{"id":147,"date":"2019-01-13T12:56:41","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T17:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hydrouncertainty.org\/?page_id=147"},"modified":"2019-01-27T19:25:34","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T00:25:34","slug":"mission","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/hydrouncertainty.org\/home\/mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The Technical Committee (TC) on Hydrological Uncertainty is transdisciplinary, as uncertainty is an intrinsic property of a wide range of modern hydrological sciences and beyond. Therefore, this TC is focused on bringing together research efforts that tackle uncertainty from various areas and promoting them at an overarching level. In particular, this TC addresses methodological issues to handle uncertainty in support of modelling (process understanding, forecasting, and prediction), and decision making (scenario analysis). Its big research questions have already had substantial attention, but still need substantial efforts to obtain widely accepted and sufficiently nuanced answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge for characterizing uncertainty in hydrologic systems is twofold. First, a core concern is Research towards reducing uncertainty, informed by efforts\nfor characterization of uncertainty and its dominant controls, faces major\nchallenges due to lack of adequate data and information in support of process\nunderstanding and modelling. More effective data-model integration is needed\nfor improved data-informed model development (reducing uncertainty in model\nstructure) and model-informed experimental design (obtaining more useful data).\nOn this basis, development and implementation of more systematic strategies for\ndata collection and unification that target the \u2018right\u2019 types of data on\ndominantly controlling variables of both natural and human-driven processes is\nessential. This should include identifying new and overlooked data sources\n(including citizen science) and integrating them across scales. Better data\nwill improve the representation and incorporation of hydrologic and\nhuman-hydrologic processes and their feedback mechanisms into models, thereby\nreducing predictive uncertainty on the future of water resources that can more\neffectively support decision making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uncertainty management in practice makes use of methods for characterization and reduction of uncertainty, but differs in approaches between different sub-disciplines of Earth sciences and different policy making contexts. Communication particularly needs work in mixed science-management-stakeholder setting. This would benefit from better integration of uncertainty measures in decision support software as well as better handling of deep uncertainties and epistemic uncertainty. It also requires greater awareness of the need to reconcile differences in the paradigms guiding uncertainty management in different contexts in science and practice. As such, proper communication and consideration of uncertainty is essential in helping us minimize regrets in decision making when the future deviates from the assumptions we typically hold about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2) How to reduce uncertainty in understanding, modelling, and predicting\nthe future of coupled human-hydrologic systems?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3) How to better communicate about uncertainty in support of decision and policy making to best achieve societal objectives?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n