Understanding hydroclimatic extremes and their implications in India

Abstract

Hydroclimatic extremes are of prime importance to society, due to their detrimental effects on socio-economic and ecological systems. For example, co-occurrence of dry and hot conditions can significantly disrupt the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, climate change is expected to aggravate the intensity, frequency and duration of hydroclimatic extremes. Such changes are projected to continue throughout the 21st century, raising concerns about the adaptive capacity of our socio-economic systems. Nonetheless, our scientific understanding of hydroclimatic extremes and their dynamic impacts driven by vulnerability and exposure of the system, remains limited. Therefore, addressing scientific knowledge gaps and refining methods to study hydroclimatic extremes and their impacts, is a crucial research priority with significant social importance. The overarching goal of the thesis is to enhance the assessment of, and contribute to understanding of the hydroclimatic extremes and their implications over India.