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Knowledge gaps in our perceptual model of Great Britain's hydrology |
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| Authors: | Thorsten Wagener Simon J Dadson David M Hannah Gemma Coxon Keith Beven John P Bloomfield Wouter Buytaert Hannah Cloke Paul Bates Joseph Holden Louise Parry Rob Lamb Nick A Chappell Matthew Fry Gareth Old |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK;2. School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK;3. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK;4. School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Cabot Institute for the Environment, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK;5. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK;6. British Geological Survey, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK;7. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK;8. Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science, CNDS, Uppsala, Sweden;9. Water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK;10. Arup, Leeds, UK;11. JBA Trust, 1 Broughton Park, Skipton, UK Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK;12. UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK |
| Abstract: | There is a no lack of significant open questions in the field of hydrology. How will hydrological connectivity between freshwater bodies be altered by future human alterations to the hydrological cycle? Where does water go when it rains? Or what is the future space–time variability of flood and drought events? However, the answers to these questions will vary with location due to the specific and often poorly understood local boundary conditions and system properties that control the functional behaviour of a catchment or any other hydrologic control volume. We suggest that an open, shared and evolving perceptual model of a region's hydrology is critical to tailor our science questions, as it would be for any other study domain from the plot to the continental scale. In this opinion piece, we begin to discuss the elements of and point out some knowledge gaps in the perceptual model of the terrestrial water cycle of Great Britain. We discuss six major knowledge gaps and propose four key ways to reduce them. While the specific knowledge gaps in our perceptual model do not necessarily transfer to other places, we believe that the development of such perceptual models should be at the core of the debate for all hydrologic communities, and we encourage others to have a similar debate for their hydrologic domain. |
| Keywords: | catchments hydrology knowledge gaps perceptual model science questions |