Doctoral Research
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
January 2021 - Present
Master's Degree Research
East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
January 2020 - December 2021
Thesis Title: Analyzing Drivers of Compound Coastal Water Events (CCWE) with Copulas: A Case Study in Eastern North Carolina
Abstract Exceprt:
This study seeks to further understand the relationship between drivers of Compound Coastal Water Events (CCWE) that
occur in Eastern North Carolina. Analyses of three different locations were conducted to
determine if there is a regionality of these relationships. The proposed methodology includes two processes.
The first is a trivariate copula-based approach using the proxies of precipi- tation, stream discharge and
tidal gauge data for CCWE drivers. The second process is to compare data sourced from a
focus group with practitioners who respond and prepare for CCWE.
Combining the physical and social science data provided a better understanding of CCWE from a risk perspective
and a decision-making context. Future work could delve into further temporal and spatial scales considering more
study locations as well as the seasonality of events. CCWE are a phenomenon that is extremely relevant to vulnerable
coastal communities and further understanding of it will be able to benefit those who reside in these regions.
(De Polt 2021)
Publications
Regional Differences in the Impact of Heat and Moisture on Public Health within Europe
Kelley De Polt,
C. F. Dormann,
P. J. Ward,
M. C. de Ruiter,
J. D. Runkle,
T. Wutzler,
M. Reichstein,
and R. Orth
GeoHealth (in review)
How media portrays temperature extremes: Increased coverage, more negative sentiment, and fewer mentions of climate change
Ekaterina Bogdanovich,
Mike S. Schäfer,
Alexander Brenning,
Kelley De Polt,
Lars Guenther,
Markus Reichstein,
and René Orth
Climatic Change (in review)
Global relevance of atmospheric and land surface drivers for hot temperature extremes
Yigit Uckan,
Melissa Ruiz-Vásquez,
Kelley De Polt,
and René Orth
Earth System Dynamics, 2025 (in press)
The Influence of Drought on Heat Wave Intensity, Duration, and Exposure
Ronald D. Leeper,
Tyler Harrington,
Michael A. Palecki,
Kelley De Polt,
Emma Scott,
Jennifer Runkle, and
Howard J. Diamond
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 2025
Impacts of compounding drought and heatwave events on child mental health: insights from a spatial clustering analysis
Kelly Sewell,
Sudeshna Paul,
Kelley De Polt,
Maggie M. Sugg,
Ronald D. Leeper,
Douglas Rao, and
Jennifer D. Runkle
Discover Mental Health, 2024
Official heat warnings miss situations with a detectable societal heat response in European countries
Ekaterina Bogdanovich,
Alexander Brenning,
Markus Reichstein,
Kelley De Polt,
Lars Guenther,
Dorothea Frank, and
René Orth
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2024
Quantifying impact-relevant heatwave durations
Kelley De Polt,
Philip J Ward,
Marleen de Ruiter,
Ekaterina Bogdanovich,
Markus Reichstein,
Dorothea Frank, and
René Orth
Environmental Research Letters, 2023
Spatially compounded surge events: an example from hurricanes Matthew and Florence
Scott Curtis,
Kelley DePolt,
Jamie Kruse,
Anuradha Mukherj,
Jennifer Helgeson,
Ausmita Ghosh,
Philip Van Wagoner
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2021
Cotton thrips infestation predictor: a practical tool for predicting tobacco thrips
(Frankliniella fusca) infestation of cotton seedlings in the south‐eastern United
States
Thomas M. Chappell,
Rebecca Ward,
Kelley DePolt,
Phillip Roberts,
Jeremy Greene,
George Kennedy
Pest Management Science, 2020
North Carolina Climate Science Report
Kenneth E. Kunkel,
David R. Easterling ,
Andrew Ballinger,
Solomon Bililign ,
Sarah M. Champion,
D. Reide Corbett,
Kathie D. Dello,
Jenny Dissen,
Gary M. Lackmann,
Richard A. Luettich Jr.,
L. Baker Perry,
Walter A. Robinson,
Laura E. Stevens,
Brooke C. Stewart,
Adam J. Terando
North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, 2020
Served as Technical Contributor.