IAHS newsletter Sept 1996

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From the President

Membership can be a strange phenomenon. By nationality, race, type of blood, the sport we enjoy and even stature, each of us is a member of one group or another. Many of us tend to feel more at home with people like ourselves. On the other hand, modern society rightly attempts to accommodate variety, encourages mixing and aims at equality of opportunity for everyone.

But is this the case in science, where, due to education, training and research, specialization can lead to smaller and smaller groups, whose members can understand each other but not those from outside? Of course, to counteract this tendency, these groups are often brought together under an umbrella body which aims to interest and involve everyone within its purview. Such a body is the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) which brings together scientists and engineers concerned with the different branches of the earth sciences. Each of the sciences is represented in IUGG by one of the seven associations, with IAHS probably occupying one of the broadest of niches.

At the IUGG Executive Committee meeting, which was held in Copenhagen in June, it was interesting to see the differences between the seven associations and how they function. Some rely almost entirely on the annual grant they receive from IUGG for their finances, some publish very little, some have very few scientific meetings between the General Assemblies of IUGG. The contrast between IAHS and these associations was most noticeable. Another topic which was discussed was whether or not the different associations have arrangements for individual membership. Five of the seven do not have this possibility and it is also not possible to be an individual member of IUGG. Membership is vested in the countries who pay the required dues to the Union. The sixth, namely, IAHS, has a membership which is free and open to any bona fide hydrologist. Members of IAHS have the advantage that they receive certain issues of the Newsletter and discounts on purchases of publications.

>From time to time there have been discussions about introducing an IAHS membership fee. The argument is that members who pay would feel a greater allegiance and commitment to IAHS. It is pointed out that the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), the International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR), the International Association on Water Quality (IAWQ) and several of the other water-orientated associations benefit from the loyalty of a fee-paying membership, which also brings them extra revenue. Previously there has been some resistance within IUGG to associations having a fee-paying membership and that is one reason why IAHS membership is free. But attitudes have changed and the seventh of the associations within IUGG, namely, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), altered its statutes and bye-laws at Boulder in order to accommodate an individual fee-paying membership. The membership fee is graded according to the member's salary and IAVCEI had recruited more than 200 members by June. These members can vote for the officers of IAVCEI at General Assemblies along with national representatives and they also receive the Association's journal at a reduced price, together with other benefits. The question is whether IAHS should proceed along the same lines. Would the Association gain from a membership which pays a subscription? Would all the present members, nearly 2 000 of them, join? Would democracy and accountability increase? Would more hydrologists from developing countries and more young hydrologists be involved? If you have any views on the matter of membership, please send them to Vice-President Kuni Takeuchi. He will be reporting on this subject at Rabat.

When, at the Yokohama Scientific Assembly, Gerry Jones said there ought to be a Celtic Hydrology Conference and that IAHS should promote it, most people laughed. They said it was just a dream. But there are still some hydrologists who can turn dreams into reality. Pierre Hubert is one of them. Working with Alain Jigorel and Philipe Merot and a number of others from Centre d'tudes du Machinisme Agricole du Gnie Rural des Eaux et des Forets (CEMAGREF), Direction Regionale de l'Environnement (DIREN), Institut Franais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Institut National de la recherche Agronomique (INRA), and the Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA), Pierre organized the First Interceltic Colloquium in Rennes, Britanny, from 8 to 11 July (see report below). More than 200 hydrologists from nearly all the Celtic countries attended and a few honorary Celts from Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Some 50 papers were presented during the three days, and there were posters, commercial exhibits and three field excursions, as well as several cultural events, Breton dancing being prominent among them. What is the next dream going to be?

John C. Rodda

From the Secretariat

There are several pieces of good news to pass on to you in this brief report. On behalf of all IAHS members, I am delighted to be able to welcome Gill McGurran to the staff of the IAHS Press in Wallingford. Penny Kisby's introduction, below, gives you more detail, but I am sure that the presence of a much-needed new staff member will help ease the considerable burden of work undertaken for the Association at the Press offices.

The reports of Vice-President Pierre Hubert, below, indicate that considerable activity is taking place in Africa and Latin America to further the effectiveness of hydrological services. It is particularly pleasing to see that the work of Prof. Abel Afouda, M. Albert Goula and their colleagues in setting up an Association of African Hydrologists is coming to fruition after a great deal of hard work. IAHS will be helping this new Association in whatever ways possibly to try to ensure the better integration of African hydrological concerns into the global agenda for water action.

For a number of years, Dr. Dai Shensheng has been translating selected IAHS publications into Chinese. This is a very important and much appreciated service. Unfortunately Dr. Dai Shensheng will be leaving his present post to take up new challenges elsewhere. The Association owes a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Dai Shensheng and wishes to thank him for his efforts and at the same time to welcome his successor, Mr. Li Shiming to the Association.

As you know, IAHS publishes a Handbook every four years to describe its activities and to present its statutes and bye-laws. I am pleased to announce that the Handbook is now published and will be distributed to all members by the end of 1996. In order to economize on distribution costs the Handbook will be delivered with the Newsletter. The contents will be posted on our homepage.

