Distinctive Voices — Climate change through the lens of increasing hydroclimate whiplash

The past decade has brought episodes of exceptional and even historically unprecedented warmth, both in California and around the world. But perhaps even more disruptive than rising global average temperatures and record-breaking regional heatwaves have been the pronounced dry and wet extremes experienced over the same period–and especially the severe droughts, floods, and wildfires that have accompanied them. In this talk, Dr. Swain will discuss the emerging paradigm of increasing “hydroclimate whiplash” on a warming planet, reflecting on both the underlying science and the broader societal and ecological implications of increasingly wide swings between wet and dry extremes.

Featured Speaker:

Dr. Daniel Swain

Climate Scientist (Associate Researcher), California Institute for Water Resources, UCANR

Daniel Swain, Ph.D., is a climate scientist focused on the dynamics and impacts of extreme events—including droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires—on a warming planet. Daniel formerly held an appointment as a climate scientist (Associate Researcher) in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and presently holds an appointment as a climate scientist (Associate Researcher) in the California Institute for Water Resources within University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR).