π After the success of the first edition in 2022, the 2025 UNDERPIN course aims again to unite experts from statistical physics, statistics, dynamical systems, and climate sciences to investigate persistent, high-impact climate extremes such as heatwaves, cold spells, and slow-moving cyclones, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean region. For this second edition, we welcome colleagues working at moving the impacts of extreme events in a changing climate, which has direct consequences on the Mediterranean.
π₯ In the Mediterranean, climate change has intensified the frequency and severity of these extreme events. Recent studies project that by the end of the century, up to 2.3 million people in Europe could die due to extreme temperatures, primarily heat-related, if carbon emissions are not significantly reduced and adaptation measures are not implemented. Southern European countries, including Italy, Spain, and Greece, are expected to experience a substantial increase in heat-related mortality rates.
π¬ To address this gap, UNDERPIN proposes to build a community of scientists working together towards a new formalism based on a decomposition of the atmospheric circulation patterns in multiple scales, where the definition of extreme events as rare recurrences of high-dimensional systems is more feasible. The main objective is to identify typical scales where these events are triggered and to assess how climate change or atmospheric variability alter the typical magnitude, persistence, and probability of these phenomena.
π€ The members of UNDERPIN come from diverse backgrounds, including physics, statistics, and mathematics.They have previously authored several papers enhancing the understanding of physical processes through rigorous mathematical formalism. The course seeks to continue and strengthen this interdisciplinary and international collaboration through an international workshop and aims to train a new generation of students with interdisciplinary expertise in extreme climate events.