Fresh water is one of our nation's most precious and valuable natural resources. Water managers require accurate and timely forecasts to inform risk-management decision making. Knowledge of precipitation, land surface, and streamflow characteristics, as well as their uncertainty, is also needed to produce robust forecasts of hydrologic extreme events. Recent studies have shown that climate change will increase the occurrence of extreme precipitation events, both too wet and too dry, further highlighting the need for reliable information.

What We Do

PSL's Hydrology Applications Division transforms cutting-edge hydrologic science into actionable information for water resource management. Using atmospheric and hydrologic models and observational data, we aim to advance physical understanding and prediction of water availability and hydrologic extreme events, such as floods, drought, and wildfire, and provide reliable and use-inspired water resource information to stakeholders inside and outside NOAA.