Hydrologic Science Priorities for the U.S. Global Change Research Program
An Initial Assessment
Committee on Hydrologic Science
Water Science and Technology Board
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, DC
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this project was provided by the Army Research Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation (under Grant No. EAR-9814582), National Weather Service, and U.S. Geological Survey. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.
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COMMITTEE ON HYDROLOGIC SCIENCE
DARA ENTEKHABI, Chair, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
MARY R. ANDERSON, University of Wisconsin, Madison
RONI AVISSAR, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
ROGER C. BALES, University of Arizona, Tucson
EVILLE GORHAM, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
MARC B. PARLANGE, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
CHRISTA PETERS-LIDARD, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
KENNETH W. POTTER, University of Wisconsin, Madison
ERIC F. WOOD, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
National Research Council Staff
STEPHEN D. PARKER, Project Study Director
PETER A. SCHULTZ, Staff Officer
ANITA A. HALL, Project Assistant
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WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD
HENRY J. VAUX, JR. (Chair), University of California, Riverside
CAROL A. JOHNSTON (Vice Chair), University of Minnesota, Duluth
RICHELLE M. ALLEN-KING, Washington State University, Pullman
GREGORY B. BAECHER, University of Maryland, College Park
JOHN S. BOYER, University of Delaware, Lewes
JOHN BRISCOE, The World Bank, Washington, D.C.
DENISE FORT, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
STEVEN R. GLOSS, University of Wyoming, Laramie
EVILLE GORHAM, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
WILLIAM A. JURY, University of California, Riverside
GARY S. LOGSDON, Black & Veatch, Cincinnati, Ohio
RICHARD G. LUTHY, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
JOHN W. MORRIS, J. W. Morris, Arlington, Virginia
PHILLIP A. PALMER, DuPont Engineering, Wilmington, Delaware
REBECCA T. PARKIN, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
JOAN B. ROSE, University of South Florida, St Petersburg
RHODES TRUSSELL, Montgomery Watson, Inc., Pasadena, California
ERIC F. WOOD, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Staff
STEPHEN D. PARKER, Director
JACQUELINE MACDONALD, Associate Director
CHRIS ELFRING, Senior Staff Officer
LAURA EHLERS, Senior Staff Officer
JEFFREY W. JACOBS, Staff Officer
JEANNE AQUILINO, Administrative Associate
MARK GIBSON, Research Associate
ANITA A. HALL, Administrative Assistant
ELLEN de GUZMAN, Senior Project Assistant
ANIKE JOHNSON, Project Assistant
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BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE
ERIC J. BARRON (Co-Chair), Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JAMES R. MAHONEY (Co-Chair), IT Group, Inc., Washington, D.C.
SUSAN K. AVERY, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
LANCE F. BOSART, State University of New York, Albany
MARVIN A. GELLER, State University of New York, Stony Brook
CHARLES E. KOLB, Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts
ROGER A. PIELKE, JR., National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
ROBERT T. RYAN, WRC-TV, Washington, D.C.
MARK R. SCHOEBERL, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
JOANNE SIMPSON, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
NIEN DAK SZE, Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
ROBERT A. WELLER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
ERIC F. WOOD, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Ex Officio Members
DONALD BURKE, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
DARA ENTEKHABI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
EUGENE RASMUSSON, University of Maryland, College Park
JOHN ROADS, University of California at San Diego/Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla
PAUL WINE, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
NRC Staff
ELBERT W. (JOE) FRIDAY, JR., Director
LAURIE S. GELLER, Program Officer
PETER A. SCHULTZ, Program Officer
DIANE L. GUSTAFSON, Administrative Assistant
ROBIN MORRIS, Financial Associate
TENECIA A. BROWN, Senior Program Assistant
CARTER W. FORD, Project Assistant
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COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER (Chair), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
RICHARD A. CONWAY, Union Carbide Corporation (Retired), Charleston, West Virginia
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
THOMAS J. GRAFF, Environmental Defense Fund, Oakland, California
EUGENIA KALNAY, University of Maryland, College Park
DEBRA KNOPMAN, Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.
