash floods across the contiguous U.S. This paper has been published in Scientific Reports (a Nature journal). For more information, below please find the abstract: "Flash flood is among the most catastrophic natural hazards which causes disruption in the environment and societies. Flash flood is mainly initiated by intense rainfall, and due to its rapid onset (within six hours of rainfall), taking action for effective response is challenging. Building resilience to flash floods require understanding of the socio-economic characteristics of the societies and their vulnerability to these extreme events. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of socio-economic vulnerability to flash floods and investigates the main characteristics of flash flood hazard, i.e. frequency, duration, severity, and magnitude. A socio-economic vulnerability index is developed at the county level across the Contiguous United States (CONUS). For this purpose, an ensemble of social and economic variables from the US Census and the Bureau of Economic Analysis were analyzed. Then, the coincidence of socio-economic vulnerability and flash flood hazard were investigated to identify the critical and non-critical regions. Results show that the southwest U.S. experienced severe flash flooding with high magnitude, whereas the Northern Great Plains experience lower severity and frequency. Critical counties (high-vulnerable-hotspot) are mostly located in the southern and southwestern parts of the U.S. The majority of counties in the Northern Great Plains indicate a non-critical status."  Figure 7. Flash flood hazard characteristics converted from gauge station to the county-scale (Khajehei et al. 2020)  Figure 8. Maps of the counties where flashflood extremes coincide with socio-economic vulnerability extremes (Khajehei et al. 2020)
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The University of Alabama, Department of Geography seeks a new colleague with research expertise in Climate Modeling or Climate and Human Health, starting August 16, 2020, at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, with tenure.
This search is part of an effort to elevate the University of Alabama’s visibility and impact in climate research including the analysis and interpretation of climate data, particularly concerning hydroclimatology, climate-health relationships, environmental health sciences, environmental epidemiology, climate-related food security, or climate modeling more broadly. The ideal candidate’s professional accomplishments include sustained success securing external funding, a nationally/internationally recognized profile, and a solid track record of successful graduate student recruitment and mentoring. We seek a scholar who can take advantage of the collaborative opportunities on the Tuscaloosa campus, including those at the newly–formed Alabama Water Institute (http://ovpred.ua.edu/alabama-water-institute/) and Alabama Life Research Institute (http://ovpred.ua.edu/alabama-life-research-institute/), and the NOAA National Water Center (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/nwc/). Candidates with research interests that also complement one or more of the department’s broader research foci, including water resources, human-environment systems, environmental management and change, or geographic information analysis (see http://geography.ua.edu/), are particularly encouraged to apply. A Ph.D. in Geography or closely related discipline is required. It is expected that the successful candidate will transfer an active research program to the University of Alabama. For more information, please visit the job site. |
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