Some anonymous asked what is for me the "Essential for a hydrologist". Actually I tried to delineate this all along the blog. However, here below I will try a decalogue (with eleven statements actually ... it seems common):
GET KNOWLEDGE
0 - know which kind of hydrologist are you
Are you studying the hydrological processes ? Or do you need to forecast (operationally) a particular part of the hydrological cycle ? Are you a modeller or an experimenter ? Do you study surface waters or ground water ? Hydrology is very specialised and each sub-disciplines tends to use its own tools. Unfortunately I have to say. One of my master, Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe used to say that no hydrologist knows the whole hydrology. The water cycle, in fact, is so pervasive on the Earth that it is difficult to know equally likely any hydrological subject.
1- In any case, know the fundamental processes (Hydrology is a physical science); remember that all in hydrology is a budget (mass, energy and momentum), and they are conserved. Use sound theories and avoid unessential empiricism (this is what inspired my Slides about Hydrology)
2 - Be aware of scales. At which scale do you work ? Hydrology covers phenomena at closely molecular scale to continental scale. Methods for studying (models and measure) could be differentiated at different scales. Processes dominant at one scale can be negligible at other scales. Scaling characteristics are present everywhere … so actually some equations could be re-parametrized when used at a certain scale. Other equations, simply emerge … (even if a bottom up statistical mechanics of hydrology is missing)
3 - Be aware of heterogeneities. Most of hydrological characteristics wildly vary in space, and this affects parameterisation of the phenomena at the scale of interest. Parameters could be sometimes thought as random variables (As in the case of hydraulic conductivity).
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GET TOOLS (Select your ones, but if you can live with a community is better)
4 - know a GIS (e.g. uDig).
Since hydrology is space varying and scale varying, you need something to visualise it properly. Spatial representation of phenomena and heterogeneities is, IMHO, one important key for understanding (so blessed is who discovers ways to identify patterns and quantify them).
5 - Get a tool for quick calculations and visualisation (e.g. R)
Since Hydrology is making budget you need some calculator. If it is open-source, it is better.
6 - Get a programming language, possibly Object Oriented (e.g. Java) and put your hands in models.
Learning is a process in which repetition of situation and detailed calculation is important. Tools for quick calculations are not always suitable for more complex task, in which many people interact, exchange data, and explore complex interactions. OO programming highly helps in maintaining organised complex code. (Java has a multitude of tools for doing that. In fact we were able to build a GIS and entire modelling systems in Java)
7 -Learn statics (for data analysis and models outcomes inspection)
Someone sees statistics as a tool for a forecasting. I tend to see in it more a tool for understanding (and building null hypotheses). Data handling and understanding is at a core of any physical science. Maybe you do not perform experiments or field works, nevertheless a physical science has to do with data (huge amount of noisy data indeed), and you have anyway to cope with it.
BEHAVE
8- Read the best papers of the best researchers (learn from other smart people, and copy them) (e.g. see Benchmark papers - Scientists -WRR best papers)
9 - Avoid programs that just work for improving yourself (but use them for surviving)
Programs and models that just work are useful to engineers who have to give answers and numbers. But at a certain point they fail miserably to give the right answer
10 - Put your eyes on innovative approaches to hydrology and try to change perspectives in looking at your own field. Do not give up to improve your knowledge.