Course Description: 

This graduate seminar course will focus on the meteorological and climate-related causes of floods, both regionally and globally.  After an overview of flood-generating processes, participants will examine and present case studies of a selection of past major flood events in the United States based on published post-flood reports (USGS, NOAA). 

In tandem with these case studies, we will review and discuss the relevant classic and current scientific literature on flood hydrometeorology, hydroclimatology, extreme precipitation events, and flooding and climate change. 

To apply the knowledge gained, participants will conduct a detailed analysis of a selected watershed’s flood history to assess the past, present, and (projected) future climate-related drivers of the watershed’s flooding variability. 

The semester will close with readings and discussion on the policy and planning implications that emerge from this physically based, climate-linked understanding of the underlying causes of flooding variability.