Hydrometeorology is a branch of

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

and

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

that studies the transfer of

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

and

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

between the land surface and the lower

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

for academic research, commercial gain or operational forecasting purposes. Whilst traditionally meteorologists and hydrologists sit within separate organisations, hydrometeorlogists may work in joint project teams, virtual teams, deal with specific incidents or be permanently co-located to deliver specific objectives. Hydrometeorlogists typically have a foundation in one or other discipline before undertaking additional training and specialist forecaster training depending on requirements. The cross over skills and knowledge between the two disciplines can bring organisational benefits in terms of efficiencies in terms of using tools and data available, and provide benefits in terms of enhanced lead times ahead of hydrometeological hazards occurring.

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

has several programs and activities in place that deal with the study of natural hazards of hydrometeorological origin and the mitigation of their effects. Among these hazards are the results of natural processes and atmospheric,

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

, or oceanographic phenomena such as

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

, and

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

. Many countries have established an operational hydrometeorological capability to assist with

forecasting Forecasting is the process of making predictions based on past and present data. Later these can be compared with what actually happens. For example, a company might Estimation, estimate their revenue in the next year, then compare it against the ...

, warning, and informing the public of these developing hazards.

Hydrometeorological forecasting

One of the more significant aspects of hydrometeorology involves predictions about and attempts to mitigate the effects of high

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

events. There are three primary ways to model meteorological phenomena in weather forecasting, including nowcasting,

numerical weather prediction Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to weather forecasting, predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of comput ...

, and statistical techniques. Nowcasting is good for predicting events a few hours out, utilizing observations and live radar data to combine them with numerical weather prediction models. The primary technique used to forecast weather, numerical weather prediction uses mathematical models to account for the atmosphere, ocean, and many other variables when producing forecasts. These forecasts are generally used to predict events days or weeks out. Finally, statistical techniques use regressions and other statistical methods to create long-term projections that go out weeks and months at a time. These models allow scientists to visualize how a multitude of different variables interact with one another, and they illustrate one grand picture of how the Earth's climate interacts with itself.

Risk assessment

A major component of hydrometeorology is mitigating the risk associated with flooding and other hydrological threats. First, there has to be knowledge of the possible hydrological threats that are expected within a specific region. After analyzing the possible threats, warning systems are put in place to quickly alert people and communicate to them the identity and magnitude of the threat. Many nations have their own specific regional hydrometeorological centers that communicate threats to the public. Finally, there must be proper response protocols in place to protect the public during a dangerous event.

Operational hydrometeorology in practice

Countries with a current operational hydrometeorological service include, among others: *Australia (

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...

) *Brazil (National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts) *Canada (

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the Ministry (government department), department ...

) *England and Wales ( Flood Forecasting Centre) *France *Germany *India *Scotland (Flood Forecasting Service) *Serbia (Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia) *Russia ( Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia) *United States (Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, known as the Weather Prediction Center since 2013)

References

External links

World Meteorological Organization – List of national hydrological and hydrometeorological services
{{Authority control Hydrology Branches of meteorology Oceanography