A Review on Connecting Research, Policies and Networking in the Area of Climate-Related Extreme Events in the EU with Highlights of French Case Studies

The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g., floods, heat and cold waves, storms, forest fires) resulting from climate change-compounded vulnerabilities and exposure require a specific research focus. Climate-related extreme events are part of disaster risk reduction policies ruled at international, EU, and national levels, covering various sectors and features such as awareness-raising, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, monitoring and detection, response, and recovery. A wide range of research and technological developments, as well as capacity-building and training projects, has supported the development and implementation of these policies and strategies. In particular, research and innovation actions support the paradigm shift from managing “disasters” to managing “risks” and enhancing resilience needs. In this respect, a huge body of knowledge and technology has been developed in the EU-funded Seventh Framework Programme (2007–2013) and Horizon 2020 (2014–2020), for example in the area of measures and technologies needed to enhance the response capacity to extreme weather and climate events affecting the security of people and assets. In addition, networking initiatives have been developed to connect scientists, policy-makers, practitioners, and industry and civil society representatives in order to boost research uptake, identify gaps, and elaborate research programs at EU level. Research and networking efforts are pursued within the newly starting framework program Horizon Europe (2021–2027), with a focus on supporting civil protection operations. This paper provides a general overview of relevant EU policies and examples of past and developing research in the area of weather and climate extreme events and highlights current networking efforts in this area.

Seasonal and interannual coastal wind variability off the central Maluku Islands revealed by satellite oceanography

<p>The Maluku Islands (henceforth MI) are situated in the northeastern Indonesia. Ocean region off the central MI is pivotal as it provides a course for the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) through the Lifamatola passage. However, sea surface dynamics off the central MI is unknown until recently due to inadequate measurements. The current fact motivates the present study to decipher the coastal wind variability off the central MI and its effect on the sea surface by analysing long-term datasets (2007-2019) of satellite-derived sea surface wind, sea surface temperature (SST), and surface chlorophyll-a concentration. Possible influence of extreme climate events of the 2015 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the 2019 Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on all oceanographic parameters was also examined. Results show that the prevailing southeasterly winds over the central MI induce SST cooling and phytoplankton bloom. Correlation analysis revealed that the ENSO and IOD play significant roles in defining spatial distribution of the coastal wind, SST, and phytoplankton bloom in the research area. In addition, the anomaly analysis exhibits distinct oceanographic features during the climate extreme events of 2015 and 2019. Collectively, results of the present research highlight the importance of coastal wind variability and extreme events in shaping the ocean surface characteristics and perhaps regional fisheries production.</p>

Transcriptomic and Physiological Response of Durum Wheat Grain to Short-Term Heat Stress during Early Grain Filling

In a changing climate, extreme weather events such as heatwaves will be more frequent and could affect grain weight and the quality of crops such as wheat, one of the most significant crops in terms of global food security. In this work, we characterized the response of Triticum turgidum L. spp. durum wheat to short-term heat stress (HS) treatment at transcriptomic and physiological levels during early grain filling in glasshouse experiments. We found a significant reduction in grain weight (23.9%) and grain dimensions from HS treatment. Grain quality was also affected, showing a decrease in starch content (20.8%), in addition to increments in grain protein levels (14.6%), with respect to the control condition. Moreover, RNA-seq analysis of durum wheat grains allowed us to identify 1590 differentially expressed genes related to photosynthesis, response to heat, and carbohydrate metabolic process. A gene regulatory network analysis of HS-responsive genes uncovered novel transcription factors (TFs) controlling the expression of genes involved in abiotic stress response and grain quality, such as a member of the DOF family predicted to regulate glycogen and starch biosynthetic processes in response to HS in grains. In summary, our results provide new insights into the extensive transcriptome reprogramming that occurs during short-term HS in durum wheat grains.

Transcriptomic and Physiological Response of Durum Wheat Grain to Short-Term Heat Stress during Early Grain Filling

In a changing climate, extreme weather events such as heat waves will be more frequent and could affect grain weight and the quality of crops such as wheat, one of the most significant crops in terms of global food security. In this work, we characterized the response of Triticum turgidum spp. durum wheat to a short-term heat-stress (HS) treatment at transcriptomic and physiological levels during early grain filling in glasshouse experiments. We found a significant reduction in grain weight and size from HS treatment. Grain quality was also affected, showing a decrease in starch content in addition to increments in grain protein levels. Moreover, an RNA-seq analysis of durum wheat grains allowed us to identify 1590 differentially expressed genes related to photosynthesis, response to heat, and carbohydrate metabolic process. A gene regulatory network analysis of HS-responsive genes uncovered novel transcription factors (TFs) controlling the expression of genes involved in abiotic stress response and grain quality, such as a member of the DOF family predicted to regulate glycogen and starch biosynthetic processes in response to HS in grains. In summary, our results provide new insights into the extensive transcriptome reprogramming that occurs during short-term HS in durum wheat grains.

