History of Hydrology Interviews

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Petra Döll, Professor of Hydrology at the Institute of Physical Geography at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. She is interviewed by Professor Okke Batelaan, Frankfurt am Main, July 4, 2025.The original Youtube video can be found here. Licensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Sten Bergström, who retired in 2017 from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Sweden. He is interviewed by Professor Berit Arheimer from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrköping, Sweden, 28 Oct. 2025.The original Youtube video can be found here. Licensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Recording and facilities by Olivia Larsson, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute payed for time and facilitaties with performing the interview.Podcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Emeritus Wolfgang Kinzelbach of ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He is interviewed by Professor Okke Batelaan in Davos, September 8, 2024.The original YouTube video can be found here.Timestamps:0:00:14 Introduction by Okke Batelaan0:01:20 Youth and background; father’s influence0:03:45 High school and university studies in physics0:04:53 Start of professional career; random walk; Stanford University0:08:47 Mathematics teacher in Nigeria0:10:22 PhD in Karlsruhe0:12:58 Research in Beijing at the Institute of Environmental Chemistry0:16:02 Return to Germany; start of groundwater career; chlorinated hydrocarbons and nitrate0:25:20 Development of groundwater modelling tools0:30:29 Overseas collaborations; Okavango, Botswana0:37:47 Heidelberg tracers0:40:02 Move to ETH; turbulence; agriculture and water0:49:28 World food crises0:53:05 Philosophy on life and work0:55:04 Reflections on career and colleagues0:58:33 Changes in academia over time1:02:05 Future of hydrogeology1:07:47 Teaching and supervision1:09:17 Support from colleagues; work–life balance1:11:55 How he would like to be remembered1:14:07 Final words of wisdom for future scientists1:16:50 Closure1:17:26 EndLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

An interview in the series of History of Hydrology, serving as an audiovisual record of the history of hydrology. This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Berit Arheimer of the Swedish Hydrological and Meteorological Institute. She is interviewed by Professor Keith Beven, Lancaster, July 13, 2023.Warning: poor audio quality! I tried to fix it but I only made it worse, so this audio is the original Youtube audio. If you happen to be an audio expert and you know a way to improve it, please let me know at [email protected] original Youtube video can be found here. License: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Podcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Peter Young of Lancaster University. He is interviewed by Professor Keith Beven in Lancaster, November 7, 2023.The original YouTube video can be found here.Timestamps:0:00:00 Start0:00:30 Introduction by Keith Beven0:01:26 Family background, apprenticeship in aeronautics, and path to a PhD in Cambridge0:07:20 PhD in automatic control0:09:50 Research stay in the USA (1968–1970)0:11:11 Return to Cambridge, lectureship, first work on the environment0:16:28 Professorial fellowship at the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, ANU0:21:52 Peel Inlet (WA) study on algae0:27:40 Northern Territory study on uranium mines0:29:52 Work with Tom Beer on tracer models and dead zones0:31:36 Development of the CAPTAIN package0:34:09 Sabbatical in Cambridge; move to Lancaster in 19810:37:08 Meeting Keith Beven; move to Lancaster and work on tracer studies0:41:18 Continuation of CAPTAIN in MATLAB0:47:11 Transfer functions and data-based mechanistic modelling philosophy0:51:13 Identifying non-linearity in data-based mechanistic models0:59:29 AwardsLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Podcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Alberto Montanari of the University of Bologna. Alberto was the 2018 Henry Darcy medallist of the EGU. He is interviewed by Professor Keith Beven at the IUGG-IAHS General Assembly, Berlin, July 14, 2023.The original YouTube video can be found here.Timestamps:0:00:00 Start0:00:33 Introduction by Keith Beven0:00:52 Background and interest in water0:02:23 PhD at Politecnico di Milano with Renzo Rosso0:05:12 A life in athletics0:06:00 Renzo Rosso as a supervisor0:07:46 Introduction to stochastic hydrology0:08:47 Influential hydrologists0:10:41 Member of the major risk committee of Italy0:12:59 