Hydro-Climatic Hotspots of Extreme Events during the Anthropocene

Dear Colleagues,

The global climate is changing. This change is highly associated with increased anthropogenic activities, and comes with a plethora of environmental, cultural, and socio-economic impacts on and implications for human development. On the one hand, an increased acceleration of the water cycle will lead to a strong rise in precipitation and extreme and frequent floods in some regions. On the other hand, extreme droughts and water deficits will prevail in other regions as an aftermath of this ongoing change. From bush fires, heatwaves, ice melting, and invasive incursions to sea level rise, the direct impacts of climate change on water resources, agriculture, freshwater ecosystems, and biodiversity will be overtly deleterious. Because we live in the Anthropocene, where cumulated human actions are the leading drivers of climate variations and environmental change, these impacts are expected to be more devastating in some regions, creating a chain of socio-political tensions that will trigger ripple effects in socio-economic systems.

The surrounding oceans, global climate teleconnections such as the ENSO, and other oceanic processes and physical mechanisms that regulate precipitation and the transport of moisture will be the vehicle by which climatic extremes will be delivered globally. As a result, understanding the interactions and links of key oceanic hotspots with extreme events such as floods, bush fires, and droughts, among others, are crucial. Moreover, since human modifications of the Earth’s surface and the use of fossil fuels are clearly linked with climate change during the Anthropocene, global hotspots of hydro-meteorological fluctuations are evolving, and they are impacting the livelihoods of human populations across the globe. To mitigate these effects and adapt to the changing environment, it is imperative to identify hotspots of hydro-climatic influence around the world that could potentially be linked with climate change.

This Special Issue is dedicated to theoretical, computational, observational, and all methodological aspects of climate science that aims to: (i) understand the issues of climate change, including its impacts and implications on water availability and food security; (ii) unravel knowledge on interactions between oceanic and atmospheric processes through modelling and prediction; and (iii) assess and communicate the influence of extreme climate in various hydrological hotspots globally. It seeks to gather in one place the diverse perspectives on how global climate teleconnections and the surrounding oceans impact hydro-meteorological processes in several climatic hot spots, at local or regional scales. This compendium of knowledge is key to designing robust measures that support institutional efforts and drive stakeholder participation for increased disaster preparedness and impact assessment from extreme climate events.

Further, a range of data sources are now available to map, model, and monitor hydro-meteorological hotspots around the world. They include historical measurements, versatile remotely sensed data, and reanalysis products. Integrating them or using any of the products in isolation could effectively support our understanding relating to emerging global hotspots induced by climate change. This Special Issue seeks contributions from a wide range of audiences, dealing with hydro-meteorological issues and climate change on a broad scale. 

Dr. Christopher Ndehedehe
Guest Editor

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• diagnostic studies on hydro-climatic extremes that use Earth Observation, multi-satellites, and outputs from hydrological models
• climate change modelling and prediction
• methods and approaches to hydrometeorology
• drought characterization and modelling of global climate teleconnection patterns on rainfall
• machine-learning applications in floods and the analysis of spatio-temporal drought patterns
• sea level rise, coastal ecosystems, and floodplains
• predictive models to improve hazards and disaster management in the Anthropocene
• causes and consequences of local warming
• climate and weather extremes