Journal article
Climate change dominates over urbanization in tropical cyclone rainfall patterns
Communications earth & environment, Vol.6(1), 54
01/28/2025
DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02048-z
Abstract
The role of climate change and urbanization has typically been considered in isolation of each other and it remains unclear which one has a more dominant effect in terms of changes in rainfall from tropical cyclones. Here, we employ a convection-permitting numerical model to quantify the relative effects of urbanization and climate change on rainfall from ten typhoons across a highly urbanized area in China. We show that climate change is largely responsible for the changes in the spatial pattern and amounts of rainfall from tropical cyclones; on the other hand, urbanization consistently contributes to the redistribution of rainfall, and its positive effects are comparable to those of climate change in the urban core. Although the role of the thermodynamic component in altering tropical-cyclone rainfall increases under a warming climate, these rainfall changes are still largely driven by dynamic effects, especially when considering the role of urbanization.
Climate change is primarily responsible for changes in tropical cyclone rainfall patterns and amounts, while urbanization primarily shifts rainfall distribution, with its impact in urban areas being comparable to that of climate change, according to a convection-permitting model analysis of ten typhoons in a highly urbanized region of China.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Climate change dominates over urbanization in tropical cyclone rainfall patterns
- Creators
- Zifeng Deng - Princeton UniversityGabriele Villarini - Princeton UniversityZhaoli Wang - School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Pazhou Lab
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Communications earth & environment, Vol.6(1), 54
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group UK
- DOI
- 10.1038/s43247-025-02048-z
- ISSN
- 2662-4435
- eISSN
- 2662-4435
- Grant note
- 52209019; 52379010 / National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) (https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001809) China Scholarship Council (CSC) (https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004543) Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2022A1515240071, 2023B1515020087) National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFC3001000)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/28/2025
- Academic Unit
- IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984781373402771
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