Risk communication in climate change0:16:02 Resilience and the value of historical data0:19:28 Service to the hydrological community0:21:48 Editor-in-Chief of Water Resources Research and collaboration networks0:23:42 Comments on the Panta Rhei hydrological decade0:25:38 Awards0:26:58 Commitment to open science0:29:00 ClosureLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Podcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Andrea Rinaldo of EPFL and Università di Padova. Andrea was the 2005 John Dalton medallist of the EGU and the 2023 Stockholm Water Prize laureate. He is interviewed by Professor Keith Beven at EPFL, Switzerland, March 1, 2023.The original YouTube video can be found here.Timestamps:0:00:00 Start0:00:30 Introduction by Keith Beven0:01:16 Family background; 1966 Venice flood; studying Hydraulic Engineering in Padua0:05:18 PhD at Purdue University (USA)0:09:28 Return to Italy and University of Padua0:12:00 Appointed Full Professor at Trento at age 300:13:37 First encounter with Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe0:16:17 Ignacio’s influence on Italian hydrology0:17:39 Collaboration with Ignacio at MIT and Iowa0:18:58 Meeting Jack Kennedy in Iowa0:20:33 Geomorphological Unit Hydrograph; Scale Problems meeting in Caracas0:21:54 First WRR paper with Alessandro Marani on catchment-scale solute transport0:24:33 Fractal river basins book0:26:34 Summer schools at Venice Academy of Sciences and Arts; Per Bak and self-organised criticality0:30:33 Meeting Luna Leopold; river networks; minimum energy dissipation0:38:15 Serendipity in research; ecohydrology of networks; biological invasions and biodiversity models0:43:05 EPFL and ERC grant0:45:40 Zebra mussels in the Mississippi0:48:22 Network-conditioned disease propagation0:50:20 Predicting cholera in Hawaii0:57:44 Predicting COVID spread in Italy0:59:29 Residence times of water in catchments1:02:36 Working with younger researchers1:04:20 Awards1:06:21 Playing rugby for Italy1:11:25 Why hydrology is exciting1:12:27 Closure1:12:42 Stockholm Water PrizeLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Podcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Demetris Koutsoyiannis of the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Demetris was the 2009 Henry Darcy medallist of the EGU. He is interviewed by Dr Antonis Koussis of the National Observatory of Athens, Greece at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 11 April, 2019.The original YouTube video can be found here.Timestamps:0:00:00 Start0:00:22 Introduction by Antonis Koussis0:00:54 The beginning; a video of the village of Demetris can be seen at: Μεσούντα - Φαράγγι Φάγγου πτήση - Mesounta. From 1:50, the stream with the steep banks and the old bridge are adjacent to his family house.0:09:16 Move to Athens, adjustment, Greece dictatorship, high school0:14:53 Events at Athens Polytechnic in 1973 (student uprising against the dictatorship). Additional material available online.0:17:37 Study Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic0:22:44 Early work experiences after study0:24:45 Research in hydrology, PhD studies0:27:43 Path to academia and key milestones0:31:30 Working with Zbigniew Kundzewicz, editing Hydrological Sciences Journal0:33:40 Relationship between stochastics and physics0:43:36 Climate change: going against the current0:51:55 Thinking and philosophy0:57:18 Collaboration and working with others0:59:45 Interest in Karl Popper’s philosophy1:02:44 Direction of hydrology, major challenges, advice for young hydrologists1:05:56 ClosureLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Zbigniew Kundzewicz from the Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment, Polish Academy of Sciences, and Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland. He is interviewed by Dr. Mikołaj Piniewski of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland at the Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw, Poland, 29 May, 2019.The original YouTube video can be found here.Timestamps:0:00:00 Start0:00:22 Introduction by Mikołaj Piniewski0:02:40 Youth and background0:04:08 Studies at the Warsaw University of Technology0:06:36 PhD at the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences0:08:02 Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship at the University of Karlsruhe0:12:23 The Tison Award0:13:06 Unsolved problems in hydrology0:16:14 Work at the Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment of the Polish Academy of Sciences0:18:46 Interest in climate change0:22:56 Work for the IPCC0:26:56 Most important achievement0:29:13 Paper in Science in 20080:33:29 “Climate change and