Natural Resources, Climate Change and Sustainability Indicators: trends and variations in meteorological and hydroclimatic variables

This special edition invites studies that investigate the seasonality, trends, and spatial and temporal variations of the main meteorological and hydroclimatic variables that, interrelated with precipitation, affect evapotranspiration (drought/aridity) and water availability through other components of the hydrological cycle. These variables play a crucial role in understanding and managing water resources, predicting climate impacts, and addressing various environmental, ecological, productive, economic, social, and public health issues. The integration of meteorological and hydroclimatic variable data into decision-making processes is fundamental to addressing the multifaceted impacts of climate change and ensuring sustainable development.

Contributions from diverse research communities, including meteorologists, hydrologists, atmospheric and environmental scientists, water resources specialists, climate modelers, and data scientists, are welcome to foster a truly interdisciplinary perspective. Original research papers, methodological advances, review articles, and case studies related to the topic are accepted. By bringing together cutting-edge research, this research topic seeks to enhance the understanding of the relationships between meteorology, hydrology, and climate change, focusing on the effects on ecosystem services and environmental indices, in order to support the use and conservation of natural resources and to support the planning, management, and development of adaptation strategies for climate and hydrological resilience.

Although meteorological and hydroclimatic variables are indispensable for various applications, their spatial and temporal complexity and variability represent challenges for analysis and forecasting. The influence of geographic and astronomical factors, mesoscale atmospheric phenomena, and climate change on these variables indicates the need for continuous monitoring and advanced modeling techniques to improve our understanding of natural resource management and ecosystem services. In simplified terms, there are several products or methodologies for obtaining data and analyzing spatial and temporal information, which may be associated with in situ measurements, remote sensing, reanalysis, among others. In the context of climate change research, there are also several global climate models (GCMs), scenarios, and spatial scales of data that still require regionalized assessments regarding their uncertainties and effects. Based on these relationships, the methods used to analyze trends and variations in meteorological and hydroclimatic variables in space and time can be grouped into three categories: (a) statistical, (b) machine learning, and (c) deterministic/based on physical principles. This Special Topic aims to bring together a set of research that addresses these themes.

The objective of this research topic is to deepen the understanding of the interactions between natural resources (soil, water, and air) and climate change, bringing together a collection of articles that present a range of methodological approaches that address the meteorological and hydroclimatic effects on ecosystem services and/or environmental sustainability indices.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

- Studies focused on monitoring systems and direct measurements of meteorological and hydroclimatic variables

- Studies focused on statistical meteorology and hydrology, with the objective of defining temporal and spatial patterns, probability distribution functions, return periods, and prediction

- Analysis of trends and variations in time series and/or the future effects of climate change on meteorological and hydroclimatic variables

- Analysis of extreme events (droughts, floods, forest fires, among others); - Applications of Remote Sensing, Geoprocessing, or Geostatistics for assessing the impact of climate change

- Assessment of the impact of climate change on environmental and/or sustainability indices

- Impact of climate change/disturbances on natural ecosystems and ecosystem services

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: Hydroclimatology, Extreme weather events, Climate change uncertainty, Water resources, Ecosystem services, Time series Analysis, Climate variations

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.