Deadly climate hazards combined: tropical cyclones and deadly heat

Tropical cyclones and extreme heat are two of the deadliest climate hazards, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost to both perils since the turn of the century. Climate change is likely to cause both severe tropical cyclones and intense heat events to become frequent. Might deadly heat events therefore begin to strike communities recovering from powerful tropical cyclones? The potential impacts of such a scenario cannot be overstated, given the growing dependency on air conditioning, and the mega-blackouts following recent major tropical cyclones. Although such a compound hazard has not yet struck a well-populated coastline, this good fortune is unlikely to hold much longer.

Where is currently at risk from this tropical cyclone and deadly heat hazard? How will this change as climate warming continues? What impacts and challenges could such a compound event deliver? The PhD will address fundamental questions like these using techniques as diverse as media searching and numerical modelling. This range reflects the considerable scope for the project to be moulded to the specific interests of the PhD candidate as the work progresses.