Two very important meetings involving IAHS will take place soon. In September 1996 the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme holds its meeting in Paris and in December 1996 the Tenth Session of the WMO Commission for Hydrology will be held in Koblenz. Representatives of IAHS will attend both these meetings and will be ensuring the strong support of the Association to these programmes.

Lastly, the distribution of the Newsletter by e-mail is proceeding and a larger number of members is opting to receive it by this means. However, the process is not without difficulties, associated primarily with the capabilities of the computers which members possess. The Secretariat would appreciate your comments on the effectiveness of the process, particularly on whether the Newsletter should be transmitted in smaller, more manageable sections.

Gordon J. Young

IAHS Press

Additional Staff Member

A new full-time Publishing Assistant post has been offered to and accepted by Gill McGurran. Gill was chosen from over 50 applicants and is a competent and quiet lady with experience in library, administrative and information posts at two large government scientific establishments in the Oxford area. Since June 1995 she has been running her own company managing the publication of newsletters, press releases, journals, reports, booklets and one-off publications. Gill is an experienced user of a number of word processing and page make-up applications on both Mac and PCs.

Gill has agreed to start on 14 October. Initially she will assist Frances with the production and subscription management of Hydrological Sciences Journal and take responsibility for advertising and disseminating information on IAHS titles and increasing sales worldwide. Frances will then have time to assist Penny produce the six pre- published symposium proceedings for Rabat.

Hydrological Sciences Journal

An annual series of Special Issues of HSJ was proposed by Michel Meybeck, and the proposal accepted by the Bureau of IAHS, in June 1992. The purposes of the Special Issues are to raise the profile of the Journal and to invite key authors at the edge of mainstream hydrology to participate in providing a broad perspective on a field of water sciences.

The first Special Issue was produced in the August 1996 issue of the Journal, entitled Remote Sensing Applications to Hydrology. It was guest edited by Al Rango and Jerry Ritchie, both at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, on behalf of the IAHS International Committee on Remote Sensing and Data Transmission. The 240-page Special Issue contains 12 papers.

The next Special Issue, to be published in August 1997, will be on Sustainable Development of Water Resources. The guest editor is Slobodan Simonovic, on behalf of the International Commission on Water Resources Systems, and the issue is likely to contain 13 papers. Further Special Issues, from 1998 onward, are being sought from the other IAHS Commissions and Committees.

1997 Subscription Rate

The subscription rate for the six 1997 issues of the Journal (Vol. 42) has been set at US$180 (US$90 for members) or 116 pounds sterling ( 58 pounds sterling for members). Because there has been a good number of submitted papers, the six 1996 issues will comprise approximately 1 000 pages (more than budgeted for) and the slight increase in the subscription rate is based on publishing a similar number of pages in 1997.

New Red Books

Erosion and Sediment Yield: Global and Regional Perspectives

edited by D.E. Walling & B.W. Webb

This publication is the pre-published proceedings of the Symposium held at Exeter from 15 to 19 July 1996. The 61 papers published in this proceedings volume have been grouped into six main themes. The papers on Global patterns and Regional and national patterns are primarily concerned with sediment yields and provide a valuable synthesis of existing information both at the global scale and from specific areas of the world. They are complemented by a group of papers dealing more specifically with Soil erosion perspectives which emphasize the significance of soil erosion in many parts of the globe. Any attempt to explain global and regional patterns of erosion and sediment yield must clearly take account of contrasts in the erosional and sediment conveyance systems operating in different morphoclimatic zones, and a further group of papers therefore focusses on Sediment dynamics in contrasting environments. Attention is also given to the sensitivity of erosion and sediment yields to environmental change in a section devoted to Trends in sediment yield. The wider environmental and economic significance of increased sediment loads in rivers and associated management issues are emphasized by the final group of papers dealing with Sedimentation problems and sediment management.

Publ. No. 236 (July 1996), price 55.00, 586 + xiv pages

ISBN 0-947571-89-2

Calibration and Reliability in Groundwater Modelling edited by Karel Kovar & Paul van der Heijde

The proceedings of the international ModelCARE '96 Conference to be held at Golden, Colorado, from 24 to 26 September is in press. As at the previous Conference in the series, ModelCARE '90 (held in The Netherlands, 1990), the major objectives of the ModelCARE '96 Conference were to provide an international forum for state-of-the-art presentations on relevant methodologies and techniques and to identify the needs for future developments. In addition, the Conference intended to illustrate the practicality of various techniques through advanced case studies on calibration and reliability assessment. The proceedings volume contains 59 papers spread over the following six topics: Calibration: flow; Calibration: transport; Calibration: concepts; Methodologies; Reliability; and Uncertainty.

Publ. No. 237 (September 1996), price 55.00, 606 + x pages

ISBN 0-947571-94-9

To order a copy of these or any other IAHS publications or to obtain a flyer on them please contact the Wallingford address given on the back cover of this Newsletter.

