Report: A Basinful in BerneAuthor(s): Bruce WebbSource: Area, Vol. 15, No. 2 (1983), pp. 116-117Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20001906 .Accessed: 16/06/2014 09:40

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116 The usefulness of system theory in ecosystem studies

Gold, H. J. (1977) Mathematical modelling of biological systems (New York)

Halfon, E. (1979) Theoretical systems ecology (New York) Harte, J. and Socolow, R. H. (1971) 'The Everglades: wilderness versus rampant land development in

south Florida', 181-202 in Harte, J. and Socolow, R. H. (eds.) Patient earth (New York)

Huggett, R. (1980) Systems analysis in geography (Oxford) Jeffers, J. N. R. (1978) An introduction to systems analysis: with ecological applications (London) Kellman, M. (1975) Plantgeography (London) Kormondy, E. J. (1969) Concepts of ecology (New Jersey) May, R. M. (1974) Stability and complexity in model ecosystems (New Jersey) Morgan, R. K. (1981) 'Systems analysis: a problem of methodology', Area 13, 219-30

Pears, N. (1977) Basic biogeography (London) Simmons, I. G. (1979) Biogeography: natural and cultural (London) Tansley, A. G. (1939) The British Isles and its vegetation (Cambridge) Watts, D. (1971) Principles of biogeography (London)

A basinful in Berne

A report on the International Symposium on Hydrological Research Basins and their use in water resources planning, Berne, 21-23 September, 1982.

Organised by the Swiss National Hydrological Survey and the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology of the Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, this international symposium which was held in an imposing auditorium of the University of Berne attracted hydrologists from more than 25 countries. The scientific programme was both compact and com pressed, each of five half-day sessions containing a major review by a key speaker, four or five short presentations and a general report on between 12 and 18 additional submitted papers.

Data acquisition and management provided the theme of the first session and in the key speech C. Emmenegger used the example of the Swiss National Hydrological Survey to show how research catchments can be integrated successfully with a basic hydrometric network. Other presentations addressed the designs of a research catchment (R. W. Darden et al.) and an auto matic weather station (F. Bultot and G. L. Dupriez) required to meet the voracious data needs of the latest generation of hydrological models, explained the failure of data collection programmes in Australia to provide adequate information on which to assess water resources (L. Hobba) and discussed the ability of radar to monitor rainfall over Switzerland U. Joss).

The second session on water and heat balance and their components was opened by H. R. Oliver's key speech which graphically showed, through results obtained from the work of the Institute of Hydrology, UK, that measurement of evaporation and energy budget characteristics of vegetation requires increasingly sophisticated approaches as one moves from simple monocul tures on level ground to mixed communities on undulating terrain. Presented papers continued the theme of water balance estimation in forested (J. Krecek) and agricultural catchments (j.

N. M. Strickler and P. M. M. Warmerdam), examined the use of tracers (W. Stichler and A. Herrmann) and the potential of mapping evapotranspiration components (B. Ambroise et al.) in water balance studies of mountainous areas, and discussed changes in water balance conse quent upon vegetation management in South Africa (J. M. Bosch). In a third session on rainfall runoff processes, the key speaker, U. Maniak, concentrated on mathematical modelling of the different phases in this fundamental hydrological transformation and saw a need to combine analytical and synthetic approaches. Problems of modelling dominated this session and specific results based on a statistical distribution of stores (C. Michel), physically-based and distributed interactions between surface and subsurface layers (j. C. Refsgaard and E. Hansen) and a digital description of an aquifer (R. V. Blau et al.) were presented. Findings on the time-variant nature of model parameters (U. Wolf and M. Ostrowski) and the prediction of runoff in ungauged catchments from geomorphological and other information (I. Krasovskaia) were also reported.

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A basinful in Berne 117

The quality as well as quantity aspects of runoff were discussed in a session on nutrient and sediment budgets and meltwater runoff. In the key report, St. Henin proposed a general differen tial equation of nutrient transport and stressed the importance of fertilisers as a source of nutrients. Variation of water chemistry (C. Dupraz et al.) and sediment-associated nutrients (. D. Schreiber and P. D. Duffy) in catchments carrying different land-use was reported, and plans for a general assessment of erosion and sedimentation in Illinois, USA (M. T. Lee) were presented. The problems of designing adequate sampling programmes for studying catchment nutrient dynamics (D. E. Walling and B. W. Webb) and of modelling runoff from advection melting of snow (L. Braun and P. K. Zuidema) were also addressed in this session.

