Difference between revisions of "Institute of Hydrology"
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| − | Institute of Hydrology | + | |
| + | == Location == | ||
| + | Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, UK | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Dates == | ||
| + | 1969 - 1999 | ||
| + | |||
| + | == History == | ||
| + | The Institute of Hydrology developed out of the The Hydrological Research Unit (HRU) which was set up in 1962, and attached to the DSIR Hydraulics Research Station (HRS) at Wallingford,Oxfordshire, UK. HRS had experience in field instrumentation and where Eamonn Nash had already made notable contributions to British hydrology in rainfall runoff modelling (e.g. Nash 1960). Nash was appointed as Head of the new Unit, together with John Rodda, who had been responsible for catchment work at HRS, and John Sutcliffe of the DSIR, who had practical experience of hydrological surveys and the research needs of the engineering community. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The HRU was set up at a time of controversy in UK hydrology, following the suggestion by Frank Law, a river engineer with the Fylde Water Board that water yields in forested catchments were significantly lower than grassland catchments. This was a finding based on both catchment data and a large plot experiment at Stocks Reservoir in Lancashire. The HRU was initially asked to conduct a hydrological study of catchments with contrasting land cover, preferably grassland and coniferous forest, since that was felt to be the land use distinction most likely to reveal differences in behaviour and, importantly, it was the most common source of land use concern. The decision was made to work on catchment areas, rather than small plots, in order to overcome the criticisms levelled at Law’s experiment and to study the effects on total runoff and its time distribution. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In recognition of the growing importance of hydrological research in Britain, NERC designated the HRU as a full component institute: on 1 April 1968 it became the Institute of Hydrology, which later, in 1999 became part of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The first catchment experiments were set up in the adjacent headwaters of the Wye and Severn at Plynlimon in mid-Wales. The Plynlimon study played a crucial role in proving beyond doubt the potentially serious reduction in water flows resulting from afforestation, leading to major changes in the management of water and land use by resource managers and policy makers (Robinson et al., 2013). | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | == Reference Material == | ||
| + | Robinson, M., Rodda, J. C., & Sutcliffe, J. V. (2013). Long‐term environmental monitoring in the UK: origins and achievements of the Plynlimon catchment study. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 38(3), 451-463. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Links == | ||
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| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category:The History of Institutions]] | ||
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[[Category: The History of Institutions]] | [[Category: The History of Institutions]] | ||
Revision as of 21:32, 9 March 2016
Location
Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, UK
Dates
1969 - 1999
History
The Institute of Hydrology developed out of the The Hydrological Research Unit (HRU) which was set up in 1962, and attached to the DSIR Hydraulics Research Station (HRS) at Wallingford,Oxfordshire, UK. HRS had experience in field instrumentation and where Eamonn Nash had already made notable contributions to British hydrology in rainfall runoff modelling (e.g. Nash 1960). Nash was appointed as Head of the new Unit, together with John Rodda, who had been responsible for catchment work at HRS, and John Sutcliffe of the DSIR, who had practical experience of hydrological surveys and the research needs of the engineering community.
The HRU was set up at a time of controversy in UK hydrology, following the suggestion by Frank Law, a river engineer with the Fylde Water Board that water yields in forested catchments were significantly lower than grassland catchments. This was a finding based on both catchment data and a large plot experiment at Stocks Reservoir in Lancashire. The HRU was initially asked to conduct a hydrological study of catchments with contrasting land cover, preferably grassland and coniferous forest, since that was felt to be the land use distinction most likely to reveal differences in behaviour and, importantly, it was the most common source of land use concern. The decision was made to work on catchment areas, rather than small plots, in order to overcome the criticisms levelled at Law’s experiment and to study the effects on total runoff and its time distribution.
In recognition of the growing importance of hydrological research in Britain, NERC designated the HRU as a full component institute: on 1 April 1968 it became the Institute of Hydrology, which later, in 1999 became part of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The first catchment experiments were set up in the adjacent headwaters of the Wye and Severn at Plynlimon in mid-Wales. The Plynlimon study played a crucial role in proving beyond doubt the potentially serious reduction in water flows resulting from afforestation, leading to major changes in the management of water and land use by resource managers and policy makers (Robinson et al., 2013).
Reference Material
Robinson, M., Rodda, J. C., & Sutcliffe, J. V. (2013). Long‐term environmental monitoring in the UK: origins and achievements of the Plynlimon catchment study. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 38(3), 451-463.
