From drought to flood: water extremes under climate change

The seminar will take place in a hybrid format in person and online.

We invite you to join us in person in room GEO-1620, UNIL campus or with the usual Zoom link: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/63821341998

Climate and reservoir influences on droughts, floods, and their transitions

The frequency and magnitude of hydrological extremes, namely, droughts, floods, and their transitions, are undergoing change. In this talk, I show how these different types of extremes are responding to climate change and how they are influenced by water regulation, specifically reservoirs. In addition, I discuss potential adaptation approaches to ongoing and future changes in hydrologic extremes.

Presented by Manuela Brunner, Assistant professor at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich & WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

Tropical precipitation in a changing climate

Heavy precipitation causes severe flooding and water storage issues across the globe, especially in the Tropics where most of the vulnerable world population resides. Understanding and accurately representing precipitation processes in tropical regions is therefore crucial for improving forecasting tools in the Tropics and global Earth system models used for climate projections.

After reviewing current projections of expected changes in tropical precipitation as the global climate warms, I will highlight gaps in our understanding of extreme tropical precipitation and illustrate how advancements in physical insights and data-driven techniques can aid in addressing these gaps.

Presented by Tom Beucler, Assistant professor and head of the Data-driven Atmospheric and Water Dynamics Group at the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, UNIL

*Seminar organised in collaboration with the Expertise Center for Climate Extremes (ECCE).