Catchment hydrology—a science in which all processes are preferential
✍ Scribed by Stefan Uhlenbrook
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2006
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 101 KB
- Volume
- 20
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6087
- DOI
- 10.1002/hyp.6564
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The important thing is not to stop questioning. ' Albert Einstein, physicist (1879-1955) Recently, during a discussion with a manager for water and environment, we agreed that hydrology plays a key role in solving water-related problems, such as flooding, water scarcity, water quality deterioration, ecosystem decline and impact of global changes, etc. These problems are initiated (to a large extent) through hydrological processes. We also agreed that mitigation strategies and integrated water resources management (an often-used buzzword with an important concept underlying it; van der Zaag, 2005) in a given catchment should also address the whole catchment in a holistic way. What we agreed on in this discussion is probably not new for the reader, as similar statements can be found in countless glossy brochures summarizing global water issues and also the contributions of numerous water institutions (national, international, NGOs, UN). In this article, I will discuss the role and challenges of catchment hydrology in this respect.
What is 'Catchment Hydrology'?
The role of hydrology for sustainable development and global welfare is crucial as hydrology should provide the necessary knowledge and understanding of the operation of hydrological processes and their spatial and temporal variability. In this context, it is worth noting that UNESCO defines hydrology (URL: www.unesco.
org/water) in a very wide way as the 'science that deals with the water of the earth, their occurrence, circulation and distribution, their chemical and physical properties, and their reaction with their environment, including their relation to living beings.' In addition, it is stated that hydrology is the 'science that deals with the processes governing the depletion and replenishment of the water resources of the land areas of the earth, and various phases of the hydrological cycle.' One has to
realize that this definition is very broad and that a number of other water-related disciplines deal with certain aspects of hydrology, as for instance water resources management, limnology, hydraulic engineering, agricultural engineering, forestry sciences, environmental sciences, etc.
In this respect, I see 'catchment hydrology' as that part of the science of hydrology that (i) deals with all components of the terrestrial