Professor David Hannah and Grace Garner are authors on two papers in a special, open access issue of Progress in Physical Geography published this month.

Papers within the issue address comprehensively, for the first time, the lack of reliable, clear information about the possible impacts of climate change on hydrology and the water environment in the UK. The work leading to the papers was initiated by the UK Living with Environmental Change partnership (LWEC), the objective being to synthesise and interpret the relevant peer-reviewed scientific literature in order to improve the ease with which practitioners and decision-makers can access, understand, and utilise the large volume of information on climate change impacts.

The initial project led to the publication of the first ‘Water Climate Change Impacts Report Card’ in 2012. Abbreviated, revised and peer-reviewed versions of these expert reports form much of the special issue.

David and Grace are co-authors on the first paper in the issue (led by Glenn Watts, Environment Agency), which provides a scientific overview of the evidence for past and future impact of anthropogenic climate change in the UK water environment. The papers that follow this provide detailed reviews of the literature in some of the most important parts of the UK hydrological cycle. David and Grace also co-authored a paper on the important but somewhat neglected question (particularly within the UK) of past and future changes in river water temperature. They highlight a number of priority research gaps, which ongoing research within the Water Sciences group seeks to address.

View the original Water Climate Change report card and associated information

View all papers within the special issue of Progress in Physical Geography