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Dissertation
On the impacts of urban areas on heavy rainfall from North Atlantic tropical cyclones
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2024
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007577
Abstract
Tropical cyclones (TCs) are one of the most destructive natural disasters in the world, causing significant economic damage and numerous fatalities. The United States, particularly the areas along the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the eastern seaboard, have been significantly impacted by these storms over the years; this is particularly true in highly developed urban areas on the coast and near-coastal regions. Since 1980, there have been 66 billion-dollar TC events in the United States, which caused almost 7,200 fatalities. Despite these societal and economic implications, the relationship between urbanization and TC rainfall has received limited attention in the literature. While few studies have examined the role of anthropogenic forcing in extreme rainfall related to TCs making landfall over highly populated urban areas, much less is known about the role played by the cities in modifying the heavy rainfall associated with these storms. There is also limited understanding of what physical mechanisms are responsible for these changes. To address these research gaps, this dissertation employs three studies in different urban settings and focuses on many TCs with different rainfall intensities.
To fill this research gap, I perform several numerical simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model across different urban settings. I first start to focus on Charlotte, North Carolina, a near-coastal city, and I analyze five different storms. I then simulate two sets of wet and dry storms over the coastal city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Finally, the third study investigates both the combined and individual impact of three urban clusters in the northeastern United States (New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington DC-Baltimore) on TC-induced rainfall for two major hurricanes (Hurricanes Irene and Ida).
Overall, all three analyses suggest that urban areas increase TC-induced rainfall. However, the level of impact varies based on the intensity of the storm, its landfalling direction with respect to the city, and the city’s geographic location. Charlotte has a higher impact on the wettest storms I considered, with a much more muted signal for the drier ones. The coastal city of New Orleans has a higher effect on TC-induced rainfall compared to Charlotte. Part of the reason is that the city is more coastal, and TCs over the city have high rainfall intensity; this is true for even the drier storms I analyzed. Finally, in the case of multiple urban clusters, rainfall modification is much higher in the case of a city embedded and surrounded by other cities. The results of this dissertation will be beneficial for urban planning and disaster risk management authorities to better prepare for a climate-resilient future.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- On the impacts of urban areas on heavy rainfall from North Atlantic tropical cyclones
- Creators
- Sadya Islam
- Contributors
- Gabriele Villarini (Advisor)A. Allen Bradley (Advisor)Witold Krajewski (Committee Member)Larry Weber (Committee Member)Wei Zhang (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2024
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007577
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xvi, 209 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2024 Sadya Islam
- Comment
- This thesis has been optimized for improved web viewing. If you require the original version, contact the University Archives at the University of Iowa: https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/contact/
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 11/29/2024
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, maps, graphs, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 140-152).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are among the most destructive natural disasters and have significant impacts on many coastal urban areas in the United States. This situation is particularly severe in the coastal and near-coastal regions along the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the eastern seaboard. Since 1980, there have been 66 billion-dollar TC events in the U.S., resulting in nearly 7,200 deaths. Despite this significant societal and economic impact, the link between urbanization and TC rainfall hasn’t been widely studied. While some research has been done to see how human activities influence rainfall from TCs in urban areas, we know much less about how cities change the rainfall patterns of these storms. This dissertation aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining how cities impact rainfall during TCs. To achieve this aim, I conducted three studies in different urban settings and various TCs with varying intensities of rainfall. I used the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to complete several simulations for each study. First, I focused on Charlotte, North Carolina, a near-coastal city, analyzing five storms. Next, I looked at wet and dry storms (based on total rainfall) over New Orleans, Louisiana, a coastal city. Finally, I studied the combined and individual impacts of three urban clusters in the northeastern U.S. (New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington DC-Baltimore) on TC rainfall for Hurricanes Irene and Ida. The findings from all three studies show that, generally, cities increase rainfall during TCs. However, the level of impact is different for different storms and urban development. Charlotte had a higher impact on the wettest storms. In contrast, New Orleans had a more significant overall effect due to its coastal location and high rainfall intensity, even for drier vi storms. In regions with multiple urban clusters, rainfall modification by the cities was more pronounced when the city was surrounded by other urban areas. These results can help urban planners and disaster management officials to better prepare for future storms and make cities more resilient.
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984774868502771
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