Hydro-Climatic Extremes and Water Resource Sustainability in a Changing Climate: Challenges for Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Arid and semi-arid regions are at the forefront of global challenges posed by hydro-climatic extremes, such as severe droughts and intense floods, which increasingly threaten water resource sustainability. Despite covering a large portion of the world’s land area and supporting a significant population, these regions often lack resilient infrastructure and institutional capacity to manage water scarcity and variability. Recent climatic trends have heightened the frequency and severity of extreme events in these drylands, intensifying debates about the adequacy of existing water management approaches, particularly as they relate to food security, economic well-being, and societal resilience. Major studies highlight alarming trends of groundwater depletion, surface water scarcity, and heightened vulnerability to flash floods, while ongoing research explores both technological and nature-based solutions to improve monitoring and risk management. Yet, the complex interplay of hydrological, climatic, and socio-economic factors under climate change remains poorly understood in many of these regions, signaling an urgent need for integrated, multidisciplinary investigations.

This Research Topic aims to advance scientific understanding of hydro-climatic extremes in arid and semi-arid regions and their implications for sustainable water resource management. It seeks to bring together research that addresses the detection, prediction, and assessment of droughts and floods, as well as the evolving nature of water scarcity in the context of a changing climate. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue between hydrology, climatology, remote sensing, risk governance, and socio-environmental studies, this topic intends to support policies and practices better aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those pertaining to water, climate action, and sustainable development in vulnerable drylands.

The scope of this Research Topic is limited to the challenges and solutions relevant to arid and semi-arid regions worldwide facing hydro-climatic extremes under climate change pressures. Regional case studies, comparative approaches, and contributions from both physical and social sciences are welcomed. To gather further insights, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes pertaining to arid and semi-arid regions only:

• Flood dynamics and flash flood risk assessment
• Drought monitoring, forecasting, and hydro-climatic variability
• Groundwater–surface water interactions and water availability in water-scarce regions
• Transboundary water governance and management under climate stress
• Remote sensing, GIS, and modelling applications for hydro-climatic hazards
• Nature-based solutions and adaptive management for water sustainability
• Socio-hydrological resilience, risk governance, and community adaptation

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... 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
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Arid regions, Semi-arid regions, Hydro-climatic extremes, Drought, Flood risk, Water scarcity, Climate change, Groundwater depletion, Remote sensing, Water governance

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.