an improved knowledge of atmospheric and hydrological processes at the land surface, with special emphasis on the representation of system heterogeneities, including their effects on the scaling properties of the hydrological response;

the establishment of a set of guidelines for the use of coupled hydro-meteorological forecasts as a fundamental information for the efficient management of trans-national catchments in alpine regions, in particular the operation of regulated reservoirs, for the mitigation of hazardous flood events.