Plinius Session: Impacts of climate change and extremes on ecosystems and agriculture

The 18th Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Risks will take place from 30 September to 3 October 2024 at Chania, Greece, at the Old Port of Chania – Chania Culture Centre. 

The objective of the 18th edition is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for discussions on our current state of knowledge of Mediterranean risks in a climate change context. Different aspects related to monitoring, assessment, diagnosis, prediction, and definition of weather extremes, wildfires, hydro-geological effects, impacts on natural resources, agriculture, health and society, as well as adaptation capacity and preservation strategies for natural and cultural heritage at risk, will be addressed with a multi-sectorial approach. This will be achieved by bringing together scientific experts in the fields of meteorology, hydrology, wildfires, geomorphology, sociology, engineering, cultural heritage conservation, and governmental or private risk management actors.

The active participation of early career scientists will be encouraged via reduced participation fees and awards for best oral and poster presentations.

Planned deadlines

• Abstract submission deadline: 3 May 2024
• Notification of abstract acceptance: 31 May 2024
• Letter of schedule (programme publication): 28 June 2024
• Early registration deadline: 19 July 2024
• Standard registration deadline: 13 September 2024

During the event, Nikolaos Nikolaidis , part of LTER-Greece, together with Luigi Ponti  and Andreja Sušnik will convene a session on "Impacts of climate change and extremes on ecosystems and agriculture".

Info about the session:

Changes in the Mediterranean climate are expected to increase extreme events such as droughts, floods, forest fires, frosts, heat waves, cold spells, strong winds, heavy storms, hailstorms, and other weather- and climate-driven events. Agricultural and natural ecosystems are impacted by climate change and associated extreme events. Impacts can be short- or long-lasting and include effects on crop yields, forest vitality as well as on pests and diseases. However, ecosystems are complex multitrophic systems where climate change affects each species both directly (e.g., climate favorability) and indirectly by altering biotic interactions with other species.

This complexity makes the direction and magnitude of ecosystem impacts difficult to predict and requires enhanced use of increasingly available biophysical data, particularly Earth Observation (EO) data, together with the development of appropriate ecosystem indicators and models. This session will focus on the monitoring and assessment of changes in natural resources, ecosystems, and agriculture in the Mediterranean region, with links to adaptation to and mitigation of environmental changes and the associated biotic and abiotic risks. Special emphasis will be given to recent findings in the following topics:

• using EO for early detection and management of natural disasters affecting Mediterranean ecosystems and agriculture;
• indicators and models for assessing and forecasting climate change effects and risks in Mediterranean ecosystems and agriculture.