Cold Region Hydrology 2025
This conference proposed to explore permafrost hydrology from an interdisciplinary perspective to tackle three kinds of uncertainties: (1) those concerning the environmental risks caused by permafrost hydrological disturbances in response to climate warming; (2) those linked to the use of numerical modeling when investigating hydrological processes; and (3) those regarding future projections of permafrost hydrology in a warming climate.
Indeed, global warming is threatening the stability of the perennially frozen ground, called permafrost. Across the northern latitudes, the thawing of ice-rich permafrost is already reshaping the topography of the landscapes, modifying surface water distribution, and thereby triggering a broad ecological shift. The associated changes in nutrients fluxes, heat regulation, and greenhouse gas emission (following the release of large carbon pools previously trapped in frozen ground) are expected to have global consequences. As a vector of heat and nutrients, water plays a crucial role in these processes: it contributes to the thermal state of the permafrost and supports the trophic chain. Therefore, understanding cold-region hydrology is essential to anticipate the local and global consequences of permafrost thaw on biodiversity, human health, and further climate change.
The conference brought together experienced and early career researchers from geoscience, computer science, and environment & society sciences to investigate three core topics:
- DAY1 - Highlighting the local and global risks caused by hydrological disturbances in cold regions;
- DAY2 - Improving the numerical representation of current hydrological processes in cold-regions;
- DAY3 - Improving the accuracy of medium- and long-term hydrological projections in warming cold-regions.
