Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies

RESEARCH

 

Socioeconomic Impacts of Mesoscale Weather Systems and Regional Scale Climate Variations

Assess the impact of storm systems and regional climate variability on society and the economy, and make that information available to policy makers and the public and private sectors, supporting NOAA’s cross-cutting priority to ensure sound, state-of-the-art research, including a strong economic and social science capability

The primary goal of this thematic area is to estimate the socioeconomic impacts and values of mesoscale weather systems and regional-scale climate variations in central and eastern North America and across the world, to facilitate the mitigation (enhancement) of the adverse (beneficial) impacts. A continuing component of this work makes extensive use of climate scenarios and economic models, and is performed in collaboration with agricultural economists and social scientists. It is also complemented by a research thrust that is addressing a spectrum of weather- and climate-related disaster issues.

Research on societal and economic impacts of mesoscale weather systems and regional climate change variations will lead to:

  1. Socioeconomic impact assessments of severe weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes
  2. Monthly and seasonal residential natural gas consumption indices east of the Rocky Mountains
  3. Improved forecasts of unusual climate anomaly occurrences to mitigate possible social and economic losses
  4. Energy usage and agricultural applications based on summertime temperature extremes analysis

Research funded under this theme in fiscal year 2007:

Climate Information for Agricultural Management in the Southern Great Plains Timmer, Lamb (primary – CIMMS at OU), Richman, Mjelde, Klinefelter, Le
Objectives: Identify the potential to use substantial geographical separation of production areas as a risk management tool. Machinery and land contractual arrangements for production areas separated by substantial geographical distance will be the specific foci examined in pursuit of this general objective. Assessing the importance of climate variability within this risk management context also will be a major consideration. [more]
The Value of Tornado Watches and Warning False Alarms Sutter (primary – Univ. of Texas-Pan American), Simmons, Erickson
Objectives: Test for evidence using a regression model that tornado watches or above normal levels of false alarms affect tornado casualties; examine differences in false alarm ratios and alternative ways to define false alarms. [more]
Multiscale Evolution and Predictability of a Warm Season Climate Anomaly in the U.S. Southern Great Plains Portis (primary – CIMMS at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Leslie, Lamb
Objectives: Investigate the multiscale events and interactions that culminated in the Texas Hill Country flood during the summer of 2002; investigate why this flood marked a discontinuous jump in the regional climate. [more]