Recently, the team led by Professor Xin Xu from the School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University published a short communication in Science Bulletin entitled “Complex Terrain Causes Global Model Prediction Biases of 21.7 Zhengzhou Extreme Precipitation”. The study reveals that the orographic gravity wave drag triggered by complex terrain can cause significant location and intensity biases of the “21.7” Zhengzhou extreme precipitation in global numerical weather prediction (NWP) models.

A perspective published in Nature Water in February underscores how adaptation and mitigation measures to address urban flooding often exacerbate environmental injustices for society’s most vulnerable groups — not just in the US, but around the world. Led by Rebecca Hale of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and co-authored by urban ecologist Elizabeth Cook of Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the piece offers strategies for governments, organizations, and individuals involved in climate adaptation to break the cycle.