The Social Construction of Climate Extremes

Thomas Karl has defined weather and climate extremes in physical terms as those occurring below the 2nd and above the 98th percentile. While a starting point, as Karl and others have noted such a definition does not include essential societal issues, such as risk perception and vulnerability.

I will consider historical climate extreme events in the southeastern US, and how those events impacted coastal, water and agricultural resources directly and indirectly (e.g., through a cascading effect). I will then connect this historical view to current perceptions of development and adaptation in the region to demonstrate how a changing political, ecological, economic and social landscape affects how extreme events are experienced now and into the future.