Scientific studies and mathematical models are increasingly used to guide the management and development of society. But while science and modelling can indeed provide a robust basis for decision making, we must be mindful of two related considerations. First, science is based not on trust but on skepticism, meticulous technique and careful verification. Second, science is not made of absolute tru ...[Read More]
Hydrological modelling in times of flooding
What a strange summer! Depending on where you live, you might currently be suffering from heat. In Switzerland, we are suffering from an exceptionally rainy and stormy weather situation, with high to very high flood danger issued for many major rivers and lakes (see warning map above, taken from the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN on Wednesday 14 July). For certain rivers, controlled flood ...[Read More]
The Lutz Creek watershed of Barro Colorado Island, Panama
The Lutz Creek watershed, administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), is one of the longest continually monitored, micro-catchments in the neotropics. This catchment is central to the long-term climate and hydrological monitoring program that STRI has operated on BCI since 1972. The information derived from this program plays an essential role ...[Read More]
Featured catchment: Hydrometeorological observations in an agricultural landscape in the Czech Republic
The Nučice experimental catchment (0.531 km2) is located 30 km east of Prague in an agricultural landscape in the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic (Figs. 1 and 2). The cultivated landscape and climatic conditions are representative of farmlands of the Czech Republic. To understand water balance, rainfall-runoff and soil erosion processes on the cultivated landscape, we started hydrological ...[Read More]