Elizabeth A. Ritchie

Elizabeth A. Ritchie

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

9Years (2018-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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30 November 2022 in Earth's Future
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
TTThao Linh Tran
Thao Linh Tran
ERElizabeth A. Ritchie
Elizabeth A. Ritchie
SPSarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
HBHai Hoang Bui
Hai Hoang Bui
TLThang Luong
Thang Luong
In this Pseudo‐global Warming study, potential future changes in the Southeast Asia tropical cyclone (TC) exposure climatology are quantified. One hundred and seventeen landfalling TCs in the last 20 years are simulated with their current climate conditions and also with the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) ensemble perturbed conditions under the SSP2‐4.5 and SSP3‐7.0 climate change scenarios. Our simulations suggest that landfalling TCs are projected to be 8% more intense at landfall, 2.8% faster and have smaller sizes by the end of the 21st century under the SSP3‐7.0 scenario. In addition, TC landfall locations shift northward with tracks extending further inland toward Laos and Thailand. In particular, TC exposures, wind and rainfall impacts significantly increase in the northern Philippines, Taiwan, southwestern coast of China, and northern Vietnam; and significantly decrease in the southern areas of Southeast Asia and the southeastern coast of China.

2 July 2021 in Earth's Future
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
XDXu Deng
Xu Deng
SPSarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
SLSophie C. Lewis
Sophie C. Lewis
ERElizabeth A. Ritchie
Elizabeth A. Ritchie
Historical simulations of models participating in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) are evaluated over 10 Australian regions for their performance in simulating extreme temperatures, among which three models with initial‐condition large ensembles (LEs) are used to estimate the effects of internal variability. Based on two observational data sets, the Australian Water Availability Project (AWAP) and the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperatures (BEST), we first analyze the models' abilities in simulating the probability distributions of daily maximum and minimum temperature (TX and TN), followed by the spatial patterns and temporal variations of the extreme indices, as defined by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). Overall, the CMIP6 models are comparable to CMIP5, with modest improvements shown in CMIP6. Compared to CMIP5, the CMIP6 ensemble tends to have narrower interquartile model ranges for some cold extremes, as well as narrower ensemble ranges in temporal trends for most indices. Over southeast, tropical, and southern regions, both CMIP ensembles generally exhibit relatively large deficiencies in simulating temperature extremes. We also confirm that internal variability can affect the trends of the extremes and there is uncertainty in representing the irreducible variability among different LEs in CMIP6. Furthermore, the evaluation based on Perkins' skill score (PSS) and root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) in the three LEs does not directly correlate with the ranges of the trends for extreme temperatures. The findings of this study are useful in informing and interpreting future projections of temperature‐related extremes over Australia.

27 October 2020 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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MEMD WASIF E ELAHI
MD WASIF E ELAHI
IJIsabel Jalón-Rojas
Isabel Jalón-Rojas
Xiao Hua WangXiao Hua Wang
Xiao Hua Wang
ERElizabeth A. Ritchie
Elizabeth A. Ritchie
Significant research efforts have been devoted to understanding river‐tide interactions in estuaries. However, studies on the impact of monsoon‐driven fluctuations of river discharge are limited. Here, the role of varying river discharge on the tidal propagation and tidal limit along the Ganges‐Brahmaputra‐Meghna Delta (GBMD), a macrotidal estuary subject to seasonal and annual river discharge variations, is investigated. The Delft3D hydrodynamic model is validated and applied to an average flood year condition and nine idealized scenarios covering the typical hydrological conditions. Results reveal that the upper limit of the tidal propagation shifts 75 km upstream during the dry season. The residual water level slope and tidal damping rate increase with river discharge beyond 100 km from the estuary mouth. The balance between the generation and dissipation of quarterdiurnal tides shifts spatially as a result of changes in channel convergence and friction and temporally as a function of river discharge, which controls the total friction in the upper tidal river. The balance between tidal dissipation and generation depends on the residual velocity generated by river discharge and the velocity of the principal tides. The maximal generation of quarterdiurnal tides in the upper GBMD depends on the friction generated from the river‐tide interaction. Critical river discharge thresholds produce an optimal condition of dissipation of semidiurnal tides and generation of quarterdiurnal tides through friction at the upper and middle estuary. River discharge above the critical river discharge amount more rapidly dissipates both semidiurnal and quarterdiurnal tides than generates quarterdiurnal tides from nonlinear interactions.

