Compound climate and weather events have been defined as the combination of multiple drivers and hazards that contribute to societal or environmental risk. This talk summarizes three results from an on-going, NOAA-funded project that build on our understanding of compound events from the perspective of water hazards in eastern North Carolina. From a temporal perspective, it will be demonstrated that a trivariate (precipitation, tide, and stream discharge) extreme event analysis yields more reliable return periods, useful for enhanced efficacy of flood mitigation project development. From a spatial perspective, water hazards can be compounded across the Inner and Outer Banks, affecting response decision making. Finally, focus group discussions with planners and emergency managers confirm our findings, and these practitioners are seeking tools to help them connect community priorities with resiliency planning. Two candidate tools, Economic Decision Guide Software and Mental Mapping, are currently being tested in the study area.

In 2020, Dr. Scott Curtis became the Dr. John Lining Professor of Physics and inaugural Director of the Lt Col James B. Near, Jr., USAF, '77 Center for Climate Studies at The Citadel. Prior to arriving at The Citadel, he was the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Advancement Council Distinguished Professor of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at East Carolina University. Born and raised in Virginia, he has a B.A. in Environmental Sciences from UVA and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has taught courses in weather, climate, and atmospheric sciences. His primary research interests include characterizing the causes and impacts of flooding, coastal storms, drought, and precipitation extremes. He is also interested in the interactions between weather hazards and society, with fieldwork in Jamaica, Bangladesh, and eastern North Carolina.

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