[EN] It is widely accepted that the Mediterranean basin represents one of the most prominent hot spots of climate change and is a particularly vulnerable region in the world. Recent trends toward a hotter and drier climate appear to be related to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns, particularly over the western Mediterranean. The combined effects of precipitation decrease and surface-temperature increase in the Mediterranean will most probably lead to important changes in the region’s water cycle. In fact, the present tendency toward a drier climate with a higher frequency of drought events agrees with climate change scenarios that point to increasing probabilities of drought episodes and severe heat waves (HWs). Here, we provide a multidisciplinary review of the state-of-the-knowledge science of these two natural hazards in the Mediterranean. This chapter covers a wide range of atmospheric circulation phenomena with a direct impact on climate and socioeconomic activities in the twentieth century and with relatively high probabilities of changing significantly throughout the twenty-first century (e.g., water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, and vegetation dynamics) and also natural hazards (e.g., droughts, HWs, and sea surges and flooding in Venice).

Peer Reviewed