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.
Abstract
Libya, a predominantly desert country, is located in North Africa and
has approximately two thousand kilometres of coastline facing the
central Mediterranean basin. It is bordered to the south by Sudan,
Niger, and Chad, to the east by Egypt, and to the west by Tunisia and
Algeria. Libya covers an area of 1,759,540 km2 and contains no permanent
rivers or lakes. Its terrain is largely flat and barren, characterised
by undulating plains, plateaus, and depressions. The country experiences
arid conditions for most of the year, with rainfall, when it occurs,
being irregular and highly variable from year to year. Desertification
and the scarcity of freshwater resources represent Libya’s main
environmental challenges.
Analyses of historical climate data (both measured and reanalysis
datasets) indicate a clear warming trend across Libya, with minimum
temperatures increasing at a faster rate than maximum or mean
temperatures. Moreover, most studies show that precipitation trends
generally indicate drying conditions, although these trends are often
uncertain. Despite the overall decline in total rainfall, more intense
and frequent extreme rainfall events are expected.
Historically, Libya has experienced numerous extreme temperature and
precipitation events. Owing to its high vulnerability to climate shocks,
such as flash floods, heatwaves, and sandstorms, these events frequently
result in fatalities and significant infrastructure damage.
Furthermore, according to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), Libya, along with other countries in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region, is among the most vulnerable to
extreme climate events, particularly drought. Such changes are expected
to affect multiple economic and social sectors. However, limited
research has been conducted on long-term climatic trends in the region.
Bio
Ali Salem Eddenjal is currently a Visiting Scientist at the Department
of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan. He serves as
the Director of the Climate Directorate at the Libyan National
Meteorological Centre (LNMC) and acts as the IPCC National Focal Point
for Libya.
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Ali is also a
researcher at LNMC. His research focuses on extreme weather and climate
events affecting Libya, particularly sand and dust storms (SDS). His
work includes analysing the temporal and spatial patterns of SDS and
quantifying the associated wet deposition. Ali is also interested in
investigating climate variability and change (temperature and
precipitation) across Libya. His research extends to linking historical
climatic trends with large-scale circulation patterns, such as the North
Atlantic Oscillation and El Niño.
Moreover, he contributes to the activities of WMO Expert Teams. For
example, he has served as a Co-Rapporteur on World Weather and Climate
Extreme Records and as a member of the ET-DRC (SERCOM), which supports
the international climate agenda, particularly in promoting high-quality
climate data to inform global climate policy and climate diplomacy. Ali
is currently involved in the activities of the WMO SERCOM Expert Team on
Climate Data Development and Stewardship (ET-DDS).