Hydro-climatology is a rich multidisciplinary field encompassing a complex system involving interactions of a diverse nature and diverse scales. Nevertheless, it abides by core dynamical principles regulating individual and cooperative processes and interactions, ultimately relating to the overall Earth system dynamics.

This issue aims at furthering the fundamental understanding of such overarching principles. For this purpose, the issue focuses on methodologically oriented studies on hydro-climate dynamics, regimes, transitions and extremes, along with their physical understanding, predictability and uncertainty. Moreover, the issue welcomes research on dynamical co-evolution, feedbacks and synergies among hydro-climatic and other earth system processes on multiple spatio-temporal scales.

The special issue further encourages discussion on trans-disciplinary methods in mathematical, statistical and computational physics with applications to data analysis and dynamic modelling in order to shed light on hydro-climate complexity and predictability.

The methodological debate may range from traditional non-linear dynamic, stochastic–dynamic, kinematic–geometric and information-theoretical developments to emerging frameworks in mathematical physics addressing non-ergodic thermodynamically unstable processes and interactions.

Contributions are welcome from a diverse community in climatology, hydrology and the broader physical geosciences, working with varied approaches ranging from dynamical modelling to data mining and analysis with physical understanding in mind.