Infrastructure for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science

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0127884BalesA number of recent studies by the National Academy of Sciences and other groups have articulated critical needs for vigorous new interdisciplinary programs of research and education in hydrologic science to provide the basis for sound, infonned decisions at local, regional, national, and international levels. It has become apparent that the science infrastructure in hydrology and related sciences is currently inadequate to meet many of the enumerated priority science questions and societal needs. Specifically, coordinated investments in instrumentation, field measurement strategies and analytical tools are critically needed to gain greater understanding of hydrologic processes and the linkages between hydrologic and related biogeochemical processes.In response to this need for infrastructure in hydrologic sciences, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) has been created to facilitate such research. During its first two years, the Consortium will undertake science and implementation planning aimed at establishing research infrastructure in three main areas: i) Long Term Hydrologic Observatories to provide the consistent, integrated, long-term information from point to continental scales; ii) a Hydrologic Infon-nation System program to support the data, information, and analysis requirements of the community; and iii) a Hydrologic Measurement Technology program to develop and operate state-of-the-art systems and provide support services for hydrologic research.In year two, the formulation of plans and proposals for programs in education and technology transfer also will be developed.This infrastructure initiative will be driven by the hydrologic community's desire and society's need to develop new understanding about priority questions in hydrology and related sciences that will have significant implications for the health and sustainability of regional and national economies as well as for the ecosystems in which they may flourish.