The European Geosciences Union (EGU) presents medals in recognition of world-leading research within its field of operations. Each year, the organisation’s Division on Hydrological Sciences awards the Henry Darcy Medal to a prominent researcher for research into water resources and management.
The 2021 medal will be presented to docent Berit Arheimer, Head of Hydrological Research at SMHI, for her contributions as a hydrological researcher.
The nomination highlights Arheimer’s contributions to hydrological research, including her work to create World Wide Hype, a hydrological calculation model covering water resources throughout the world, as well as her work with open data and open source code via Hypeweb, and in connection with water quality and calibration strategies for hydrological models linking different spatial scales together. Her combination of passion and enthusiasm, excellent leadership in multicultural environments, visionary thinking, pragmatism and fearlessness make Arheimer a worthy recipient of the medal.
“It feels a little overwhelming, and I am touched to suddenly hear so many kind words,” she says. “This is the result of a great deal of long, tireless work by many people. I may have received the award, but this truly is a case of teamwork. I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved as a group over the last few decades!”
Many years of hydrological research
Berit Arheimer is a Docent in Water and Environmental Studies at Linköping University, and has worked at SMHI since the 1990s. Over the last 20 years, she has strategically built up and led SMHI’s Hydrology Research Unit, a multicultural group of around 30 researchers. Arheimer’s CV also includes a long list of scientific publications and significant involvement in several international organisations, such as WMO and UNESCO. She has run a large number of international projects, thereby contributing towards hydrological development. Arheimer has also been named the next President of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), which has more than 9,000 members in 150 different countries.
Arheimer will receive her medal and talk about the research conducted by her and her research team at EGU’s 2021 annual meeting, which is due to be held on 25-30 April 2021.
The Henry Darcy Medal
The Henry Darcy Medal is awarded to individuals in recognition of outstanding scientific contributions within water resources research and water resources engineering and management.
Henry Darcy (1803-1858) was a French scientist who helped develop hydrological and hydraulic research, including via Darcy’s Law which describes the flow of a fluid through a porous medium.