Concern amongst some delegates that papers at the symposium emhasised academic findings rather than results of practical value in planning was removed by the final session on application and transfer of results of catchment research to water resources planning and management. In the key presentation, D. N. Body employed examples from Australia to illustrate the pitfalls in applying catchment research, but also proposed that methods of numerical taxonomy offer considerable scope for extending results from small to larger areas. Specific techniques of extra polating from gauged to ungauged catchments employed in Hungary (M. Domokos and G. Kovacs) and the USA (E. T. Engman) were explained, and the need to find simple methods was stressed (F. K. Holle and K. Ludwig). Incorporation of soil moisture budgeting was shown to further generalise the use of the popular SCS storm-flow model (R. E. Schulze) and a

dynamic modelling approach to the regionalisation of hydrological data (I. Simmers et al.) was introduced.

That the Berne symposium was wide ranging and well supported is evident not only from the papers outlined above, but also from the more than 70 other contributions, which were ably synthesised and reported in the appropriate sessions by general rapporteurs (B. Schidler, J.-F. Jaton, D. Gutknecht, H. M. Keller, H. Lang) and appear in full in the proceedings of the sym posium (Mitteilungen Landeshydrologie 1982 Hydrological research basins and their use in water resources planning, 3 vols (Berne)). The organisers of this conference should be congratulated for producing a successful meeting which also included a choice of six excursions to sites of hydrological and historical interest. Delegates greatly enjoyed the combination of a stimulating scientific programme, conducted in three languages, and traditional Swiss hospitality which cul

minated in a memorable Symposium Dinner held at the ancient Chateau de Chillon on an island in Lake Geneva.

Bruce Webb University of Exeter

The History of the IBG

In the course of my paper read at the Edinburgh Conference in January I referred to the lack of any recent information about two persons who are listed among the original members of the Institute. They are G. D. B. Gray and Miss M. M. Tunstall. My wife and I have had consider able correspondence as we have tried to complete an appendix for the History listing all the 72 members of 1933 and giving dates of birth and where appropriate the date of death. Our enquiries have been successfully answered in all except these two persons.

Is any member able to help? If so, please inform the IBG office or me (at 12 Cambridge Road, Langland, Swansea SA3 4PE). Mr Gray we know was a research student of Professor Wooldridge's at King's College, London, and later became a headmaster (possibly in Northamp tonshire). Miss Tunstall was a junior member of the staff at the East London College, now

QMC, but not even Professor Emeritus J. F. Kirkaldy has been able to help me in our quest for more information about her.

Robert W. Steel

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Article Contentsp. 116p. 117

Issue Table of ContentsArea, Vol. 15, No. 2 (1983), pp. 97-176Front MatterRegional Variations in House Prices and House Price Inflation 1969-81 [pp. 97-109]Report: Research Design in Geomorphology [pp. 109-110]The Usefulness of System Theory in Ecosystem Studies [pp. 111-116]Report: A Basinful in Berne [pp. 116-117]Comment: Discussion Arising from Papers in "Area"Geography and Geomorphology: Alternatives to G. H. Dury [pp. 118-125]Revolutions and Research Programmes [pp. 125-132]Use of the Cone Penetrometer [pp. 132-135]

Report: Historical Geography on the Move [pp. 135-136]Rethinking Soviet Population Policy [pp. 137-143]Report: Energy from Space [pp. 143-144]Errata: The Contribution of UK Geographers to Remote Sensing [p. 144-144]From Flint to Soweto: Reflections on the Colonial Origins of the Apartheid City [pp. 145-149]The Chemical Weathering of Limestone [p. 150-150]News from Council [pp. 151-152]Participants Observed [pp. 153-159]Report: Data for Industrial Research [pp. 159-160]Community Opposition to Hostels for Single Homeless Men [pp. 161-166]ReportsQuantitative and Theoretical Geography in Europe [pp. 166-167]Regional Science [p. 168-168]Earth Surface Processes and Engineering Geomorphology [pp. 169-173]

ObservationInstitutional Threats to Research and Academic Merit [pp. 174-176]

Back Matter