The adverse impacts of hydrological extremes are driven by complex interactions between hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and adaptation efforts. To effectively mitigate risks, an improved understanding of the causes of these increasing impacts is needed. To address this gap, we will investigate how spatiotemporal changes in flood and drought risk are driven by hazard, exposure, vulnerability dynamics, and the implemented adaptation measures.
By integrating diverse data-driven approaches and generating a new array of spatio-temporal data, we will provide a nuanced understanding of the historical and contemporary factors influencing the impacts of hydrological extremes throughout Central Europe. This advance will allow us to identify effective adaptation measures that have been implemented in specific hotspot areas, contributing valuable knowledge for policymakers to better cope with climate change challenges and increase resilience. Additionally, trend attribution and analysis of risk drivers will be of relevance to the (re)insurance industry and water management authorities to support climate adaptation decisions.
EXTREME-ADAPT is an InnoPool Project funded by the Helmholtz Association. The project is coordinated by UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research with GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, AWI Alfred Wegener Institute and KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as project partners