GLOWA: Global change and the hydrological cycle: Towards sustainable development

Water management affects our environment, society and culture. Finding solutions to mitigate negative impacts and adapt to different geographical conditions and climate regions, requires an approach that unites sound and unbiased science with social and policy considerations. To meet this challenges the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) of Germany launched a major international programme called GLOWA (Global Change and the Hydrological Cycle) in 2000. The objectives of the programme were to develop, test and apply new integrated, interdisciplinary models to assess the impact of global change at a basin scale. The improvement of understanding of hydrological processes will lead to reduced uncertainty in future water management and design practice.