Scientist position for climate and hydrological modelling

A research post is offered at the Fisheries Research station of the Agricultural center for cattle, grassland, dairy, game and fisheries of Baden-Württemberg (LAZBW) in Langenargen, Germany. The project is limited until 31.12.2026.

Project background:

Predictions of climate change impacts—for instance on biodiversity, freshwater availability, or land use—are essential to inform and guide adaptation measures. However, currently available climate projections for the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, suffer from rather low spatial resolution and are based on outdated climate models, or they rely on increasingly unrealistic assumptions about future climate trajectories. Climate change effects on streams and rivers are already alarming, but have up to now only been indirectly estimated.

Practical adaptation measures, by contrast, require high-resolution and realistic climate projections that account for the most recent observation periods and the high spatial heterogeneity within the federal state: which comprises mountainous areas as well as lowland river plains.

Project objectives:

The project aims to bridge the gap between currently available climate projections and the need for high-resolution, continuously updated climate projections that are required to improve predictions of climate change effects on local biodiversity, land use, and water availability, and to guide practical adaptation measures.

Main tasks include:

· reviewing available climate projections

· review and evaluation of methods for downscaling climate data

· implementation of a workflow to derive high-resolution climate projections for the federal state of Baden-Württemberg

· hydrological modelling based on climate projections

· calculation of relevant parameters for fisheries and agriculture, such as bioclimatic variables, frequency of low-water events, drought indices and vegetation periods

· communication of project results (presentations, consulting of relevant stakeholders/authorities)

The project will conclude with a work report that critically evaluates the availability of data for climate adaptation measures and identifies relevant missing information.