Abstract
‘Extreme event’, a term today most commonly understood and used in relation to extreme weather phenomena and experiencing an upsurge in its usage due to their increased frequency caused by climate change, is applied in a variety of scientific disciplines. Its multitude of users understands and defines the term differently. However, consistency in language is vital to eradicate confusion, support the transfer of knowledge from one field to another, and make results from different disciplines comparable. Therefore, this work gives an in-depth discussion of the various aspects of relevance, ultimately proposing a comprehensive, systems-based definition of the term.Novel to this definition is the complex systems approach, utilized throughout to allow the definition to be applied for both macrolevel and microlevel occurrences and across various disciplines. In contrast to most authors who separate incident and impacts and use either the former or the latter in definitions of extreme events, it is shown that a disruption to a system or systems is prerequisite. Only by applying this perspective can interdisciplinary research be successfully conducted on extreme events. This and other central aspects come particularly to light in a case study of the 2006 European Blackout, on which the meta-definition is tried.
Highlights
‘Extreme event’, a term today most commonly understood and used in relation to extreme weather phenomena and experiencing an upsurge in its usage due to their increased frequency caused by climate change, is applied in a variety of scientific disciplines
Occurrences that receive the label ‘extreme event’ in scientific literature are as varied as droughts, tsunamis (IPCC, 2012), earthquakes, meteorite collisions (Sanders et al, 2002), acts of terrorism (Comfort, 2002), epidemics, power outages (Jentsch, Kantz, & Albeverio, 2006), epileptic seizures (Nadin, 2006), or becoming paralysed (Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999)
An overarching and generic definition can function as a basis on which scientists from different fields can build, employing their more specific definitions according to their disciplines’ needs. This will be helpful in fields where no explicit definition exists to gain clarity, but more importantly, in interdisciplinary work to create comparability and allow knowledge transfers through consistent language. This is the case in purely scientific settings, as well as including a wide variety of practitioners requiring the term for different tasks like, for example, risk assessment, resilience building efforts, the management of potential events, or, in the aftermath of an event, the mitigation and management of impacts in disaster relief efforts
Summary
Occurrences that receive the label ‘extreme event’ in scientific literature are as varied as droughts, tsunamis (IPCC, 2012), earthquakes, meteorite collisions (Sanders et al, 2002), acts of terrorism (Comfort, 2002), epidemics, power outages (Jentsch, Kantz, & Albeverio, 2006), epileptic seizures (Nadin, 2006), or becoming paralysed (Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999). These are as diverse as the disciplines in which the term is in use; a rough division into two groups can be established: some include impacts in their definitions of extreme events, others omit them, focussing only on the magnitude of the initial occurrence as decisive factor for declaring an event ‘extreme’ (McPhillips et al, 2018) Those explicitly defining ‘extreme events’ use the term adjusted to their scientific field (see, e.g., IPCC, 2012; Sanders, 2005; Sideratos & Hatziargyriou, 2012). This will be helpful in fields where no explicit definition exists to gain clarity, but more importantly, in interdisciplinary work to create comparability and allow knowledge transfers through consistent language This is the case in purely scientific settings, as well as including a wide variety of practitioners requiring the term for different tasks like, for example, risk assessment, resilience building efforts, the management of potential events, or, in the aftermath of an event, the mitigation and management of impacts in disaster relief efforts.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
