IGSD News
Dr Mao Contributes to Panel on Comparative Hydrology at RGS Annual Conference 2025
On 27 August 2025, Dr Feng Mao participated as a discussant in the panel discussion Geographies of Comparative Hydrology: Tools for Understanding River Basin Space-Time Patterns and Processes in a Changing World at the Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference.
Chaired by Professor David Hannah, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) at the University of Birmingham, the session brought together leading scholars to explore the opportunities and challenges of comparative hydrology. This emerging field examines river basins across regions and scales, comparing hydrological processes such as floods, droughts, water quality, and regimes. By situating these processes in their geographical contexts, comparative hydrology helps researchers identify patterns, develop predictive tools, and inform sustainable water management strategies.
Dr Mao contributed insights on how comparative hydrological approaches can enhance understanding of water security and resilience under climate change, particularly through comparative studies, innovative data approaches, and the integration of global datasets with hyper-local contexts.
The discussion highlighted the vital role of comparative hydrology in shaping adaptive, location-specific responses to water-related challenges in a rapidly changing world.