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]

Call for Blog Contributions: The HydroData Chronicles

Christina Orieschnig and Athanasios V. Serafeim April 9, 2024

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our newest blog series dedicated to exploring the fascinating world of hydrological datasets. Join us on this exciting journey as we uncover the hidden stories within hydrological data. By highlighting cutting-edge research, insightful analyses, and captivating data, we aim to shed light on the intricacies of hydrology and draw your attention to dat ...[Read More]

Communicating science to the public – an example after the recent floods in Germany

Bettina Schaefli January 25, 2024

Extensive flooding in the Emsland flood area, photo: Flugschule Dankern

After the wet December 2023, the year 2024 started with widespread flooding in parts of Europe. Flooding during winter times is not unusual but brings particular challenges in terms of spatial extent, and the impact on people can be exacerbated when flooding comes with very low temperatures. The exceptionally wet and warm winter necessarily triggers questions from the public about how this links t ...[Read More]

May the year-end be Exceptional, not only hydrologically!

Bettina Schaefli December 21, 2023

Generated with DreamStudio, "beautiful rainy christmas in a river catchment"

What a hydrological year it has been! From the winter drought and flash floods detailed in Matano and Avanzi‘s blog post to the remarkably warm and wet November 2023, Europe has witnessed a range of extraordinary weather phenomena. In the Alpine region, the convergence of warm and wet weather resulted in numerous rain-on-snow events (see eg. the streamflow recording below), offering valuabl ...[Read More]