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An Overview of Synoptic and Mesoscale Factors Contributing to the Disastrous Atlanta Flood of 2009
Citation:
Shepherd, M., T. Mote, S. Nelson, S. C. MCCUTCHEON, P. Knox, J. Dowd, AND M. Rhoden. An Overview of Synoptic and Mesoscale Factors Contributing to the Disastrous Atlanta Flood of 2009. Presented at Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, April 14 - 18, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
Scientific meeting presentation.
Description:
If IPCC (2007) projections are accurate, the frequency and severity of extreme hydroclimate events (e.g., droughts, floods) will likely increase in response to the acceleration in the water cycle. Additionally, a majority of the population lives in urban areas, and by 2030 this number is expected to reach 81 percent. In September 2009, the metropolitan area of Atlanta and surrounding areas in northern Georgia experienced disastrous urban flooding. The flooding inundated major transportation arteries, closed several major school systems, submerged the popular Six Flags theme park, and contributed to at least 10 deaths as of October 2009. The goal of this short analysis is to present a brief overview of the hydrometeorological conditions leading to the historic Atlanta area flooding, present multiple observational perspectives on cumulative rainfall totals for the event, and consider a hypothesis linked to urbanization for the preferred regions of enhanced rainfall totals around the Atlanta area.
URLs/Downloads:
MCCUTCHEON 09 166A SLIDES.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 3286 KB, about PDF)MCCUTCHEON 09 166_AAG ABSTRACT.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 10 KB, about PDF)