Socio-hydrology

Socio-hydrology is an interdisciplinary field studying the dynamic interactions and feedbacks between water and people. Areas of research in socio-hydrology include the historical study of the interplay between hydrological and social processes, comparative analysis of the co-evolution and self-organization of human and water systems in different cultures, and process-based modelling of coupled human-water systems. [1]

Socio-Hydrology: Interplay between social and hydrological processes

Objective

In traditional hydrology, human activities are typically described as boundary conditions, or external forcings, to the water systems (scenario-based approach). This traditional approach tends to make long term predictions unrealistic as interactions and bi-directional feedbacks between human and water systems cannot be captured. [2] To overcome this lack of knowledge, socio-hydrology aims at understanding the co-evolutionary dynamics of human-water systems. Socio-hydrology is related to integrated water resources management (IWRM). In particular, while IWRM aims at controlling the water system to get desired outcomes for the environment and society, socio-hydrology aims at observing, understanding, and predicting the dynamics of coupled human-water systems. [3] Socio-hydrology can therefore be seen as the fundamental science underpinning the practice of IWRM.

Scope

Socio-hydrology aims at unraveling dynamic cross-scale interactions and feedbacks between natural and human processes that give rise to many water sustainability challenges in the emergent Anthropocene. [4] [5]

References

  1. Sivapalan, Murugesu; Savenije, Hubert; Bloeschl, Guenter (2012). "Sociohydrology: A new science of people and water". Hydrological Processes. 26 (8): 1270–1276. doi:10.1002/hyp.8426.
  2. Di Baldassarre, Giuliano; Viglione A.; Carr G.; Kuil L.; Salinas J.L.; Blöschl G. (2013). "Socio-hydrology: conceptualising human-flood interactions". Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 17: 3295–3303. doi:10.5194/hess-17-3295-2013.
  3. Viglione, Alberto; Di Baldassarre G.; Brandimarte L.; Kuil L.; Carr G.; Salinas J.L.; Scolobig A.; Blöschl G. (2014). "Insights from socio-hydrology modelling on dealing with flood risk - Roles of collective memory, risk-taking attitude and trust". Journal of Hydrology. 518: 71–82. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.01.018.
  4. Srinivasan, Veena; Lambin, Gorelick; Thompson, Rozelle (2012). "The nature and causes of the global water crisis: Syndromes from a meta-analysis of coupled human-water studies". Water Resources Research. 48: W10516. doi:10.1029/2011WR011087.
  5. Sivapalan, Murugesu; Konar, Srinivasan, Chhatre, Wutich, Scott, Wescoat, Rodríguez-Iturbe (2014). "Socio-hydrology: Use-inspired water sustainability science for the Anthropocene". Earth's Future. doi:10.1002/2013EF000164. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)

External links

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