Session 13C Cities and Climate Change I

Thursday, 16 January 2025: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
336 (New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center)
Host: 38th Conference on Climate Variability and Change
Submitters:
Negin Nazarian; Lei Zhao, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL; Matei Georgescu, Arizona State University, SGSUP, TEMPE, AZ; Jennifer Salmond; Rafiq Hamdi, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels, Brussels; Andrew Jones, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; Yongling Zhao, ETH Zurich, Zurich, NA; Quang Van Quang Doan; Karen Seto, Yale University, New Haven, CT and Winston Chow, Singapore Management University, Singapore, Singapore
Cochairs:
Negin Nazarian; Lei Zhao, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL; Matei Georgescu, Arizona State University, SGSUP, TEMPE, AZ; Jennifer Salmond; Rafiq Hamdi, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels, Brussels; Andrew Jones, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; Yongling Zhao, ETH Zurich, Zurich, NA; Quang Van Quang Doan; Karen Seto, Yale University, New Haven, CT and Winston Chow, Singapore Management University, Singapore, Singapore

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, set for release in early 2027, as the sole special report of the seventh assessment cycle. In response to this timely focus on the nexus of cities and climate change, this session seeks to facilitate the exchange, update, and synthesis of insights derived from innovative research and approaches in this field.

In particular, we encourage submissions on four key areas central to the discussion:

  • Two-Way Feedback Between Cities and Regions, and their Climates: Cities play a significant role in shaping their local and regional climates, leading to a dynamic two-way interaction that influences climate extremes and high-impact weather events.
  • Compounding and Cascading Climate Hazards: Urban areas face a multitude of weather-related hazards (such as cold and heat waves, storm-related surface, riverine and coastal flooding, and extreme wind events) across various scales. The frequency, intensity and impact of these events are amplified by climate change and compounded/cascade in complex urban systems.
  • Transparency of Model Outputs in Future Climate Scenarios: Communicating the uncertainties in global future climate projections, and their propagation to the regional and local scale analyses in cities, is essential for informed decision-making and effective adaptation strategies.
  • Improving Actionability of Science for Cities: Enhancing the usability of scientific findings for urban decision-making may require collaborative efforts, such as co-production or engagement initiatives, to tailor scientific advancements to the specific needs of cities. This includes addressing issues such as representing extremes, uncertainty characterization, and coordination among practitioners and scientists.

This session seeks submission within, but not limited to, these areas that explore the contribution of urban climate research to understanding the relationship between cities and climate change. Observational and/or modelling studies focusing on under-represented cities and regions are welcome.

Papers:
8:30 AM
13C.1
Assessing the Impact of Extreme Heat Events on Energy Demand and Power Grid Resilience
Buket Sahin, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Storrs, CT

8:45 AM
13C.2
Building the scientific foundation for climate solutions in cities
Andrew D Jones, LBNL, Berkeley, CA; University of CA, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; and N. Nazarian, A. Hsu, C. Brelsford, J. Salmond, K. Seto, L. Zhao, M. Georgescu, P. Romero-Lankao, P. Vahmani, Q. V. Q. Doan, R. Hamdi, S. Schultz, and Y. Zhao

9:00 AM
13C.3
The Meteorology of Urban Heat Islands
Elie Bou-Zeid, Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ; and P. Maruri and F. Gerges

9:15 AM
13C.4
CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study URB-RCC: Urban Environments and Regional Climate Change
Tomas Halenka, Charles Univ., Prague, Czech republic; and G. Langendijk and P. Hoffmann

9:30 AM
13C.5
Characterizing the Influence of Urban Morphology on the Amplification of Heat Waves in Cities
Melissa Allen-Dumas, ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN; and L. Sweet-Breu, C. Brelsford, and J. R. New

9:45 AM
13C.6
Impacts of New York City on Summer Extreme Precipitation
Madhusmita Swain, University at Albany, Albany, NY; University at Albany, Albany, NY; and J. C. Pena and J. E. Gonzalez

- Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting
- Indicates an Award Winner