Next Red Book

The proceedings of the Conference on Tropical Hydrology: A Geoscience and a Tool for Sustainability held at Paris in May 1995 as a tribute to Jean Rodier (1914-1994), who was both a former Secretary General and President of IAHS, will be published shortly. The papers have been edited by P. Chevallier & B. Pouyaud. As 28 of the 30 papers are in French the main title of this book will be L'hydrologie tropicale: g‚oscience et outil pour le d‚veloppement. A Summary, the Foreword and Abstracts of the papers in both English and French may be found on the World Wide Web at: http://www.rio.net /climat /rodier/rodier.htm.

1996 Catalogue of Publications

A new 36-page Catalogue of Publications was published earlier in the year and quickly mailed to IAHS members in Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, DPR Korea, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland and Israel. We apologize to members in all other countries as the mailing to them was delayed till September due to delays in correcting and updating the membership list.

Penny Kisby, Terence O'Donnell & Frances Watkins

News from Commissions and Committees

International Commission on Surface Water (ICSW)

An extended report of the Symposium in Anaheim was presented in the ICSW-Newsletter, No. 4, distributed to all members of ICSW in July. ICSW was involved in the conference of the Danube Countries on Hydrological Forecasting (26-30 August). More details about Rabat 1997 and the FRIEND '97 Conference (Postojna, Slovenia, 30 September-3 October 1997) will be given in the IAHS Newsletter, No. 59 (December 1996).

Contact for ICSW: Dr. Ladislav Kasparek, Secretary, ICSW, VUV-TG Masaryk Water Research Institute, Podbabska 30, Praha 6 16062, Czech Republik; tel.: +42 2 2430685; fax: +42 2 3113804

International Commission on Groundwater (ICGW)

Links to the National Correspondents: ICGW distributed an information letter in August 1996. Twenty-one National Representatives of ICGW, i.e., about 40%, responded to the questionnaire on topics of interest which was sent out last December. The main interests are as follows:

Groundwater modelling (flow, solute transport, chemistry), groundwater contamination and protection vulnerability), solute transport, quality, hydrochemistry: 12% Modelling, including stochastic: 9% Regional hydrology and resources management, safe yield, natural resources: 7%

Contacts: A contact between IAHS/ICGW and UNESCO-IHP (Andras Sz”ll”si-Nagy) was established after the IAHS Bureau Meeting in Vienna, 19-21 April 1996, to cooperate in the Project IHP-V. Vice-President Karel Kovar and Secretary Eduard Hoehn were nominated as liaisons.

Current and Forthcoming Symposia

``Analytic-Based Modelling of Groundwater Flow,'' Nunspeet, The Netherlands, 7-11 April 1997. Co-sponsored by IAHS/ ICGW (contact: Mr. Karel Kovar); Symposium at IAHS Scientific Assembly, Rabat, Morocco, 23 April-3 May 1997. Major IAHS/ ICGW involvement in Symposium S2, ``Hard Rock Hydrosystems.'' Contacts: Prof. Steven Gorelick, Scientific Programme Committee; Dr. Ed Hoehn, Co-convenor, Symposium S2). International Congress of Speleology, La-Chaux- de-Fonds, Switzerland, 10-17 August 1997. Co-sponsored with Swiss Academy of Sciences and University of Franche-Comt‚, Besan‡on, France (contact: Dr. Ed Hoehn);

HeadWater '98--``Hydrology, Ecology and Water Resources in Headwaters,'' Merano, Italy, 20-23 April 1998. Co-convened with European Academy (Bolzano), Italy, World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWC), and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (contacts: Mr. Karel Kovar; Dr. Ed Hoehn);

FGR '98--``Future Groundwater Resources at Risk,'' Changchun, P.R. China, 1998 (contact: J. Soveri, Finland);

GQ '98--``Groundwater Quality,'' Israel, Spring 1998. Co-convened with Technion (contact: Mr. Karel Kovar).

Contact for ICGW: Dr. Eduard Hoehn, Secretary, ICGW, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Sciences and Technology, 8600 Dbendorf, Switzerland; tel.: +41 1 8235525; fax: +41 1 8235028; e-mail:hoehn@eawag.ch

International Commission on Continental Erosion (ICCE)

Following a very successful meeting at Exeter in July 1996 on ``Erosion and Sediment Yield: Global and Regional Perspectives,'' ICCE is attempting to update and rationalize its links with national correspondents and its list of members. A first attempt is being made to organize an e-mail list server which will be used in the first instance to assist in the ease and costs of the distribution of ICCE newsletters. The e-mail addresses of all those who attended the Exeter meeting will form the basis for this list but any other people interested in the activities of ICCE should forward their e-mail address to Laurie Olive (address below). Newsletters will continue to be sent in hard copy for those who do not have access to e-mail. Contact is being made with all national representatives to update that information.

