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. Nominations for the 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, as well as representatives from UNESCO and WMO.

Two medals are awarded under the International Hydrology Prize: the Dooge medal and the Volker medal. Both medals are intended to distinguish outstanding achievements by hydrological scientists but with a different focus. The Dooge medal is aimed at fundamental contributions to the science of hydrology, whereas the Volker medal is aimed at outstanding applications of hydrological science for the benefit of society at large. 

The following applies to both the Dooge and Volker medals:

The International Hydrology Prize shall be awarded to persons who have made outstanding contributions to hydrology such as confers on the candidate universal recognition of his or her international stature.
The contribution should have an identifiable international dimension extending beyond both the country of normal work and the specific field of interest of the candidate.
The medals may be awarded to hydrologists of long international standing or to younger but active hydrologists who exhibit qualities of international leadership in the science or practice of hydrology.
An active involvement in the work of IAHS and other international organisations in the field of hydrology should be counted as an advantage.

Specific considerations for the Dooge medal:

The Dooge medal is particularly intended for hydrologists who have demonstrated scientific excellence, and have made fundamental contributions to the science of hydrology as evidenced by publications in the international scientific literature and other evidence of high standard.
Preference should be given to candidates who have recently exhibited outstanding international leadership in the science of hydrology.

Specific considerations for the Volker medal:

The Volker medal is dedicated for hydrologists who have applied their research and hydrological expertise to the benefit of society, addressing issues of public interest and development.
Applications of hydrology to the benefit of developing countries would count as an advantage.
Preference should be given to candidates who have contributed through both scientific and practical work, and who have made outstanding contributions to the Hydrology community as demonstrated by active involvement in the work of IAHS or other international hydrological associations.

Nomination format and procedure:

Nominations should be received by the Secretary General of IAHS no later than 31 December 2023 – Jean-Marie Kileshye Onema [email protected] – and consist of:

• a (max. 2, pages A4 format) nomination letter signed by a National Representative to IAHS, the President of a national committee of UNESCO-IHP, or a National Hydrological Advisor to the WMO, with one sentence citation (max. 200 characters), and stating why the nominee is the most qualified person to receive the Volker or Dooge medal, paying attention to the medal's dedication specified above
• the nominee’s CV (max. 3 pages, A4 format) with an emphasis on the contribution to hydrological science and international scientific cooperation, providing clear information on the main criteria used for the evaluation and the specific considerations mentioned above
• a list of the major scientific publications (max. 2 pages, A4 format).

Nominations are expected from the world diversity, and equally for female and male candidates.

Evaluation criteria:

a)      Outstanding contributions to hydrology evidenced by universal recognition of his or her international stature.

b)      Identifiable contributions with international dimensions extending beyond both the country of normal work and the specific field of interest of the candidate.

c)      For senior candidates proof of Hydrologists activities of long international standing, or for younger candidates, proof of being active hydrologists with qualities of international leadership in the science or practice of hydrology.

d)      Active involvement in the work of IAHS and other international organizations in the field of hydrology is counted as an advantage.

e)      Application of the hydrological research performed and the use of his/her expertise to the benefit of society and addressing issues of public interest and development.

f)       Applications of hydrology to the benefit of developing countries counts as an advantage.

The IUGG Annual Report 2022 provides a comprehensive summary of the activities of the Union including its Associations, Union Commissions,
and Programs.
We invite you to download this impressive summary of last year’s activities.

The e-news for October 2023 is also available to download

Registration is now open for STAHY 2023

We also have additional details we would like to share about the workshop:

EARLY CAREER WORKSHOP DETAILS:

We are pleased to announce that the Early Career Committee representation for the International Commission on Statistical Hydrology (ICSH) have organized two excellent instructors for the Early Career Workshop, which will be offered on Wednesday, 8 November. Our instructors will be:

• Professor Richard Vogel, Tufts University, who brings extensive expertise on the application of statistical and systems approaches to the solution of applied problems in the field of hydrology and water resources engineering.
• Associate Professor Chaopeng Shen, Pennsylvania State University, who brings leadership and expertise on advancing the fundamental understanding of the interactions between hydrology and other subsystems using hydrologic deep learning. 

