日時：2026年4月16日（木）14:00〜16:00

場所：計算科学研究センター 国際ワークショップ室

講演者：1) Prof. Huade (Walter) Guan

1)Title: Improving Flood Heat and Drought Mitigation with Drywells in Cities

Increasing urbanisation leads to multiple environmental problems in cities, including an increasing likelihood of flash floods, exacerbated heat stress due to the urban heat island effect, and urban forest mortality in droughts. These problems are rooted in urbanisation-induced hydrological alterations, which generally create shortcuts from rainfall to urban streams via impervious surfaces and the formal stormwater drainage network. Green infrastructures, such as drywells, can restore urban hydrological processes. A drywell is a well hanging some distance above the groundwater table receiving stormwater for infiltration. A drywell can be installed in an area as small as a squared meter. They are easy to be implemented in both public and private space. In Adeliade, the capital city of South Australia, drywells are often installed in verges, collecting stormwater via kerbside inlets. They reduce runoff generation in the urban catchment, provide more water for trees in dry season, and enhance canopy transpiration cooling. In this presentation, I will (1) demonstrate the effects of drywells in mitigating flood and heat in suburban areas of Adelaide; (2) discuss the potential of installing drywells in private allotments to benefit garden trees and reduce stormwater generation; and (3) propose using drywells to improve drought resilience of street trees.

2) Title: HiClimaX initiative for actionable climate prediction for cities.

The HiClimaX initiative, launched by the Atmospheric Informatics Lab at the University of Tsukuba in collaboration with international partners, advances actionable climate prediction for cities. It integrates multi-paradigm downscaling—dynamical, physics-based, and AI approaches—within a unified, open framework. The platform delivers decision-relevant, high-resolution climate information that captures urban processes, extremes, and uncertainties. By enabling standardized benchmarks and global intercomparison, HiClimaX moves beyond predictive skill toward real-world usability. It emphasizes transparency, uncertainty quantification, and co-development with stakeholders, supporting resilient urban planning, infrastructure adaptation, and climate-informed decision-making under rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Huade (Walter) Guan is a Professor of Environmental Science and Hydrology at Flinders University, and a Chief Investigator of National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training in Australia. His research centres in terrestrial ecohydrology and hydrometeorology, and their applications in catchments, cities, agricultural and mining environments. Prof Guan has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, with a Scopus h-index of 43. These research activities contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: #15 Life on land, #11 Sustainable cities, #13 Climate actions, #6 Clean water, and #2 Zero hunger. Prof Guan is Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Climate (Climate, Ecology and People) (2025-), and was Associate Editor for Journal of Hydrology (2015-2025).