Yurdanur Unal

Yurdanur Unal is a Professor at the Department of Meteorological Engineering, Istanbul Technical University. Her research focuses on climate modeling, urban climate dynamics, and the impacts of climate change on extreme weather events. She leads multiple projects funded by TUBITAK and EU institutions, investigating topics such as urban heat island mitigation, precipitation patterns in Northwestern Türkiye, and future climate hazards under different emission scenarios. Professor Unal has authored over 23 peer-reviewed publications and serves as Principal Investigator (PI) on active grants addressing food security, forest species adaptation, and severe weather event analysis in the Marmara region. Her work integrates high-resolution regional climate models like COSMO-CLM and WRF to simulate climate extremes and urban meteorological phenomena.

• Projects:
• Climate Change-Related Hazards in Western Türkiye (TUBITAK, 2024–2026)
• Climate Change Impacts on Food Safety (EU, 2023–2025)
• Forest Species Distribution Projections (EU, 2023–2025)
• Key Research Themes:
• Urbanization effects on heat islands and rainfall
• Regional climate modeling and model sensitivity
• Humid heat extremes and population exposure

Her studies combine observational data with advanced simulations to address pressing environmental challenges, including sustainable urban development and adaptation strategies for climate-sensitive sectors.