Assessment of connections between atmospheric planetary waves and extreme rainfall events

This project will investigate the presence of links between mid-latitude large-scale atmospheric waves (Rossby waves) and the occurrence of extreme rainfall events in Europe. These links would be in the form of spatial and/or temporal co-occurrence of the Rossby waves and the rainfall events. It is expected that there may be connections between the occurrence of Rossby waves of a particular amplitude and extreme rainfall events of 2-days or longer. The project will initially look at these longer timescale rainfall events before then investigating whether connections also exist with shorter timescale events. The outcomes of this project could be very useful for the future projections of the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events in Europe based on the pattern of Rossby waves, which is much more easily modelled by climate models than the details of individual rainfall events.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rachel White

Student:

Partner:

Newcastle University

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Water

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: