Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS)

About Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS):

• It is an important initiative envisioned by the Commission for Hydrology and is now overseen by the WMO Hydrological Assembly.
• Aim: To provide the crucial global scale information needed to help water users understand the current status of the world’s freshwater systems.
• The System will be delivered by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), offering simple, accessible hydrological information to users such as government bodies, basin managers, funding institutions etc.
• It is being developed in phases, with the first one being a pilot phase (2017-2021).
• Under this phase, pilot basins have been identified in Africa and South Asia. 

Key Facts about World Meteorological Organisation

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. 
• Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the UN for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
• Headquarters:  Geneva, Switzerland.
• Currently, it has a membership of 187 countries.

Q1) What is Hydrology?

Hydrology is the science that encompasses the study of water on the Earth’s surface and beneath the surface of the Earth, the occurrence and movement of water, the physical and chemical properties of water, and its relationship with the living and material components of the environment.

Source: Explained | What was the U.N. water conference and what happened there?

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