Understanding, Forecasting and Control of Flooding and Pollution in the Urban Environment: The 10th Anniversary of Hydrology

Dear Colleagues,

In 2024, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the journal Hydrology (ISSN 2306-5338). Since 2014, when the inaugural issue of Hydrology was launched, we have already published more than 1000 papers from over 3800 authors. Nearly 2200 reviewers have submitted at least one review report. In 2023, Hydrology received its first Impact Factor of 3.2 in Web of Science. Our sincerest thanks go to our readers, innumerable authors, anonymous peer reviewers, editors, and all the people working for the journal in some way who have contributed their efforts over the years. These achievements would not have been made without your participation.

To mark this significant milestone, a Special Issue entitled “Understanding, Forecasting and Control of Flooding and Pollution in the Urban Environment: The 10th Anniversary of Hydrology” is being launched.

In 2024, major floods have led to extensive loss of life and economic damage in both developed and developing countries: e.g., Spain, Italy, Nepal, Sudan, and Brazil, to name but a few. In the aftermaths, it is usually reported that the citizens did not receive warnings, or the warnings were too late, despite the advances that have been made in flood forecasting and warning and IT communication in recent decades. In many cases, the water levels rise very rapidly; are the forecasting models able to predict this? Is there a lack of investment/reliance on out-of-date methods/a failure for research advances to be translated into practice?  Are there institutional failings/a lack of connectivity between the emergency agencies? These flood disaster events, exacerbated by wild urbanization and population growth, are increasing across the world, and are largely attributed to anthropogenic climate change by the media. But there is also large underlying natural climatic variability that is not always recognised. Do we have the balance right between investment in anthropogenic climate change mitigation and adaptation? After flooding disasters, climate scientists report on attribution to the effects increasing greenhouse gases, calling for more investment to reduce them, but is government investment in flood defence infrastructure given sufficient priority in the face of the increasing flood hazards?  Why is there continued building on flood plains despite the recurring disasters? Cities in many countries are expanding due to inward migration, increasing vulnerability.

There is also the problem of pluvial flooding in towns and cities due to intense rainfall, the frequency and magnitude of which have increased with climate change, overwhelming drainage networks and leading to repeated economic damage. This also, in some countries, has led to combined sewer overflow discharges which pollute rivers, lakes, and coastal areas with sewage, as has happened throughout the UK. This leads to health hazards for bathing, degraded water environments with loss of biodiversity, and loss of amenities. Urban and population growth are major drivers in this regard, and there is a lack of investment in the necessary drainage infrastructure in response. Pollution sources are frequently disputed between different polluters, so reliable attribution is needed if the ‘polluter pays’ principle is to be applied.

This Special Issue invites high-quality papers within the scope explained above and/or under the following specific headings. Contributions to a Discussion Forum (https://sciprofiles.com/discussion-groups/1680) are also invited under the same headings.

Understanding: From intense rainfall deluges to steep flood waves, what are the key triggers/mechanisms? What are the roles of topography/drainage network configuration/slope/land use in generating flood hazards? How do major floods become major loss-of-life disasters? How can the sources of pollution in urban areas be identified using attribution methods?

Modelling and forecasting: Coupling of meteorological and hydrological models; nowcasting using radar rainfall; forecasting of steep flood waves due to intense downpours. Inundation modelling in urban areas due to fluvial and pluvial flooding. Coupling of hydrological and sewer system models; modelling of sewer flooding, combined sewer overflows and associated pollution loads; forecasting of pollution incidents; attribution of pollution sources.

Performance of early warning systems: Evaluation of deterministic and probabilistic forecasts. Operational performance of flood warning systems: the forecast–warning–intervention chain and the decision-making procedures. The use of modern AI and IT technologies in dissemination, e.g., mobile phones/social media and drones; increasing public awareness; flood disaster rehearsals/gaming.

Control systems: How can flooding and pollution in urban areas be better controlled? Real-time control of flood gates, sluices, and diversion channels; use of smart sensors and AI for the control of flooding; smart sewer systems; model-based control algorithms.

Flood resilience: Smart design at various scales using resilient materials and construction techniques; blue-green infrastructure; sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDSs); flood proofing; limiting construction in flood-prone areas.

The human dimension: Institutional structures and their functioning/fitness for providing and disseminating warnings, organising evacuations, etc.; successes and failures in early warning dissemination; human judgement/decision-making in issuing flood warnings; agent-based modelling of human responses. Flood defence investment strategies under a changing climate—how are the decisions taken?

Prof. Dr. Enda O'Connell
Dr. Alessio Radice
Prof. Dr. Tammo Steenhuis
Dr. Tommaso Caloiero
Prof. Dr. Ezio Todini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• global hydrology
• water quality
• water management
• ecohydrology
• hydrological cycle