INVITED SPEAKERS:

Professor Ana Barros, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Corrine Bowers, Stanford University and U.S. Geological Survey
Professor Jennifer Dy, Northeastern University
Dr. Grey Nearing, Google
Dr. Karen Ryberg, U.S. Geological Survey

PROGRAM DETAILS:

All talks are considered plenary talks in that we will not have concurrent sessions. If you have submitted an abstract and are selected for an oral presentation, you will have 15 minutes total, with 12 minutes for your presentation and 3 minutes for questions. Poster presenters will be given the opportunity to introduce their poster material in a 5-minute oral presentation (2-3 slides) during the workshop. 

We will release the final program in early October.

ABOUT STAHY:

The International Commission on Statistical Hydrology (ICSH) of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) is organising the 13th International Workshop on Statistical Hydrology (STAHY2023), which will be hosted by Northeastern University in Boston, Massaschuetts (USA), from 8-10 November 2023. The event is sponsored by The Institute for Experiential AI at Northeastern University. 

The STAHY 2023 workshop brings together the international statistical hydrology community for vibrant scientific discussions and debates on advanced statistical methods for hydrological applications. This year's theme aims to provide a bridge between the environmental statistics and artificial intelligence communities with methodological discussions, exchange of knowledge, and identification of opportunities for mutual support to solve climate, water, and sustainability issues.

Full details of the workshop, including the registration link via Copernicus, are available here.

We look forward to welcoming you in November.

STAHY Organising Committee

IAHS are pleased to be a partner in the upcoming 24th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium.

The 24th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium will be held in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania at the Verde Hotel Resort, 25 – 27 October 2023 under the theme Accelerating Change: Fostering Innovation and Integration for Sustainable Water Resources Management in East and Southern Africa

The Symposia have been held annually in the Eastern and Southern African regions for the past 23 years to promote interaction among policymakers, academics, practitioners from water and related sectors, and cooperating partners. Together, they identify regional issues, gaps and priorities that require further research and support. Great emphasis has been placed on integration of knowledge, particularly involving scholars from the natural and social sciences.

This year’s symposium sub-themes have been aligned to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and themes of the World Water Day 2023 and the SADC Water Research Agenda under the Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) on Integrated Water Resources Development and Management Phase V, whose main objective is:

• Promoting evidence-based implementation of SADC water programmes and projects through multi- and inter-disciplinary research, and synthesis of existing and new information, which will lead to a realization of SADC developmental goals.

For more information including registration details please read the Second Call

The IAHS International Commission on Water Quality (ICWQ) will host a workshop entitled 'Flood-Drought Disaster Chain and Water Ecological Degradation in the Changing Environment' 2-3 December 2023 in Zhuhai City, China.

Topics will include:

1. Intelligent monitoring of hydrology and water ecology for the early perception of water risk
2. Extreme storm and non-point source pollution in the changing environment
3. Flood-drought-aquatic ecology modeling and risk early warning
4. Prediction of drought-flood alternation and flood-drought disaster chain
5. Water ecological responses to human activities and climate change
6. Storm surge - heavy rain - flood - waterlogging - ecological degradation "multi-encounter" and its derivative disaster occurrence
7. Simulation, prediction and assessment of flood and drought disasters and their derivative composite disasters
8. Restoration and governance of water ecological degradation 

Registration is free.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent to Prof. LIU Zhiyoug ([email protected]) before November 10th, 2023.

Thanks to the amazing team of people behind the design of our IAHS new website, we are so pleased that it has been so positively received. Whilst it may not be perfect, we’re still working on it. The site will be getting new features over the next few months, as we look to expand our presence further. The next feature will require a migration of our website and although this should not take longer than a day to complete, the IAHS will be under construction for most of Thursday 21st September 2023.

Thank you in advance for your patience and continued support.

Dear Colleagues, 

Join the 4th International Conference on Snow Hydrology and submit your abstract. SnowHydrology2024 will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss recent advances in all aspects of snow hydrology at a dedicated conference. It will be the event to meet your peers and exchange latest ideas in a focused and informal setting. SnowHydrology2024 will be hosted in Grenoble, France, in the foothills of the Alps not far from the famous Mont-Blanc.

Visit https://snowhydro2024.sciencesconf.org for more information and submitting your abstract. The abstract submission deadline is October 15th 2023. We look forward to meeting you next year in Grenoble!

