Extreme climatic and biological events can have meaningful and persistent effects on the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. With directional climate change, these events are predicted to become more frequent, longer in duration, and more intense. This virtual MANTEL symposium is aimed at the community investigating these climatic effects in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. This includes those involved in field-based, experimental and modelling studies, as well as more traditional monitoring programmes. The topic will also interest water managers and policy makers dealing with the impacts of these events in aquatic systems. We particularly welcome submissions from early career researchers.