Bayesian Spatiotemporal Nonstationary Model Quantifies Robust Increases in Daily Extreme Rainfall Across the Western Gulf Coast

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lu, Yuchen, Lee, Ben Seiyon, Doss-Gollin, James
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Lu, Yuchen
Lee, Ben Seiyon
Doss-Gollin, James
author_facet Lu, Yuchen
Lee, Ben Seiyon
Doss-Gollin, James
contents Precipitation exceedance probabilities are widely used in engineering design, risk assessment, and floodplain management. While common approaches like NOAA Atlas 14 assume that extreme precipitation characteristics are stationary over time, this assumption may underestimate current and future hazards due to anthropogenic climate change. However, the incorporation of nonstationarity in the statistical modeling of extreme precipitation has faced practical challenges that have restricted its applications. In particular, random sampling variability challenges the reliable estimation of trends and parameters, especially when observational records are limited. To address this methodological gap, we propose the Spatially Varying Covariates Model, a hierarchical Bayesian spatial framework that integrates nonstationarity and regionalization for robust frequency analysis of extreme precipitation. This model draws from extreme value theory, spatial statistics, and Bayesian statistics, and is validated through cross-validation and multiple performance metrics. Applying this framework to a case study of daily rainfall in the Western Gulf Coast, we identify robustly increasing trends in extreme precipitation intensity and variability throughout the study area, with notable spatial heterogeneity. This flexible model accommodates stations with varying observation records, yields smooth return level estimates, and can be straightforwardly adapted to the analysis of precipitation frequencies at different durations and for other regions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_02000
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bayesian Spatiotemporal Nonstationary Model Quantifies Robust Increases in Daily Extreme Rainfall Across the Western Gulf Coast
Lu, Yuchen
Lee, Ben Seiyon
Doss-Gollin, James
Applications
Precipitation exceedance probabilities are widely used in engineering design, risk assessment, and floodplain management. While common approaches like NOAA Atlas 14 assume that extreme precipitation characteristics are stationary over time, this assumption may underestimate current and future hazards due to anthropogenic climate change. However, the incorporation of nonstationarity in the statistical modeling of extreme precipitation has faced practical challenges that have restricted its applications. In particular, random sampling variability challenges the reliable estimation of trends and parameters, especially when observational records are limited. To address this methodological gap, we propose the Spatially Varying Covariates Model, a hierarchical Bayesian spatial framework that integrates nonstationarity and regionalization for robust frequency analysis of extreme precipitation. This model draws from extreme value theory, spatial statistics, and Bayesian statistics, and is validated through cross-validation and multiple performance metrics. Applying this framework to a case study of daily rainfall in the Western Gulf Coast, we identify robustly increasing trends in extreme precipitation intensity and variability throughout the study area, with notable spatial heterogeneity. This flexible model accommodates stations with varying observation records, yields smooth return level estimates, and can be straightforwardly adapted to the analysis of precipitation frequencies at different durations and for other regions.
title Bayesian Spatiotemporal Nonstationary Model Quantifies Robust Increases in Daily Extreme Rainfall Across the Western Gulf Coast
topic Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02000