Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

Blöschl, G., Bierkens, M. F.P., Chambel, A. and et al. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5296-8350 (2019) Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 64 (10). pp. 1141-1158. ISSN 0262-6667 doi: 10.1080/02626667.2019.1620507

Abstract/Summary

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through on-line media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focussed on process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come.

Additional Information	Full author list available via DOI.
Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/83800
Identification Number/DOI	10.1080/02626667.2019.1620507
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
Additional Information	Full author list available via DOI.
Publisher	International Association of Hydrological Sciences
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item