From data to decisions: co-developing drought risk management solutions for the European Alps

Climate projections indicate a substantial increase in the frequency, intensity, and duration of drought events in the European Alps toward the end of the twenty-first century. In parallel, climatological and hydrological studies highlight shifts in drought-generation mechanisms driven by changing atmospheric circulation patterns, altered snow and melt regimes, intensifying thermodynamic land-atmosphere interactions and increasing human pressures on water resources. These projected changes call for enhanced preparedness and adaptation strategies, as well as more sustainable water-use practices, even in a region traditionally regarded as water-rich and serving as a major freshwater source for large parts of Central Europe.

Within the Interreg Alpine Space project A-DROP, scientists from multiple disciplines, including climate science, remote sensing, agriculture, geography and hydrology, collaborate with practitioners and public administrations to develop prototype solutions for drought risk management.

In this contribution, we present progress achieved at the midpoint of the project. We demonstrate how remote sensing and climate data can be integrated into both physically-based and machine-learning models to predict water availability, and how these data can be combined with in situ and proximity observations to enable spatial upscaling of soil moisture for agricultural water management purposes. We use and show the potential of textual data to map drought emergency responses to support a better understanding and management of drought impacts. We also share our experience on engaging in direct dialogue with stakeholders through a co-development process. Finally, we discuss current challenges in regional-scale water resources assessment under existing data availability constraints in mountain regions.