Degree Name

MS (Master of Science)

Program

Geosciences

Date of Award

5-2024

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Ingrid Luffman

Committee Members

Andrew Joyner, William Tollefson

Abstract

Tennessee has a long history of meteorological hazards that have caused property damage and loss of life. Given climate change and variability, it is imperative to look at trends to ascertain changes spatiotemporally. Space-time cubes, a novel geographic tool, were used to analyze historical heavy precipitation (1-, 2-, and 5-year returns), floods, and flash flood data in Tennessee counties to assess the trends, identify emerging hotspots/cold spots and display changes over space and time. For all return periods, trends analysis revealed that heavy precipitation events are increasing in several counties across the state, with middle Tennessee identified as a hotspot. While floods and flash flood event trends are mixed (with both increases and decreases) across the state counties, related property damages are increasing, especially in middle Tennessee. This study is an important step to understanding spatiotemporal trends and will be useful in federal, state, and county hazard mitigation planning.

Document Type

Thesis - embargo

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

Available for download on Sunday, June 15, 2025

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