Hydrological yearbooks

The collation, normally on a national basis, of hydrometeorological data to provide a continuing series of snapshots of hydrological conditions in readily accessible publications has a long history. Prior to the 1970s the production of hydrological yearbooks was taken as one tangible sign that hydrometric data acquisition and dissemination had come of age. Then, as one country after another developed computer-based river flow and groundwater level archives supported by relatively sophisticated data retrieval services, the need for yearbooks was increasingly questioned. The versatility of the new archiving systems seemed to provide a more efficient and effective means of ensuring that the resources devoted to flow measurement and hydrometric data processing were fully capitalized on. Commonly, the projected benefits associated with the introduction of computer technology resulted in an increasing number of countries abandoning yearbook publication.

A trend away from yearbooks is...