Contact for ICCE: Mr. Laurie Olive, Secretary, ICCE, School of Geography and Oceanography, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia; tel.: +61 6 2688314; fax: +61 6 2688313; e-mail:l-olive@adfa.oz.au

International Commission on Snow and Ice (ICSI)

The ICSI bureau meeting was held on 16 August at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. The main topic of discussion was the report of the Special Review Panel on the World Glacier Monitoring Service. The discussion was quite fruitful for all concerned; all parties were pleased with the report, such that most recommendations of the report were accepted by ICSI. We hope the recommendations will help the World Glacier Monitoring Service to meet the challenges of electronic communication and to help insure a more financially secure future. A great debt is owed to the members of the Special Panel under the leadership of Dr. Mark Meier and to the glaciological community who took time to respond to the questionnaires. More details about the recommendations will be forthcoming soon.

ICSI is sponsoring a Symposium at the IAMAS/ IAPSO Joint Assembly in Melbourne, Australia, in July 1997. The Symposium is on ``Glaciers of the Southern Hemisphere'' and will highlight the advances in our understanding of the alpine glaciers in this region. We hope to attract many of our colleagues from South America. Also, ICSI is a co-sponsor of a number of other symposia to be held in the next few years.

For the IUGG meeting in Birmingham, UK, in 1999, ICSI plans to be quite active with three to five proposed symposia. All symposia are closely tied to more than one of the eight Union topics.

Two working groups have published books. The working group on Snow Ecology has a book in press and the group on Snow-Atmosphere Chemical Exchanges has published a book entitled Chemical Exchange between the Atmosphere and Polar Snow.

Two new working groups have been approved. ICSI is most pleased that a working group under the leadership of Dr. Takeo Hondoh, who is also the head of the ICSI Division on Ice as a Material, will be formed to examine the Physics of Ice Core Records. This group intends to publish a book examining how microphysical processes affect climatic information stored in ice cores and the potential of physical structures in the ice to provide new information about

paleoclimates. The second working group will be formed to examine the Methods of Mass Balance Measurements and Modelling. Increasing interest in the mass balance of glaciers as an indicator of climate change has caused a re-examination of the methods used and to assess the errors inherent in the calculations. It is the intent of the working group to summarize the methods used around the world to determine glacier mass change with special attention to problems posed by calving glaciers, thick debris covers, large glaciers and so on. Modelling glacier mass balance has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years and this working group will also present an examination of the current models. Together the measurement and modelling methods will be published in a book resulting in a strong contribution to our most basic understanding of alpine glaciers.

The history of ICSI, the oldest of the IAHS commissions, has been written by Dr. Uwe Radok. ICSI was pleased with Dr. Radok's efforts and is looking forward to its eventual publication in the IAHS Hydrological Sciences Journal.

Contact for ICSI: Dr. Andrew G. Fountain, Secretary, ICSI, 2804 NE 39th Street, Portland, OR 97212, USA; tel.: +1 503 2873515; fax: +1 360 6967866; e-mail: andrew@usgs.gov

International Commission on Water Quality (ICWQ)

The Commission has been attempting to develop its contacts with all those interested in its activities. In addition to maintaining a list of interested parties, links have been established with IAHS National Correspondents for Water Quality in the following 49 countries: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic), Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Samoan Islands, Serbia, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zimbabwe. The Commission produces a newsletter on an occasional basis, which is circulated to interested parties and National Correspondents. It also has sent out a questionnaire in the relatively recent past to elicit information on the relevance of particular water-quality problems to specific countries and the relative importance of meetings on particular water-quality issues. At present the Commission has not found it necessary to establish a homepage on the Internet but it will keep the need for this facility under review.

Contact for ICWQ: Dr. Bruce Webb, Secretary, ICWQ, Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter EX44RJ, UK; tel.: +44 1392 263334; fax: +44 1392 263342; e-mail: B.W.Webb@ exeter.ac.uk

International Commission on Water Resources Systems (ICWRS)

Criteria on Sustainable Reservoir Development

The ICWRS Project on Criteria on Sustainable Reservoir Development and Management, chaired by Dr. Takeuchi, has entered its final stage. Preparatory works of the final report are well advanced and augur the timely production of the material for the Project Workshop planned to be held on 1 November 1996 in Kyoto, following the major international conference there (see forthcoming events, below). The final report of the ICWRS Project produced by the Kyoto meeting will then be upgraded and further edited for publishing. The attendance of participants at the Kyoto Project meeting will be supported by a grant from the River Environment Foundation of Japan (1 700 000 yen) and by a special IAHS grant (US$5 000) under the new budget item: ``Joint multidisciplinary projects.''

ICWRS in Rabat

The Symposium on ``Sustainability of Water Resources under Increasing Uncertainty,'' co- sponsored by ICWRS, has been flooded with over 160 abstracts. The great majority of these abstracts are very good and it is unfortunate that so many interesting contributions cannot be accommodated in the programme of the Symposium, which has been increased from 3 to 3.5 days. Even after having followed a very rigid acceptance policy, the proceedings volume of the Symposium will undoubtedly be the thickest Red Book in Rabat. The principal convenor of This Symposium and the editor-in-chief of the proceedings volume is Dr. Rosbjerg, Vice-President of ICWRS. The Commission is also co-sponsoring Workshop W5, where Dr. Simonovic will chair one session.

