TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2024 meeting brought together thousands of scientists, researchers and practitioners from around the world to discuss the latest advances in Earth and space sciences. With thousands of presentations, posters and sessions, AGU 2024 served as a key event for sharing cutting-edge research across a variety of fields. In particular, the conference highlighted the global importance of addressing weather extremes, water resource management and hydrological systems. As the largest gathering of its kind, AGU provides a unique platform for accelerating scientific discoveries and fostering collaborations to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) played a significant role at AGU 2024, demonstrating how its research initiatives align with its overarching mission to advance water prediction systems and improve the management of water resources. As a partner to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CIROH leverages its expertise in hydrology, data science and technology to support the development of accurate, reliable and timely water predictions. Through its presence at AGU 2024, CIROH showcased its latest breakthroughs and engaged with global leaders to accelerate solutions for climate resilience and water sustainability.
“AGU 2024 brought together the world’s leading minds in Information Technology, Earth and space sciences. The conference provided CIROH researchers a platform to highlight our latest innovations in cloud computing, DevOps, water prediction systems and community water modeling,” said Arpita Patel, CIROH manager development operations and enterprise architect. “Through presentations and posters, our team forged valuable collaborations that advance hydrologic science and expand our research impact.”
Research Theme 1: Advancing Water Prediction Systems
CIROH’s work in advancing water prediction systems was highlighted by the development of new hydrologic models that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with traditional hydrologic science. These hybrid models are capable of processing vast amounts of data in real time, allowing for more accurate flood forecasting and drought prediction. By leveraging machine learning techniques, CIROH has improved the accuracy of hydrologic predictions, which directly supports NOAA’s mission to enhance water resource management and provide better decision support for communities impacted by extreme weather events. This work is also helping to develop predictive tools that can be deployed in real-time operational settings, providing actionable insights for water managers and emergency responders.
Research Theme 2: Community Water Modeling
CIROH is also at the forefront of community water modeling, using advanced cyberinfrastructure and software engineering to enhance collaboration and data sharing across institutions. This includes the development of high-performance computing frameworks that allow for the seamless integration of various water models, improving forecast accuracy at local, regional and national scales. CIROH’s work in this area is particularly significant in its efforts to involve the scientific community in the modeling process, ensuring that water predictions reflect the unique needs and challenges of local populations. By creating tools that facilitate model sharing, CIROH ensures that stakeholders from different sectors—from academia to government—can collaborate more effectively on water-related issues, supporting better-informed decision-making.
Research Theme 3: Hydroinformatics
Hydroinformatics—a field that uses information and communication technologies to address water challenges— is another key focus of CIROH’s research. At AGU 2024, CIROH highlighted advancements in managing and integrating complex data streams to improve water prediction systems. Researchers showcased their work in creating robust frameworks for processing, storing and analyzing large-scale hydrologic data, enabling seamless integration of diverse data sources such as satellite imagery, in-situ measurements and model outputs. These efforts are essential to transforming raw data into actionable insights, supporting real-time decision-making and long-term planning. CIROH’s hydroinformatics innovations facilitate the development of advanced tools and platforms that provide scientists and policymakers with intuitive access to reliable, high-quality water data.
Research Theme 4: Forecast Design and Decision Support
The integration of social and behavioral sciences into water prediction systems is a critical part of CIROH’s efforts to improve decision support. At AGU 2024, CIROH showcased its work in forecast design, which aims to enhance user engagement and improve the effectiveness of water forecasts in real-world decision-making. By examining the risk perceptions and preferences of different communities, CIROH’s research ensures that forecasts are tailored to the specific needs of users, whether they are local government officials, farmers or the general public. This approach ensures that forecasts are not only accurate but also actionable, improving the ability of communities to prepare for and respond to water-related challenges, such as floods or droughts.
Conclusion: Looking Ahead
CIROH’s participation in AGU 2024 underscores its commitment to advancing the science of water prediction and supporting the mission of NOAA to enhance the nation’s water resilience. Through its work across four key research themes, CIROH continues to lead the way in developing innovative solutions for water resource management. As we look ahead, CIROH will continue to focus on strengthening its partnerships, expanding its research capabilities and developing tools that provide real-time, actionable data for better decision-making. By pushing the boundaries of science and technology, CIROH remains at the forefront of tackling the world’s most urgent water-related challenges.
About CIROH
CIROH is a NOAA Cooperative Institute hosted at The University of Alabama and supported by the National Weather Service. As a unique national consortium with 28 partner institutions, CIROH unites academic, government and private sector partners to co-produce research that enhances operational water prediction capabilities and informs critical decision-making for issues like floods, droughts and water quality. Through its interdisciplinary research, educational initiatives and outreach programs, CIROH advances NOAA’s water prediction services, equips the next generation of water-resource professionals with essential skills and fosters public and stakeholder engagement to support federal agency needs. CIROH transforms scientific innovations into practical solutions that promote community resilience, sustainable water resource management and impactful support for decision-makers and communities across the United States.
For more information, please visit the CIROH website.