Climate Change and Hydrometeorological Extremes. Examples in Mexico

FROM THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS, 78% ARE AFFECTED BY FLOODS OR DROUGHTS, OWING TO HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL EXTREMES.

global risk report identifies extreme weather as the most likely natural disaster and fourth most severe in terms of impacts.

Despite the evident extent of hydrometeorological risks and their effects in Latin America and number of researchers and research groups dedicated to their study, forecasts and the mitigation of such phenomena are quite scarce. Fostering the study of the abovementioned phenomena and disseminating the research conducted in the region are the main drivers of the UNESCO Chair on Hydrometeorological Risks for the publication of the book, “Climate Change and Hydrometeorological Risks,” which compiles some of the most promising works on the subject from research groups in different Latin American countries.

The book starts with a chapter prepared by one of the most recognized research groups on hydrometeorological risks in the region. This chapter reports the activities and results from recent advanced studies initiatives at the University of Costa Rica, where the research group is based. From the other end of Latin America, Miguel Lovino, from Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina, in Chapter 6, discusses future climate change impacts and scenarios within the region and assesses a case study in climate variability and change in the northeast region of Argentina.

Regarding Mexico, this publication includes chapters written by some of the most recognized specialists in the field. For example, Dr. Cecilia Conde and her research group at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico provide examples of hydrometeorological extremes linked to climate change in Mexico. Dr. Ricardo Prieto, distinguished researcher and manager of National Weather Service, analyzes the main hydrometeorological risks that Mexico is facing. In addition, the research group at the Inter-American Institute of Water Science and Technology includes in this book original and relevant results on food safety issues in one of the main Mexican basins as a result of seasonal changes in the 1960–2010 period.

Extreme temperatures are also a growing hydrometeorological risk because of their effects on health and for the increased water demands they generate. Within this context, a research group from the Desert Research Institute in the United States assesses, in Chapter 8, extreme temperatures, heat waves, and their effects. This topic is complemented with a study of the maximum temperature trends observed in northwest Mexico presented in Chapter 4.

Hydrometeorological risks have implications and consequences on a wide range of human activities. In the book, three of the most relevant interactions are addressed: economic aspects, dam safety risks, and gender implications. These aspects are discussed in Chapters 9–11.

It is impossible to cover a topic as broad and important as hydrometeorological risks in a single publication for a region as large and with so much climate variety as Latin America. We are confident that the book will draw the attention of a large number of specialists and the public interested in the hydrometeorological risks phenomena. We also expect this book to be the first in a series of publications on the subject.

The contents of the book and corresponding authors of each chapter are as follows.

1. Hydrometeorological Risks in the Central American Dry Corridor. Research, Social Action and Teaching Within the Advanced Studies Space at the University of Costa Rica. Eric J. Alfaro, Paula M. Pérez-Briceño, Hugo G. Hidalgo, Yosef Gotlieb, Jorge García y Andrey Rodríguez 2. Hydrometeorological Risks in Mexico Ricardo Prieto González 3. Climate Change and Hydrometeorological Extremes. Examples in Mexico Cecilia Conde, Fanny López-Díaz, Gabriel Balderas y Elda Luyando 4. Observed Trends in Maximum Temperatures in Northwest Mexico Polioptro F. Martínez Austria 5. Seasonal Changes in Climate Variables (1960-2010) and Their Implications for Food Safety in the Lerma-Chapala-Santiago Basin Raymundo Ordoñez-Sierra, Ricardo Manzano-Solís, Miguel Angel Gómez-Albores, Carlos Alberto Mastachi-Loza y Carlos Díaz-Delgado 6. Vulnerability of Latin America to Climate Change and Climate Variability Miguel Lovino 7. Hydrological Modeling and Climate Change Carlos Patiño Gómez, Paul Hernández Moreno 8. Temperature and Heat Waves Bianca Isla, Ahdee Zeidman y Erick R. Bandala 9. Seismic Risk in Dams, Failures and Consequences José A. Alcalá Hernández y Humberto Marengo Mogollón 10. Water and Inflation in Mexico Einar Moreno Quezada 11. A Gendered Experience of Climate Change and Water Management Sofía Ramos