Kovcs Colloquium

The Commission Secretary, Dr. Kundzewicz, is the IAHS contact for the Third Kov cs Colloquium, ``Risk, Reliability, Uncertainty and Robustness of Water Resources Systems,'' that will be held in UNESCO, Paris, from 19 to 21 September 1996, to commemorate the late George Kovcs, former President of IAHS. It is foreseen that the Colloquium will be attended, inter alia, by the present President and two Past-Presidents of IAHS. The scientific programme of the Colloquium augurs very well. It will contain a set of keynote lectures and sessions on theoretical aspects, forecasting, water supply, water resources systems, reservoirs and hydraulic structures. It is foreseen that the proceedings of the Colloquium will be published in book form.

A New Focus--China

ICWRS President Dr. Simonovic and Past-President Dr. Takeuchi, together with Vice-President Dr. Xia Jun, introduced a new focus activity for ICWRS in China. The main objective of this initiative is to strengthen the collaboration between Chinese water resources community and the IAHS through the Commission. Two particular initiatives being considered are: a Workshop on Sustainable Management of Water Quantity and Quality in China and a Collaborative Project on Sustainable Management of Regions Subject to Water Scarcity in China. The main objectives of both these activities would be to bridge the gap between scientific research and needs of water resources management practice in developing countries, drawing from the experience of ICWRS and IAHS members at large.

ICWRS for IHP-V

ICWRS will actively participate in the IHP-V of UNESCO. The ICWRS President has accepted the invitation to join the Working Group of Theme 4.3: ``Non-structural Measures for Water Management Problems.''

Contact for ICWRS: Dr. Zbigniew Kundzewicz, Secretary, ICWRS, World Meteorological Organization, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, 41 Ave. Giuseppe Motta, CP 2300 Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland; tel.: +41 22 7308330; fax: +41 22 7348250; e-mail: zkundze@www. wmo.ch

International Committee on Remote Sensing and Data Transmission (ICRSDT)

The ICRSDT-sponsored special issue of Hydrological Sciences Journal (Vol. 41, No. 4) on Remote Sensing Applications to Hydrology was published in August 1996.

Spaces are still available for those who want to attend the 3rd Snowmelt Runoff Model Workshop at the University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland, from 7 to 11 October 1996. The Workshop will focus on the latest updates of SRM development and applications. For more information contact Mrs. Susan Schriber, Department of Geography, University of Berne, Hallerstrasse 12, 3012 Berne, Switzerland; tel.: +41 631 8859; fax: +41 631 8511; e-mail: baumgartner@guib.unibe.ch

A tentative programme for the ICRSDT- sponsored Symposium S3 at Rabat, ``Remote Sensing and GIS for Design and Operation of Water Resource Systems,'' has been developed. The conveners have arranged 4 sessions with 4 keynote papers, 5 invited papers and 23 contributed

papers. More information on the above and the latest information about ICRSDT activities are available on the ICRSDT homepage on the Internet at:

http:// hydrolab.arsusda.gov/~jritchie

Contact for ICRSDT: Dr. Jerry Ritchie, Secretary, ICRSDT, Hydrology Lab, Room 104, Bldg. 007, USDA/ARS/BARC-West, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA; tel.: +1 301 5047490; fax: +1 301 5048931; e-mail: jritchie@asrr.arsusda.gov

International Committee on Atmosphere-Soil-Vegetation Relations (ICASVR)

ICASVR is involved in planning Workshops and Symposia at two scientific meetings to be held in 1997: Rabat IAHS and Melbourne IAMAS/ IAPSO.

At Rabat ICASVR will convene two Workshops with several subsidiary sessions. The first is W1: ``Scaling Issues in the Coupling of Hydrological and Atmospheric Models,'' convened jointly with ICSW. This Workshop will concentrate on scaling aspects in hydrological modelling and coupling hydrological and atmospheric models at regional and larger scales. Convenor: A. Becker (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany; e-mail: becker@ pik-potsdam.de). Co-convenors: G. Bloeschl (Austria) and A. Hall (Australia).

The second Workshop is W3: ``Monitoring and Modelling of Soil Moisture: Integration Over Time and Space,'' convened jointly with ICRSDT. The objective of this Workshop is to discuss methods for assessment of soil moisture at the watershed and regional scales, and in particular improving the representation of soil moisture in linked hydrological and atmospheric models. Convenor: R. Feddes (Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands; e-mail: Feddes@ users.whh.wau.nl); Co-convenors: M. Bazza (Morocco), J.D. Kalma (Australia), P. Merot (France) and T. Engman (USA).

Over the past few months we have had a very gratifying response with abstracts for both W1 and W3. By late August about 30 abstracts had been received for W1 and about 50 abstracts for W3. Some discussion is currently taking place between the convenors of both Workshops to minimize overlap, optimize coverage and maximize potential interest and attendance in Rabat.

