Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation
Scientific and Technical Workgroups
Workgroups are central to the success of the Flood Hub. We assemble these teams of subject matter experts to address specific flood-related issues, identify information needs, fill data gaps, refine existing models, and advance new models to support statewide resilience. Details about the Flood Hub’s workgroups can be found below. As our efforts evolve, we’ll convene additional scientific and technical groups, continuing to help improve flood forecasting in Florida.
Sea Level Rise Workgroup
Sea level rise is one of Florida’s most pressing environmental concerns. From Pensacola to Jacksonville, some 15 million people inhabit Florida’s low-lying coastal areas, where modest changes in sea level can have profound consequences for communities. High tide flooding events, coastal erosion, and saltwater intrusion — all of which are exacerbated by rising sea levels — can put homes, businesses, critical infrastructure, and amenities at risk. The Flood Hub’s workgroup on sea level rise evaluates global, national, and state-level data to provide projections of changing sea levels that underpin vulnerability assessments and risk analyses. These efforts will guide more effective policies, capital improvement projects, and other resilience-related investments and interventions.
Meet the members
Chair
- Gary Mitchum, University of South Florida
Members
- Don Chambers, University of South Florida
- Kristina Dahl, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Benjamin Hamlington, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
- Ben Kirtman, University of Miami
- Mark Merrifield, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- R. Steven Nerem, University of Colorado
- Jayantha “Obey” Obeysekera, Florida International University
- Hilary Stockdon, U.S. Geological Survey
- William Sweet, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Philip Thompson, University of Hawaii
Ex Officio
- Wesley Brooks, Chief Resiliency Officer, State of Florida
- Thomas Frazer, Executive Director, Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation, University of South Florida
- Mark Rains, Chief Science Officer, State of Florida
Rainfall Workgroup
It’s sometimes said: Where it rains, it can flood. Florida’s statewide rainfall average is nearly 54 inches per year, but changing precipitation patterns suggest that past conditions are not reliable indicators of future conditions. Extreme rainfall events, which can quickly overwhelm drainage systems, reveal an urgent need to design and implement water resource projects that reduce the likelihood of rain-induced flooding. The Flood Hub’s workgroup on rainfall will estimate changes to the depth, duration, and frequency of extreme rainfall events. The goal is to improve short-term forecasts and longer-term projections, while guiding comprehensive water management efforts throughout the state.
Meet the members
Chair
- Jayantha “Obey” Obeysekera, Florida International University
Members
- Tirusew Asefa, Tampa Bay Water
- Fatih Gordu, St. John’s River Water Management District
- Wendy Graham, University of Florida
- Jennifer Green, Florida Department of Transportation
- Michelle Irizarry-Ortiz, U.S. Geological Survey
- Ken Kunkel, North Carolina State University
- Ben Kirtman, University of Miami
- Luke Madaus, Jupiter Intelligence
- Carolina Maran, South Florida Water Management District
- Vasu Misra, Florida State University
- Gary Mitchum, University of South Florida
- Ceyda Polatel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Roy Rasmussen, National Center for Atmospheric Research
- Kevin Reed, Stony Brook University
- John Stamm, U.S. Geological Survey
- David Zierden, Florida State University
Ex Officio
- Wesley Brooks, Chief Resiliency Officer, State of Florida
- Thomas Frazer, Executive Director, Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation, University of South Florida
- Mark Rains, Chief Science Officer, State of Florida