Guide to Hydrological Practices, vol. I: Hydrology—From Measurement to Hydrological Information, and vol. II: Management of Water Resources and Application to Hydrological Practices, Sixth edition 2008 and 2009, WMO 168, World Meteorological Organziation, Geneva, Switzerland; Price CHF70.00; ISBN 978-92-63-10168-6

摘要

Published in two loose-leaf volumes and in CD and PDF format, this edition of the Guide appears 14 years after the fifth edition and some 45 years after the first. Its 17 chapters address, in the main, matters pertinent to the maintenance and improvement of standards and the pursuit of operational excellence by national hydrological services. These services have to contend on a routine basis with the growing demand for freshwater, the increasing hazards of floods and droughts, worsening water pollution and more serious erosion and sedimentation problems. Consequently their observational practices, the procedures to be followed, the maintenance of quality, the processing and management of data and its application to forecasting, prediction and assessment need to be high quality, robust and effective. The Guide aims to provide a sound basis for these activities in a comprehensive manner not matched by text books, encyclopedia and similar publications. Following a brief introduction, the second chapter gives a general commentary on methods of observation. It discusses a range of topics including: information requirements, errors of measurement and network design, a subject rarely touched upon in today's texts, before considering the procedures for observing and recording the different hydrological variables. Emerging technologies and staff training are valuable content. Chapters 3 to 7 explore the details of measurement of the hydrological variables: precipitation, evaporation, surface water, sediment, groundwater, water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Instruments and sensors, field procedures, laboratory techniques and remote sensing, are described. Paragraphs are included on such topics as: time domain reflectrometry, borehole geophysical methods and sample preservation techniques. Where they exist as a component in HOMS (the formalised WMO technology transfer system), each topic is given the HOMS reference number so that the method or technique can be referenced and pursued further. Safety is not a topic which is often aired in a hydrological context, but Chapter 8 deals with the hazards that may occur and the means of minimising them for personnel operating in the field.