President of the Commission for Hydrology

President of the >Commission for Hydrology

Dr. Harry F. Lins
President, WMO Commission for Hydrology

Harry Lins is a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A specialist in stochastic hydrology and hydroclimatology, his work has focused principally on characterizing the surface water response to climate, with an emphasis on regional streamflow variability, long-term trends, and the statistical techniques appropriate for such analyses.He is a co-developer of WaterWatch, a USGS website of maps, graphs, and tables describing real-time, recent, and past streamflow conditions for the United States. He is the author of more than 60 scientific and technical papers.

Dr. Lins has been involved in WMO activities for 25 years, and has been a member of the Commission for Hydrology's Advisory Working Group since 2004. In this role, he has lead activities associated with the Hydroclimatic Data Analysis and the Quality Management Framework - Hydrology theme areas. Prior to becoming a member of the Advisory Working Group, Dr. Lins served WMO as the Executive Secretary of the World Climate Programme - Water (2000-2006), as a member of the coordination panel of the Global Terrestrial Network - Hydrology (GTN-H) (2001-2006), as a technical expert on the CHy Working Group on Applications (1996-2000), as a rapporteur for the RA-IV Working Group on Hydrology (1996-2000), and as co-chair of the Hydrology and Water Resources Working Group during the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) First Impacts Assessment (1989-1992). He was elected President of the Commission for Hydrology at its Fourteenth Session in 2012.

Terms of reference

To undertake the duties required of a president of a WMO technical commission in accordance with WMO General Regulation 185;
To chair meetings, as required, within the above duties, including, for example, the CHy AWG, the WHYCOS International Advisory Group (WIAG);
To represent CHy within the WMO, in cooperation with other United Nations agencies, especially UNESCO, and at a range of other meetings, workshops and conferences ;
To coordinate the CHy activities towards implementation of the GFCS, or to delegate an AWG member responsible for this coordination (Resolution 5/1 (CHy-14));
To promote the recognition of, and increase awareness about, the role of WMO in hydrology and water resources;
To ensure that the activities of regional associations, and, in particular, the Regional Association Working Groups on Hydrology (RAWGHs) are coordinated within overall Commission activities and that there is effective communication between the Commission and the RAWGHs;
To ensure that the joint activities with the other technical commissions (TCs) are coordinated to the satisfaction of CHy and that there is effective communication between the Commission and the other TCs; and
To monitor changes in the operation and management of NMHSs, including product delivery and public awareness in hydrology and water resources.