Research Needs in Surface-Water Hydrology

The Committee on Surface-Water Hydrology has developed a statement of research areas in surface-water hydrology which the Committee considers most important, although by no means all-inclusive. It also recognizes that some of the research objectives examined inevitably merge with segments of investigation that are needed outside of the somewhat restricted field of surface-water hydrology. The areas of needed research that are considered to be highest in priority are examined in greater detail from the viewpoint of their role in water resource development, present knowledge of the subject, and the investigations that are needed. These areas include (1) studies of stochastic hydrologic procedures (the sequential generation of hydrologic information), (2) investigation of runoff from small areas, and (3) studies of channel losses in ephemeral streams. Other research objectives that are sorely needed include water use by natural vegetation, development of economical flow records of desert streams, conservation of flood runoff, the use of electronic digital computers, and improvement in the quantitative measurement of precipitation.