Research platform 1: "Global Change and Hydrological Extremes"
Photo: André Künzelmann, UFZ
Global change, floods and droughts
Flood and drought damages are rapidly increasing. The number of large inland flood catastrophes between 1996 and 2005 was twice as large, per decade, than between 1950 and 1980, while the economic losses increased by a factor of five (Kron & Berz, 2007). A large part of the upward trend in losses is linked to socio-economic factors, such as growth of population and wealth in vulnerable areas. The question is open whether the frequency and/or magnitude of hydrological extremes are increasing and, if so, what factors are responsible for that.
Research focus
There is increasing consensus that hydrological systems operate under non-stationary conditions (e.g. Milly et al., 2008). Change detection by means of statistical approaches (trend tests, time series analysis etc.) plays a dominant role when looking at past changes.
Which research activities that complement these approaches by trying to better understand how changes in processes and in process interactions lead to changes in flood and drought hazard and risk? How to include studies to understand and possibly quantify temporal changes in flood and drought vulnerability besides investigations of hydrological extremes and hazards?
Research Platform 1 aims for the development of methods for the detection and attribution of changes in hydrologic extreme events. Furthermore the unterstanding and quantification of the interfaces between climatic processes and hydrologic extremes is an important topic. Another aspect is the investigation and analysis of changing vulneraibilty and it's impacts on risk.
Work package 1: Past and Present Changes in hydrological extremes
Work package 2: Hydrological extremes and climate
Work package 3: Changes in vulnerability
Work package 4: Outreach and system solutions
Interfaces within the Helmholtz Water Network:
- Research Platform 6 -
Complex water management in the Circum-Mediterranean region
Events:
- Kick-Off-Event of "
Network Water Research Baden-Württemberg" on January 14, 2016 in Stuttgart (KIT, Universität Tübingen) - Focus of 5. Water Research Horizon Conference 2014 "Water in urban areas" and "Extreme events – understanding environmental processes in real time"
- "1st European Hail Workshop" in June 2014 in Bern, Switzerland (KIT)
- Focus of 4. Water Research Horizon Conference 2013 "Water Scarcity and Global Change" in Berlin
- DFG-Roundtable: "How can scenarios shape decision making?" in June 2013 in Berlin (TU Dresden, UFZ)
Related research within the Helmholtz Association (POF III):
- Research Programme "Geosystem - The Changing Earth", Topic "Natural Hazards" (GFZ)
- Research Programme "Atmosphere and Climate", Topic "Land surface processes in the climate system" (KIT)
- Research Programme "PACES II: Marine, Coastal and Polar Systems", Topic "Climate Service Center" (HZG, UFZ/CSC)
Infrastructures:
- MOSES (Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems) (Coordination: UFZ, contribution: KIT, FZJ, GFZ, HMGU, AWI, HZG, DLR, GEOMAR)
- HyMeX: Hydrological cycle in Mediterranean Experiment (Coordination: Ecole Polytechnique, France, contributing centres: KIT, DLR)
Projects and further activities:
- Helmholtz Climate Initiative - REKLIM (Coordination: AWI, contributing centres: DLR, HMGU, FZJ, GEOMAR, HZG, GFZ, KIT, UFZ)
- Helmholtz-Earth System Knowledge Platform (ESKP) (Coordination: GFZ,
HZG, contribution: AWI, DLR, FZJ, UFZ, KIT,GEOMAR, University Potsdam,
TU Dresden)
- Helmholtz Cross-Programme Initiative NDWS - “Natural Disasters and Warning Systems” (HZG, CSC)
- Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology - CEDIM (KIT)
- NiddaMan - Development of a sustainable water resources management for the catchment Nidda (contribution: KIT, Univ. Tübingen)
- Wetland Dynamics (WLDYN) (GFZ, TU München)
- Regional Flood Model for Germany (GFZ)
- Climate KIC: Detection and attribution of changes in floods (GFZ)
- GlaSCA-V - Changes in Glacier and Snow-melt runoff components in Central Asia and societal Vulnerability (contribution: GFZ, UFZ)
- EGSIEM - European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management (contribution: GFZ, DLR)
- WASCAL - West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (KIT, FZJ, DLR, University Bonn)
- CAWa - Regional Research Network "Central Asian Water" (GFZ, DLR, Central Asian Institute for Applied Geosciences (CAIAG))
- DFG Research Training Group: NatRiskChange - Natural Hazards and Risks in a Changing World (Coordination: Universität Potsdam, contribution: GFZ)
- BMBF-MIKLIP: Decadal Predictions (KIT)
- European Topic Centre on Water - ETC/ICM (scientific ccordination: UFZ)
- GLUES - Global Assessment of Land Use Dynamics, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Ecosystem Services - Modul A (UFZ)
Completed projects:
- World Water Quality Assessment (UNEP, scientific ccordination: UFZ)
- SuMaRiO - Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River (Coordination: University der Bundeswehr München, contribution: TU Dresden, GFZ)
- LUCCi – Land Use and Climate Change Interactions in Central Vietnam (Coordination: FH Köln, beteiligte Institutionen: KIT)
- KLIMOPASS: Klimawandel und Modellhafte Anpassung in Baden-Württemberg (KIT)
