11st  Water  Research  Horizon  Conference    16/17  June  2020  |  Karlsruhe    jointly  organised  by    the  Water  Science  Alliance  and  the  Water  Research  Network  Baden-­‐Württemberg    1st  Announcement  –  01/2020    Droughts,  Floods  and  their  Emerging  Challenges    

   One  of  the  most  obvious  consequences  of  climate  change  are  increasing  intensities  and  frequencies  of  droughts  and  floods,  including  emerging  challenges  for  human  and  natural  systems.  The  predicted  in-­‐tensification  of  dry  periods  based  on  climate  projections  for  Central  Europe  has  already  become  evi-­‐dent  in  the  past  decades.  In  2018,  about  90  %  of  the  German  territory  as  well  as  of  many  other  regions  in  Europe  and  beyond  suffered  under  droughts,  with  far  reaching  direct  and  indirect  consequences  for  agriculture,  forestry,  water  supply,  industry,  transport  and  the  energy  sector  as  well  as  for  ecology.  On  the  contrary,  damages  caused  by  heavy  rain  and  flooding  have  significantly  increased  in  the  recent  past,  including  particularly  high  socio-­‐economic  losses  in  urban  areas  due  to  their  complex  infrastructures.    Dealing  with  droughts  and  floods  stresses  the  need  for  a  systemic  and  integrated  approach  that  proves  to  be  sustainable  for  both,  high  and  low  water  situations.  So  far,  it  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  under-­‐stood,  why  different  regions  react  differently  to  extremes,  which  feedback  mechanisms  have  an  either  reinforcing  or  weakening  effect  and  where  the  tipping  points   lie,   that,  when  exceeded,  will   lead  to  irreversible  changes  in  environmental  systems.  It  will  be  further  challenging  to  better  predict  extremes,  in  particular  slow  onset  events  that  usually  get  less  attention.  Likewise,  there  is  a  considerable  need  to  understand  and  manage  the   interaction  of  extreme  events  with  water  pollution  as  well  as  with  dy-­‐namic  transport  processes,  such  as  first  flush  effects,  severe  erosion  and  sediment  transport.  Further-­‐more,  most  probably,  changes  in  hydrological  extremes  may  affect  the  resilience  of  ecosystems.    The  11th  Water  Research  Horizon  Conference  will  bring  together  national  and  international  scientists,  practitioners  and  policy-­‐makers  with  diverse  backgrounds.  Participants  will  engage  in  a  multilateral  and  multidisciplinary  exchange  about  the  role  of  research  in  addressing  the  emerging  challenges  of  floods  and  droughts.  Main  focus  will  be  on  the  dynamic  interplay  of  extreme  events  with  human  processes  and  eco-­‐systems  in  river  basins  as  a  basis  to  develop  strategies  for  risk  management  and  adaptation  measures.  This  perspective  will  guide  the  presentations  as  well  as  discussion  panels,  organised  in  six  thematic  sessions:  

       

11st  Water  Research  Horizon  Conference  

16/17  June  2020  |  Karlsruhe    jointly  organised  by    the  Water  Science  Alliance  and  the  Water  Research  Network  Baden-­‐Württemberg    1st  Announcement  –  01/2020    Droughts,  Floods  and  their  Emerging  Challenges    

   

Track  A    Challenges  of  Droughts  

Track  B    Challenges  of  Floods  

Track  C    Cross-­‐cutting  Challenges  

A1   Droughts  and  Water    Security  

B1   Floods,  Sediments  and  Pollution  

C1   Tipping  Elements  –    Response  to  Extremes  

A2   Droughts  and    Ecosystems  

B2   Extremes  in  Urban    Areas  

C2   Multi-­‐Hazard-­‐Risks  

 Open  Space  Workshops  and  Poster  Session      Open  Space  Workshops  as  well  as  a  Poster  Session  will  complement  the  programme.  Everybody,  and  esp.  young  scientists,  are  invited  to  present  a  poster  at  the  conference.  Therefore,  please  submit  a  one-­‐page  abstract  until  30  April  2020  (to  both  contacts  listed  below).  The  open  space  workshops  offer  room  for  in-­‐depth  discussions  and  intend  to  initiate  new  research  coalitions  and  activities  beyond  the  existing  disciplinary  and  institutional  boundaries.  There  are  currently  different  workshop  ideas  and  initi-­‐atives  already  under  discussion,  but  further  ideas  from  participants  are  most  welcome  –  please  contact  

Mr.  Jörg  Seegert   Dr.  Ulrike  Scherer  joerg.seegert@tu-­‐dresden.de   ulrike.scherer@kit.de  Tel.  +49  (0)351  463  3-­‐5477   Tel.  +49  (0)721  608-­‐48230    This  year’s  conference  includes  the  Ritter  Foundation’s  water  monitoring  award  ceremony  and  the  8th  general  meeting  of  the  Water  Science  Alliance  e.V.  on  the  eve  of  the  conference,  Monday,  15  June  2020.  A  first  draft  of  the  session  programme  will  be  available  soon  at  

http://www.water-­‐research-­‐horizon.de/index.html