Although our primary focus is on Rabat, it was recommended by the IAHS Bureau in Boulder that IAHS should officially support an ICASVR / IAHS presence in the Joint Scientific Assembly of IAMAS/IAPSO, to be held in Melbourne in early July 1997, on the theme of ``Earth /Atmosphere /Ocean: Forces for Change.'' Events of the Joint Scientific Assembly have been detailed in the Newsletter, No. 57 (May 1996); contacts are listed in the Calendar of Meetings. It is hoped that Melbourne can serve as a focal point for IAHS/ ICASVR members and other hydrologists from the Pacific Rim who would not otherwise be able to attend IAHS/Rabat. To date the preparations for the Joint Scientific Assembly of IAMAS/ IAPSO conference are progressing smoothly and there is worldwide interest in this major conference.

ICASVR's involvment in UNESCO IHP-V has resulted in the agreement to produce a review of land surface processes modelling in regional and continental-scale hydrology. Current plans are to produce a contribution to the UNESCO series of Technical Documents in Hydrology, re-evaluating the current state-of-the art in large-scale hydrological modelling and summarizing recent UNESCO/ ICASVR/ IGBP activities, including several symposia, workshops and monographs. The activity will result in a steering document for consideration by the hydrological and land-surface/ atmospheric modelling community to improve the representation of hydrologically relevant land surface processes at regional to continental scales. The report will highlight key differences among several alternative approaches to large-scale hydrological modelling. It will offer practical solutions for near-term progress, using currently available methodologies and a framework for incorporating yet-to-be-developed models.

It is expected that publication of the final H-1-1 report in the second half of 1996 will assist in the preparation for the two above-mentioned ICASVR Workshops at the 1997 IAHS meeting in Rabat, Morocco.

Contact for ICASVR: Dr. Charles V”r”smarty, Secretary, ICASVR, Institute of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824-3525, USA; tel.: +1 603 8621792; fax: +1 603 8620188; e-mail: charles.vorosmarty@ unh.edu

International Committee on Tracers (ICT)

The 7th International Symposium on Water Tracing, organized by ATH, jointly with IAH, ICT and UNESCO, to be held in Portoroz, Slovenia, 26-31 May 1997, announces the following new deadlines

for abstracts: 30 September 1996

for papers: 31 December 1996

New Regional Committee North America of ICT

Dr. Jeff McDonnell, Associate Professor of Water Resources, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA; fax: +1 315 4706956, is Chairman of the new Regional Committee North America of ICT. Interested colleagues are invited to contact the chairman.

Contact for ICT: Dr. Anne Coudrain-Ribstein, Secretary, ICT, Laboratoire G‚ologie Appliqu‚e, URA-CNRS 1367 Universit‚ Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris Cedex 5 75252, France; tel.: +33 1 44276327; fax: +33 1 44275125; e-mail: coudrain@biogeodis.jussieu.fr Governmental Organizations

WMO

Tenth Session of the WMO

Commission for Hydrology

The tenth session of the WMO Commission for Hydrology (CHy-X) will be held in Koblenz, Germany, from 2 to 12 December 1996, the participants being either members of national delegations or representatives of international organizations. Attendance at the formal sessions of the Commission is therefore by invitation only, except for one open meeting of scientific lectures which could be of interest to the broader international hydrology community. The Commission for Hydrology is one of four basic technical commissions of WMO and is responsible, inter alia, for matters relating to operational hydrology and the applications of meteorology and hydrology to water-resources problems. It meets every four years. The President of the Commission is Dr. K. Hofius (Germany) and its Vice-President is In. G. Arduino (Uruguay).

Following a decision of the CHy Advisory Working Group, provision has been made in the programme of the session for the presentation of a number of scientific lectures. They will be open to the public and will form a programme of two half days: the afternoon of Tuesday, 10 December (14:00-18:00) and the morning of Wednesday, 11 December (9:00-12:00). The overall title of the set of scientific lectures is ``Hydrological Services: Data and Information /Product Needs into the 21st Century.'' Individual lectures will cover the following five themes:

Hydrology and water resources into the twenty-first century;

Users of hydrological services/products;

Current and needed scientific and technical developments in hydrological products and services;

Transfer of technology and data;

Meeting the future needs of users.

More detailed information is available on request from the WMO Hydrology and Water Resources Department. Postal address: 41, av. Giuseppe Motta, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland; fax: +41 22 734 8250; e-mail: dkraemer@ www.wmo.ch

Developments in WHYCOS

The concept of the World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS) was introduced by WMO and the World Bank in 1992 (cf. IAHS Newsletter, No. 57, with information on SADC-HYCOS and Hydrological Sciences Journal, 38 [1993], 373-78) and has since developed to the stage of practical implementation. WHYCOS is a worldwide programme which aims at improving cooperation at river basin, regional and global levels to support the establishment or improvement of consistent and reliable water-data information systems--above all, for the benefit of sustainable development. The development objective of WHYCOS is to provide a scientific basis for water resources assessment, monitoring and integrated, intersectoral and international water resources development and management. It will contribute to knowledge of hydrological processes in their interaction with climate and the environment, and will encourage intersectoral sharing of water resources data and information for development and natural capital management. It is designed to form a key element in the strategy of the international community for combatting the approaching water crisis through capacity building and access to an information highway.

