Former Principal of the University, Professor Michael Hamlin returned to Dundee last month to take part in a conference on a subject close to his heart, hydrology. As past president of the British Hydrological Society he provided an overview of Hydrology in Scotland: agenda for the 21st century.
Former Principal returns Scotland's water - climatic shifts, floods, quality, supply, management, relationship with the environment - was at the heart of the major conference organised by the department of geography.
The event brought together 150 scientists, engineers, resource and conservation managers and water policy makers to review recent progress in hydrology - the study of the water cycle - and its applications and provide a forum for the discussion of future priorities in science and water policy.
Invited speakers from Scotland and other parts of the UK addressed a range of key issues but it was the department's work on flood data in Scotland and its implications for the future that captured the greatest media interest.
Dr Andrew Black and his colleagues found the risk of flooding from Scotland's rivers is rising markedly. They have analysed river data collected over the last decade in a study whose findings appear to lend weight to the "global warming" argument. Dr Black, who co-authored the paper with Mr John Burns, head of hydrology for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said key findings call into question the assumptions on which flood risks are estimated and have implications for long term building plans for bridges and other structures.
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