Climate and Weather Extremes in the Mediterranean

Dear Colleagues,

The Mediterranean region is susceptible to a range of climate and weather extremes, including heatwaves, droughts, tropical-like cyclones (known informally as medicanes), tornadoes and waterspouts, and flash floods, among others. These extremes have severe impacts on ecosystems and society, and also exert negative effects on the resilience of cities and infrastructure in our current climate. These pose an increasing threat as our climate changes, increasing in their frequency and intensity.

Scientific research in this area is essential for understanding the underlying processes, assessing their impacts, and developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to these extremes within the framework of building communities with greater resilience against climate change.

To this end, this Special Issue aims to compile state-of-the-art research focusing on the study of climate and weather extremes and climatological applications in the region. In particular, we encourage the submission of theoretical and experimental research articles and progress reports on the following topics and other relevant research issues:

• Development/improvement of high-resolution, long-term climate records for the Mediterranean.
• Analysis of historical extremes from a climatological perspective; link to climate conditions, seasonal characteristics of severe weather events (e.g., via using seasonal indices and atmospheric circulation patterns), comparison of the interannual variability, long-term studies on the characteristics of extremes, trends, anomalies, etc.
• Regional climate modeling specific to the Mediterranean to provide more accurate projections of future climate extremes.
• Studies on observed and modelled intensity and frequency in climate/weather extremes (i.e., heatwaves, droughts, desertification and heavy rainfall) in the region.
• Analysis of hydrological impacts of weather extremes, including their effects on water resources, river basins, groundwater systems, and on the severity flood events.
• Hydrometeorological context of severe weather conditions resulting in flooding.
• Analysis of urban heat island effect in cities within the Mediterranean to provide insights into how urbanization interacts with climate extremes, affecting local temperatures and heat-related risks.
• Research on local ecosystems’ resilience to climate and weather extremes from the perspective of identifying conservation and restoration strategies to mitigate biodiversity loss.
• Socioeconomic vulnerability assessment associated with weather extremes and past severe weather events in the region.
• Health impacts of heatwaves, extreme temperatures, and other weather-related events on the population, with the scope of formulating public health strategies and improving healthcare preparedness.
• Understanding the local impacts of extreme heat on urban environments and the well-being of residents—assessment of bioclimatic conditions in cities in the Mediterranean.
• Investigation of adaptation strategies and practices in the region, including agriculture, water management, and urban planning, which can provide valuable lessons for building resilient environments to climate extremes.
• Cross-border collaboration for promoting regional collaboration and data sharing among Mediterranean countries, which is essential for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of climate and weather extremes, common problems that often span national boundaries.

Dr. Panagiotis Nastos
Dr. Elissavet G. Feloni
Dr. Ioannis Matsangouras
Guest Editors

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