Environmental contamination is a widespread problem across the globe, affecting human and ecosystem health. Hydrological and hydrodynamic processes form a critical pathway through which soluble and sediment-associated contaminants are released and dispersed in the environment, enhancing the risk they pose by increasing their distribution and biological uptake. Climate change will increase contaminant mobility and exposure as the frequency and magnitude of hydrological processes accelerates erosion and transport capacity, and the extent over which these processes occur, increases. This session seeks to consolidate our knowledge of how climate change (e.g., through flooding, drought, and erosion) may impact contaminant sources, their mobilisation pathways, and receptors to understand future environmental risk. The session aims to bring together academics, policymakers, and practitioners to advance our understanding of the dispersal and concentration of environmental contaminants through hydrological processes to develop innovative solutions to monitor and mitigate against their impact on the environment and society. The session welcomes contributions focused on field observation, numerical modelling, and experimental studies covering topics including, but not limited to, waste and wastewater, contaminated land and sediments, agriculture, and mining.
Chemicals and Climate Change: Forecasting Contaminant Exposure Under Changing Global Hydrology and Hydrodynamics