© Miriam Bertola

One of the findings of the Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH) initiative of IAHS, EGU-HS, AGU-HS and the IAH was the need for more discovery science and outrageous hypotheses in hydrology.

In 1926, geologist William Davis exhorted his fellow scientists thus: 'Our younger members may perhaps experience a feeling of disappointment, or even of discouragement at the unanimity with which the conclusions of an elder are received by a geological audience. But to make progress, violence must be done to many of our accepted principles'.

In this spirit, the aim of this symposium is to discuss new, controversial ideas about how the water cycle works to stimulate more high-risk/high-gain initiatives in hydrology.