WITH THE SUPPORT AND THE PATRONAGE OF
2023 Edition: Summer School on Ecohydrology and Global Environmental Change
Organized by
WARREDOC, Università per Stranieri di Perugia
University of Palermo – Department of Engineering (Palermo, Italy)
on July 3rd – 7th 2023
Keynote Lecturers
Scientific Committee
Fernando Nardi, Leonardo Valerio Noto, Maria Cristina Rulli,
Background and Goals
The 2023 Summer School will focus on advances in the study of global environmental change bringing together research developed in hydrology, ecology, biogeochemistry, and climatology. The aim is to bring Ph.D. students, post-docs, and young scientists from different disciplines together with leading scientists in the fields of ecohydrology, environmental science and Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus. The Summer School will include lectures on advanced topics and laboratory sessions to work on case studies, applications, or brief research projects under the lecturers’ supervision. This event is part of the PRIMA NEXUS-NESS training, capacity building and dissemination actions
Organizing Committee
Antonio Annis, Fabio Castelli, Giuseppe Cipolla, Roberto Deidda, Aldo Fiori, Salvatore Grimaldi, Marco Marani, Valerio Leonardo Noto, Fernando Nardi, Maria Cristina Rulli, Elena Volpi
PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND LOGISTICS
Summer School Secretariat
The Summer School Administrative Secretariat is supported by University of Palermo
Venue
The lessons will be held at the University of Palermo, Department of Engineering Viale delle Scienze, 8, 90128 Palermo PA
Applications
Applications were closed on June 5th, 2023.
Registration Fee
School & Accomodation fee (including light lunches and accommodation in shared rooms): 550 €
School fee (including light lunches): 300 €
AGENDA
Monday, July 3rd
Morning session
09:00-09:15 – Registration
09:15-09:30 – Welcome remarks
09:45-11:15- Paolo D’Odorico: The food-energy-water nexus: Synergies and trade-offs in the use of water and land for energy and food systems.
11:30-13:00- Maria Cristina Rulli: Land use and land use change for agriculture production: socio-economical drivers and impacts.
Afternoon session
14:30-16:00- Paolo D’Odorico: Globalization of land use, water, food, and natural resources. Impacts on sustainability and resilience.
16:15-17:45- Maria Cristina Rulli: Sustainable agriculture for a healthy planet: natural resources needs, natural resources availability, biophysical and socio-economical constraints, strategies.
Tuesday, July 4th
Morning session
09:00-10:30- Erkan Istanbulluoglu: Modeling semi-arid ecosystem dynamics: vegetation shifts, topographic refugia, response to climate, and coupled geomorphic response.
10:45-12:15- Paolo D’Odorico: Non-linear environmental dynamics, bifurcations, alternative stable states, critical transitions, resilience, early warning signs of state shift. The role of positive feedback and noise.
Afternoon session
13:45-15:15- Paolo D’Odorico: Lab: Sustainability theories and applications. Linking inequality to critical transitions to unsustainable regimes.
15:30-17:00- Erkan Istanbulluoglu: Landlab earth surface modeling toolkit: Introduction to model grid and simple hydrologic functions.
Wednesday, July 5th
Morning session
09:00-10:30- Amilcare Porporato: Ecohydrology and complex interactions in the soil-plant atmosphere system: plant water potential and the Soil Plant Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC); hydraulic vulnerability of plants and impact of water stress on photosynthesis.
10:45-12:15- Erkan Istanbulluoglu: Landlab earth surface modeling toolkit: watershed saturation analysis and landslide susceptibility.
Afternoon session
13:45-15:15- Amilcare Porporato: Complex interactions in the soil-plant atmosphere system: daily scale dynamics and land atmosphere interaction.
15:30-17:00- Maria Cristina Rulli: The land-water-energy and human health nexus: role of food type; role of crop growing place.
Thursday, July 6th
Morning session
09:00-10:30- Amilcare Porporato: Fundamentals of probabilistic ecohydrology and stochastic soil water balance.
10:45-12:15- Paolo D’Odorico: Desertification: Drivers, feedback mechanisms, patterns (2h). The role of climate, soil, plant community composition, and society.
Afternoon session
13:45-15:15- Amilcare Porporato: Introduction to the photo3 model.
15:30-17:00- Paolo D’Odorico: Connecting the dots between feedback mechanisms and critical transitions to desertified conditions.
19:00-21:00 Social event
Friday, July 7th
Morning session
09:00-10:30- Paolo D’Odorico: Deforestation: Socio-environmental drivers and impacts. Hydrological, biogeochemical, economical dimensions of deforestation.
10:45-12:15- Amilcare Porporato: Impact of soil moisture variability on soil carbon and nitrogen cycles.
Afternoon session
13:45-15:15- Amilcare Porporato: Applications of stochastic ecohydrology to managed ecosystems.
15:30-17:00- Paolo D’Odorico: Reversibility and irreversibility of deforestation.