Floods under Climate and Land-Use Change: Emerging Science and Adaptation Strategies

Flood hazards represent a growing challenge in hydrological and environmental sciences, shaped by both global climatic shifts and direct human modifications to landscapes. The increasing frequency and magnitude of floods, especially riverine and flash floods, have highlighted the limitations of traditional risk assessment and management approaches. Anthropogenic influences, such as urban expansion, deforestation, wetland reclamation, and the degradation of natural drainage, have fundamentally altered hydrological processes, increasing both the incidence and unpredictability of flooding events. As urban areas expand and climate systems become more volatile, uncertainties persist in flood forecasting, vulnerability mapping, and the development of effective mitigation strategies. Recent research emphasizes the complexity of these interactions and the need for a more nuanced, interdisciplinary framework that incorporates climate dynamics, land-use transitions, and socio-economic factors. However, existing models and decision-support tools often lag behind the pace of environmental change, leaving significant gaps in both our predictive capabilities and our ability to foster resilience.

This Research Topic aims to synthesize cutting-edge evidence on how climate variability and human interventions are redefining flood risks worldwide. By focusing on the processes and mechanisms through which floods respond to environmental and societal change, the collection seeks to inform and enhance both predictive science and adaptive management. The principal objective is to foster development of next-generation early warning systems, modeling methodologies, and integrated assessment tools that can accommodate non-stationary and interconnected drivers of flood risk. Contributions that bridge scientific understanding with practical solutions and that offer case-based or cross-disciplinary insights into adaptive policy, governance, and urban planning are especially welcome. Ultimately, the goal is to catalyze innovation that reduces vulnerability, safeguards communities, and builds resilience to future flood hazards under climate uncertainty.

This Research Topic encompasses studies at the interface of climate science, hydrology, environmental engineering, land-use planning, and policy analysis. It seeks to encourage interdisciplinary approaches and welcomes submissions focused on, but not limited to:

- Flood forecasting and early warning systems under evolving climate and land-use conditions

- Integrated modeling of hydrology, climate, and land-use interactions

- Mapping and assessment of flood vulnerability and associated risks

- Machine learning and data-driven tools for flood hazard prediction and mitigation

- Socio-hydrological frameworks for understanding and enhancing community resilience

- Regional and local adaptation strategies to increase preparedness for extreme events

- Policy development, governance structures, and institutional innovations for effective flood risk management

Appendix: This Research Topic accepts original research, systematic reviews, case studies, modeling approaches, and data papers. Multidisciplinary and multi-scale studies, and those that emphasize actionable outcomes or policy implications, are strongly encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Floods, Riverine Floods, Flash Floods, Land-Use Change, Hydrological Modeling, Flood Risk, Adaptation Strategies, Resilience, Early Warning Systems, Socio-Hydrology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.