Perspectives on the Hydrosphere

Abstract

Perhaps the single most important fact regarding hydrology in general, and of geographical interest in the hydrosphere in particular, is the rapidity of its growth and the variegation of its blossoming in recent years. In 1963, the Journal of Hydrology was 22mm thick, in 1983 it was 126mm. As we view the horizon of physical geography from the hydrological vantage point, it surrounds us. Increasing numbers of geographers are making journeys towards this horizon but they travel in groups along often diverging paths, and with the passage of time contact between them may become increasingly difficult. It is not a simple task to map out the easiest and most productive routes for such explorations, particularly as these two kinds of routes are not always identical.