Science Source

AghaKouchak, Amir, Cheng, Linyin, Mazdiyasni, Omid, Farahmand, Alireza

Geophysical Research Letters

Published date December 4, 2014

Global warming and changes in risk of concurrent climate extremes: Insights from the 2014 California drought

States global warming and the associated rise in extreme temperatures substantially increase the chance of concurrent droughts and heat waves
Holds that the 2014 California drought is an archetype of an event characterized by not only low precipitation but also extreme high temperatures
Shows that the traditional univariate risk assessment methods based on precipitation condition may substantially underestimate the risk of extreme events such as the 2014 California drought because of ignoring the effects of temperature
Argues that a multivariate viewpoint is necessary for assessing the risk of extreme events, especially in a warming climate
Discusses a methodology for assessing the risk of concurrent extremes such as droughts and extreme temperatures