Analysis of Expected Climate Extreme Variability with Regional Climate Simulations over Napoli Capodichino Airport: A Contribution to a Climate Risk Assessment Framework

In recent years, the scientific community has paid particular attention to the analysis of extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, and intense rain events that have caused loss of human life and significant economic damage. Climate-related extremes generally produce large impact on infrastructures, especially on those with insufficient design, while some infrastructures may become inadequate under the effects of severe extremes. In the particular case of airports, the increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events will worsen their deterioration rate. This work presents an analysis of the expected climate variability over Napoli Capodichino Airport, using climate projections generated by the Regional Climate Model COSMO-CLM. Simulations were performed over Italy, employing a spatial resolution of approximately 8 km. The time period simulated was 1979–2100, and, in particular, the CMIP5 historical experiment (based on historical greenhouse gas concentrations) was used for the period 1979–2005, while, for the period 2006–2100, two different simulations were performed, employing the Representative Concentration Pathways IPCC RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 greenhouse gas concentrations. The meteorological situations over the airport have been analyzed, along with the identification of conditions that could cause relevant impact on airport environment. In particular, extreme summer temperatures may exceed design standards, leading to heat damage to surfaces, while runways or aprons may have trouble due to the surface melting during peak heat periods. Long term changes in the directions of wind can adversely affect the usability of runways, while changes in wind shear could modify strength and frequency of clear-air turbulence. Analyses have been performed considering suitable Extreme Events Indicators (EWI), both on past trends and on numerical projections over future periods, with the aim of contributing to the definition of a risk assessment methodology based on the combination of the frequency and of the severity of meteorological hazards.

Variability of Climate-Induced Rice Yields in Northwest Bangladesh Using Multiple Statistical Modeling

Because of evident climatic variations and significant contribution to national food production, Bangladesh is a climate extreme hotspot region of examination for climatic consequences for rice (Oryza Sativa) crop production. This study intends to explore the variability of climatic variables (e.g., variations in mean temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and sunshine duration) with rice yields (e.g., Aus, Aman, and Boro rice varieties) in northwest Bangladesh. The modified Mann-Kendall test, Theil-Sen slope estimator, and multiple linear regression (MLR) modeling were used to estimate the association among these factors. Heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation constant standard error (HAC) and feasible generalized least square (FGLS) technique were adopted to measure the climate-rice crop nexus using the regional level dataset for 1976–2015. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal variation of rice yield trends with climatic variables was mapped and assessed by the coefficient of variation. The results show that observed temperature and humidity trends were beneficial for Aus and Aman yields but not Boro yields. In contrast, observed rainfall and sunshine trends were negative for all three rice seasons. The outcomes of the MLR model explained 67%, 92%, and 83% of the variability in Aus, Aman, and Boro rice yields in the study region. The model outcomes showed that humidity and rainfall have negatively affected Aus and Aman rice crops, while temperature and rainfall positively influence Boro rice yield. Regarding the climate change issues and safeguarding food safety at the regional level, the concerned authorities should provide substantial attention to improving heat and drought-tolerance high-yielding varieties against climate effects on Aus and Aman rice varieties.

Health-related vulnerability to climate extremes in homoclimatic zones of Amazonia and Northeast region of Brazil

Amazonia and the Northeast region of Brazil exhibit the highest levels of climate vulnerability in the country. While Amazonia is characterized by an extremely hot and humid climate and hosts the world largest rainforest, the Northeast is home to sharp climatic contrasts, ranging from rainy areas along the coast to semiarid regions that are often affected by droughts. Both regions are subject to extremely high temperatures and are susceptible to many tropical diseases. This study develops a multidimensional Extreme Climate Vulnerability Index (ECVI) for Brazilian Amazonia and the Northeast region based on the Alkire-Foster method. Vulnerability is defined by three components, encompassing exposure (proxied by seven climate extreme indicators), susceptibility (proxied by sociodemographic indicators), and adaptive capacity (proxied by sanitation conditions, urbanization rate, and healthcare provision). In addition to the estimated vulnerability levels and intensity, we break down the ECVI by indicators, dimensions, and regions, in order to explore how the incidence levels of climate-sensitive infectious and parasitic diseases correlate with regional vulnerability. We use the Grade of Membership method to reclassify the mesoregions into homoclimatic zones based on extreme climatic events, so climate and population/health data can be analyzed at comparable resolutions. We find two homoclimatic zones: Extreme Rain (ER) and Extreme Drought and High Temperature (ED-HT). Vulnerability is higher in the ED-HT areas than in the ER. The contribution of each dimension to overall vulnerability levels varies by homoclimatic zone. In the ER zone, adaptive capacity (39%) prevails as the main driver of vulnerability among the three dimensions, in contrast with the approximately even dimensional contribution in the ED-HT. When we compare areas by disease incidence levels, exposure emerges as the most influential dimension. Our results suggest that climate can exacerbate existing infrastructure deficiencies and socioeconomic conditions that are correlated with tropical disease incidence in impoverished areas.