International Hydrological Decade
UNESCO’s action in the field of water
resources began in 1965, when it launched the International Hydrological
Decade, the first worldwide program focusing on hydrological studies. In 1975, this
pioneer initiative evolved into the current International Hydrological
Programme (IHP), UNESCO’s intergovernmental scientific co-operative program in
the field of hydrology and water resources management.
Hydrology is defined as a scientific field which
covers the entire history of the cycle of water on earth. It refers to the
circulation of water from the oceans, through the atmosphere, back to the
oceans, or to the land and thence to the oceans by overland or subterranean
routes. Included in this science is a study of effects on man and the effects
of man's activities on water.
The Decade led to greatly improved
assessments of climate variability impacts on hydrology and stimulated the
establishment of medium to long-term experimental basin studies, for example,
in northern Australia, French Guyana and in Malaysia.
Link
The Water Portal at the UNESCO
website.
Related
subject
International
Hydrological Programme
Catalogue
Niger
Papua and New
Guinea
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
UNOstamps subject page
032
last revised: 30 January 2011