A new chapter for the journal Theoretical and Applied Climatology

Author: Christabell Ndive

The journal Theoretical and Applied Climatology is entering a new phase as the current Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Christian Bernhofer, hands over the editorship to Dr. Solomon Gebrechorkos. In this conversation, they share insights on the state of climate research, the challenges facing the field, and the future direction for the journal. 

How has the landscape of scientific publishing changed in recent years, particularly for climate science journals?

Prof Dr Christian Bernhofer: This change has been ongoing for many years but has accelerated in the last decade. It involves the competition between traditional journals and newer models, including also journals with questionable business practices - often described as “predatory journals” as well as “internet only” based journals, often run by science related agencies. The best means to describe the fundamental difference between these various types of journals is to look at how they treat peer reviewing and the distribution of publishing costs. Some journals have been criticized for inadequate peer review; there is little feedback from reviewers and the business model is based on costs for the authors. All journals which take care to conduct a rigorous peer review share one challenge: to find and engage well suited peer reviewers. As the global community of scientists is growing, and a larger and more fair contribution is coming from the global South, there are relatively few “experienced” scientists available globally. This leads to increasing workloads for the reviewers and sometimes frustration on the extended reviewing periods of some manuscripts. 

An additional challenge comes from a growing tendency in some parts of society to treat scientific findings as opinions. Opinions can differ and treating them as an equally important input into decision-making, increases the influence according to economic and technological power. I see this as an enormous risk to a sustainable future, as economic reasoning often prefers short-term profits over long-term benefits. As climatologists, we use facts or reasoning (like models) to learn what is right or wrong. We might fail sometimes, but quality assurance – as peer reviewing in a decent journal – helps to avoid failures. However, I would appreciate a different approach to publishing in academic careers. If we concentrate more on the quality of papers rather than on the quantity, the increase in the number of manuscripts for peer reviewing will slow down a bit. This would help well managed journals like Theoretical and Applied Climatology to improve science output for a better understanding and for better decisions in vital questions like climate analysis and climate change. 

What have been the most pressing challenges in climatology, and how has the journal helped address them?

Prof Dr Christian Bernhofer: There have been various pressing challenges in climatology, and I can only give a very personal selection. In global climate modelling, the integration of the carbon cycle became a must to understand past climate from the very beginning of life on Earth until today. Ocean currents, water budgets, land-use change etc. add to the complexity. Therefore, future earth system models will integrate many additional feedback loops and drivers (like human activities) for a better modelling of the global climate. Next, changes need to be quantified at a resolution in space and time relevant for decisions in climate change adaptation. For this downscaling, we need station data and remote sensing data, which suffer from decline and high initial costs, respectively. Hopefully, new tools (e.g., RADAR, cell phone signal attenuation etc.) and advanced data fusion techniques including AI will be able to solve this observation problem. A very large challenge is climate communication to improve the impact of climate research outcome. In my view, there are two major points to be addressed: First, the inevitable uncertainty in all projections into the future. Second, climate is always about statistics, which often requires special training for proper understanding. These facts are sometimes not properly taken into account when addressing climate related questions. Therefore, we have to make climatology accessible to other disciplines and to the public.  

Theoretical and Applied Climatology published many studies on the regional application of large-scale model output (like CMIP5 or CMIP6) for all kinds of climate change adaptations, from agriculture to water power and water resources management, from urban development to tourism. The journal output shows the need for information at national, regional or global level. In methodology, the rise of AI was clearly visible. A decent handling of AI-generated information is one of the future challenges, I would like to see covered in our journal.

Can you tell us about your research background and what drew you to climatology?

Dr Solomon Gebrechorkos: My research background lies at the intersection of climate science, hydrology, and Earth system modeling. I’ve always been fascinated by how changes in the atmosphere translate into tangible impacts on water resources, ecosystems, and human livelihoods — particularly in vulnerable regions such as Africa, where the majority of communities depend on rainfed agriculture. 

I began my academic journey in water and environmental engineering, which naturally led me to study how climate variability and change affect water availability and food security. Over time, I became increasingly interested in hydroclimatic extremes — droughts, floods, and heatwaves — and how these are evolving in response to anthropogenic forcing. My work now focuses on developing high-resolution climate datasets, global hydrological and land–atmosphere models, and integrated frameworks to better understand the physical processes driving these extremes. 

Ultimately, what drew me to climatology is the blend of scientific curiosity and real-world relevance. Climate science not only seeks to understand the Earth system but also informs decisions that can build resilience and sustainability for communities across the globe.

Are there emerging areas in climate research that you’re excited to spotlight through the journal?

Dr Solomon Gebrechorkos: Climate science is evolving rapidly, and several areas hold great promise for advancing both our understanding and our capacity to act. One emerging area is the integration of machine learning and data science with climate modeling — using AI-based emulators and hybrid models to bridge the gap between complex simulations and decision-relevant information.  

I’m also particularly excited about climate–society interactions, including the health and socio-economic impacts of hydroclimatic extremes. Understanding how climate change affects public health, agriculture, and migration patterns is essential for designing effective adaptation strategies. 

Another area gaining momentum is regional downscaling and high-resolution modeling, which is critical for representing local processes and providing actionable insights for communities and policymakers. 

Through the journal, I hope to spotlight research that bridges disciplines — connecting physical climate processes with impacts, adaptation, and solutions. Our goal is to make the journal a platform that not only advances the science but also amplifies work that directly supports resilience and climate-informed decision-making. 

Explore more from Theoretical and Applied Climatology on the journal homepage. You can also view the current and latest issues of the journal through this link.