Hydrology and Society
We conduct water research from an interdisciplinary perspective, asking broadly:
How much water is where, when and for whom? At what quality?
This strand of research employs mixed methods, involving qualitative as well as quantitative inquiry, often with the aim of understanding water-related inequalities. Where quantitative methods are concerned, we tend to use statistical models, of the Bayesian variety. Uncertainties in data and models are another key focus of our research group. We like to compare and contrast numerical outputs with data gathered through qualitative methods including interviews and ethnographic inquiry. We believe this mix of methods is necessary to get a nuanced understanding of the uneven flows of water.
We also reflect on how we do hydrological and water research in a wide sense, asking:
How is hydrological research as a practice situated?
We address this question drawing from Science and Technology Studies and Political Ecology. We look for the winners and losers of particular hydrological framings, knowledges and interventions, and the mobilisation of uncertainty in policy. One might call this Critical Water Geography.
Based on this critical stance, we argue that working with stakeholders and publics will make our water research more grounded and more just. Hence, we ask:
How can we actively situate water research where and for whom it matters?
We thus come full circle to our mixed methods approach, but also to transdiciplinary, participatory methods more broadly.
Current topics are:
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Access to and use of stressed natural resources in agroecosystems (Kenya)
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Groundwater and society (Germany, India)
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Household Water Insecurity (South Africa)
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Statistical-mechanistic modelling of water quality and related uncertainties (Germany, Ireland)
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The rights of rivers (Colombia)
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Water Security for whom? (Colombia)
- Knowledge exchange with rural publics around land, water and soil (Germany)
- Climate and Water under Change (Germany)