For this episode of HydroTalks, we’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Ilias Pechlivanidis, Senior Researcher and Associate Professor (Docent) in hydrology and water resources at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), and Visiting Researcher at Uppsala University. He is currently the Vice President of the EGU Hydrological Sciences Division and will serve as Division President …[Read More]
Hydrological forecasting
Hortonian overland flow: when theory becomes reality
Hortonian overland flow – if you have ever followed a hydrology class, you have certainly come across this jargon: this is the name of a hydrological process – when rainfall flows off at the terrain surface because the rainfall intensity is so high that not all the water can infiltrate into the soil (rainfall intensity …[Read More]
Using rainy day temperatures to predict the future of 100-year downpours
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 …[Read More]
Communicating science to the public – an example after the recent floods in Germany
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 …[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 …[Read More]
SciArt & Hydrology: how about having an art exhibition as part of your hydrology PhD thesis?
On November 1st 2019, Louise Arnal, a PhD candidate at the University of Reading and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), had her art exhibition opening event at The Museum of English Rural Life (Reading, UK). This exhibition was part of her PhD thesis on hydrology, and was called “Gambling with floods?” For …[Read More]