Assuming global climate warming ahead, climate change management will, first of all, require a precise understanding of the characteristics of change at the regional level. On the Mediterranean Basin, in addition to the change in temperature, a variation in water resources is also a decisive factor when determining the response to a certain number of socio-economic concerns (managing dams and irrigated land, establishing new industries, developing new tourist sites, etc.).

This project endeavours to focus on the characteristics of climate change across the Mediterranean Basin, using the latest progress in modelling, capable of locally downscaling to a fifty-kilometre level.

Management of uncertainties is also addressed through the use of two climate models available in the French research community for two greenhouse gas forecasting scenarios (a Scenario A2 and a Scenario B2, in accordance with the nomenclature of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for a more or less optimistic future regarding greenhouse gas emissions).

The project places emphasis on the Mediterranean Basin’s hydrological cycle. The studies proposed on dynamic circulation and biochemical processes in the Mediterranean Sea will provide a scientific foundation for managing maritime activities, particular in coastal areas. A database has been established to manage and share scientific information.

Website

http://www.lmd.jussieu.fr/~li/gicc_medwater/index.html