water” IPCC report0:35:48 The Hydrological Sciences Journal editorship0:41:02 In which direction does hydrology go0:46:56 Growth of Chinese science0:51:01 Family0:55:06 Message to the young generation of hydrologistsLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Leszek Szymański, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Dr. Mikołaj Piniewski, Warsaw University of Life Sciences; Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This episode features Professor Thomas Dunne (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA), interviewed by Professor Keith Beven (Lancaster University, UK) at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 11 April 2019.The original Youtube video can be found ⁠here⁠.Timestamps:0:00:00 Start0:00:22 Introduction by Keith Beven0:01:28 Going back to the beginning0:04:25 Cambridge and Johns Hopkins University0:08:24 PhD supervisor: Reds Wolman0:09:44 Fieldwork in Vermont0:19:07 Saturation-excess overland flow0:23:06 Contact with John Hewlett; non-point source pollution0:31:23 After Vermont: work in Kenya0:45:25 McGill University; University of Washington0:49:27 University of California, Santa Barbara0:54:36 Working with Luna Leopold1:03:18 Being lucky with events1:07:45 Debris flow close to home1:10:42 Work in the Amazon1:15:52 Working with graduate students on paper reviews1:20:09 ClosureLicense: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video and editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, Australia Podcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Huub Savenije from Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. Huub was the 2008 Henry Darcy medallist of the EGU. He is interviewed by Professor Okke Batelaan of Flinders University, Australia at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 11 April, 2019.The original Youtube video can be found here.⁠0:00:00⁠ Start⁠0:00:22⁠ Introduction by Okke Batelaan⁠0:01:00⁠ Youth and background⁠0:02:53⁠ Choosing civil engineering studies Delft⁠0:04:56⁠ Inspirer Prof. Adriaan Volker at Delft ⁠0:07:56⁠ Math teacher⁠0:09:51⁠ Working and living in Mozambique⁠0:16:00⁠ Working for Euroconsult all over the world⁠0:18:05⁠ IHE Delft 1990, PhD 1992⁠0:21:45⁠ Teaching crown-prince Willem Alexander⁠0:24:56⁠ TU Delft 1999, Chair in Hydrology 2004⁠0:26:28⁠ Highlights and achievements in last 20 years⁠0:30:11⁠ Teaching and supervision of students⁠0:31:06⁠ On doing measurements⁠0:33:30⁠ Awards and scientific impact⁠0:37:19⁠ Passion, disappointments, collaborations⁠0:43:13⁠ Retirement⁠0:44:27⁠ Legacy⁠0:48:46⁠ Future of hydrology? Go to the field!⁠0:50:08⁠ ClosureLicensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

History of Hydrology interview with Dr. John Rodda.Content: • The Water Data Unit• Institute of Hydrology• IAHS• WMO• UNESCOThe interview took place in Wallingford, UK on July 9th 2018. The original Youtube video can be found here. Interviewer Professor Keith BevenPodcast: Pau Wiersma

History of Hydrology interview with Dr. John SutcliffeContent: • Hydrology of the Sudd and Jonglei Canal• The Institute of Hydrology and Flood Studies Report• Nash and Sutcliffe (1970)• Harald Hursh• Back to the Jonglei Canal after 60 yearsThe interview took place in Goring, UK on July 9th 2018. The original Youtube video can be found here. Interviewer Professor Keith BevenPodcast: Pau Wiersma

History of Hydrology interview with Dr Christine McCulloch on the foundation of the Institute of Hydrology, memories of Jim McCulloch as Director of the Institute of Hydrology, and research on the impacts of dams. The interview took place in Turcot Tower on July 9th 2018. The original Youtube video can be found here. Interviewer: Professor Keith BevenPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Eric Wood from Princeton University, USA, who was the 2007 John Dalton medallist. He is interviewed by Professor Siva Sivapalan of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 13 April, 2018.The original Youtube video can be found here. 00:00:22 Introduction 00:01:31 Undergrad, postgrad, PhD00:05:21 1976 paper leading to Horton award00:06:45 Move to IIASA Vienna00:10:19 Move to Princeton00:12:03 First sabbatical IH00:13:17 Processes-simple models-scaling00:15:40 Transition to remote sensing00:19:03 Collaboration with Dennis Lettenmaier00:22:21 Students00:29:51 Methods used00:31:14 Direction of research over career00:34:03 What was the driver of research?00:36:14 Collaboration - networking00:38:03 Family - work pressure00:42:16 Key influences, mentors00:45:39 Research culture00:50:14 Milestones00:52:37 New science coming through?00:53:47 Future leaders - directions?00:59:57 Reflection on