Catchment hydrology is influenced by climate forcing in the form of precipitation and temperature and by human interactions in the form of land use (land drainage practices, compaction of soils due to the use of heavy agricultural machinery, deforestation, grass cutting) and water management practices (river regulations, dams, retention reservoirs and groundwater recharges and pollution control). The difficulty of separating different causes of changes in a hydrological regime results from the complexity of interactions between those three factors and catchment responses and uncertainty and scarcity of available observations. As shown in a number of previous studies, it is very difficult to distinguish human-induced changes from those caused by natural forcing.
To tackle the complexity of land-surface hydrological interactions we focus on detecting changes in the description of hydrological process and relating them to changes in meteorological processes and other external forcing factors, such as changes in water management practices or land use.
This session welcomes contributions covering analyses of the impacts of historical, current and future changes in climate variability, land use and water management on hydrological processes, for the purpose of mitigation of present and future risks to the public and ecosystems from extreme events (droughts and floods) and for the detection and control of pollution. The invitation includes scientists working on hydrological, meteorological and geochemical aspects of the changing natural environment.
Publication of the session’s proceedings in a guest-edited Special Issue of a relevant International Journal is foreseen.