About this Research Topic
Extreme events can bring substantial impacts on human societies and ecosystems. Global warming induced by anthropogenic climate change has resulted in an intensified hydrological cycle. Consequently, there is an increasing occurrence of hydroclimate extremes, such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves, accompanied by increasing extreme magnitudes during the past decades over many regions across the world. Such trends of hydroclimate extremes have induced major disastrous natural disasters, resulting in huge economic damage and loss of life. Furthermore, the exacerbation of hydroclimate extremes is most likely to be further intensified in the future and would bring unprecedented threats to human societies and ecosystems. Therefore, there is an imperative need to improve our understandings of the hydroclimate extremes and to provide strategies for potential risk management and adaptation under a changing climate.
Climate change, land-use change, surface water, and groundwater abstraction, dam construction, and other human interventions often bring compound influences on hydroclimate extremes. Several unsolved problems in hydrology, especially those related to floods and droughts, also highlight the complexity of the hydroclimate extremes. In addition, social-economic changes could further increase exposure and vulnerability to these extremes around the world. Although the clear increasing trend in hydroclimate extremes found globally in recent decades by the scientific community, the impact of hydroclimate extremes on the human-natural systems has not yet been fully understood. Moreover, potential extreme risk mitigation and adaptations are also urgently needed, facing the threats of hydroclimate extremes.
The themes of this Research Topic include but are not limited to the following areas:
1. Simulation and interpretation of the hydroclimate extremes of a coupled human-natural system.
2. Compounded impacts of climate change and human activities on hydroclimate extremes.
3. Environmental and economic impacts of hydroclimate extremes on society.
4. Hydroclimate extremes prediction and their impacts on society under changing climate.
5. Future environmental and economic risks assessment.
6. Risk mitigation and climate change adaptation.
Climate change, land-use change, surface water, and groundwater abstraction, dam construction, and other human interventions often bring compound influences on hydroclimate extremes. Several unsolved problems in hydrology, especially those related to floods and droughts, also highlight the complexity of the hydroclimate extremes. In addition, social-economic changes could further increase exposure and vulnerability to these extremes around the world. Although the clear increasing trend in hydroclimate extremes found globally in recent decades by the scientific community, the impact of hydroclimate extremes on the human-natural systems has not yet been fully understood. Moreover, potential extreme risk mitigation and adaptations are also urgently needed, facing the threats of hydroclimate extremes.
The themes of this Research Topic include but are not limited to the following areas:
1. Simulation and interpretation of the hydroclimate extremes of a coupled human-natural system.
2. Compounded impacts of climate change and human activities on hydroclimate extremes.
3. Environmental and economic impacts of hydroclimate extremes on society.
4. Hydroclimate extremes prediction and their impacts on society under changing climate.
5. Future environmental and economic risks assessment.
6. Risk mitigation and climate change adaptation.
Keywords: hydroclimatic extremes, economic impacts, risk mitigation, climate change, extreme events, environmental management strategies, risk and adaptation
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
