PNNL

In 2016, Dave Judi coauthored research whose results became devastatingly clear six years later.

The paper, published in Climate Change, said, “coastal populations in the global tropics and sub-tropics are vulnerable to the devastating impacts of hurricane storm surge and this risk is only expected to rise under climate change.” Judi and his coauthors looked specifically at the U.S. Gulf and Florida coasts.

Expect hurricanes that are more intense, the authors wrote, particularly during the peak hurricane season of August–October. They also projected sea-level rise during these events.

Judi has more than 15 years of experience in developing and applying modeling and simulation tools to environmental problems. He has focused his research on flood risk, where he has become a nationally recognized expert in fast-response flood modeling. His flood modeling tools are now used routinely to support federal, state, and local emergency response activities during extreme events.

“I lead work looking at coastal risk,” Judi said. “We want to more fully understand the fundamental drivers of coastal risk changes—with an acute focus on hurricanes and understanding how natural systems change to create stronger hurricanes and how they'll change in the future.”

Judi’s work helps inform infrastructure planning and emergency response to respond to hurricanes. The Rapid Inundation Flood Tool (RIFT) creates simulations that improve understanding of storms and their potential flood impacts.

“RIFT has been around for 15 years, but it still provides us with valuable data about hurricane projections and flood projections,” he said.

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