Dear Reader,
In the early sixties, the eminent American hydrologist, Walter Langbein,
founded Water Resources Research on behalf of the Section of Hydrology
of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Today, Water Resources Research
is undisputed as the leading international journal in its field, and the
key factors in its success are:
* sustained emphasis on high quality papers;
* the reviewing, editing, and management processes are all controlled
by the scientists;
* the allegiance of the AGU community to WRR;
* a verv reasonable cost both to institutions and members;
* financial benefits from the sales of the journal are fed back to
the AGU, to the benefit of the members.
In Europe, we now have a well established community of hydrologists
in EGS, and the need for a high quality
journal was addressed initially by adopting the already well established
Elsevier journal of Hydrology as the official journal of the Hydrological
Sciences Section. However, it became apparent that several of the factors
associated with WRR's success were not working in the Society's favour,
and so it has been decided to establish a new journal which, we hope, can
emulate the success of WRR in the fullness of time.
Much has been written over the past decade about the need to establish
a strong identity for hydrology as a distinct geoscience alongside the
atmospheric, ocean and solid earth sciences. The aims and scope of Hydrology
and Earth System Sciences (HESS) have been designed to give full expression
to this goal, and have been strongly influenced by 'Opportunities in the
Hydrologic Sciences' (National Academy Press,1991). The functioning of
the hydrological cycle within an earth system undergoing global change
is currently the focus of research by many leading scientists and it is
hoped that HESS will become a major forum for the publication and discussion
of such research, as well as all new findings which enhance the position
of hydrology as a geoscience.
The success of a new journal is dependent not only on attracting high
quality papers, but on the preservation of high standards in the overall
editorial process. This requires, inter alia, a sympathetic managing editor
to assist non-native English speakers in Europe and beyond to communicate
their research findings with good clarity. We are highly fortunate that
Dr j S G (Jim) McCulloch, who has had such a major impact on the success
of the Journal of Hydrology, has agreed to take on the onerous task of
launching and managing HESS. He will be supported by a panel of Scientific
Editors and by an Editorial Board, who will advise him. We are indebted
to Dr McCulloch and his editorial office team for their dedicated efforts
in bringing this first issue to fruition. We also thank the authors, who
have entrusted their papers to HESS, the reviewers who have responded so
promptly and Arne Richter, the Secretary-General of EGS, for his
continual support and enthusiasm for this venture.
Finally, and most important of all, we appeal to you, and all members
of the scientific community, to support HESS by
* taking out a personal subscription;
* arranging for an institutional subscription;
* contributing your best papers;
* helping with the peer review process.
By rallying around HESS and giving it the priority which will ensure
that high quality is achieved from the outset, we can, as a community,
eventually match the achievements of WRR. You and future generations of
European hydrologists will be the beneficiaries.
Philip O'Kane
Enda O'Connell
EGS Vice-President
Past-EGS Vice-President
(Hydrological Sciences)
(Hydrological Sciences) |