Global Changes: Characterization, Impacts & Adaptations

Climate change, global changes, forecasts, adaptation, resilience, hydrological modeling, future climate simulation, water resource availability, extreme events, impacts on ecosystems, ecological issues

This course unit offers students an introduction to the climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic changes that are impacting our hydro-eco-socio-systems today and will continue to do so in the future.

The activities focus on certain aspects, which are not exhaustive, of this vast field, where knowledge is constantly evolving.

Beyond presenting issues, figures, and concepts, students learn to use hydrological modeling tools to develop future scenarios for resource evolution. They analyze a specific topic by combining different disciplines and approaches. They discuss possible adaptations to the impacts of change.

The activities consist of three parts: classroom activities, modeling activities, and bibliography activities.

- The courses cover the principles of climate modeling, the construction of climate change scenarios, and their limitations. The orders of magnitude of the main changes are outlined, as well as the major challenges of sustainable development, climate change, and global change. A particular focus is placed on French Mediterranean watersheds (climate change hot spots, declining water availability, agricultural practices and adaptations, irrigation, tourism, etc.).

- The concepts of hydrological modeling and calibration in non-stationary or poorly gauged contexts are taught, and an introduction to hydrological modeling is provided with a practical application. Students work with general hydrological models (such as GR, HEC-HMS, or WEAP) to evaluate flows and balances, feed them with climate model outputs, generate future flow and balance scenarios, and then critique the scenarios thus constructed. The modeling work carried out in small groups is the subject of an oral presentation.

- Finally, the bibliography compiled in class and completed independently should enable students to specialize in a specific case study of a change affecting a compartment of a natural or urbanized hydro-ecosystem (chosen by the students). They carry out a bibliographic analysis to highlight the societal or environmental issues arising from these changes, as well as the scientific questions inherent in the implementation of measures to reduce their impact or adapt to them. They must identify how their case study is similar to other cases, but also how it differs from them. Finally, they broaden their analysis to a more general methodology that can be applied to other case studies characterizing these changes, their impacts, and adaptation measures. Learners write

a summary note for operational purposes (bibliography, similar case studies, controversies, operational tools, protocols, orders of magnitude). They then pitch their results to the class.

- Understanding the mechanisms of global change (processes, interactions, combined effects, hydrological impacts) and the limitations of their characterization (uncertainties, available modeling tools)

- Deploy a scientific approach to solve a concrete problem

- Write an operational summary note

- Communicate in a compelling format (such as a pitch)

M1 S1 EU Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems (or equivalent), reading of a general book on hydrology, IPCC summaries

Continuous assessment based on the final presentation of the completed project (and interim reports)