Günter Blöschl

Prof. Günter Blöschl is the Head of the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Hydrology at Vienna University of Technology and Professor at the University of Bologna. His work has made major contributions to understanding how climate change influences flood hazards and droughts in Europe. By building a Europe-wide flood database, he was able to show that the past few decades rank among the most flood-rich of the last five centuries, and he identified the regional climatic causes of these changes. In Austria, he developed strategies for adapting water management to climate change and initiated projects to improve flood preparedness and hazard mapping. For his scientific achievements, which have received worldwide recognition, he has been awarded, among others, an ERC Advanced Grant and the Horton Medal of the American Geophysical Union. Recently, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented him with the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize.