Eric Tate

Eric Tate Pic
Associate Professor
Education: 
PhD, University of South Carolina
Office: 
302 Jessup Hall
Phone: 
319-335-0259
Office Hours: 
Mondays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Wednesdays from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Curriculum Vitae: 
Research Interests: 
flood hazards, vulnerability indicators, disaster recovery, social inequity

I study connections between natural hazards and society, primarily through modeling of social vulnerability and risk. I'm particularly interested in vulnerability to floods, and my scholarly work falls into three main areas:

  1. Evaluating social equity in disaster mitigation and recovery spending
  2. Assessing indicators of vulnerability and risk
  3. Analyzing uncertainty and sensitivity of geospatial models

I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Anthropocene Alliance and the Gulf Environmental Protection and Stewardship Program, on the Resilient America Roundtable of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, as co-chair of the National Academies study committee on spatial screening tools for environmental justice, and as a co-author of the Adaptation chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

 

Research minute: Eric Tate on disasters

Eric Tate is an Associate Professor of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences at the University of Iowa. Using models called social vulnerability indicators, he studies how natural hazards such as hurricanes and floods affect some populations more than others.

 

Courses: 
  • Environmental Justice (GEOG 4770):  relationships between environmental hazards & amenities, and marginalized groups & communities
  • Hazards and Society (GEOG 3760):  how societies plan for, experience, respond to, and recover from extreme natural hazards
  • Water Resources (GEOG 2930):  processes and practices underlying the management of freshwater resources
  • Contemporary Environmental Issues (GEOG 1070):  profiles today's leading environmental challenges, focusing on causes, consequences, and solutions
Grants & Funding: 
Selected Publications: 

* Denotes a UI geography student

Drakes, O.*, Tate, E. (2022). "Social vulnerability in a multi-hazard context: a systematic review" Environmental Research Letters, 17: 033001.

Wilson, B, Tate, E., and Emrich, C.T. (2021). "Flood Recovery Outcomes and Disaster Assistance Barriers for Vulnerable Populations" Frontiers in Water, 3: 752307.

Tate, E. and Emrich C.T. (2021).  "Assessing Social Equity in Disasters." Eos, 102.

Tate, E., Rahman, A.*, Emrich, CT, and Sampson C. (2021). "Flood exposure and social vulnerability in the United States." Natural Hazards, 106(1): 435-457.

Drakes, O.*, Tate, E., Rainey, J. and Brody S. (2021). "Social vulnerability and short-term disaster assistance in the United States." International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 53: 102010

Antolini, F.*, Tate, E., Dalzell, B., Young, N., Johnson, K., and Hawthorne P. (2020). "Flood Risk Reduction from Agricultural Best Management Practices." Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 56(1): 161-179.

Emrich, C., Tate, E., Larson, S., and Zhou, Y. (2020). "Measuring Social Equity in Flood Recovery Funding." Environmental Hazards, 19(3): 228-250.

Rufat, S., Tate, E., Emrich, C.T., and Antolini, F.* (2019). "How Valid are Social Vulnerability Models?" Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 109(4): 1131-1153.

Tate, E., Decker, V. and Just, C. (2018). "Evaluating Collaborative Readiness for Interdisciplinary Flood Research." Risk Analysis, 41(7): 1187-1194.

Rufat, S., Tate, E., Burton, C.G., and Maroof, A.S.* (2015). "Social vulnerability to floods: Review of case studies and implications for measurement." International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 14(4): 470-486.

Google Scholar Page