Martedì 14 ottobre 2025 alle ore 10:30, presso Lecturer onsite dell’Aula Fassò del DICA – Politecnico di Milano, nell’ambito degli Hydro-climatological Seminar, il direttore del Climate Directorate at the Libyan National Meteorological Centre (LNMC), Ali Salem Eddenjal, terrà un seminario dal titolo: “Observed Changes in Temperature and Precipitation in Libya” Sarà possibile seguire l’evento in streaming al seguente link: https://politecnicomilano.webex.com/meet/alessandro.ceppi Si riportano l’abstract dell’intervento ed una breve biografia del relatore. AbstractLibya, a predominantly desert country, is located in North Africa andhas approximately two thousand kilometres of coastline facing thecentral Mediterranean basin. It is bordered to the south by Sudan,Niger, and Chad, to the east by Egypt, and to the west by Tunisia andAlgeria. Libya covers an area of 1,759,540 km2 and contains no permanentrivers or lakes. Its terrain is largely flat and barren, characterisedby undulating plains, plateaus, and depressions. The country experiencesarid conditions for most of the year, with rainfall, when it occurs,being irregular and highly variable from year to year. Desertificationand the scarcity of freshwater resources represent Libya’s mainenvironmental challenges. Analyses of historical climate data (both measured and reanalysisdatasets) indicate a clear warming trend across Libya, with minimumtemperatures increasing at a faster rate than maximum or meantemperatures. Moreover, most studies show that precipitation trendsgenerally indicate drying conditions, although these trends are oftenuncertain. Despite the overall decline in total rainfall, more intenseand frequent extreme rainfall events are expected. Historically, Libya has experienced numerous extreme temperature andprecipitation events. Owing to its high vulnerability to climate shocks,such as flash floods, heatwaves, and sandstorms, these events frequentlyresult in fatalities and significant infrastructure damage. Furthermore, according to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC), Libya, along with other countries in the MiddleEast and North Africa (MENA) region, is among the most vulnerable toextreme climate events, particularly drought. Such changes are expectedto affect multiple economic and social sectors. However, limitedresearch has been conducted on long-term climatic trends in the region. Bio Ali Salem Eddenjal is currently a Visiting Scientist at the Departmentof Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan. He serves asthe Director of the Climate Directorate at the Libyan NationalMeteorological Centre (LNMC) and acts as the IPCC National Focal Pointfor Libya. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Ali is also aresearcher at LNMC. His research focuses on extreme weather and climateevents affecting Libya, particularly sand and dust storms (SDS). Hiswork includes analysing the temporal and spatial patterns of SDS andquantifying the associated wet deposition. Ali is also interested ininvestigating climate variability and change (temperature andprecipitation) across Libya. His research extends to linking historicalclimatic trends with large-scale circulation patterns, such as the NorthAtlantic Oscillation and El Niño. Moreover, he contributes to the activities of WMO Expert Teams. Forexample, he has served as a Co-Rapporteur on World Weather and ClimateExtreme Records and as a member of the ET-DRC (SERCOM), which supportsthe international climate agenda, particularly in promoting high-qualityclimate data to inform global climate policy and climate diplomacy. Aliis currently involved in the activities of the WMO SERCOM Expert Team onClimate Data Development and Stewardship (ET-DDS).
