On 18 May, the Swedish Hydrological Council (SHR) organised a fika seminar with the King Carl XVI Gustaf Professor in Environmental Science, James “Jim” Kirchner, currently affiliated with ETH Zürich, WSL, SLU Umeå, and UC Berkeley. Water enthusiasts from across Sweden joined the seminar either in person at SLU Ultuna or through SHR discussion hubs at member organisations around the country.
Jim guided us through “Instructive surprises in the hydrological functioning of landscapes”, sharing insights into how field observations and new tracer methods have transformed our understanding of hydrological processes. From hillslope dynamics, catchment-scale heterogeneity and large-sample hydrology dataset the seminar highlighted how modern hydrology continues to challenge long-held assumptions about how landscapes store and release water.
The seminar brought together students and researchers of all career stages across Sweden.
We would once again like to thank Jim for taking the time to share his experience and inspiring perspectives with the Swedish hydrology community, and we thank everyone who joined the seminar and discussions!
Photo: Jim presenting to a full room at SLU Ultuna.