According to the award committee, Günter Blöschl “has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the drivers of increasing flood risks under climate change coupled to the strong influence of regional flood processes. His observation-based connection between climate and floods revealed that the last two decades have been markedly flood-prone compared to the historical record.”

As every year, the award winner was announced in anticipation of World Water Day on the 22^nd of March, which has been organised by UN-Water since 2003. The prize will officially be presented in August by King Carl XVI. Gustaf of Sweden.

Prof. Blöschl’s research sits at the interface of hydrology, climate and society and is based on both experimental data and historical records as well as the latest computer models. By precisely analysing the frequency and dynamics of flood events on European rivers of variable catchment size, he and his team are able to estimate the risk of future flood events. He could, thus, clearly show that climate change has a significant impact on flood events, but not in the same way in all catchments. Prof. Blöschl’s analyses allow these regional differences to be understood more precisely.

Prof. Blöschl also attracted international attention with his “socio-hydrology” approach, which acknowledges that the water cycle is influenced by human activity, but, in turn, also influences human behaviour. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of hydrology and be able to make reliable forecasts, it is therefore essential to include human interventions in hydrological research.

The HOAL – Hydrological Open Air Laboratory in Petzenkirchen (Lower Austria) set up by Günter Blöschl serves as an important source for observations and hydrological data collection. This is a densely instrumented, partly agriculturally used experimental area of 60 hectares in size, where both surface and groundwater flows and discharges can be measured using numerous sensors. The knowledge gained there gives the researchers insights into the relationships between precipitation, groundwater and runoff as well as the associated transport of various chemical species.

Günter Blöschl describes being awarded the prize as a great honour that makes him realize how lucky he is to work with such brilliant people.

This award joins a multitude of prizes that Prof. Blöschl has already received over the course of his career, including an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council and the Horton Medal from the American Geophysical Union. Günter Blöschl is also a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences as well as the US National Academy of Engineering and a Senator of the Helmholtz Association for the research fields “Earth and Environment”.