Hydrometeorology is a branch of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer of water and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere. Hydrologists often use data provided by meteorologists. As an example, a meteorologist might forecast of rain in a specific area, and a hydrologist might then forecast what the specific impact of that rain would be on the local terrain. UNESCO has several programs and activities in place that deal with the study of natural hazards of hydrometeorological origin and the mitigation of their effects. Among these hazards are the results of natural processes and atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic phenomena such as floods, tropical cyclones, drought, and desertification. Many countries have established an operational hydrometeorological capability to assist with forecasting, warning, and informing the public of these developing hazards. One of the more significant aspects of hydrometeorology involves predictions about and attempts to mitigate the effects of high precipitation events. There are three primary ways to model meteorological phenomena in weather forecasting, including nowcasting, numerical weather prediction, and statistical techniques. Nowcasting is good for predicting events a few hours out, utilizing observations and live radar data to combine them with numerical weather prediction models. The primary technique used to forecast weather, numerical weather prediction uses mathematical models to account for the atmosphere, ocean, and many other variables when producing forecasts. These forecasts are generally used to predict events days or weeks out. Finally, statistical techniques use regressions and other statistical methods to create long-term projections that go out weeks and months at a time. These models allow scientists to visualize how a multitude of different variables interact with one another, and they illustrate one grand picture of how the Earth's climate interacts with itself. A major component of hydrometeorology is mitigating the risk associated with flooding and other hydrological threats.

About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Related lectures (1)
Related publications (25)
Related concepts (7)
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water for hydroelectric power plants, crop irrigation, and suitable conditions for many types of ecosystems. The major cause of rain production is moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts.
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by different names, including hurricane (ˈhʌrᵻkən,_-keɪn), typhoon (taɪ'fuːn), tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, or simply cyclone.
Numerical weather prediction
Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of computer simulation in the 1950s that numerical weather predictions produced realistic results. A number of global and regional forecast models are run in different countries worldwide, using current weather observations relayed from radiosondes, weather satellites and other observing systems as inputs.
Show more

Graph Chatbot

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.