15 February 2022 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
TTThao Linh Tran
Thao Linh Tran
ERElizabeth A. Ritchie
Elizabeth A. Ritchie
SPSarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
In this study, the landfalling tropical cyclone (TC) exposure in Southeast Asia for a 50‐year period from 1970 to 2019 is investigated relative to the total western North Pacific (WNP) climatology taking disparities in historical records into account. Long‐term trends in landfalling TCs are analyzed and intercompared among the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center of Tokyo (TOKYO), China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), and Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) best track datasets. Interannual and intra‐seasonal variations are further examined by sub‐region and nation using JTWC records. Approximately half of the WNP TCs make landfall in Southeast Asia representing over 75% of the total WNP landfalls in all datasets. Over the study period, there is a slight upward trend in landfalling TC frequency in both the WNP and Southeast Asia in the JTWC dataset, while the number of landfall events has decreased in the CMA and TOKYO datasets. A consistent northward shift in landfalling locations over the 50‐year period is found in all datasets such that landfalls have decreased in the Philippines, Vietnam, but increased in some South China areas. The TOKYO dataset alone suggests that landfalling TCs in South China have slowed down over the study period, which would increase rainfall and wind risks in their path if substantiated. Less TC landfalls occur in El Niño years with landfalling locations shifting northwestward over the Asian mainland, while landfalls are higher and more distributed in La Niña, and highest in Neutral years.

2 September 2022 in Atmosphere
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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RKRubaiya Kabir
Rubaiya Kabir
ERElizabeth A. Ritchie
Elizabeth A. Ritchie
CSClair Stark
Clair Stark
The North Indian Ocean is a region with a high coastal population and a low-lying delta, making it a high-risk region for tropical cyclone impacts. A 30-year period from 1989–2018 has been used to examine the TC landfalling exposure in the North Indian Ocean and its changes by considering 30 years of IBTrACs data, ERA5 atmospheric data, and 20 years of TRMM and DAV data. A total of 185 TCs made landfall in the NIO during the 30-year period with the majority of the TCs making landfall during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Rainfall associated with landfalling TCs decreased in the last 10 years of analysis (2009–2018) compared to the first 10 years of available data from 1999–2008. During the monsoon, TC activity is relatively lower compared to the post-monsoon periods, even though higher accumulated TC-associated rainfall typically occurs during the monsoon period, particularly along the eastern coastlines of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The TC winds impact most of the Bay of Bengal coastline, including Sri Lanka. The spatial distribution of landfalling TCs changes with the season, with most of the landfalling activity occurring during the pre- and post-monsoon periods. Interestingly, more recent TC activity has shifted to the northeast India and Bangladesh coasts, suggesting that these regions may be more vulnerable to TC impacts in the future.

6 September 2024 in Earth's Future
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
TTThao Linh Tran
Thao Linh Tran
ERElizabeth A. Ritchie
Elizabeth A. Ritchie
SPSarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick
HBHai Bui
Hai Bui
TLThang Luong
Thang Luong
Observations and climate projections suggest a larger increase in tropical cyclone (TC)‐induced rainfall than that can be explained by the Clausius‐Clapeyron relationship of 7% increase in vapor content for each 1°C degree rise in temperature. However, these studies using diverse data sources and methods over various periods show inconsistencies regarding the location of this increase ‐ whether in the TC inner core or outer regions ‐ and offer differing explanations for the reported trends. This study uses the Pseudo‐global warming methodology on simulations of 117 western North Pacific TCs making landfall in Southeast Asia to investigate changes in TC rainfall structure by the end of the century under the SSP2‐4.5 and SSP3‐7.0 scenarios. Specifically, it tests the sensitivity of changing trends to various analysis methods used in previous studies and identifies the underlying physical mechanisms driving these changes. The findings indicate an amplified increase in rainfall in the TC inner core across all future scenarios, along with potentially decreased rainfall in the outer region under certain future climate conditions. Among TC categories, Supertyphoons exhibit the most significant increased rainfall across future states. Changes in TC primary and secondary circulations, TC structure, and the convergence of heat and moisture are the main factors shaping future rainfall patterns, outweighing the effects of changes in atmospheric and convective stability.