Description
In addition to the many practical applications, one of the most interesting aspects of hydrometeorology is how quickly techniques change. Since publication of the fi rst edition, some of the main steps forward have been in meteorology. In particular, high-resolution convection-permitting numerical models are now used operationally by several meteorological services, improving the ability to forecast convective storms. With typical horizontal scales of 1–2 km, the outputs are of interest in a wide range of hydrological applications. Data assimilation techniques have also been developed further to make more use of higher- resolution observations such as those provided by weather radars and wind profilers.
Regarding weather radar, the most signifi cant development has been the dualpolarisation upgrades that are underway or have been completed in several countries. Compared to Doppler techniques, this approach improves the ability to distinguish between types of precipitation together with several other advantages, with corresponding improvements in the accuracy of precipitation estimates. The Core Observatory satellite for the international Global Precipitation Measurement mission was also launched in 2014 and offers the potential for a step-change in the accuracy and global coverage of satellite precipitation estimates.
At catchment scale, the reliability of water quality sensors continues to improve allowing continuous monitoring of an ever-widening range of contaminants. Some typical applications include real-time water quality and ecosystem forecasting systems and investigations into the sources of diffuse pollution. More generally probabilistic forecasting techniques are being used in an increasing number of water resources, flood and other applications. For example, seasonal fl ow forecasts are necessarily probabilistic in nature and are increasingly used in reservoir management and agricultural operations.
However, a forecast on its own is of little value, and developments in cell phone and smartphone technologies continue to open up new approaches to issuing alerts and guidance to end users. Web-based information services and multimedia dissemination systems are now well-established, and many national services now use social media to keep people informed during emergencies. Taken together these
developments allow forecasts and warnings to be issued more effectively than was possible even just a few years ago.
This revised version of the book provides an introduction to these various topics as well as to other longer-established techniques. It follows the same structure as before with an initial section that focusses on observation and forecasting techniques and how forecasts contribute to decision-making. A second section then discusses a range of practical applications in the areas of fl oods, droughts, fl ow control, environmental impacts and water resources. Many chapters have been signifi cantly revised, and the previous chapters on monitoring and fl oods have been split into two parts, covering meteorological and catchment monitoring techniques and riverine and flash floods. This has allowed more detail to be provided on topics such as weather radar, debris flows and surface water flooding.
As before the text is generally at an introductory level, and each chapter contains extensive lists of references for further reading on the more technical aspects and mathematical background. This includes references to a number of excellent guidelines that have been published since the fi rst edition; for example, as part of the WMO/GWP Associated Programme on Flood Management. Several new ‘textboxes’ and tables are included which in some cases are updated versions of descriptions which first appeared in a book on fl ash fl oods: an area in which there is perhaps the greatest need for collaboration between meteorologists and hydrologists.
United Kingdom
Kevin Sene
Contents
1 Introduction
Part I Techniques
- 2 Meteorological Observations
- 3 Catchment Monitoring
- 4 Meteorological Forecasting
- 5 Hydrological Forecasting
- 6 Demand Forecasting
- 7 Forecast Interpretation
Part II Selected Applications
- 8 River Flooding
- 9 Flash Floods
- 10 Droughts
- 11 Flow Control
- 12 Environmental Impacts
- 13 Water Resources