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Social-media and newspaper reports reveal large-scale meteorological drivers of floods on Sumatra

Earth Sciences

Social-media and newspaper reports reveal large-scale meteorological drivers of floods on Sumatra

D. B. Baranowski, M. K. Flatau, et al.

This groundbreaking study, conducted by Dariusz B. Baranowski and colleagues, reveals that convectively coupled Kelvin waves are pivotal in causing floods in Sumatra. With CCKWs involved in over 90% of flood events, this research leverages five years of data to enhance flood risk prediction significantly.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Floods are a major cause of natural disasters in Sumatra. This study uses a five-year flood record from government reports, Twitter messages, and local newspapers to analyze the atmospheric conditions responsible for these floods. The research finds that convectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs), large-scale precipitation systems, are the critical factor in the majority of floods. While seasonal and intraseasonal variability also play a role, CCKWs were present in over 90% of flood events, with precipitation anomalies solely attributed to CCKWs in 30% of cases. This highlights the potential for improved flood risk prediction.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
May 19, 2020
Authors
Dariusz B. Baranowski, Maria K. Flatau, Piotr J. Flatau, Dwikorita Karnawati, Katarzyna Barabasz, Michal Labuz, Beata Latos, Jerome M. Schmidt, Jaka A. I. Paski, Marzuki
Tags
floods
Sumatra
CCKWs
precipitation
atmospheric conditions
natural disasters
flood prediction
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