Floods and droughts are the two important aspects of hydrological hazard. Floods usually result from heavy precipitation or from rapid snowmelt or glacier discharge. Droughts are caused by dry weather conditions in which evaporation exceeds the available surface water and are frequently characterised by water scarcity. Understanding the causes and the forecasting of heavy or scant precipitation and high evaporative demand are important objectives of CIMA Foundation. The Foundation research examines these two types of extreme hydrological events using numerical simulations, remote sensing and field data collection. Our interests lie in the overlap between hydrology and meteorology.

Floods
In the Mediterranean region many cities are located in flood-prone areas and millions of people are exposed to inundation risk. For this reason issuing early flood warning to the population is crucial in order to mitigate the impact of the hazardous event in terms of human lives and property loss.
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Droughts
Floods and droughts are two important aspects of weather related natural hazard which require expertise in the field of Hydrology. Droughts are linked to a prolonged scarcity of water that causes tangible effects on different aspects of normal life of a specific environment. Drought studies commonly focus on the disciplinary view to characteristics of this hazard, i.e. the perspectives of meteorological, hydrological, or agricultural droughts. More...