The HydroExtremes Project in the Media

Heavy rainfall, flooding, heat waves, and droughts pose growing challenges to society, the economy, and the environment. In the HydroExtremes project of the Helmholtz Forum Earth and Environment, researchers from six Helmholtz Centers are collaborating on these hydrometeorological extremes.

Interview by the Helmholtz Association (September 2026)

Against the backdrop of the dry summer of 2026, Prof. Dr. Peter Knippertz and Prof. Dr. Harald Kunstmann (both from KIT) discuss hydrometeorological extremes in Germany in an interview with the Helmholtz Association. The focus is on why heavy rainfall, flooding, and drought should not be considered in isolation from one another and how more water can be retained in the landscape. The two researchers also highlight where uncertainties still exist along the process chain, from weather conditions to their impacts. They further explain how the Helmholtz Association can contribute through its expertise, long-term research, and extensive data. The full interview can be found here.

Guest article in the Handelsblatt Journal “Water as an Economic Factor” (in German, July 2026)

In an guest artile for the Handelsblatt Journal “Wirtschaftsfaktor Wasser” (Water as an Economic Factor), Prof. Dr. Harald Kunstmann examines water in the context of the extremes of drought and flooding. At the same time, he highlights the role of water as an economic and locational factor—for example, in drinking water supply, agriculture, the cooling of power plants and data centers, and semiconductor production. Kunstmann advocates for considering and managing “too much” and “too little” water together. The HydroExtremes project also follows this approach. You can find the guest article here.