CAREER: Contextualizing Changes in Extreme Precipitation

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $1,201,906 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Extreme precipitation events impact infrastructure, including dams, culverts, nuclear power plants, and highways, that must be built and maintained to withstand these events over their lifetime. This project will address three fundamental questions aimed at advancing understanding of extreme precipitation: 1) how does the precipitation distribution depend on spatial and temporal scales? 2) what are the comparative roles of aerosol and greenhouse gas forcing in determining the precipitation distribution? and 3) how do stratospheric aerosol injections impact extreme precipitation changes? These questions are specifically motivated by the need to better understand the value of high-resolution modeling for understanding precipitation extremes, to understand if aerosol forcing can explain the discrepancy between observed and modeled changes to extreme precipitation events over the past few decades, and to understand why extreme precipitation decreases despite holding temperatures fixed in model projections of stratospheric aerosol injection. The scientific goals of this project are in line with the principal investigator’s goal to build a career around understanding precipitation extremes as they unfold over the next decades. An educational component is also integrated into this project providing research experiences for undergraduates related to the science objectives; training students on the use of data for real world problems co-identified in workshops with highway engineers;

Key facts

NSF award ID
2441755
Awardee
Cornell University (NY)
SAM.gov UEI
G56PUALJ3KT5
PI
Angeline G Pendergrass
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev
Estimated total
$1,201,906
Funds obligated
$1,201,906
Transaction type
Continuing Grant
Period
09/01/2025 → 08/31/2030