hydrology and enjoyment brought01:01:00 What advice to early career scientists01:02:21 Closing remarksLicensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Georgia Destouni from Stockholms universitet, Sweden, who was the 2013 Henry Darcy medallist. She is interviewed by Dr Zahra Kalantari of Stockholms universitet, Sweden at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 13 April, 2018.The original Youtube video can be found here. 0:00:22 Introduction by Zahra Kalantari0:01:18 Childhood 0:02:09 Career journey and highlights0:05:32 Major contribution to water science0:07:07 Most important open questions0:10:26 What would you do differently?0:12:31 Work most proud of0:14:41 How has hydrology changed?0:17:39 Future of hydrology0:18:31 View on world water crises0:24:19 What is your main driving force?0:25:53 What learnt from iteraction with other scientists0:26:52 Recognition0:28:59 Life philosophy0:29:53 Who at dinner party?0:37:50 How do you want to be remembered?0:38:46 What keeps you motivated?0:40:03 Advise to future scientists0:41:22 Closing remarksLicensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Keith J. Beven from Lancaster University, UK, who was the 2001 John Dalton medallist. He is interviewed by Professor Okke Batelaan of Flinders University, Australia at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 11 April, 2018.The original Youtube video can be found here.00:00:22 Introduction by Okke Batelaan00:01:03 Interest in hydrology, Undergrad Bristol00:06:33 Undergrad project - first model00:08:33 PhD University of East Anglia 00:16:56 What keeps you going?00:19:16 1974-1977 Research fellow at Leeds00:24:48 TOPMODEL paper00:26:36 First period at IH 00:32:00 University of Virginia00:36:12 Second spell at IH00:40:02 Move to Lancaster 198500:43:15 Achievements at Lancaster00:47:45 Looking back at GLUE00:51:45 Awards00:54:12 Secret behind success00:57:37 Disappointments00:58:40 Collaborations01:00:00 Working with students01:01:10 Plans for the future01:03:41 Greatest legacy01:04:55 What would you do different, if would start again?01:06:41 Future of hydrology?01:10:28 ClosureLicensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This History of Hydrology interview features Professor Mike Kirkby from the University of Leeds, UK, who was the 2008 John Dalton medallist. He is interviewed by Professor Keith Beven of Lancaster University, UK at the Austria Center, Vienna, Austria, 11 April, 2018.The original Youtube video can be found here. 00:00:22 Introduction by Keith Beven00:01:10 Undergrad Cambridge00:05:02 PhD project00:10:57 Postdoc in States00:15:43 Move to Bristol 196700:19:58 Move to Leeds 197300:21:54 Beven to Bristol - TOPMODEL00:24:00 Published books00:29:07 EU projects, from small to large scale00:38:03 Awards00:39:37 What about the future?Licensed under Creative Commons copyright CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments:Video & editing: Okke Batelaan, Frankie FilmsSponsorship: Professor Okke Batelaan, Flinders University, AustraliaPodcast: Pau Wiersma

This first History of Hydrology interview features Professor Siva Sivapalan from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, who was the 2003 John Dalton medallist. He is interviewed by Dr Ross Woods of the University of Bristol, UK at the Vienna University of Technology, Austria, 10 April, 2018. You can find the original video recording on Youtube here.00:00:21 Introduction00:01:50 Childhood and youth00:02:51 Siva’s parents00:03:36 High school00:05:56 University in Sri Lanka00:07:00 Choosing a Masters course at AIT00:08:53 Initial impressions of hydrology00:10:42 Memories of AIT, Nigeria, PhD applications00:21:26 How Siva met his wife Banu00:24:05 Transition to living in the USA00:28:15 PhD at Princeton00:32:52 Move to Australia 00:39:14 Supervision style00:42:01 PUB - Predictions in Ungauged Basins00:50:51 Move to the USA 00:52:44 Concept development vs methods00:55:18 Cutting a path through the jungle00:57:04 Sources of motivation00:58:58 Leadership style01:00:38 Networking01:02:31 Juggling work and home commitments01:05:32 Cricket as a metaphor01:08:18 Personal network01:10:30 Influential people01:15:21 Scientific heroes01:17:19 Planning vs Circumstance01:20:04 Would you do anything differently?01:21:29 Dealing with failure01:22:28 Attributes of our research culture01:24:24 Happiest moments01:26:04 Advice for young hydrologists01:27:42 What needs to be done in hydrology01:31:42 Closing remarksLicensed under Creative Commons copyright CC- BY-NC-ND 4.0Acknowledgments: Video & editing: Alfred Zacharias.Sponsorship: Professor Guenter Blöschl, TU Vienna, Austria.Podcast: Pau Wiersma