HS
Hydrological Sciences

Opinion

Bridging the Gap Between Global Tech and Local Expertise: Why We Open-Sourced Google’s Hydrology Framework

and October 8, 2026
Bridging the Gap Between Global Tech and Local Expertise: Why We Open-Sourced Google’s Hydrology Framework

Dear EGU Hydrology community, Over the past few years, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence have fundamentally changed what is possible in large-scale hydrological modeling. At Google, our team has worked to develop machine learning river forecast models that operate globally, extending reliable forecasting to ungauged basins and covering almost two billion people through the …[Read More]

Has groundwater finally gone mainstream?

August 13, 2026
Has groundwater finally gone mainstream?

Groundwater has always had an image problem. Throughout my career, I have lost count of how many times we have described groundwater as an “invisible resource” or similar. It is almost a cliché in hydrogeology. We use the phrase because it captures something really fundamental: groundwater is hidden physically, but it has also been hidden …[Read More]

Reclaiming scientific publishing: Our duty to make science freely accessible to all

and June 2, 2026
Reclaiming scientific publishing: Our duty to make science freely accessible to all

Editor’s note: While this article explores the benefits of Diamond Open Access and critiques commercial, for-profit publishing structures, it is important to note that the European Geosciences Union (EGU) operates on a community-led, transparent, and not-for-profit Open Access model. EGU journals use Article Processing Charges (APCs) strictly to cover publishing costs and support the scientific …[Read More]

Regarding Flowing Waters – The Science and Art of Hydrology

May 22, 2026
Regarding Flowing Waters – The Science and Art of Hydrology

About a decade ago, I formally retired from Lancaster University (albeit retaining an emeritus position and still producing the occasional paper).   In that time, I have been able to pursue my interests in the history of hydrology but also devote more time to my other passion which is landscape photography, especially images of water. …[Read More]

My Riverside journey by bike to EGU, part 3

April 22, 2025
My Riverside journey by bike to EGU, part 3

After 15 days of cycling, I’m beginning to feel hopeful that we might even reach Vienna. The latest setback has been catching Covid (I think), which required 18 hours of sleep in our tent to recover. We’ve been on the Danube for the past few days, currently outside Regensburg Cathedral, where we’ve just joined the …[Read More]

My Riverside journey by bike to EGU, part 2

April 15, 2025
My Riverside journey by bike to EGU, part 2

We’ve now been pedalling (unaided by batteries, in case you were wondering) for six days along the Rhine. I’m writing this in the warmth of the evening sun, sparkling off the river, flowing gently past tonight’s campsite, which occupies the hundred metre wide floodplain between the left bank and a steeply-sloping vineyard. Today’s ride took …[Read More]

By bike to the General Assembly in Vienna

April 8, 2025
By bike to the General Assembly in Vienna

I’m Duncan Faulkner, a hydrologist working for JBA Consulting, and also President of the British Hydrological Society. My first General Assembly – in Hamburg Thirty years ago, 1995, I was about to board a plane for the European Geophysical Society (EGS) General Assembly in Hamburg, to present my first paper at a conference (on statistical …[Read More]