EESA research scientist Michelle Newcomer co-chaired a November 15-16 workshop to help inform and catalyze the DOE Earth and Environmental System Sciences Division’s (EESSD) growing interests and approaches to addressing the scientific and societal challenge of enhancing predictive understanding of integrated mountain hydro-climate.

For the purposes of this workshop, integrated mountain hydroclimate is defined as the collection of system components and complex processes in mountainous regions, spanning the deep subsurface, through the surface to the atmosphere, that interact at multiple spatio-temporal scales, in response to natural and human influences. Important in this definition is the study of the dynamic interactions and feedbacks among various system components and influences that give rise to complex systems behaviors, including compound extreme events and potential system thresholds and tipping points. This area of research will accelerate progress towards EESSD’s four grand challenges (Integrated Water Cycle, Biogeochemistry, Drivers and Responses in the Earth System, and Data-Model Integration). Accordingly, it incorporates many disciplines and applications including climate and atmospheric sciences, hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology, human intersectoral dynamics, all connected by the integrated water cycle.