The Tao Of Hydrology And Water Resources: Some Philosophical Thoughts

摘要

This paper provides the thinking that has translated into the Tao of hydrology and water resources. There is a discussion that hydrology is an art born of the observation and investigation of rainfall and runoff. It is emphasised that accurate, relevant and timely information is paramount for decision making in the situation of extreme drought and the threat of climate change. Philosophical thoughts and observations are made on the data processes for decision making, systems thinking and planning in water resources. The need for appropriate models is emphasised, as sophisticated models with uncertain data coming in and certainly uncertain results coming out are no better than a simple model with the same data. Future decision making will be very multidisciplined, and some thoughts on educating the current and future generation of students with skills to cope with this are offered. Throughout, the Tao, an approach to hydrological enlightenment, is given.