The International Atmospheric Rivers Conference (IARC) is a biennial convening that brings together a global, interdisciplinary community of scientists, forecasters, engineers, and resource managers to advance the understanding, monitoring, and prediction of atmospheric rivers (ARs) and their impacts across various domains, including water management, extreme climate events, and socio-economic resilience.

A central goal of IARC is to strengthen connections between scientists, practitioners, and decision-makers to ensure that cutting-edge research informs real-world applications. Through focused sessions and collaborative discussions, the conference supports the development and dissemination of improved tools for monitoring and forecasting ARs. Additionally, the conference is committed to training and supporting the next generation of AR scientists by promoting student participation through scholarships and creating opportunities for mentorship and professional development.

The first IARC was created and hosted by CW3E in 2016 to foster connections across the burgeoning international community of people interested in the AR subject. CW3E continues to organize and support the conferences in partnership with the IARC Steering Committee, which includes researchers from CW3E (USA), the University of Chile, CIIMAR (Portugal), and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), and guidance from the global Conference Implementation Committee. Previously held in La Jolla, USA (2016, 2018, 2024), Santiago, Chile (2022), and virtually (2020), IARC26 is co-organized by CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (University of Porto), and will be hosted for the first time in Europe in Porto, Portugal.

IARC26 will celebrate 10 years of the IARC conferences and will have a special focus on strengthening the connection between atmospheric river science and stakeholder needs, the impacts of ARs on society and the environment (including in compound events), their role in water extremes and management, and their influence on ocean processes and biodiversity.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend. IARC26 is able to provide a select number of scholarships to cover the registration fee and/or support travel for students. Information on how to apply for a scholarship will be shared here in April.