A rapidly-emerging area of scientific study is event attribution, which seeks to understand the relationships between extreme weather and climate change. Although we are experiencing more weather and climate extremes, individual extreme events vary widely in intensity and interpreting trends can be difficult. But through this emerging area of study, scientists are now identifying the physical processes that cause weather and climate phenomena to intensify, which can potentially improve the prediction of extreme events.
A new book, Climate Extremes: Patterns and Mechanisms, published by the American Geophysical Union, describes how and why weather and climate phenomena may be intensifying with climate change. It includes a compilation of mechanisms unique to individual weather and climate extreme events, a discussion of how well climate models simulate high-impact weather and climate extremes, and a summary of the various theories about how climate extremes will continue to become stronger and more frequent.
Read a Q&A with the editors of the new book on Eos.org.
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