Compound hydrological and climate events are combinations of simultaneous or concurrent multiple hazards or drivers that contribute to significant socio-economic and environmental risk and costs such as on water quantity and quality. Compound events occur when there are two or more extreme events occurring simultaneously or successively, or combinations of events that are not themselves extremes but lead to an extreme event or impact when combined. For example, prolonged hydrological droughts followed by heatwaves can lead to reduced streamflow, constituent concentration and increased water temperature, which in turn can lead to water quality issues such as algae blooms. Other examples compound events could include blackwater events or impacts from bushfire after prolonged periods of droughts followed by rainfall extremes. The risk for such events may increase in the future with further rise of greenhouse gas emissions and warming of the atmosphere.
In this session we would like to invite contributions that:
Key topics: Compound event, Water quality management, Seamless analysis, Impact assessment