WHYCOS is being implemented through a two-pronged, fully integrated approach. A global conceptual basis provides a framework and general guidance is being developed concurrently with the implementation of national, sub-regional, regional and basin-wide operational components (HYCOSs), with a key role given to the needs of end-users. These HYCOSs act as catalysts for the improvement of water information systems at different scales, all electronically interconnected within the WHYCOS programme. They are designed to make use of new technologies, such as real-time, satellite-based data acquisition networks, Internet-based dissemination systems for data on river flow, water quality and certain climatic variables, and distributed data bases. The immediate objectives of these HYCOSs include installation of networks of key stations of multisensor-equipped data collection platforms (DCPs), development and implementation of distributed regional data bases, implementation of regional computer networks for the monitoring of regional water resources, improvement of national hydrological services and networks, and dissemination of products and information to decision makers and the public.

Current Status of Components

of WHYCOS

MED-HYCOS (Mediterranean rim): This is being implemented by WMO with the financial support of the World Bank and other donors. WMO is the Executing Agency. The Regional Pilot Centre for MED-HYCOS has been launched at ORSTOM in Montpellier (France) with the e-mail address: morell@ orstom.rio.net. The installation of the first 20 DCPs purchased by the project is planned for September 1996, concurrently with relevant training sessions. The Implementation Programme for the year 1996 includes the purchase of 10 more DCPs and the development of a regional telecommunication system based on the use of existing segments of the GTS and of the Internet. A site on the World Wide Web was opened in March 1996 (http: // montpellier.mpl.orstom.fr/medhycos/). The implementation of the project would be extended to the Black Sea, as new funds become available.

#(b)

SADC-HYCOS (Southern Africa Development Community): The project document was prepared by SADC and WMO at the request of the European Union (EU) and is now under consideration for funding, with WMO as the supervising agency. It is expected that about 50 DCPs would be installed.

#(c)

AOC-HYCOS (West and Central Africa): The project document would be prepared during the second half of 1996 by WMO and local experts, through a contract signed by WMO with the French Ministry for Cooperation.

(d)

Congo-HYCOS (Congo River basin) is under consideration by the World Bank as part of a Regional Environment Information Management Project for the Central Africa Region (REIMP-CAR).

(e)

IGADD-HYCOS (Eastern Africa): A request has been received from IGADD for the preparation of a project document. A project profile has been prepared by WMO and presented to IGADD during the technical meetings on the priority areas of IGADD (15 June 1996).

#(f)

Aral Sea-HYCOS (Central Asia): The relevant project document is being prepared by WMO in cooperation with Swiss experts. It would be one of the components in a World Bank's Aral Sea Programme.

#(g)

CARIB-HYCOS (Caribbean region): A letter of intent to support the development of the project was signed by representatives of 23 Caribbean countries who attended the Conference on Water Resources Assessment and Management Strategies for Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by WMO and the Interamerican Bank for Development (IDB) in San Jos‚, Costa-Rica, from 6 to 11 May 1996.

Forthcoming Events

International Conference on Water Resources and Environment Research: Towards the 21st Century, Kyoto, Japan, 29-31 October 1996

The Conference will be chaired by Takuma Takasao (Kyoto University) and organized by the Water Resources Research Center, Kyoto University.

With the advent of modern technology, this century has seen great progress in water resources research. The Conference will provide scientists, engineers and concerned practitioners, with an invaluable occasion to discuss challenges and new themes, using new knowledge and technology.

Topics will include: Scaling problems in hydrology and water resources; Distributed modelling of hydrological systems; Interactions between surface and atmospheric processes; Monitoring systems /GIS/remote sensing; Stochastic/ statistics; Pattern recognition /fractal /chaos in hydrology; environmental management; Sustainable development; Expert systems /decision support systems; Risk analysis and management; Compliance to environmental regulations; Human and social systems; Climatic change.

Keynote speakers will be G. Schultz (Ruhr University, Germany); U. Shamir (Israel Institute of Technology, Israel); M. Smithson (James Cook University, Australia). As of May 1996 approximately 400 abstracts had been submitted and the International Scientific Committee and the Organizing Committee accepted about 200 for full-length paper submission. The following post-conference Workshops, focussed on related topics, will be held on 1 November 1996 at Kyodai-Kaikan, Kyoto, Japan.

International Workshop on System Intelligence for Water Resources Management (Chair: Prof. Tsugihiro Watanabe, Osaka Prefectural University); International Workshop on Criteria of Sustainable Reservoir Development and Management Final Report Meeting for the Commission Project of IAHS/ICWRS (Chair: Prof. Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, Yamanashi University);

The Weather Generator Project: New Perspectives on Downscaling and Meteorological Data (Chair: Prof. Brad Bass, University of Toronto);

International Workshop on Use of Statistical Distributions for the Estimation of Extreme Events (Chair: Prof. Bernard Bob‚e, University of Quebec).

