The statistical modeling of space-time extremes in environmental applications is key to understanding complex dependence structures in original event data and to generating realistic scenarios for impact models. In this context of high-dimensional data, we propose a novel hierarchical model for high threshold exceedances defined over continuous space and time by embedding a space-time Gamma process convolution for the rate of an exponential variable, leading to asymptotic independence in space and time. Its physically motivated anisotropic dependence structure is based on geometric objects moving through space-time according to a velocity vector. We demonstrate that inference based on weighted pairwise likelihood is fast and accurate. The usefulness of our model is illustrated by an application to hourly precipitation data from a study region in Southern France, where it clearly improves on an alternative censored Gaussian space-time random field model. While classical limit models based on threshold-stability fail to appropriately capture relatively fast joint tail decay rates between asymptotic dependence and classical independence, strong empirical evidence from our application and other recent case studies motivates the use of more realistic asymptotic independence models such as ours. Supplementary materials for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement.

Hierarchical space-time modeling of asymptotically independent exceedances with an application to precipitation data

Gaetan C.
;
OPITZ, THOMAS;
2020-01-01

Abstract

The statistical modeling of space-time extremes in environmental applications is key to understanding complex dependence structures in original event data and to generating realistic scenarios for impact models. In this context of high-dimensional data, we propose a novel hierarchical model for high threshold exceedances defined over continuous space and time by embedding a space-time Gamma process convolution for the rate of an exponential variable, leading to asymptotic independence in space and time. Its physically motivated anisotropic dependence structure is based on geometric objects moving through space-time according to a velocity vector. We demonstrate that inference based on weighted pairwise likelihood is fast and accurate. The usefulness of our model is illustrated by an application to hourly precipitation data from a study region in Southern France, where it clearly improves on an alternative censored Gaussian space-time random field model. While classical limit models based on threshold-stability fail to appropriately capture relatively fast joint tail decay rates between asymptotic dependence and classical independence, strong empirical evidence from our application and other recent case studies motivates the use of more realistic asymptotic independence models such as ours. Supplementary materials for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
jasa_unblinded_version-revision.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Documento in Pre-print
Licenza: Accesso chiuso-personale
Dimensione 6.19 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
6.19 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
bacro-gaetan-opitz-toulemonde_jasa_2019.pdf

non disponibili

Tipologia: Versione dell'editore
Licenza: Accesso chiuso-personale
Dimensione 3.01 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
3.01 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in ARCA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/3712789
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 12
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 11
social impact