International Winter School on Natural Hazard Attribution
Using Past and Present Data
The Winter School is organized in conjunction with the INQUA Congress (Lucknow, India), providing participants with an excellent opportunity to continue scientific discussions and expand their international research network.
Natural hazards like floods, droughts, landslides, and glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are escalating under a changing climate. This international Winter School brings together experts in paleohydrology, hydroclimatology, geomorphology, and climate science. Together, we will bridge the gap between geological records, historical archives, and advanced climate models to master natural hazard attribution.
📍 Venue: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), India
📅 Dates: January 20–22, 2027.
Field trip Ganges-Himalayas: 23-26 January 2027 (on a payment basis). Please scroll down for more details
Application Deadline: August 24, 2026. Seats are strictly limited to 30 participants.
Target Audience
This Winter School is tailored for individuals eager to build a strong foundation in Earth System Sciences and master its practical, real-world applications. We welcome a diverse cohort of participants, including:
Post-Graduate Students
Ph.D. Research Scholars
Early Career Researchers (ECRs)
Industry Professionals
📌 Priority Selection Note: Priority will be given to applicants who are also attending the INQUA Congress 2027 in Lucknow (https://www.inquaindia2027.in/) India.
The Core Pillars
Instrumental hydroclimatic observations
Remote sensing products
Paleoclimate & sedimentary archives
Historical documents
Reanalysis datasets & climate model simulations
Paleohydrological reconstruction
Event attribution techniques
Statistical analysis of extremes
Climate model evaluation
Hands-on training with open-source tools
River & flash floods
Glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs)
Landslides & ground subsidence
Droughts & hydroclimatic extremes
Climate change impacts on risk reduction
Tentative plan
Hydroclimate systems through time & Paleclimate archives for hazard reconstruction.
Practical exercises using paleoclimate and observational datasets; interactive discussions.
Principles of event attribution & Climate variability vs. anthropogenic forcing.
Hands-on attribution exercise working with observational datasets and climate simulations.
Hazard attribution for disaster risk reduction & Translating attribution into adaptation planning.
Participant presentations, open research forum, and expert panel discussion.
Course Directors
Department of Hydrology,
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
Note: Additional international and national experts will be announced soon.
Important Information & Guidelines
Selection: Participants (~20 from South Asia, ~10 International) will be shortlisted based on research relevance.
Requirements: Selected candidates must present their research via a poster presentation during the workshop.
Attendance: A 90% attendance rate across the event is mandatory to receive the completion certificate.
Logistics
National Participants
Registration Fees: A registration fee of ₹2,000 (INR) will be charged for all national participants. The fee includes accommodation from 19 January (check-in after 2:00 PM) to 23 January (check-out before 10:00 AM), registration kit, and daily high tea.
Logistics: Accommodation will be provided on a shared basis in IIT Roorkee student hostels, subject to availability. If on-campus accommodation is unavailable, participants will be accommodated at a nearby facility. Please note that accommodation for accompanying persons or family members cannot be arranged.
Participants are required to make their own travel arrangements. No travel allowance will be provided by the organizers.
Participants from Roorkee Institutions will not be provided any accommodation. For them, the registration fee would be ₹1,000 (INR).
International Participants
Fees: There is no registration fee for international participants. The registration includes an event kit, daily high tea, and one workshop dinner.
Logistics: Upon request, local transportation from New Delhi to IIT Roorkee and accommodation in IIT Roorkee Guest House(s) can be arranged at a highly subsidized package fee of €150 per participant.
Participants are required to make their own travel arrangements. No travel allowance will be provided by the organizers
Please note: We strictly adhere to a no-refund policy.
Field trip to the Ganges-Himalayas
The field excursion will commence from IIT Roorkee and travel by private vehicles through the Ganges River corridor to Joshimath, traversing the Himalayan foothills and the Higher Himalayas. The journey will pass through key locations including Haridwar, Rishikesh, Devprayag, and other important sites of geological and hydrological significance, with the detailed itinerary to be announced closer to the event.
Over this 4-day, 3-night field excursion, participants will gain first-hand insights into the evolution of the Ganges River system, Himalayan geology, hydrology, and climate. The excursion will highlight major geomorphic and tectonic features, including the Indo-Gangetic megafan, active river incision, mountain-building processes, river confluences, and sediment dynamics. Participants will also explore topics such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslides, cave-based paleoclimate records, river hazards, and the interactions between climate change and Himalayan landscapes.
The field trip is designed to combine observations at scientifically significant locations with discussions led by experts, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the processes shaping one of the world's most dynamic mountain–river systems. The itinerary will also allow sufficient time for discussions at selected sites and short breaks, ensuring an engaging and scientifically rewarding experience.
Note: The participation fee is €350 for international participants and ₹3,5000 for national participants.
More details to be added soon!
Organisers
For more information,
please contact secretary.glocoph [AT]gmail.com
We look forward to your participation!
Ankit Agarwal and Willem Toonen
Student Coordinator
Sujata Kulkarni , PhD scholar
Department of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee
s_kulkarni@hy.iitr.ac.in
Sponsored By
