With abnormally high temperatures and insufficient rainfall, France experienced an exceptional drought in 1976, resulting in significant water deficits in the soil, rivers and groundwater, and having a major impact on water quality, the environment and various socio-economic sectors (agriculture, energy, transport, water supply, industry, etc.). Other droughts (e.g. in 1921, 1989 and 2022) have also caused water crises in France, with the prospect of these events intensifying and the challenges of adaptation becoming greater.

Fifty years after the drought of 1976, where do we stand in terms of our knowledge of these phenomena, their characteristics and their impact? How far have we progressed in anticipating and managing them to limit their consequences? What do we know about their long-term evolution in the context of climate change, and how are water stakeholders, users and local authorities preparing for the water crises of the 21st century?

The aim of this conference is to provide a forum for the exchange of experience and interdisciplinary knowledge on these issues, bringing together scientific, technical, operational, societal and institutional perspectives. More specifically, papers are invited in one or more of the following areas:

• Knowledge of droughts and their impacts

1. • Past extreme events and characterisation of droughts
   • Environmental impacts and socio economic issues
   • Long-term evolution of hazards and associated vulnerabilities
   • Networks for observing droughts and their impacts

• Drought management and feedback
  • Cyclical and structural management measures
  • Territorial and sectoral feedback on crisis management
  • Drought forecasting at various times
  • Estimation of water resources and water sharing
  • Integrated management of floods and droughts

• Prospective analyses and adaptation to future droughts and adaptation to future droughts
  • Drought hazard and risk evolution in the context of climate change
  • Territorial and sectoral strategies for adapting to climate change
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of adaptation measures
  • Management of uncertainties linked to prospective studies by water managers

The conference will not deal with the issues of urban heat islands and clay shrinkage and swelling

Call for papers