For further information contact the Organizing Committee by e-mail: conf@wrcn2.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Shuichi Ikebuchi

International Conference on Regionalization in Hydrology, Braunschweig, Germany,

10-14 March 1997

The Conference will be jointly convened by the German National Committee for IHP/OHP and the Technical University of Braunschweig and organized jointly with UNESCO, in cooperation with WMO and IAHS.

The themes of the Conference will be:

Process models for the hydrological cycle; Methods for translating models across scales and from one region to another; Coupling of hydrological process models with geographical information systems; Remote sensing as a tool for parameter estimation and model validation; Use and availability of data;

Application.

Call for papers /posters. Abstracts of approximately 300 words are invited. Deadline: 30 September 1996. All correspondence should be sent to Prof. Dr. Otto Richter, Regionalization in Hydrology 1997, Technische Universit„t Braunschweig, Institut fr Geographie und Geo”kologie, Langer Kamp 19c, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany; tel.: + 49 53 13915627; fax: +49 53 13918170.

HeadWater '98: Headwater Control IV; Hydrology, Water Resources and Ecology in Headwaters, Merano,

Italy, 20-23 April 1998

The Conference will be convened jointly by The European Academy, The Standing Committee on Headwater Control (SCHC) and IAHS and will be a contribution to UNESCO IHP-V.

The Conference will provide an international forum for the evaluation of alternative land management, environmental protection and land reclamation practices and policies.

The following themes will be considered: Monitoring; Processes; Modelling; Management. Within each theme the following aspects will be treated: Hydrology; Ecology; Socio-economic aspects; Interdisciplinary approaches.

Oral and poster presentations will be considered. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 28 February 1997. Further information may be obtained from the Conference Secretariat: HeadWater '98, c/o European Academy, Weggensteinstrasse 12/A, I-39100 Bozen /Bolzano, Italy; tel.: +39 47 1306111; fax: +39 47 1306099; e-mail: HeadWater98@ms.sinfo.interbusiness.it

International Conference on Future Groundwater Resources at Risk, Changchun, China, 12-16 July 1998

This Conference is being organized by the Changchun University of Earth Sciences, with sponsorship by UNESCO, IAHS and the IAH. It is a follow-up to the successful Conference FGR '94 held in Helsinki, Finland, in 1994 (IAHS Publication No. 222) and is a contribution to UNESCO IHP-Vs.

The objective of FGR '98 is to cover the full range of issues involved in the assessment of future groundwater risks and in practical solutions to control and possibly alleviate or remedy groundwater risks, especially in view of the availability of groundwater in the future and groundwater contamination due to human activities. The following topics are under consideration:

Side effects related to groundwater development in urban areas;

Groundwater contamination control and remediation;

Water resources development and ecosystems in arid or semiarid areas;

Water resources and environment in karst areas;

Groundwater modelling and information systems;

Groundwater monitoring, management and protection.

Participants intending to present a paper are requested to send a one- to two-page abstract in English to the Conference Secretariat, to be received by 31 October 1996. Authors will be notified of acceptance by 31 January 1997. The deadline for submission of accepted papers will be 31 May 1997. It is proposed to publish the papers in the UNESCO series. For further information, please contact: Dr. Zhao Yongsheng, FGR '98 Conference Secretariat, PO Box 298, Changchun University of Earth Sciences, 6 Ximinzhu Street, Changchun 130026, China; tel.: + 86 431 8928327; fax: +86 431 892 1111-2355

International Symposium on Modelling Soil Erosion, Sediment Transport and Closely Related Hydrological Processes, Vienna, Austria, 13-17 July 1998

The Symposium, organized by ICCE and UNESCO, will consider soil erosion and sediment transport as an integrated part of various basin processes. It will focus on recent modelling techniques and methodologies and their advances, ranging from empirical grey-box types and stochastic approaches to physically based modelling. Papers will be welcomed which examine techniques and methodologies used in soil erosion and non-point source pollution prediction as well as in river sediment transport. Major themes include:

Environmental issues;

The linkages to other basin processes such as hydrologic, atmospheric, terrestrial and biological processes;

Existing descriptive approaches and recent developments;

Empirical, stochastic and physical based models;

Advances in modelling soil erosion, diffusive nutrient transport, tracer displacement and sediment transport in rivers and reservoirs;

Evaluation strategies including monitoring methodologies, data collection, equipment, facilities, etc.

Abstracts of 200 to 500 words should be submitted by 15 May 1997 to the Organizing Committee: Dr. Wolfgang Summer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95615, USA; fax: +1 916 7522385; e-mail: wsummer@ucdavis.edu

IAHS Newsletter No. 58
Miscellaneous

For some years now, our Newsletters have been translated into Chinese and distributed within China by Mr. Dai Shensheng. Mr. Dai Shensheng is moving on to another position and will no longer be providing this service. IAHS would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Dai Shensheng for his very valuable contribution to the Association over many years and to wish him well in his future endeavours.

The next editor for IAHS Information in Chinese will be Mr. Li Shiming, The Yellow River Hydrology Institute, No. 2 Chengbei Road, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450004, China.

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