2022/01/04 by Courtney Cooper, Cooper, Courtney M., Sharma, Sanjib +4
Environmental Science · #Applications (stat.AP) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Flood Risk Assessment and Management #Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2201.01254
openalex publication_date 2022/01/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
There is an increasingly urgent need to develop knowledge and practices to manage climate risks. For example, flood-risk information can inform household decisions such as purchasing a home or flood insurance. However, flood-risk estimates are deeply uncertain, meaning that they are subject to sizeable disagreement. Available flood-risk estimates provide inconsistent and incomplete information and pose communication challenges. The effects of different choices of design and communication options can create confusion in decision-making processes. The climate services literature includes insights into desirable features for producing information that is credible and relevant. Using examples of riverine (fluvial) flood-risk information products and studies in the United States, we assess how existing risk characterizations integrate desirable features outlined in the climate services literature. Improved characterization and communication of decision-relevant (and often deep) uncertainties, including those arising from human decisions, is a crucial next step. We argue that producing relevant flood-risk information requires applying principles of open science and co-production.