KAI N. LEE, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE, Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
BRAD MOONEY, J. Brad Mooney Associates, Ltd., Arlington, Virginia
HUGH C. MORRIS, El Dorado Gold Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia
H. RONALD PULLIAM, University of Georgia, Athens
MILTON RUSSELL, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
THOMAS C. SCHELLING, University of Maryland, College Park
ANDREW R. SOLOW, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL, Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN, University of Maryland, College Park
MARY LOU ZOBACK, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
Staff
ROBERT M. HAMILTON, Executive Director
GREGORY H. SYMMES, Associate Executive Director
JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative and Financial Officer
SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
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Preface
The availability of fresh water is potentially one of the most pervasive crises of the coming century. Water-related decisions will determine the future of major ecosystems, the health of regional economies, and the political stability of nations. A vigorous program of research in hydrologic sciences can provide the basis for sound water management at local, regional, national, and international levels.
The Committee on Hydrologic Science was established by the National Research Council in 1999 to identify priorities for hydrologic science that will ensure its vitality as a scientific discipline in service of societal needs. This charge will be performed principally through a series of studies that provide scientific advice on the hydrologic aspects of national program and U.S. hydrologic contributions to international programs.
This first report contains a preliminary assessment of the hydrologic science content of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). Because this is a short and focused report, little effort is spent to reaffirm the established and successful elements of the USGCRP. In fact, the Committee generally endorses the findings of the National Research Council (NRC) report Global Environmental Change: Research Pathways for the Next Decade (NRC, 1998a; the so-called Pathways report) in this respect. Instead the attention here is directed toward the most critical missing hydrologic science elements in the FY2000 USGCRP. This brings the focus to the terrestrial component of the water cycle. The integrative nature of terrestrial hydrology could significantly strengthen the USGCRP. Two specific examples of the useful roles of terrestrial hydrology are: (1) linking regional hydrologic and water resources systems with large-scale and global water and energy cycles and (2) coupling water and biogeochemical cycles through ecosystems. This report recommends science priorities on these and related topics.
This report was produced in a short period of time. The Committee first met February 8–9, 1999, at which time it several briefings from federal officials and scientists. The Committee met again April 6–8, 1999, and drafted report chapters at that time. Subsequently, Committee members edited and circulated materials until the report was completed. It is anticipated that in the next few years, several aspects of hydrology not dealt with in depth in this "initial assessment" will be fleshed out more thoroughly by the Committee and reported in more detail.
The Committee was aided in the study process by numerous agency liaisons, including L. Douglas James, National Science Foundation; Robert Hirsch, U.S. Geological Survey; Richard Lawford, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; John Schaake, National Weather Service; Russell Harmon, Army Research Office; David Goodrich, U.S. Global Change Research Program Office; and representatives
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from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Three NRC staff members helped the Committee: Stephen Parker, director of the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB), who served as principal staff officer for the Committee; Peter Schultz, staff officer with the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate; and Anita Hall, a WSTB administrative assistant.
This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscripts remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: Eric J. Barron, Pennsylvania State University; Stephen Burges, University of Washington; George M. Hornberger, University of Virginia; Dennis Lettenmaier, University of Washington; Diane M. McKnight, University of Colorado; Sharon E. Nicholson, Florida State University; Fred M. Phillips, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; David H. Rind, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies; and Soroosh Sorooshian, University of Arizona. Although the individuals listed above provided constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this report rests with the authoring committee and the NRC.
It is the hope of the Committee that the recommendations are persuasive and that they will be pursued, as commitment to implementation of these recommendations should bring advances to hydrologic science for the benefit of society.
DARA ENTEKHABI, CHAIR
COMMITTEE ON HYDROLOGIC SCIENCE
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Contents
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