Best regards,

SnowHydrology2024 Conference Committee:

Tobias Jonas, Francesco Avanzi, Carlo Carmagnola, Nicolas Champollion, Thomas Condom, Marie Dumont, Isabelle Gouttevin, Matthieu Lafaysse, Florence Naaim, Claudia Notarnicola, Melody Sandells

More than 30 Working Groups have been suggested and, although the call to suggest Working Groups is now closed, you have until Friday, 29 September to sign up to an existing working group (link). The Working Groups are linked to three main themes:

• HELPING with global and local interactions
• HELPING with holistic solutions for water security
• HELPING with cross-cutting goals.

We invite you to apply for the role of Theme Leader for one of the three clusters of Working Groups. Leaders will be appointed biennially during the decade as per the previous IAHS Scientific decades (PUB and Panta Rhei). The role of the Theme Leaders will be to coordinate activities within each cluster of Working Groups, to share information, follow up on progress, arrange meetings and joint activities such as workshops, outreach activities, collaborative publications or projects. They will help and guide the appointed Working Group Leaders, and they will report to the IAHS management team (see figure on organisation below).

To be considered as a potential Theme Leader, please complete this Google Form before 15 October 2023. If you cannot access the online Google form, please contact the IAHS office on [email protected] for more assistance via a .pdf form. Each applicant will be contacted directly via email by the IAHS office and the following documents will be requested;

• A covering letter no longer than 1 page
• A resume no longer than 2 pages
• At least two contactable references.

Once all applications have been received by 15 October 2023, the call will be closed and the IAHS management team will evaluate the applications based on documented leadership skills, scientific knowledge in the field, experience in community management, and personal engagement/qualities. The results will be announced in November.

Keep updated on the timetable and the strategic planning process of HELPING at the IAHS website HERE! 

The next IAHS decade is dedicated to local solutions under the global water crisis. The short name is HELPING, and stands for Hydrology Engaging Local People IN one Global world. Read more in the Concept Note.

HELPING underpins solutions for the water crisis, leaving no catchment or hydrologist behind, in search for scientific evidence to:

·          Accelerate the understanding of the linkages between hydrological processes at local and global scales and their interaction with water resources.
·          Engage with local scientists and societies to learn from local experience, differences in hydrological processes and change around the world, and transfer solutions globally.
·          Synthesise hydrological understanding across the globe and underpin the management of current crises by finding holistic solutions to mitigate future crises.

The Community effort

The decade seeks for a bottom-up process empowered by local hydrologists and scientists using open science and local data/methods when solving local water problems. We envisage that the building of local knowledge and cooperation can inform scientists working under similar situations or facing unexpected events worldwide (e.g. learning from floods or droughts in one catchment will inform hydrologists and water management in other catchments).

After outcomes of several online interactions and workshops during the year, as summarised in the Córdoba document and Vienna document, the new scientific decade was launched during the IUGG General Assembly in Berlin, Germany in July (Fig. 1),  including the selection of a logo (Fig 2.) to represent the decade. The strategic planning document describes how the community’s vision will be translated into action by engaging the IAHS membership. These documents along with comments in the archive of the online Forum are the basis for writing a visionary community paper in HSJ, to which all participants soon will be invited for Author contributions.

Fig 1. The proposed strategic planning process (SPP) version 1.0

Fig. 2. Winning logo for the HELPING Science for Solutions decade voted on by those present at the IUGG Assembly in Berlin.

Way forward

Some 30 Working Groups have been suggested so far and the call is now closed. You can still sign up to an existing working group until the end of September (link).

The working groups are linked to three main themes:

·          HELPING with global and local interactions
·          HELPING with holistic solutions for water security
·          HELPING with cross-cutting goals

The IAHS management team act as a coordinating Steering Group setting up the structure for the decade to facilitate engagement from IAHS Commissions and Working groups. After mid-September an open call will be announced at the IAHS website for leaders of the three Working Group Themes. Leaders will be appointed biennially during the decade as per the previous IAHS Scientific decades (PUB and Panta Rhei, Fig. 3). The IAHS President Berit Arheimer is leading the initial phase 2023-2024. Everyone who signed up as working group members will be invited to an online meeting in November when the Working Groups will be finalised. Another aim is to wrap-up by the end of the year the IAHS HELPING community paper for publication in HSJ by the end of the year.

Keep updated on the time-table and next call for participation at the IAHS website HERE! 

Fig 3. https://iahs.info/Initiatives/Topic-for-the-Next-IAHS-decade/