Hydrology delivering Earth System Science to Society

28th February, 2007 ~ 2nd March, 2007 Tsukuba, Japan

Jointly Organized by
IIS, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Japan
The International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), Public Works Research Institute, Japan
DPRI, Kyoto University, Japan
University of Yamanashi, Japan

Sponsored by
The special coordination funds for promoting science and technology by the Japan Cabinet Office, Japan
MEXT Grant-in-aid for scientific research (A) for PUB


BACKGROUND #

Since United Nations Millennium Declaration in September of 2000, the solution for global water problems became one of the most important international tasks. However, there were few research groups promoting the research that was available for supporting the social decision making based on the scientific technology with taking into account the human influence. Most of research groups have been done the physical mechanism of hydrological cycle variation and relation to the climate change.
Recent technologies, particularly the rapid development of information and communication technologies, have significantly improved the capability of hydro-meteorological sciences in terms of its observations, experiments, analyses, and modeling. Remote sensing, digital data processing, compact recording system, real time data transfer facility, sensitive and tiny sensors, and huge data storage system enabled advanced observations and experiments that were practically impossible in a few decades ago. It is no more impossible to handle billions of data to analyze, nor to simulate water cycles in watersheds with 3D fine mesh for several years due to the rapid progress of computer technology. However, the progresses of hydro-meteorological sciences were not directly connected to the solution of global water problems.
Scaling issues, uncertainties, assimilation technique merging model prediction and observations particularly remote sensing data and the application of the latest information science will be naturally included in the discussions. Even global water cycles have great human influence. How to simulate the "real" world with human influence, not "undisturbed and ideal" nature without Homosapiens, is another hot issue, and modeling anthropogenic activities such as reservoir operation and withdrawal for irrigation and other purposes will be discussed. In this International Symposium, we aimed the topics as follows.

OBJECTIVES #

  1. To review the state-of-the-art modeling system of the hydrological prediction on relatively large and/or global scale.
  2. To identify the gap between the expectation from our society for hydrological prediction and the ability of the modeling system using either hydrological watershed models or land surface models.
  3. To build up a strategy for advancing current modeling systems.
  4. To demonstrate the achievements of Japanese scientific projects (JST-SCFCS, JST-CREST, RIHN, RR2002, 21st-Century-COE, and JSPS).
  5. To discuss about the results of international projects (GSWP2/GLASS, GWSP, GAME/Post-GAME, IAHS-H2020, and IAHS-PUB).

This international symposium is supported by a research project "Leadership on the Hydrological Science for Mitigating World Water Issues" (JFY2004-2006) under the program of Leadership for international scientific cooperation, which is a part of the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology.

TENTATIVE AGENDA #

28th February (Wed) #
1st March (Thu) #
2nd March (Fri) #

VENUE AND ACCESS #

SYMPOSIUM SECRETARIAT #