Hydrological Sciences

Public engagement in science: how to position ourselves?

Bettina Schaefli May 30, 2024

Back of my laptop, conveying some of my values

The recent student protests against the war in Gaza reminded all of us that being a member of the academic community requires us to reflect upon our role in society. In Switzerland, the university occupations (see SwissInfo) led to several open letter-type reactions from academic staff, either supporting the protests or on the contrary, recalling that scientists should abstain from activism. This ...[Read More]

EGU24 – A Hydrologist’s Look Back

Christina Orieschnig, Alberto Viglione, Maria-Helena Ramos, Florentine Weber, Bettina Schaefli and Melissa Reidy May 13, 2024

With almost 21,000 participants, the 2024 EGU General Assembly, held from 14-19 April, in Vienna and online, was the biggest one yet. For hydrologists, there were hundreds of sessions to enjoy, networking events to join, short courses to learn from, and colleagues to meet. Here’s a look back at the highlights! A look back at EGU24. Thanks to the video editing service Tasty Edits for the fantastic ...[Read More]

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) in Geoscience Miniseries – Part 3: Getting it all together – Cables, Breadboards and Circuit Boards

Jonas Pyschik May 9, 2024

You got all your components for your project, so now it’s all about getting it all together. Then it’s great to be able to quickly exchange components and change wiring. That’s where a so-called “breadboard” comes in handy. It’s an easy to use device where you can connect microelectronic components without the need to solder anything. Breadboards are like pinboards for cables and microelect ...[Read More]

Using rainy day temperatures to predict the future of 100-year downpours

Daniel B. Wright May 3, 2024

It’s hard to overstate the importance of so-called “rainfall frequency analysis,” or the estimation of rare rainfall probabilities such as the 100-year storm. Billions of euros worth of infrastructure and planning decisions are made every year around the world based on such statistics. Unfortunately, extreme short-duration rainfall—meaning very high rainfall rates over a few minutes to a few hour ...[Read More]