NEWS

The early bird registration for the XIIth IAHS Scientific Assembly in Roorkee this October, is set to close on 30 April 2025. So get your registration in now to avoid any disappointment! 

The International Hydrology Prize is awarded annually by IAHS, with UNESCO and WMO, to two people who have made an outstanding contribution to hydrological science. IAHS is pleased to announce the recipients of the International Hydrology Prize (Dooge medal and Volker medal) for 2025. This year’s prize selection was especially competitive, with 15 nominations received, out of which 75% of the nominees were deemed outstanding, making this one of the most distinguished pools of candidates we have ever seen. The 2025 recipients emerged at the top of this highly accomplished group of excellency. Their contributions to hydrology have not only advanced scientific understanding but have also had a significant global impact.

Nominations for the annual Prize are made by National Committees to IAHS, National Committees to the UNESCO-IHP or National Hydrological Advisors to the WMO, and forwarded to the Secretary General of IAHS for consideration by the Nomination Committee. The Committee consists of the President and a Vice-President of IAHS and representatives of UNESCO and WMO.

The 2025 recipients of the IAHS-UNESCO-WMO International Hydrology Prize are:

• Dooge medal - For critical advancements to improve our understanding of climate warming as well as the cryosphere, hydrological processes, and hydrological predictions in cold regions and ungauged basins around the world - Prof. John Pomeroy, at the University of Saskatchewan, Department of Geography and Planning, in Canada. 

• Volker medal - For outstanding original contributions, which have significantly benefited society by addressing critical issues of public interest and development, such as coupled human-flood and human-drought interactions - Prof. Giuliano Di Baldassarre, at the Uppsala University, Department of Earth Sciences, in Sweden.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Roorkee, India during the IAHS Scientific Assembly from 5-10 October 2025. 

We extend our warmest congratulations to the winners and express our deep appreciation to all nominees and nominators. Several of the candidates would undoubtedly have been awarded the prize in any other year, and we encourage renewed nominations in the future. This year’s process clearly demonstrates the value and prestige associated with the International Hydrology Prize and reaffirms its role in recognising the world’s leading hydrological scientists.

We are delighted to share the publication of a major milestone in our scientific community: “Panta Rhei: a decade of progress in research on change in hydrology and society” is now an Open Access paper published in the Hydrological Sciences Journal.

This paper marks the culmination of the Panta Rhei Scientific Decade (2013–2022), a transformative initiative that brought together hydrologists across the globe to explore the dynamic interplay between water and society. 

"Inspired by the IAHS scientific decade “Panta Rhei – Everything Flows: Change in hydrology and society” a vibrant, diverse community of hydrologists, social scientists, and practitioners formed, driven by the aim to better understand changes in hydrology and society. More than 100 people from around the world worked together on this community paper that provides a review of the related progress. A key finding is the need to use integrated approaches to assess the co-evolution of human–water systems in order to avoid unintended consequences of human interventions over long periods of time." said Heidi Kreibich.

Read the full article here.

On behalf of IAHS, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Heidi Kreibich and to all who contributed to the Panta Rhei initiative over the years. This paper is not only a celebration of what has been achieved, but also a powerful call to action as we continue to evolve our science to meet the needs of society.

In this issue of the HSJ Digest, we toast the winners of the 2024 Reviewer Awards and profile the winner of the Associate Editor Award. See all the latest articles published in HSJ, and discover a wealth of Featured and Open Access articles from recent issues.

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance IAHS communications, we are exploring whether to adopt Bluesky as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter), or to use in conjunction with X. To inform this decision, we would be grateful if you could take a few moments to share your social media usage preferences.

Please complete this brief poll to indicate which platforms you currently use and engage with professionally. Your insights will be invaluable in ensuring IAHS continues to connect effectively with its community.

Thank you for sharing your valuable insights. Your input will help shape how IAHS communicates with its community going forward. 

We greatly appreciate your time and input. If you have any further thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to get in touch.

Kind regards,

Jean-Marie Kileshye Onema

IAHS Secretary General

Dear IAHS Officers 

For the Digital Water Globe (DWG) to fulfil its purpose effectively, it is crucial that all IAHS officers upload their personal profiles. Unfortunately, recent monitoring has shown that only 30% of officers have completed this step. Without broader participation, launching new DWG-related initiatives may prove counterproductive.

Creating your profile is quick and straightforward, taking just a few minutes. You will find a comprehensive set of user manuals on our website which will guide you through the process. While the platform is intuitive, this document should answer any questions you may have.

We kindly ask that you complete your profile by 31^st March to help ensure the DWG becomes a valuable and impactful resource for the entire hydrological community.

Your participation is vital to the DWG's success, and we greatly appreciate your time and effort in supporting this initiative. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your commitment to advancing hydrological science.

IAHS Secretariat

The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) is proud to celebrate the remarkable achievement of Professor Günter Blöschl, former IAHS President, who has been awarded the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize 2025 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to hydrological science.

Professor Blöschl's world-renowned work has significantly advanced our understanding of flood risk reduction, water resource management, flood scaling, and regional process hydrology. His ground breaking research has had a profound impact on global water management practices, earning him this well-deserved recognition.

The Stockholm Water Prize has been awarded annually since 1991 by the Stockholm Water Foundation in cooperation with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The award is presented by H.M King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the official patron of the Prize, to individuals and organizations for extraordinary achievements in water-related fields.

Günter served as IAHS President from 2017 to 2021 and currently chairs the IAHS Working Group on Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH). His leadership and dedication to advancing hydrological science have been invaluable to IAHS and the broader scientific community.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Günter for this exceptional accomplishment, which reflects not only his individual excellence but also underscores the strength and impact of the global hydrological science community.

For more information about the Stockholm Water Prize and Professor Blöschl's contributions, visit: Stockholm Water Prize 2025.

We are delighted to announce that on 31 January, the University of Córdoba's Claustro approved the prestigious acknowledgement of Berit Arheimer as honorary Doctor. Berit was nominated by Prof. María José Polo Gómez, IAHS International Commission of Remote Sensing President-Elect. This well-deserved recognition celebrates Berit's outstanding contributions to hydrological sciences, and we are incredibly proud of this achievement.

To mark the occasion, a public ceremony will take place in Córdoba on 25 March at 6:00pm (CET) to formally award Berit with this distinguished honour. We understand that this announcement comes with short notice; however, if any IAHS members are willing and able to attend, University of Córdoba would be delighted for you to join. Please let us know if you are able to participate.

Additionally, a seminar titled 'Extremes in Hydrology and Social Awareness' will be held the following day on 26 March between 10:00am-2:00pm CET. This event will feature insights on recent extreme events in Spain presented by Félix Francés from Valencia. Attendance is free, and both in-person (at the University of Córdoba) and online participation options are available. For further details and to register for the seminar, please visit the link below: Register Here

PROGRAMME

10:00 Welcome coffee
10:30 Introduction (online meeting starts)
10:45 “The flooding of southern Valencia in October 2024: lessons learned and recommendations for the future” Félix Francés, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
11:30 “Current needs for an efficient communication to society: some examples” María J. Polo, Universidad de Córdoba
12:15 “Hydrologists helping society to prepare for floods and droughts - examples from Sweden and the IAHS community” Berit Arheimer, SMHI, President of IAHS
13:00 Conclusions and future steps.

We hope many of you can join in celebrating Berit's remarkable achievement and participating in this insightful seminar.

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