Where did the scientific method go?

Where did the scientific method go?

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… And can we please bring it back? Contributed by Marie-Amélie Boucher (Université de Sherbrooke, Canada)  I like the scientific method. I like it because it makes us focus on the acquisition of new knowledge following a rigorous path and does not devalue results that go against initial expectations. However, it seems to me that in hydrology, like in many applied sciences we focus mostly on reaching research objectives, or goals. Objective-centered research: what is the problem with research objectives?…

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How many zeros is too many for reliable streamflow predictions?

How many zeros is too many for reliable streamflow predictions?

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Contributed by Mark Thyer, David McInerney and Dmitri Kavetski, University of Adelaide. Ephemeral catchments, where there are days with zero flow, are common in many parts of the world, particular in areas with highly variable climate such as Australia (see Figure 1). Recent research has established how the number of days with zero flow impacts the reliability of probabilistic streamflow predictions in ephemeral catchments (McInerney et al., 2019). When there exists days with zero flow, producing reliable probabilistic predictions is…

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Can we achieve seasonally coherent forecasts given limited NWP DATA – across a continental domain?

Can we achieve seasonally coherent forecasts given limited NWP DATA – across a continental domain?

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Contributed by Kirsti Hakala1, QJ Wang1, Qichun Yang1 and David Robertson2. Reliable weather forecasts are critical for the planning and management of a variety of social and economic activities, such as water management. To make such forecasts, numerical weather prediction (NWP) models have been developed. However, NWP models are limited in their ability to represent certain physical processes and initial conditions, and thus include inaccuracies, which can be improved through calibration. Effective calibration should aim to provide forecasts that are…

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Assimilation of in-situ and satellite data in hydrological predictions – Can we add value?

Assimilation of in-situ and satellite data in hydrological predictions – Can we add value?

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Contributed by Jude Musuuza (SMHI). The increased focus on satellite missions in recent years has resulted in a rich source of valuable Earth Observations (EO), in terms of spatial coverage and temporal frequencies that are impossible to achieve with direct measurements. Such observations have been used in various disciplines, including also hydrological modelling, for instance to improve process understanding through tailored model parameterisation and performance assessment. In addition EOs have been used to (better) initialise the model states which further…

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Can seasonal hydroclimate services be a success story for local applications? Some answers based on a French case study!

Can seasonal hydroclimate services be a success story for local applications? Some answers based on a French case study!

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Contributed by Louise Crochemore (SMHI), Ilias Pechlivanidis (SMHI) and Maria-Helena Ramos (INRAE). Hydroclimate services are increasingly available… An increasing number of hydroclimate services provide readily available water predictions to users at the catchment scale. For example, in Europe: Local to global services based on products from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) have been developed for the hydropower, water resources, flood risk prevention and agriculture sectors within the H2020 CLARA project. The H2020 S2S4E project has co-developed a decision support…

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