PUB 2012: Visionary Session

SCIENTIFIC DECADE 2013-2022

Open Visionary Sessions on the Research Challenges for Hydrology
in the next 10 Years
A Summary of the Ongoing Discussion on the next IAHS Decade

Conveners: Alberto Montanari and Stefan Uhlenbrook
Invited speakers: Sally Thompson, Elena Toth, Michael McClain, Denis Hughes, Liliang Ren, Matthew Hipsey, Jim Freer, Hilary McMillan

Delft, October 25, 2012
9:00-13:00, 14:00-16:30


Session Format

The success of PUB witnesses the leading role that IAHS science initiatives play for hydrologists all over the world. To keep this leading role in the future, IAHS is proposing a new scientific decade to be started in 2013, during the IAHS General Assembly to be held in Goteborg. To identify the subject of the new scientific initiative to take IAHS into the future, a very effective debate has been stimulated that is taking place through dedicated meetings and a blog discussion. The above debate, which is moderated by a Task Force that was nominated by the IAHS Bureau, involved a large across-section of the IAHS officers and members.

The purpose of this visionary session is to provide an overview of the above debate and to collect opinions from the community on the discussion so far and the related science questions.
The session will articulated through:

  • An opening talk to provide a summary of the IAHS activity towards the Scientific Decade 2013-2022 and to present a proposal for the Science Plan.
  • Invited talks by Sally Thompson, Elena Toth, Michael McClain, Denis Hughes, Liliang Ren, Matthew Hipsey, Jim Freer, Hilary McMillan.
  • Pop-up presentations by the audience.
  • Discussion.


Participation is open and no registration is required. Pop-up presentations, focusing on the session's theme and strictly limited to three minutes time, will be stimulated from the audience. They will be requested on-site and a maximum of three slides can be used. Attendants are warmly invited to contribute.

Scientific programme
9:00 - Session opening: Gordon Young - President IAHS, Hubert Savenije - President Elect IAHS

9:20 - Alberto Montanari - Chair of the IAHS Task Force on the New Scientific Decade: the preliminary Science Plan for the new IAHS decade 2013-2022

9:40 - Denis Hughes - IAHS Vice-president: Research challenges for the new decade: Application of hydrological science in practice. Abstract

10:05 - Sally Thompson - University of California Berkeley: Understanding, Science in Practice and Predictions: Three Components of an Adaptive Framework for Water Science. Abstract

10:30 - Michael McClain - UNESCO-IHE, Delft: XXX-Hydrology: Bridging Disciplines to Address Key Environmental Problems. Abstract

11:00 - Coffee break

11:15 - Pop-up presentations by the audience

12:00 - Liliang Ren - Hohai University Nanjing, China: Title to be provided.

12:25 - Hilary McMillan - National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research, Christchurch, New Zealand: Making the most of hydrological data. Abstract

13:00 - Lunch


14:00 - Jim Freer - University of Bristol: Recent advances and future directions in the evaluation of models and data in a world of uncertainty.... Abstract

14:25 - Elena Toth - University of Bologna: Role and agenda of data-driven modelling. Abstract

14:50 - Matthew Hipsey - University of Western Australia: Pulling it together - integrative approaches to facilitate knowledge discovery in the data deluge. Abstract

15:15 - Pop-up presentations by the audience

15:45 - Closure

  back to top