From an atmospheric dynamist’s perspective, there is no fundamental difference between weather and climate dynamics. Global warming has induced significant shifts in weather characteristics, and there is a high demand for answers to related questions from scientists, the public, and stakeholders. In this presentation, I will share our recent advances in understanding the climatic responses to extreme precipitation. By combining theory with idealized and realistic simulations, we demonstrate that the regional distribution of extreme precipitation sensitivity can be largely explained through traditional weather analyses using quasi-geostrophic diagnostics. We have developed a framework that separates and quantifies the roles of dry (large-scale adiabatic flows) and moist (small-scale convection) dynamics in shaping regional patterns of extreme precipitation sensitivity. Diabatic heating feedback amplifies extreme precipitation in a nonlinear relationship with atmospheric moisture, leading to a high sensitivity to climate change. This work demonstrates that linking weather and climate dynamics is a productive approach to exploring coupled weather-climate problems.
 

extreme precipitation,climate change