News
Laura Paredes i Fortuny successfully defends her PhD thesis advancing knowledge on heatwaves in the Mediterranean
- February 9, 2026
- Meteorology and Climatology
A multidisciplinary research study on atmospheric heatwaves, their evolution, health impacts, and their interaction with marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean region.
Laura Paredes i Fortuny has successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Heatwaves over the Mediterranean region under climate change: characteristics, trends, and impacts”, a multidisciplinary work that provides significant advances in the understanding of one of the most impactful climate extremes at the global scale, particularly in the Mediterranean region and Spain.
The research, carried out within the Meteorology and Climatology Area at CEAM, was supervised by the area coordinator, Dr. Samira Khodayar Pardo, and co-supervised by Dr. José Antonio Sobrino from the University of Valencia. This work has deepened our understanding of the evolution of heatwaves over recent decades, analysing their characteristics, trends, and regional differences.
Among the main results, the thesis has addressed the interaction between atmospheric and marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean, demonstrating how the concurrence of these events can intensify marine extremes through changes in air–sea heat fluxes.
In addition, the research has provided an in-depth analysis of the relationship between heatwaves and mortality across the Iberian Peninsula, offering key insights for public health and climate change adaptation. In this context, the work contributes to strengthening the scientific basis needed for climate risk assessment and the design of adaptation strategies.
The results have led to several scientific publications in high-impact international journals, contributing to the advancement of knowledge on climate extremes, their impacts, and their future evolution:
Paredes Fortuny, L., Pastor, F., Khodayar, S. (2025). Concurrent atmospheric heatwaves intensify marine heatwaves through air-sea heat flux change in the Mediterranean Sea. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02633-2
Pastor, F., Paredes Fortuny, L., Khodayar, S. (2024). Mediterranean marine heatwaves intensify in the presence of concurrent atmospheric heatwaves. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01982-8
Paredes Fortuny, L., Salvador, C., Vicedo Cabrera, A.M., Khodayar, S. (2024). Geographical patterns in mortality impacts due to heatwaves of different characteristics in Spanish cities. GeoHealth. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GH001092
Khodayar Pardo, S., Paredes Fortuny, L. (2024). Uneven evolution of regional European summer heatwaves under climate change. Weather and Climate Extremes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2024.100648
Paredes Fortuny, L., Khodayar, S. (2023). Understanding the magnification of heatwaves over Spain: relevant changes in the most extreme events. Weather and Climate Extremes. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2023.100631
Paredes-Fortuny, L., et al. Spatial heterogeneity in heat-related mortality in the Valencian Region: implications for climate adaptation beyond administrative boundaries. AGU GeoHealth (under review).
At CEAM, we warmly congratulate Laura Paredes i Fortuny on this important achievement, which reflects the centre’s commitment to training new generations of scientists and to high-quality research aimed at addressing the major environmental and climate challenges facing our society.
