Advances in Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate

Tropical cyclones (including hurricanes) are becoming more destructive. Rising seas are resulting in greater storm surge inundation. More moisture-laden, warmer air is leading to heavier rains. There is also mounting evidence for more powerful winds and a greater incidence of the strongest storms. Do we fully understand these changes, and what will these changes mean for society? Arising from the 2024 Symposium on Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate, this book contains new research on hurricane behavior, our vulnerability, and how we communicate the risk. This book is essential reading to understand the future of tropical cyclone risk and what it means for society.

Jennifer Collins is a Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on weather, climate, and society. As a hurricane researcher, Dr. Collins is interested in the interaction between large scale climatic patterns such as the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Madden – Julian Oscillation and seasonal and intraseasonal patterns of tropical cyclone activity in multiple oceanic basins. She is currently studying the environmental factors influencing the interannual and intraseasonal variation of hurricane activity in the eastern North Pacific and Atlantic oceans. As well as her work in the physical sciences, she also works in the social sciences as she examines human behavior relating to hurricane evacuation, with a series of papers related to how COVID-19 impacted hurricane evacuation decisions. In addition to her hurricane research, Dr. Collins works in other areas related to weather, climate, and hazards. She works closely on projects with the National Weather Service involving tornadoes and fog. In addition, she collaborates with international researchers and works in the area of climate change. Dr. Collins is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and Fellow of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

Dr. James Done is Deputy Director of the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He is also Senior Academic Fellow of the Willis Research Network. His climate research extends across a range of extreme weather and climate phenomena. His focus is on understanding the multi-scale physical processes and predictability of extreme events. His strong connections with risk managers in the reinsurance and water sectors enriches his science and ensures societal relevance. In recognition of his reputation as a leader in the field, he was recently invited to testify before the U.S. Congress on extreme weather in a changing climate. Dr. Done received his PhD in Meteorology from the University of Reading, UK in 2003.

Yi-Jie Zhu is an assistant professor of climate science in the Department of Geoscience at Florida Atlantic University. He has been actively studying the spatial and temporal patterns of the tropical cyclone post-landfall intensity decay process. His work involves both observational and model simulations to investigate the physical factors, including the impact of changing climate, that contribute to the destructive wind footprint from hurricanes as they move inland. Yijie is the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the University of South Florida and also the Gilbert White Dissertation Award from the Hazards, Risks and Disasters Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. Yijie is also a former vice president of the West Central Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.

Dr. Paul Wilson is a Partner at Securis Investment Partners, an independent asset manager based on London, focused exclusively on Insurance Linked Securities. Paul leads Securis’ catastrophe and climate research, responsible for integrating the latest science and understanding of risk into Securis’ investment decision and portfolio construction. Prior to joining Securis in 2018, Paul was a Vice President in Risk Management Solutions where he led RMS’s development of catastrophe models for climate perils and oversaw RMS real-time response to catastrophes globally. Paul has a PhD in Atmospheric Physics and a MSci in Physics both from Imperial College London. Alongside Paul’s role at Securis, Paul is a consultant to the World Banks Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program and has previously supported the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company, a specialist development-insurer providing disaster risk financing to address the critical protection gap for small island states in the South Pacific.